Review: Attack on Survey Corps [v0.22.2] [AstroNut]
I decided to write this review after seeing one below mine that was so awful, superficial, and poorly written that it shouldn't even be considered a review. Moreover, it's about time I wrote about this game that I've been following for years. Without further ado, I'll be as honest and sincere as possible.
Positive Points
What can I say about Attack on Survey Corps? First of all, I've been following this project since the early versions, with "V.0.6.2" being the one I remember the most, back in 2022. At that time, the character art was simple and disproportionate, with static animations and a visual that looked like a bunch of scribbles. Today, the leap in quality in the game's art is impressive. The developer has clearly worked hard on this aspect, and their dedication is visible. It's one of the few erotic games based on Shingeki no Kyojin, and seeing this evolution is gratifying.
Negative Points
Despite the improvements in art and animations, one element that hasn't changed significantly is the protagonist's (MC) sprite. While the female characters' sprites received a much more refined treatment, the MC continues with a simplistic and inferior design. The most frustrating thing is that his background story is practically a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V of Eren and Mikasa's story, with only minor modifications to insert him into the game's universe. His sister was also created as an OC (original character), but, unlike him, she at least has a bit more originality.
In terms of personality, the MC is simply irritating. He's a pervert who wants to conquer all the girls in the camp and quickly gives in to his desires, without any resistance or gradual development. He spies on the characters, peeks through keyholes, and, worse, the game doesn't give you the option to avoid these attitudes. Moreover, his personality is inconsistent: at times, he acts like a dominant when he's alone with the girls, but becomes an insecure submissive when he's in public. He's also physically weak, getting beaten up by other characters without any reaction, which makes him uninteresting to play.
The game's story is quite simple and follows the MC and his sister entering the anime's timeline during the military training arc. The MC's relationship with the girls, however, is extremely forced. He becomes popular out of nowhere, just by helping Sasha with her hunger, and suddenly, all the girls fall in love with him for no apparent reason. It's cheesy and unconvincing. The way he "trains" Mikasa to help her get with Eren is also laughable.
Another frustrating point is that the characters' routes are interconnected. To advance on Sasha, Hange, or the instructor's route, you need to advance on Mikasa's route first. Moreover, some routes are unavoidable, like Ymir's, which needs to be played for Historia's route to continue.
Technically, the developer's choice to build the game on Ren'Py Nightly Builds versions is a biggest problem of the game. These versions are unstable and not recommended by either developers or modders. Because of this, it's not possible to use the Universal Ren'Py Modder (URM), an essential tool to reduce grinding in Ren'Py games. Without URM, the game becomes extremely tedious and repetitive.
Another issue is that, apparently, the developer implemented some kind of DENUVO to prevent capturing screenshots in the game through the Ren'Py "S" key. Furthermore, the UnRen tool, which allows extracting images from the game, also doesn't work. This raises questions about the developer's transparency and intentions in preventing players from accessing and sharing images from the game.
Finally, the New boot system for version 0.22.2 has become more problematic and irritating. Now, when opening the game, you need to select the arc you want to play, wait for the game to restart, and select the arc again to finally enter the gameplay. This happened because the first arc was finished and the developer chose to integrate the two arcs into the same game, instead of separating them into distinct titles. If they had divided Attack on Survey Corps Arc 1 and Arc 2 as separate games, this problem could have been avoided.
Conclusion
Attack on Survey Corps has great potential and has shown significant evolution in its art and animations over the years. However, the generic story, the irritating and inconsistent protagonist, the forced relationships between the characters, and the developer's questionable technical decisions greatly harm the experience. The gameplay becomes tedious and full of unnecessary grinding, and some of the developer's choices, such as preventing screenshots, build game in Ren'Py Nightly Builds engine, and new game boot system, are a biggest negative point.
If you're a fan of Shingeki no Kyojin and looking for a game with visually appealing art, it might be worth trying. But if you expect an engaging story, a charismatic protagonist, and more balanced gameplay, you'll probably be disappointed.
