Anytime someone attempts to duplicate a popular work (be it literature, movies or video game), the imitation will always be inferior. Case in point being Extinction, a game most people have heard of simply because of all the memes that call it out for being an Attack on Titan knock-off.
(Be prepared for a ton of Attack on Titan jokes and references).
To simplify it, Extinction is basically an Attack on Titan with a Tolkienist setting. Players take on the role of Eren Jaeger of the Scout Regiment, I mean Avil of the Sentinels, elite soldiers tasked with protecting humanity from the Titans, I mean Ravenii (giant ogre like creatures). To defeat the Ravenii, players must climb these behemoths and slash the back of their necks (that is not another Attack on Titan joke, that is how you defeat them).
While the story is trying way too hard to be like Attack on Titan and wanting to be taken seriously, the cutscenes are among the highlights of the story. While the dialogue and characters lack interest, its design quality has to be commended.
Players are tossed into a city or forest while tasked with taking out the Ravenii while also rescuing civilians and defending key structures. The combat is very hack and slash while getting around the level should be fun but it get boring very quick.This should have provided a point of interest but it becomes another example of the games lackluster. The levels are too bland and lack any sense of wonder while the gameplay is boogled down by poor control functions and too many glitches.
To make matters worse, the game was released a month after the more successful Attack on Titan 2 while Spider-Man is expected to be released later this year. Giving gamers no real reason to even pick up Extinction.
For all the attention that it received, Extinction just ended up becoming a poor imitation that lacks substance or quality. Had more time been given to add more substance, better craft the gameplay and clear out the bugs, then this would have been a promising experience. Instead it will forever be known “that Attack on Titan knock-off”.
In the end; Extinction is a generic fantasy game that has players take on the role of not Eren Jaeger. It had high promise but was too dependent on being a clone of an already established story while bring very little in terms of originality.
Final Score: 4/10
Disclaimer: The game used for this review was borrowed from a friend.
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Stan Rezaee
Stan Rezaee is the founder and Editor of 8Bit/Digi. He is a journalist and gamer from the Bay Area who has been writing about the medium for over five years.
