The year is 2071 and single-celled organisms have inherited the Earth. Welcome to the God Eater franchise, Bandai Namco’s über-stylish hack-and-slash series in which towering creatures–known officially as The Aragami–have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.
Thank the heavens, then, that the creative minds at Fenrir were able to engineer a last line of defence against the invading behemoths. They’re biomechanical in nature, meaning players are able to absorb elements of the fallen using their weapon of choice – hence the name God Eater . And now, Bandai Namco is ready to up the ante with God Eater 3 . It’s the franchise’s first mainline instalment since the back-to-back launch of Resurrection and Rage Burst , so it’s small wonder why JRPG fans are rooted to the edge of their seats – not least because the threequel is already available in Japan.
Never worry; it’s headed west very soon–this Friday, in fact, so we’ve combed the four corners of the Internet (and the PSLS archives!) to present to you the perfect primer for God Eater 3 .
Everything You Need to Know About God Eater 3
God Eater 3 slices and dices its way onto PlayStation 4 and PC this Friday, February 8. Better cancel those weekend plans…
Essential Reading:
God Eater 3 info dump
God Eater 3 – EYNTK
Let's get to it, shall we?
What is God Eater 3?
It's the third mainline entry into the God Eater series and the first since God Eater Online graced mobile platforms – namely iOS and Android – two years ago.
In short: it's the first God Eater title to be built from the ground up for current-gen systems. And isn't that exciting?
What's the Story?
The Fenrir Corporation of past God Eater titles is no more. And their absence is strongly felt as the remnants of humanity struggle to fend off the invading Aragami.
Here's a short synopsis (and story trailer ) from Bandai:
"Fenrir is gone and a new AGE is upon us. Ash Aragami have appeared and the GOD EATERS known as AGES are the only ones with the power to stop them."
How Does it Play?
Like most other God Eater titles, really. This is a third-person action RPG by trade, albeit with a greater emphasis on dynamic action and breakneck combos.
Via Bandai Namco:
"All of a sudden, unknown life forms called “Oracle cells” begin their uncontrolled consumption of all life on Earth. Their ravenous appetite “devour” and remarkable adaptability earn them first dread, then awe, and finally the name “Aragami”. In the face of an enemy completely immune to conventional weapons, urban civilization collapses, and each day humanity is driven further and further toward extinction.
"One single ray of hope remains for humanity. Following the development of “God Arcs”—living weapons which incorporate Oracle cells—their wielders, the “God Eaters,” appear. In a world ravaged by mad gods, these “God Eaters” fight a desperate war...
"Create your character, and fight for the survival of human-kind in GOD EATER 3. Select your weapon from a wide range of God Arcs and face brand new Aragamis in dynamic high-speed battles. Explore devastated areas you have never seen in the previous GOD EATER games."
A New AGE
This being a sequel to God Eater 2: Rage Burst , the third entry in Bandai's celebrated series whisks us off to the Ash Area, where only a shell of the Fenrir corporation remains.
Here's the official word from Bandai:
"Everything began when the Ashlands arose. Whence is not yet known, but they began to expand, and everything they touched turned to ash. Fenrir was helpless to fight back as the Ashlands took their Branches and reduced them to naught. What survivors remained fled underground and constructed bases known as Ports (JP: Minato), from which they conducted experiments to create a new breed of God Eaters--the Adaptive God Eaters, or AGE for short, who are capable of resisting the corrosive effects of the Ashlands."
Deep Customization
The many features of God Eater 3's customization are outlined in this video , while we understand players will be able to modify and alter their avatar's appearance (and gender) at will.
New Characters, New Abilities
Claire Victorious is perhaps the big standout when it comes to God Eater 3 's new characters, while Bandai has also added a number of exciting new abilities .
Dual Audio Inbound
In a series first, God Eater 3 will ship with dual audio , meaning players have the choice between English dub and the original Japanese voice track.
A Bunch of New Weapons
Coming out of the God Eater 3 demo, fans were left mulling over the Biting-Edge God Arc and the Raygun, two new additions to the series arsenal.
You can see them both in action here .
8-Player Multiplayer Mode
Gobbling up fallen deities is always better with friends. Or so says the Assault Subjugation game mode included in God Eater 3 .
Essentially, it tasks a group (upwards of eight players are allowed) with defeating a particularly challenging boss within the five-minute timeframe . Good luck...
A Changing of the Guard
Marvelous's First Studio recently replaced Shift as the franchise's go-to developer, which tells us that Bandai Namco wanted God Eater 3 to be considerably different from its predecessors .
Per Famitsu :
"In the development summit, they first made an announcement that God Eater 3‘s development partner is Marvelous, which also developed Soul Sacrifice and more in the past. The God Eater series had been developed by Shift until now, but it looks like they are also renewing the development team itself for God Eater 3."
A NA Demo
Though short-lived, the God Eater 3 demo of last month offered North American players a vertical slice of the upcoming slasher. By and large, it was a resounding success, and only increased our excitement for Bandai Namco's latest.
Deep Dive
If you're wanting a more thorough preview of God Eater 3 's many bells and whistles, we'll kindly point you in the direction of this deep dive , which covers everything from Fenrir to the Adaptive God Eaters.
Shiny New God Arcs
What's a new God Eater title without new weaponry to explore? Get the 411 right here .
Extensive Post-Launch Plans
The creative minds responsible for God Eater 3 have purportedly mapped out "extensive" post-launch plans, which include 100 additional missions , along with new additions to the character creation screen.
Japanese Sales
Based on the Media Create Sales charts for the week of December 17-23, 2018, God Eater 3 continues to hold strong in the Japanese standings . Its lifetime sales are now north of 175,000, and we can readily expect that number to spike come Friday.
Gameplay Footage
Curious to see God Eater 3 in action? Feast thy eyes .
Trophy List
The God Eater 3 Trophy list is, unsurprisingly, riddled with spoilers. Our advice? Tread lightly – and know that it officially includes a Platinum.
Our Final Verdict
Lucas White will be heading up the review for PSLS, and his final verdict will be live on the site later this week. Don't miss it.