Attack on Titan is a beloved manga and anime series that is loved all over the world. My wife and I are huge fans of the series, so the video game adaptations that have emerged over the last few years have been intriguing. Enter Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable, a new offering from developer UNIVRS for the Meta Quest headset.
“Attack on Titan” is set in a world where humanity is on the brink of extinction at the hands of monstrous creatures – Titans. These Titans’ merciless destruction and appetite for human flesh can only be stopped, if only temporarily, by erecting a fortified wall around the last bastion of civilization. Against these creatures are members of the Survey Corps, trained soldiers who use Omni-Directional Mobility Gear (ODM Gear) to traverse cities via gas-powered propulsion, grappling hooks, and aerial maneuvering.
Those familiar with the original work will know how characters fly effortlessly through the air, and the action and settings feel like they were made for a VR game. Unfortunately, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable, at least in its current state, doesn’t do justice to these aspects due to issues with the core gameplay.
In Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable, players are put in the shoes of a new member of the Scout Regiment. The campaign itself consists of short missions to defend the city from rampaging Titans. Each mission has several objectives, such as traveling from point A to point B (marked with green or red smoke), killing a certain number of Titans in an area, collecting supplies while avoiding Titans, or defending a fort from waves of Titans. Mission objectives also have time limits, so players must race against the clock when completing the tasks.
“We were also disappointed by how Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable’s mission objectives became repetitive over time.”
I was a bit surprised by the current presentation, as I initially expected the game to have more of an extensive campaign or some sort of semi-open world structure. It was also disappointing, given how Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable’s mission objectives became repetitive over time. Similarly, other objective types, such as fort/warehouse defense, relied on near-perfect crowd control to prevent enemies from advancing on their targets.
Meanwhile, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable’s core gameplay showcases just how mobile the Scout Regiment warriors are thanks to their ODM gear. Firing your grappling hook is as simple as panning your aim to a surface, structure, or creature, then pressing the grab button and making a pulling motion. There are other modes for ground movement as well, including a Naruto-esque “ninja run,” in which you move the controller behind your back to sprint.
From there, I used my momentum to launch myself across rooftops, skidding through the air to target monstrous enemies below, slashing them repeatedly with a variety of unlockable weapons with different stats (as an aside, the Thunder Spear and Prototype Hand Cannon are currently unavailable, but may be added in a future update).
“The action in Attack of Titan VR: Unbreakable is intense and, at times, even exhilarating.”
Similarly, it’s worth noting that the giant’s weak spot is its nape (i.e. the back of its neck), which can be taken down with just a few hits. However, I can also attack its legs, temporarily crippling it and causing it to regenerate lost limbs. Additionally, if a giant were to grab me, I could slice off its hand with a hacking motion, allowing me to escape by grabbing onto a distant building before being swallowed.
If you haven’t read the Attack on Titan manga or anime yet and prefer the comic book, think of it as a mix of Spider-Man’s extreme vertical and horizontal mobility and the wicked close-quarters combat abilities of Deadpool or Wolverine. Oh yeah, the enemy is a giant, slow-moving, naked Sentinel. Close enough, don’t you think?
The action in Attack of Titan VR: Unbreakable is intense and even exhilarating at times. Unfortunately, the main drawback is the fragmented presentation of mission objectives that get in the way. They seem unnecessarily simple and simplistic tallies in contrast to the somber and epic storytelling seen in the anime. To make matters worse, the game’s visuals are rather monotonous and poor, with textures and designs that are blocky, jagged, or have rough edges. The graphics certainly did not make the most of the Meta Quest 3’s capabilities.
Aside from the above, I initially expected Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable to let me join in on operations with fan-favorite characters like Eren, Mikasa, Levi, and Armin. These characters appeared in hubs between levels, but during the actual missions they only offered basic guidance, telling me where to go but barely helping me in combat. It’s as if the entire story is just a solo endeavor rather than one that conveys the bond between team members.
Admittedly, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is still in Early Access, with only the first two chapters available to play at the time of writing, though the roadmap does state that later chapters and a co-op mode are on the way.
The issues I noticed had to do with the core gameplay mechanics and overall presentation, so only time will tell if Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is a worthy adaptation of the acclaimed manga and anime series. If you’d like to give it a try, it’s available on the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro.