Final score: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars)
I decided to write this review after seeing one below mine that was so awful, superficial, and poorly written that it shouldn't even be considered a review. Moreover, it's about time I wrote about this game that I've been following for years. Without further ado, I'll be as honest and sincere as possible.
Positive Points
What can I say about Attack on Survey Corps? First of all, I've been following this project since the early versions, with "V.0.6.2" being the one I remember the most, back in 2022. At that time, the character art was simple and disproportionate, with static animations and a visual that looked like a bunch of scribbles. Today, the leap in quality in the game's art is impressive. The developer has clearly worked hard on this aspect, and their dedication is visible. It's one of the few erotic games based on Shingeki no Kyojin, and seeing this evolution is gratifying.
Negative Points
Despite the improvements in art and animations, one element that hasn't changed significantly is the protagonist's (MC) sprite. While the female characters' sprites received a much more refined treatment, the MC continues with a simplistic and inferior design. The most frustrating thing is that his background story is practically a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V of Eren and Mikasa's story, with only minor modifications to insert him into the game's universe. His sister was also created as an OC (original character), but, unlike him, she at least has a bit more originality.
In terms of personality, the MC is simply irritating. He's a pervert who wants to conquer all the girls in the camp and quickly gives in to his desires, without any resistance or gradual development. He spies on the characters, peeks through keyholes, and, worse, the game doesn't give you the option to avoid these attitudes. Moreover, his personality is inconsistent: at times, he acts like a dominant when he's alone with the girls, but becomes an insecure submissive when he's in public. He's also physically weak, getting beaten up by other characters without any reaction, which makes him uninteresting to play.
The game's story is quite simple and follows the MC and his sister entering the anime's timeline during the military training arc. The MC's relationship with the girls, however, is extremely forced. He becomes popular out of nowhere, just by helping Sasha with her hunger, and suddenly, all the girls fall in love with him for no apparent reason. It's cheesy and unconvincing. The way he "trains" Mikasa to help her get with Eren is also laughable.
Another frustrating point is that the characters' routes are interconnected. To advance on Sasha, Hange, or the instructor's route, you need to advance on Mikasa's route first. Moreover, some routes are unavoidable, like Ymir's, which needs to be played for Historia's route to continue.
Technically, the developer's choice to build the game on Ren'Py Nightly Builds versions is a biggest problem of the game. These versions are unstable and not recommended by either developers or modders. Because of this, it's not possible to use the Universal Ren'Py Modder (URM), an essential tool to reduce grinding in Ren'Py games. Without URM, the game becomes extremely tedious and repetitive.
Another issue is that, apparently, the developer implemented some kind of DENUVO to prevent capturing screenshots in the game through the Ren'Py "S" key. Furthermore, the UnRen tool, which allows extracting images from the game, also doesn't work. This raises questions about the developer's transparency and intentions in preventing players from accessing and sharing images from the game.
Finally, the New boot system for version 0.22.2 has become more problematic and irritating. Now, when opening the game, you need to select the arc you want to play, wait for the game to restart, and select the arc again to finally enter the gameplay. This happened because the first arc was finished and the developer chose to integrate the two arcs into the same game, instead of separating them into distinct titles. If they had divided Attack on Survey Corps Arc 1 and Arc 2 as separate games, this problem could have been avoided.
Conclusion
Attack on Survey Corps has great potential and has shown significant evolution in its art and animations over the years. However, the generic story, the irritating and inconsistent protagonist, the forced relationships between the characters, and the developer's questionable technical decisions greatly harm the experience. The gameplay becomes tedious and full of unnecessary grinding, and some of the developer's choices, such as preventing screenshots, build game in Ren'Py Nightly Builds engine, and new game boot system, are a biggest negative point.
If you're a fan of Shingeki no Kyojin and looking for a game with visually appealing art, it might be worth trying. But if you expect an engaging story, a charismatic protagonist, and more balanced gameplay, you'll probably be disappointed.
Final score: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars)