Attack on Titan TACTICS has something for both die-hard fans and those newly interested in the franchise. It covers the events of the anime from the very beginning to episode 25, the end of the first season. Content from season 2 will be added at a later date. Those who want to relive the first season of Attack on Titan from the standpoint of one of the members of the Scout Regiment can get a different feel from just watching events unfold. Those simply interested in the premise without any background of the anime or manga will have no trouble following along as everything is explained in story mode.

Those with no real knowledge or interest in the Attack on Titan story but who are fans of Real-Time Strategy and Tower Defense games will still enjoy this impressive mobile game. There are over 30 characters with their own specific skills, strengths, weaknesses, and costs that require you to think carefully about who you deploy. You can go through main stories or character stories to get a better understanding of the world and its people or play special events with more challenging gameplay.

Attack on Titan TACTICS is first and foremost a game for fans both old and new of Attack on Titan. DeNA has done a fantastic job of totally immersing the player in the World of Attack on Titan and filling the roster with fan-favorites as well as minor characters. They’ve stayed true to the original vision of Attack on Titan as well as added original content to keep the story fresh. Not only is there more to learn about the members of the Scout Regiment, but all of the stories are voiced by the original voice actors. Battles are also fully voiced, which can make character deaths a little painful as you hear them scream for help before being mercilessly crunched by a Titan. The artwork is beautiful, detailed, and definitely gory as expected of an Attack on Titan game. You have to keep the Titans from breaching the Gate but also keep track of the cost of deploying certain characters. The differing attacks and speed of the Kyojin will keep players engaged through hours of battles. You can also enjoy music from the anime as Linked Horizon’s “Guren no Yumiya” and “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” will be featured to really get you pumped for battle!

Even if you’re not familiar with the Attack on Titan franchise, as a stand-alone game, there’s a lot to appreciate in TACTICS. The gameplay itself is beginner-friendly and while knowing each characters’ strengths and weaknesses will give you a leg up, simple trial and error can be enough to help you overcome more difficult levels. If you’re a fan of real-time strategy RPGs and tower defense games, the intuitive gameplay mixed with numerous ways to customize your teams will make the experience fun and engaging.

Story Mode follows all of the events covered in season 1 of the Attack on Titan anime. For those new to the series, you are introduced to the devastating world of Titans and the remnants of humanity forced to fight for their lives. You are a member of the last hope of mankind, the Scout Regiment, and have to choose your team members and strategically place and deploy them to fend off the blood-thirsty giants from breaking through the Walls. It’s not enough to just defend your district; get too careless and the Titans will devour your team.

Using characters familiar to fans of the series like Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Levi, etc, you send out for squad members based on their abilities and how much they cost to deploy. You earn characters through a gacha system and can utilize this immediately following the first battle tutorial. While at first the gameplay is simple and straightforward enough to continue without too much frustration, boss battles and special events will require some trial and error until you become quite familiar with everyone’s unique abilities and the Titans’ differing weaknesses. Your squad will gain experience with each battle so you’ll steadily grow stronger, but don’t be afraid to show some love to units you don’t normally use! You might need their powers one day, so it’s important to be strategic with who you level up as well. Battles will also earn you items you can use to power up characters or utilize the premium gacha and money for a whole host of things!

The art is the same as the manga and anime for cut scenes and character stories with chibi versions of characters used in battles. Special battle animations show the characters as their normal selves and have special voice clips. You have a birds-eye view of the battlefield and can decide where, when, and who to send out. Be careful to keep an eye out for anyone that may be caught by one of the Titans, though their pained shrieks are sure to alert you. If you don’t rescue them in time, they’ll be devoured and unusable for the rest of the battle. They do come back after it’s over, but who wants to watch these kids doing their best to die a gruesome death?

Aside from Story Mode which follows the already established narrative, Character Episodes allow the player to experience completely new stories which provide a fresh mix to the familiar territory. The voice actors are all the same from the anime which will be exciting for fans!

Boss battles are definitely harder than regular battles and require more strategy. You may lose or at least have a couple of characters die before you find success, but when you do, it will be worth it. It’s important to observe the enemy and save your best fighters for critical moments lest you leave humanity unprotected!

As if it hasn’t been said enough, Attack on Titan TACTICS aims to give fans of Attack on Titan an immersive mobile game that’s true to the source material. Going from watching your favorite characters prepare to battle to calling the shots yourself creates a really personal experience. They certainly don’t pull any punches with the death scenes and the special animations for the characters’ skill activations are quite impactful.

Whether you just want a fun tower defense game to play in your downtime or you hunger for battle with your favorite characters, there’s a lot Attack on Titan TACTICS has to offer. It’s free to play but spending a little money can help you with timed events or overcoming certain battles more quickly. We’ll say for die-hard fans, you’ll definitely want to pick up the game for the new content with original voices.