Hands-On with Attack on Titan 2's Annihilation Mode

Yesterday in San Francisco, Koei Tecmo hosted a special event to show off three of it's upcoming U.S. releases -- including Attack on Titan 2. The franchise's latest video game introduces a fun and creative character customization mode and "evolved" gameplay that includes really interesting point-of-view cutscenes that could translate well to VR. Still, the game's crowning achievement (so far) looks like it's going to be the game's various multiplayer functions, the highlight of which is easily Annihilation Mode.

By now, you likely know what Annihilation Mode is all about: two teams of two players each are pitted against one another in a point-earning competition where you take down as many Titans as possible within a set time limit. Players earn extra for particularly strategic moves and working together. When I was given the hands-on experience with Annihilation Mode, it was almost overwhelming -- which isn't really a bad thing, because the learning curve isn't that wide. Timing is everything with this game, and once you get the hang of it, all of the chaos is plenty of fun to navigate. There's a certain rhythm to the way you move, and with Hanji at my fingertips, it was pretty entertaining to maneuver around and above the enemy before launching directly at the back of their necks for a finishing strike.

Teamwork is a major element of multiplayer in this game, and it's highlighted best when players join one another in the game's available online story modes. In Annihilation Mode, it felt a little chaotic, but that's likely due to the fact that most of us that were playing hadn't quite yet gotten a lot of experience in with Attack on Titan 2 on the Switch. Still, the idea of being able to hop on and work together with players all over the world is pretty appealing, especially for people like me who game at hours when the only people online live clear across the planet. Players who spend time on Annihilation Mode and learn to work together will definitely have the potential to become forces to reckon with over time, because collaborative moves seem to earn the most points. Get ready to get along with strangers online, folks.

Attack on Titan 2 releases on March 20, 2018 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.