List of Evangelion Games
Since the release of Neon Genesis Evangelion, numerous video games based on the series have been developed and released on many different platforms including the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 PS2, PSP, Windows PC, and more. Similarly, the genre of these games can range anywhere from cute point-and-click games, to arcade-style fighters, to visual novels with original stories. The following list contains a number of notable games that have been released over the years.
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1st Impression
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1st Impression: (1996: Sega Saturn; 2004: Interactive DVD) The first Evangelion game ever released. It is played mostly through FMV clips that the player can interact with at certain times, like when battling an opponent. It also has a story set just after Asuka arrives in Tokyo where an Angel unique to the game steals Shinji’s memories.
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2nd Impression
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2nd Impression: (1997: Sega Saturn) The sequel to 1st Impression. Most of the game plays similarly to the previous entry, but the battle system has been completely redesigned. It also features an original character, Mayumi Yamagishi, and an Angel unique to the game.
Girlfriend of Steel/Iron Maiden
Girlfriend of Steel/Iron Maiden: (1997: Windows, Mac; 1998: Sega Saturn; 2006: PS2; 2009: PSP) A visual novel that takes place around the middle of Neon Genesis Evangelion, before the encounter with Ireul, but in an alternate universe where one of NERV’s rivals creates a robot similar to Jet Alone. One of the pilots from this organization is Mana Kirishima, who becomes the main romantic interest for Shinji. Her design and personality is similar to that of a fusion between Asuka and Rei.
Neon Genesis Evangelion 64
Neon Genesis Evangelion 64: (1999: N64) An arcade-style fighting game that recreates a majority of the battles from Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion. The player plays as Shinji and controls Evangelion Unit 01 to fight against Angels and other opponents.
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2: (2003: PS2; 2006: PSP) A game that focuses much more on relationships with other characters than battling Angels. Battles are much more strategic in nature, as they are mostly displayed with icons and a bird’s eye view of the battlefield. Outside of combat, the player has the choice to interact with a variety of characters. Depending on how each interaction goes, the characters’ A.T. field (labeled as Absolute Terror in-game) will increase or decrease. The higher a character’s A.T. field value is, the more effective they will be during combat. The director of the Evangelion series, Hideaki Anno was extensively interviewed during the development of this game, and several “Classified Information” files can be unlocked that detail various aspects of Evangelion lore and previously unknown aspects about the series.
Shinji Ikari Raising Project
Shinji Ikari Raising Project: (2004: Windows) A “life simulator” game where the player chooses how Shinji lives his life. It is set in the beginning of the original series, but the various choices that the player makes can alter the storyline of the game drastically.
Girlfriend of Steel 2nd/Iron Maiden the 2nd
Girlfriend of Steel 2nd/Iron Maiden the 2nd: (2005: Windows, Mac, PS2, PSP) This game is really only a sequel in title only, as it has no plot connection with the previous title. It is set in an alternate timeline briefly seen in Episode 26 of the original series where Shinji lives a peaceful life and Rei has a more outgoing personality. Like many visual novels, the choices the player makes throughout the game can change the ending of the story.
Secret of Evangelion
Secret of Evangelion: (2006: PS2; 2007: PSP) A visual novel that focuses on a new protagonist named Kyoya Kenzaki. He is a NERV agent that used to be friends with Misato, Ritsuko, and Ryoji when they were in college. Most of the game revolves around Kyoya learning the various secrets surrounding NERV.
Detective Evangelion
Detective Evangelion: (PS2: 2007) A game that plays similarly to the Phoenix Wright series, but set in the Evangelion universe. Shinji is a prodigy investigator whose solutions for previous cold cases resulted in them being solved. Angels are capable of disguising themselves as humans and Shinji must interact with crime scenes, victims, and witnesses to gather evidence to prove who the Angel is disguising themselves as.
Evangelion: Battle Orchestra
Evangelion: Battle Orchestra: (2007: PS2; 2009: PSP) A fighting game that features a story mode for each individual character. Its roster also contains characters like Evangelion Unit 03 before being infected by Bardiel and Evangelion Unit 04, which was never seen at all in the original series.
Puchi Eva: Evangelion @ Game
Puchi Eva: Evangelion @ Game: (NDS: 2008) A game based off of the spin-off manga Petit Eva: Evangelion@School that was written by Ryusuke Hamamoto. Most of the game is played through a variety of mini-games that the player has to clear in order to progress throughout the year.
Evangelion: Jo
Evangelion: Jo: (2009: PS2, PSP) A mecha action game that adapts material from the first Rebuild movie and the original series. Gameplay usually takes the form of 3D battles where the player has full control of their Evangelion Unit and the game’s camera. Between battles, they can interact with characters and purchase items to help them in the next battle.
Appearances in Other Games
Due to its popularity, the Evangelion franchise has performed many collaborations with other companies and game developers, which result in Evangelion characters appearing in several different games. Such examples of these collaborations include Knives Out, Valkyrie Connect, Hortensia Saga, and Phantasy Star Online 2.
Links
Announcement of a Second Evangelion X Knives Out Collaboration (Japanese Only)
Announcement of the First Evangelion X Valkyrie Connect Collaboration
Announcement of an Evangelion X Hortensia Saga Collaboration (Japanese Only)