Attack on Titan 2 vs The Escapists 2

You can swap and lock onto targets at will. Even though you'll be wildly attacking and zipping around the air in aerial acrobatics, control of where your attacks will land is easy to maintain. Whether you're attacking the arms, legs, or head of the massive Titans, you'll be able to lock on to your chosen body part. This locking allows you to focus your damage with precision and control, resulting in smooth and refined combat.

The combat has a satisfying feel to it that never grows stale, so even after the long campaign, it still feels fresh. It's fast paced, fun, and zipping through the air never loses its appeal.

Just like in the anime, you wear a jetpack type item called the ODM (Omni-Directional Mobility). It's what you'll be using to perform aerial maneuvers and fling yourself across levels. It makes you move incredibly quickly, so the combat has a very fast paced feel to it.

Once you've got a Titan in your sights, you can lock onto 1 of 5 attack points on it's body such as the arms or legs. Using the ODM, you'll send out hooks that latch on to your target as you launch yourself into the air.

From there, you can bounce around, almost like a bungee cord, between the open air and your target as you time your weapon strikes for maximum damage. You can also swap targets midair, such as going for an instant kill neck hit. This results in some impressive aerial combat.

Deciding what base to build is up to you, with each providing it's own benefit. This leaves a lot of room open for your own personal playstyle and strategy based on the battle at hand. Bases can be used for offense, defense, or supply generation. For example, if you find you're always running low on blades and gas, you could put up a Supply Base to give you a steady stream of resources. Other bases include cannons and turrets which can be used to provide cover or attack the Titans from long range.

Choosing whether or not to unleash a sneak attack before the Titans notice you can be great fun when you pull it off, but downright hazardous when you mess up. It's a risk/reward system that allows for some rather interesting stealth strategy in an otherwise action-heavy game. Sneak attacks allow you to instantly kill or severely wound a Titan (provided they haven't seen you yet). However, if you mess up or botch the attack, the Titan will become instantly enraged. This makes them stronger and incredibly dangerous to fight.

There's a secret, special ending for gamers that's different from the ending in the season 2 anime. Even if you've seen the anime, you'll still have the opportunity to see the story conclude in a new way.

You can recruit characters from the show and manga to help you in combat. While you can't control them directly, having them in your group allows to you unleash powerful combat buffs on-demand such as attack power increases and one shot kills. This provides a fun aspect to gameplay where you feel like you're engaged in fighting the Titans alongside well-known characters from the anime without having to micromanage too many things. At the same time, you'll still be getting all the benefits and excitement of playing with a group of anime heroes.

There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation.

Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.

Taking action in the game uses up your stamina, so you'll still have to make time for things like eating and sleeping if you want to have energy for things like digging through walls, fighting other inmates, or cutting through vents and gates.

Items such as shovels and cutters have limited durability, so they can't be used endlessly. Raw materials can be found around the prison to craft items, or you can buy items from fences using money earned by running fetch quests for other inmates. No matter how you acquire them, crafting materials and finished goods are limited so you'll have to use your items wisely.

Time is an important factor that has to be managed too, with certain activities having to be done at certain times. This limits the amount of time you have to roam the prison, since you have to show up for meal times and roll calls. Free time can be used to craft, roam the prison to determine the guard patterns, or finally put your ultimate escape plan into action.

Juggling each and every one of the various aspects of the game results in a very deep and rewarding simulation experience.

The difficulty increases as you progress, with each prison becoming just a little more intricate and more challenging to escape from than the previous. The prisons themselves get more complex with more obstacles to overcome such as tougher guards which results in more ways things can go wrong. The progress feels good and natural, as you're always building on what you learned in previous prisons to escape from the newest one.

If you enjoy a more retro style, then this game is pure eye candy. Simple but charming, the pixel art is colorful, with the sprites having a nice variety in animations when they're shoveling, searching, running around, fighting, or partaking in any kind of activity that would require movement. The tile sets for the game world are nicely detailed, colored and shaded. You won't get tired of looking at the same tiles over and over due to the sheer amount and variety of the art assets created for the game.

No two games will play out alike. Each prison is an open sandbox, so it's definitely not a linear experience with a defined escape blueprint. Prisons can be replayed over and over to beat your previous time, measured in how many in-game days it took you to escape, which leaves plenty of room for trying new things on each successive playthrough.

Working together creates a whole new experience with loads of possibilities. In co-op mode, you play with up to 3 teammates either online or locally as you work towards escaping the prison together. This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay as working together creates experiences that just aren't possible when playing solo. Someone could distract the guards, while another searches rooms for crafting materials. One player could run around collecting items, while another scopes out the guard's patrol patterns. Some can complete quests to collect money while others are working on digging tunnels.

Tired of bricks, cold floors, and cement cells? For those who want a change of scenery, there is a prison set in the wild west, and even a futuristic space prison. This adds a little bit of variety to the look of the game while keeping the same gameplay mechanics. It's a nice touch and gives your eyes a break from staring at the same tilesets over and over.