Rage Burst continues God Eater 2’s story, and throws in heaps of new content

In time for the original God Eater’s 5th anniversary, God Eater 2 got a part-expansion, part-definitive edition in the form of God Eater 2 Rage Burst. The series, despite only one entry making it West (God Eater Burst), has moved around 2.5 million copies to date. After releasing in Japan on September 1, the game is now being primed for an Asian release.

Rage Burst was developed simultaneously in Traditional Chinese and Japanese for the Playstation Vita and Playstation 4. Bandai-Namco confirmed that the title will feature both Cross Save and Cross Play functionality between the two versions of the game, but will not be available for Cross Buy.

(See: Bandai Namco lifts the lid on Gundam Breaker 2)

In addition to new enemy Aragami to fight and player skills to master, the game will also expand upon the original’s story, offering new content that follows on from the main plot of God Eater 2. In particular, the game will focus on the aftermath of Julius Visconti’s actions at the end of God Eater 2, and his fate, which was left slightly ambiguous.

Once again you’ll be playing the role of a member of Special Unit BLOOD, but a new character will also be joining the game’s cast: Livie Colette, who brandishes the game’s new weapon type, the variant scythe. The weapon, true to its name, transforms as you wield it, not unlike the Sparda weapon in the first Devil May Cry.

The main change to how the game plays comes in the form of the Blood Rage system. By fulfilling certain objectives or criteria (called Covenants), players can unleash the Blood Rage, granting them heightened abilities for a time. We didn’t get a hands-on with the game, but from the looks of the trailer Blood Rage changes the flow of battle hugely. Once activated, it seems that the game’s slower, Monster Hunter-inspired pace transformed into more of a fast-paced Ninja Gaiden-style action game.

For players who skipped God Eater 2, that game’s story will be playable in Rage Burst, but with some changes in content. Exactly what these differences were was not specified, but Bandai-Namco made it clear that it was not identical to God Eater 2’s story.

Bandai-Namco also claimed that neither version had its graphics compromised in order to accommodate the other, and that each version was independently tweaked to look strong on its respective platform. How true players will find this to be, only time will tell. But for now, the trailers and screenshots do look rather nice.

The Asian release date remains unannounced, but seeing as how the previous game didn’t make it to the West, those waiting for an English language release may not want to hold their breath. The Traditional Chinese versions for both PS4 and Vita are expected some time next year.

This story is part of our Tokyo Game Show 2014 coverage.