Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: God Eater 3
Developer: Marvelous First Studio, BANDAI NAMCO Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Genre: action adventure, hack-and-slash, RPG
Number of Players: up to 8
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 12 July 2019
Price: $59.99
Also Available On: PS4, Steam
I first heard about this God Eater many years ago during the PSP era. I kind of wanted to play the game but never got around to really doing it. Fast forward to present time, the third main entry of the game series, God Eater 3, is now ported to the Nintendo Switch (it has been out on PC and PS4 months ago). Prior to playing the game, I didn't know what to expect as I had no idea what the gameplay is. Until just recently, I didn't know that the gameplay is similar to the Monster Hunter games. Now, I am not the biggest Monster Hunter fan (for the life of me, I just can't wrap my head around it gameplay, though I really liked the spinoff game, Monster Hunter Stories, because it's an RPG) so I thought that this game would overwhelm me. Well, it kind of did, but I must say that this game gives any Monster Hunter game a run for its money.
At the start of the game, you get to create your own character. You can choose to be either male or female, then get to customize it, from hairstyle to costume to the sound of the voice. This makes your character as unique as you can possibly make it to be. It's very cool, but other games have done that before, so it's really not that remarkable. Afterwards, you get to watch a short intro to the game. Since I have not played the past games in the series, I am not familiar about the lore of the God Eater games, but on this one, you start at a prison cell. You are a captive AGE (Adaptive God Eater), along with other AGEs. As an AGE, you are one of the chosen few who can wield powerful weapons called God Arcs, weapons that can be used to defeat monsters, and the main antagonists in the game, the Aragami. These Aragami are big monsters that oftentimes have mechanical parts, like drills or guns or rockets. Since the game is set in a dystopian future, this matches the overall post-apocalyptic sci-fi feel of the game. The world in this game has been devastated, the cities in ruins, and normal people cannot survive outside due to ash storms that bring about death and monsters. The AGEs are deployed by powers-that-be to eliminate Aragami to clear transport and trade routes. In story mode, you can either play it solo or with up to 3 others locally or online. If you play solo, you get to play with up to 3 AI characters. After battles, you get to acquire loots, such as monster parts (used in crafting new weaponry and equipment and buff items), weapon/gear blueprints, money, and other materials. You also gain experience points for your equipped skills. In between battles, you get to prepare different loadouts (weapon/gear/item sets to be used in battles), talk to some NPCs (which I personally found boring and broke momentum of the game), then out to do other missions again. Rinse and repeat. Very similar to Monster Hunter, but unlike that game series, this game has a plot that you can follow. Also, the battles don't last very long, making them a lot less tedious.
As mentioned earlier, you get to wield a powerful weapon called a God Arc. God Arcs come in a variety of forms, such as swords to hammers to crescent blades, and they can also transform into guns and shields, AND also into big monstrous mouths to “eat” Aragami, or take a big bite out of them. It’s much better to see it for yourself, really. Depending on your play style, it is up to you which form that you would like to use. You can stick to just one God Arc type, or use a variety of them. With the various blueprints that you acquire as you progress into the game, more and more weapon types become available to you, and there is really nothing stopping you from trying any of them. Also, you get to customize them even further but attaching various attributes and skills to them, and the more you use them, the more they level up and become more powerful.
Along with the use of your God Arc, you get to learn special moves known as Burst Arts. As you “eat” Aragami, a gauge meter gets filled up and when it does, you can unleash powerful attacks either while on the ground or on air. The more you use these Burst Arts, the more they level up and you get to unlock more Burst Arts. You can mix and match them however you want, again depending on your play style.
With this type of addicting feedback loop that the game has, you will get encouraged to grind to craft weapons, gears, and other items, and you will have to because the latter missions can get pretty hard. All missions can be replayed and you can play them to gather materials or earn money (crafting does cost money to perform), either solo (with AI partners) or in coop, both locally and online. You also get to unlock optional side missions, certification missions (to test your skills), and online coop modes, where you can play with up to SEVEN other players to beat gigantic and more powerful Aragami. Pretty neat.
Overall, God Eater 3 is one exceptional game, it has lots of contents that will keep you playing even beyond the completion of the main campaign. And since you can play it anywhere and with local coop, this Switch version is pretty much the definitive version of the game, despite the slight hit on the visuals. So buckle up, wield your weapon of choice, and prepare for one hell of an adventure. There will be a lot of god-eating, so keep your appetite up and unleash the fury within.
REPLAY VALUE: Very High
PROS
- The anime-inspired, cell-shaded graphical style looks really good
- Rousing musical score that makes every battle more exciting to play
- Amazing voice acting throughout the game
- Excellent character design
- High degree of character customization
- Tons of unlockables and collectibles
- Highly-addicting feedback loop system
- Solid frame rate
- Plays very well on handheld mode
- Perfect for short game sessions
CONS
- Bland story
- Forced chatter in-between missions breaks momentum of the game
- Maps lack variety
- Highly-repetitive gameplay
RATING: 4.5/5 Aragami awesomeness
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