God Eater

God Eater for PSP is a science-fiction hunting action game released in Japan on February 4, 2010. Developed by Shift and published by Bandai Namco Games, it introduced the series’ post-apocalyptic world of 2071, where the sudden arrival of voracious creatures called Aragami has driven humanity to the edge of extinction. Players create a new recruit for Fenrir’s Far East Branch and join its God Eaters, soldiers whose living God Arc weapons are made from the same Oracle Cell technology that makes the Aragami so dangerous. This original PlayStation Portable version is the first entry in the series, preceding the expanded God Eater Burst and later remake God Eater Resurrection.

The game is organized around hunts accepted from the branch headquarters. Each assignment sends a team into a contained combat zone with a target to eliminate, often under a time limit, and completing it yields materials and access to tougher missions. The central challenge is learning individual Aragami behavior while keeping track of positioning, stamina, health, and the needs of the whole squad. Rather than using a conventional inventory of separate weapons, the protagonist fights with a transforming God Arc. Its Blade form is used at close range, its Gun form fires Oracle-powered ammunition from a distance, and its Shield form provides defense against attacks.

God Eater’s signature mechanic is its predatory form. After an Aragami has been defeated, the God Arc can devour remains to collect useful materials; devouring a living enemy can also produce an Aragami bullet and trigger Burst Mode. That temporary state strengthens the hunter’s capabilities and rewards an aggressive rhythm of attacking, feeding, and pressing an opening. Oracle Points spent on gunfire are regained through blade attacks, so the forms are designed to be used together instead of as isolated play styles. Equipment can be crafted and upgraded from hunt rewards, allowing players to prepare different weapons and protective parts for the opponents awaiting them.

Although it can be played alone with computer-controlled allies, God Eater was built around team coordination. Up to four players can hunt together through PSP ad hoc wireless multiplayer, while solo hunters choose fellow Fenrir members to accompany them. Allies can assist a fallen teammate through Link Aid, sacrificing part of their own health to bring that player back into the battle. The player-created protagonist works alongside characters including First Unit leader Lindow Amamiya, sharpshooter Sakuya Tachibana, the reserved Soma Schicksal, fellow rookie Kota Fujiki, and Russian transfer Alisa Amiella. Their missions gradually uncover the secrets surrounding Fenrir’s ambitious Aegis Project and the extraordinary Aragami connected to it.

The Japanese PSP original established God Eater as a new Bandai Namco action series and emphasized fast, cooperative monster hunting on the handheld system. It was later followed by God Eater Burst on PSP in October 2010, an enhanced edition that added a continuation to the story along with further content and system changes; that expanded release became the basis for the Western version titled Gods Eater Burst. For the 2010 original, however, the focus is the first Far East Branch campaign: creating a New-Type God Eater, mastering the adaptable God Arc, and taking part in Fenrir’s struggle to reclaim a future from the Aragami.