God Eater (franchise)

The God Eater (ゴッドイーター, Goddo Ītā) franchise is a series of sci-fi action/adventure videogames developed by Shift and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, starting with the titular game released on February 4, 2010 for the PlayStation Portable.^[1] Similar to the Monster Hunter franchise, the player takes the role of a "God Eater", an individual who can take out a variety of beasts called Aragami (アラガミ, Aragami) in a post-apocalyptic world. The game currently has five games (including three revamped games), several manga and light novel adaptations, soundtracks, and an anime adaptation.

Gameplay

As with the Monster Hunter franchise, the gameplay consists of players embarking on various missions to hunt or capture specific monsters. The primary goal of the game is to complete missions by successfully taking out powerful monsters, retrieving their parts through "devouring" or receiving them as rewards, and using them as materials to craft or upgrade parts for the God Arc. Additionally, players may also gather minerals, medical kits, and various materials to improve their weapons. Players can freely switch between three forms: "Blade Form" for close combat, "Gun Form" for long-ranged shooting, and "Shield Form" for protection against attacks during "Blade Form".

One notable feature of the franchise is the ability to "eat" the enemy Aragami during combat with the God Arc's "Predator Form". Successfully doing so will enter a state called "Burst Mode", granting players increased speed, attack power, and special access to a limited set of "Aragami Bullets", which can be used against the Aragami.

Players are able to customize the equipment in their God Arc, such as its "Blades", "Shield", "Gun", and "Control Unit". "Control Units" are mods that can be equip to the God Arc, giving status buffs upon entering "Burst Mode".

Unlike the Monster Hunter franchise, the game has a story which can be affected by the player's choices.

Main Games

God Eater (2010)

The first game in the franchise, released on February 4, 2010 in Japan for the PlayStation Portable. It introduces the story of humanity trying to fight back against the terrible race of monsters, known as "Aragami", by sending out the "God Eaters", individuals who can wield the Jinki (神機, Jinki, known as "God Arc" in the English release), the only weapon that can kill the Aragami.

God Eater Burst (2010)

The enhanced remake of the original God Eater, released in Japan on October 28, 2010, in North America on March 15, 2011, and in Europe on March 18, 2011. The expansion includes new gameplay features and options, as well as an exclusive new story that takes place after the first game. The "God" in the title of the western localisation was pluralized into "Gods" potentially to avoid religious affiliation with any individual god.

God Eater 2 (2013)

The sequel to God Eater Burst released November 14, 2013 in Japan, both for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. The game introduces additional game features, such as more weapon types (2 more blade types and 1 gun type), Character Episodes (episodes focusing on NPCs that can change their behavior in-game), and Blood Arts (additions to standard blade attacks), among other features.

God Eater 2 Rage Burst (2014)

A revamped version of God Eater 2, which, in the same vein as Burst, adds more gameplay features, rebalancing and another story after the ending of the original game. It was released in February 9, 2014 for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. A western release is now set to summer of 2016 which includes a port for Microsoft Windows via Steam.

God Eater Resurrection (2015)

A remake of God Eater Burst, itself a remake of the original God Eater. Again, the game features further balancing with new gameplay elements added (all elements introduced in 2 and Rage Burst are featured, and an all new feature known as "Predator style" is added, which allows players to "Devour" the Aragami while jumping, for instance), and another story that ties together the stories of Burst and 2. It was released on October 29, 2015, for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. A western release is set to summer of 2016 which also includes a port for Microsoft Windows via Steam.

References