Attack on Titan 3 Reveals New Gameplay and Story Details

Attack on Titan 3 has released a new 11-minute gameplay video, giving us a closer look at character interactions, bonding events, and Expeditions beyond the Walls. With its December 10 release date fast approaching, the latest footage gives you a better idea of what to expect from the upcoming game, which is shaping up to be the largest entry in the series to date.

The new gameplay footage shows plenty of conversations and interactions with familiar characters, and optional activities that add more depth to the overall experience. Bonding events will feature unique character dialogue, personal requests, and other interactions meant to build relationships over the course of the campaign. These activities are intended to add personality to individual characters and introduce more narrative elements outside the main storyline.

The game will span the entire Attack on Titan storyline, from the early days of the Survey Corps to the events of the final season and the Rumbling. But rather than just going through the motions, you'll experience the events through a fully customizable original character.

The protagonist is an older-generation Survey Corps veteran, closer to Levi's age.

Their backstory is that they led a squad that was wiped out on its first major mission, causing them to have PTSD and a temporary fear of Titans. After the incident, they are reassigned as an instructor of the 104th Cadet Corps, where they interact with Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and other familiar characters during training. They eventually take charge of their own small recon team.

Your character's story will run parallel to the main story, intersecting with several important events. You can also find original side stories, cooking activities, quests, relationship-building opportunities, and more conversations alongside the main campaign.

Doing these things unlocks new abilities and cutscenes, giving longtime fans a new angle on the story they know so well.

As far as content goes, Attack on Titan 3 will likely offer around 30 to 40 hours of gameplay if you stick primarily to the main campaign. But with the additional activities and side content, that number can expand to about 60 to 70 hours or more.

Additional playtime will come from character relationships, crafting, upgrades, headquarters activities, and exterior scouting missions. Developers have also dubbed it the biggest entry in the series by far, exceeding what Attack on Titan 2 delivered.

Combat will again center on the Omni-Directional Mobility (ODM) gear, with improvements that give you more freedom and fluidity of movement. As you soar through the air, you'll have more control, including altitude control, anchoring on buildings and trees, and sliding under arches. Attacks have also been simplified, so you can go from attaching your gear to hitting Titans more naturally.

The experience will be more accessible with casual mode and simplified controls.

Titans will also be more aggressive and unpredictable with different behaviors and attacks. For the first time in the series, you'll face all Nine Titans, each with their own established abilities that require different approaches. The Warhammer Titan, for example, can create different weapons that change its attack patterns.

Squad management will be a key factor too. You will build and lead a team consisting mostly of original characters, though familiar characters may be able to assist on missions. Each squad member has different abilities, and death is permanent. If a Titan eats a person or dies on a mission, that's it. They're gone.

The new exterior scouting missions will take you outside the walls and into Titan territory, where you can set up supply bases, gather resources, expand safe routes, and create fast-travel points. You will also need to manage fuel, blades, and your squad's morale, and decide whether to advance or retreat when faced with overwhelming threats.

These missions provide materials for equipment upgrades and add unexpected events, distress calls, targets for Titan subjugation, and new member recruitment.

One thing that's still unclear, even with the extra content, is how the game will handle the big Titan vs. Titan fights from the original story. Since you're mostly playing as an original human character, you'll probably have a hard time recreating these important moments. How these are presented will be key to the overall experience, as these battles were some of the biggest highlights of the anime.

Attack on Titan 3 launches December 10 on consoles and PC. The Digital Deluxe Edition is $89.99 and includes 72 hours of early access, a character customization pack, an original equipment pack, a starter item pack, and a digital art book. Players who buy the game near launch will also receive character customization bonuses, including the Wings of Freedom hoodie and earrings.

Attack on Titan 3 seems to be a big step for the series, with a bigger campaign, more character stories, and deeper progression systems. Although it remains to be seen how it will handle some of the anime's biggest moments, longtime fans have plenty of reasons to be excited for its December release.