God Eater 3 Review: A Surprisingly Fun Game

God Eater 3 (GE3) is a Monster Hunter-esque game but in Anime Style. Now, a lot of you might be thinking “is just a rip-off of Monster Hunter”. Well, I’m here to tell you that is not. God Eater is somewhat different and more complicated than what I expected.

Have a look at their Official Story Trailer:

Introduction

It is a sequel to God Eater 2 Rage Burst but in this timeline, the “Ashlands” have already devour the Fenrir’s Headquarters and is still on a rampage. After the appearance of “Ashlands”, AGEs, a new type of God Eater are introduced in the game to face off against Aragamis. Aragamis are beings that will devour everything in their path, the only way to kill an Aragami is to extract the Aragami Core within it using the God Arc. God Arcs can only be wielded by God Eater. The main protagonist as the new type of God Eater will team up with his allies in exterminating the Aragamis.

Features of the game.

In God Eater 3, the gameplay experience is much more fast pace compared to the previous sequels and is all thanks to the new gameplay mechanics.

Dive System

Dive is one of the mechanics introduced in the game, it allows player to perform a long charge towards enemy. With Dive, players don’t have to chase around Aragamis anymore like the past sequels.

Burst Arts

Other than that, there is the Burst Arts which is a system similar to Blood Arts in God Eater 2 Rage Burst. There will be a burst gauge and when it is filled, players will be able to use Burst Arts. It is basically a mega buff that replaces your normal attacks that deal higher damage and increases your defense. Every weapon in the game gets to equip 3 Burst Art ( Ground, Air and Step), and effects of Burst Art varies from weapon to weapon. Players will have to level up their Burst Art to awake more powerful ones that will give them a huge advantage in battle. So, players can utilize different Burst Arts based on the different situations and they will have to maintain their Burst mode through constant Devour on enemies.

Acceleration Trigger

In addition to Burst Art, there is also the Acceleration Trigger. It is a gameplay mechanic that shares a similarity with Blood Rage in God Eater 2 Rage Burst. Different triggers have different requirements to meet for the activation of the Acceleration Trigger. The examples of requirement are (attack x number of times, block x of times, devour x number of times). When triggered, various buffs will be granted (ex. Increased damage, HP regen). Players will have to meet these conditions if they were to take on powerful Aragamis.

Engage 

Then there is the Engage System, which grants buff to players that are engaged. To activate Engage Effect, players will have to fill up the “Engage Percentage” gauge by fighting together in a certain range. When Engage Effect is triggered, both players that are engaged will share the same buff. For example, player A has +30% combat power and player B has constant regen and once Engage is activated, both players get both buff. Players can even get Burst Levels by shooting Link Burst Bullets at players that are engage to you.

New Weapons

There are 3 new God Arcs In God Eater 3 being introduced in the game. There is the Biting-Edge, a God Arc that has two forms. The two forms are Dual Wielding and Mow-Down, both specialized in close combat. The Dual Wield form is the normal form that strike with quick slashes and thrust  within a short range. Mow-Down is the transformed version of Biting-Edge that combines the two blades into a glaive. It has a longer reach, wider range and damaging attacks but consumes more stamina and prevent players from blocking. Biting-Edge can be transformed in a blink in battle and is the coolest God Arc that can be seen in God Eater franchise.

Besides that, we have the Heavy Moon, a blade shaped like a moon. It is also a close-combat God Arc that does wide slashes but with longer motion which is its drawback. Heavy Moon also has a second form that extends into a giant battleaxe with high raw power.

The third new God Arc is the Raygun which is a ranged weapon. The Raygun fire off “radiation shots” which is a constant beam that grows stronger the longer it is fired. Power of the shot will reset when one ends, players will have to time properly when using the Raygun.

Ash Aragamis

The biggest changes to God Eater 3 is the addition of Ash Aragamis. Ash Aragamis are Aragamis than can perform Devour, like the ones that AGEs use. Once the Devour attack hit, Ash Aragamis will go into a burst mode that changes their moves set. They will have increased damage, longer range, and different patterns. To avoid them from going into burst mode, players will just have to dodge their Devour attack. With the appearance of Ash Aragamis, it has make the game much more action-packed and nerve wrecking.

Gameplay

The gameplay is pretty simple, players are generally hunting Aragamis throughout the game. Missions will be given to the players and they get to make preparation before they head out, managing their God Arcs and Burst Arts.

Every mission will be given a time limit (40 minutes) but players will be able to complete it within 4 to 7 minutes. In the game, players will solely focus more on their Burst Arts and Acceleration Trigger because it can be leveled up and they will just be constantly repeating the same moves in order to level it up. Instead of players playing the game in their own style, they are being restricted to do the same thing again and again.

Since certain Burst Arts are tied to certain God Arcs, players will be tied to only one weapon for a long period of time. Players can also switch between the God Arcs but then they will have to level up the Burst Arts within the God Arc and that means more grinding.

It is easier to locate materials in God Eater 3. Before players go on to missions, they can check for the materials that are dropped by certain Aragamis in the mission screen.

Last but not least, the part I like most in the game is when there are certain missions that allow players to camp after they finish their hunt. They are able to choose what to do in camps and proceed to the second mission when they are ready. During camp, endurance and item supplies cannot be restocked.

Verdict

God Eater 3 is a pretty fun game to play, with improved graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and engaging stories, it has surpassed its Handheld predecessors. However, the game can be complicated and overwhelming for those who are new to the game. The game has a lot of features to discover as the game progresses, like crafting materials and a whole bunch of skills. Overall, it is a solid game. Players can choose their own play styles using different God Arcs along with Burst Arts and Acceleration Triggers. With immersive storyline, it has bring the game up a notch.

If you are interested in getting the game, you can get it now on Steam or if you are looking to buy the PS4 version, you can get it here.