Previously released for PlayStation 4 and Windows, God Eater 3 is the first entry of the series to make it onto a Nintendo console, and is here for the Switch. So fear not Nintendo fans, you too can now enjoy this action-packed, heavily anime monster hunting experience.
But how familiar with God Eater are Nintendo fans? Well, if they are serious Nintendo users who don’t touch other consoles, odds are not much. Maybe they’ve seen the anime on Crunchyroll, but they probably haven’t played any of the other titles, which have only relatively recently gotten a Windows release to go along with their long-running presence on Sony consoles. Oh, and if you haven’t seen the God Eater anime, it’s a solid action anime, with good animation — I recommend it. If you haven’t seen the anime or played a God Eater game, never fear. I’ll give you an overview so you can judge whether to jump in with God Eater 3.
Originally made for the PlayStation Portable, God Eater and God Eater 2 have been around for a while, but they really got a boost in popularity with the re-release of God Eater 2 as God Eater 2: Rage Burst, and of God Eater Burst as God Eater Resurrection. In case that seems confusing, yes, the first God Eater was re-released as God Eater Burst, back in 2011. It was then re-released again much later for PS4, PlayStation Vita, and PC. These newer versions of the old games were decent revamps, with some quality of life upgrades, like making the new weapons introduced in God Eater 2 available in God Eater Resurrection. They were also fun.
Honestly, the monster hunting genre is not my favorite. Grinding for materials to make weapons, or armor, can be tedious. The Monster Hunter series, the namesake for the whole genre, often have a bare-bones story that isn’t very appealing. The generic gritty fantasy setting of the Monster Hunter series of games is also not the most compelling for me. So to say I was surprised when I was introduced to God Eater Resurrection, and learned that monster hunting games don’t have to be fantasy, and don’t have to have an almost non-story, is a bit of an understatement. God Eater Resurrection hooked me with its solid story, its distinct anime art style, the interesting supporting cast who help you on your hunts, and the fast-paced combat. It’s really a very different take on the monster hunting genre.
The setting of God Eater is a post-apocalyptic one. Beings known as Aragami — powerful monstrous entities that are highly predatory and robust — have exterminated most of humanity. Modern weaponry doesn’t kill them due to the Aragami’s potent cellular structure. Only humans able to harness the power in those same cells can wield the giant weapons — called God Arcs — that can ‘eat’ the Aragami. The player is one of these titular ‘god eaters’, able to wield an advanced form of God Arc that can shift between a melee weapon form, a gun form, or generate a protective shield. In the first game, these God Arcs were prototypes, but in God Eater 2 (and presumably 3), these advanced versions are the standard. The player is then brought into a story for humanity’s survival against the odds, operating as part of a unit of god eaters to preserve the humans who have managed to cling to life so far.
The gameplay is fast-paced. Aerial attacks, sprinting, quickly shifting between weapon forms, and dodging are all part of the game. Breaking parts of the enemy, a common monster hunting feature, is not only a gameplay element, but a story element, as it is done by breaking the bonds between the Aragami’s core and the cells that make up its body. Weapon customization is fun, but in previous games I never felt I needed to grind for a couple hours to get the equipment I’d need to progress. I’d still end up grinding, but usually because I wanted a weapon that was just that much cooler.
While God Eater 2: Rage Burst does reference, and even have characters from the first game, its story is self-contained. It properly treats the recurring characters as if you’ve never seen them, because your character definitely hasn’t. God Eater 3, as far as I can tell, takes this one step further, with publisher Bandai Namco reportedly switching the game’s developer to intentionally create a sense of a new beginning. You shouldn’t need to know the past games to enjoy this one. You just need to enjoy action combat, killing giant monsters, and a decent anime style (including character creator).
Now that God Eater 3 is released on the hybrid console/handheld of the Switch, you can enjoy it just like people did the first two games: on the go. If you’ve been hesitant to try the monster hunter genre, I can honestly suggest no series as highly as God Eater for the newbie casual (like myself). And there is conveniently a small amount of God Eater (even God Eater 3) merchandise on our website for new and old fans alike.
