Developer: Marvelous First Studio
Publisher: Xseed Games, Nintendo, Marvelous
Platform: PC, Switch
Tested on: PC
Daemon X Machina – Review
Daemon X Machina was a fairly big release a few months back for Nintendo’s Switch. It hit the stores at nearly the same time Astral Chain did, and they were somewhat fierce competitors, for those who did not know which one to pick. The game has now been ported to Steam for PC, allowing us to dive into this Gundam-esque adventure with a heavier setup than Nintendo’s hybrid console. We quickly noticed that the game itself was a great PC title, but nothing was properly done to improve the graphical quality of the game, making it look very dated for our heavy rigs.
Story
Humanity has been in a pickle ever since a strange energy made it so that all of the world’s AI turned against its creators. The same energy did come with a benefit, as it created humans that are called Outers, who have the ability to combat the rogue AI. These Outers pilot Arsenal mechs in order to wipe out every threat that comes their way.
This is pretty much the story of the game and while there are a lot of dialogues present in the game, there’s a lot of banter and useless information being tossed around. The game sometimes tries to take itself too seriously in terms of having a lot of story value, while in reality there is hardly any real story content to go around.
Graphics
While there is a lot to be forgiven when games pick an anime aesthetic, Deamon X Machina feels like a very lazy port when looking at the graphical department. The game looks like you’re playing a Switch title on a far more superior gaming system, which is a big shame. Don’t get us wrong, the mechs look decent, as they don’t need too many smooth edges, the characters and maps, they feel heavily dated. It feels like you’re playing a PlayStation 3 title on a setup that normally overpowers other consoles on the market, making it feel like the game was directly ported without any upgrades. The maps feel empty and the building models look very simplistic. The game also throws the same enemies at you from start to finish, with a few impressive bosses thrown in the mix (far too little if we may add).
Sound
The sound design of Daemon X Machina is great. You have the option to play with the English or Japanese audio, which are both decently done, and properly suit the game. Every dialogue is voiced, which once again adds a lot to the overall immersion when playing. The soundtrack itself isn’t too impressive, but you’ll have a fairly rock-ish undertone to accompany you on the different missions you undertake.
Gameplay
Daemon X Machina is pretty much a mech-based third-person shooter/action game. You’ll be piloting your personal Arsenal mech from start to finish, defeating rogue AI and combating other pilots such as yourself. The game’s overall scheme is quite clear, but it will take some time to get the hang of the many customization options, as well as getting used to the controls and all your different weapons.
We’ll dive right into the control scheme, which now allows you to play with mouse and keyboard. While this is certainly possible, the game was designed to be played with a controller, and if you have a spare one lying around, it’s best to use it. The gameplay itself is quite fluent, and the automatic lock-on system will aid you when trying to kill the highly mobile enemies. There’s always simple fodder to be killed, but at times you’ll have to fight more nimble AI or other pilots, making the controls somewhat manageable. Flying with your mech doesn’t always feel that natural, and it shows that this game is made by a studio with not that much experience under its belt.
One thing that this game does great is the many customization options for your Arsenal mech. You’ll be able to unlock tons of new weapons, add-ons, armor pieces and so on. Most of the time you’ll gain these new technology options by destroying other similar suits in combat, and then accessing the rubble they leave behind. You’ll also have customization options for your personal avatar, which can also join the fight in case your mech is destroyed. It’s great to have a second lease on life if you happen to screw up on a mission.
Every mission basically consists of killing a specific amount of targets, destroying a stronger enemy or protecting a certain building. The game lacks a bit of variation, but for those looking to grind weapons and parts, there’s more than enough content and missions to dive into. The game also supports cooperative (online) play, which adds a lot to the fun factor and replayability of the game.
The problem, outside of the underwhelming graphics, lies in the fact that the game isn’t really that varied and offers not that much of a challenge. You’ll just do a sort of rinse and repeat throughout the entire mission log, be it alone, with AI or with friends.
Conclusion
Daemon X Machina is a decent game, but it remains just that; decent. You’ll get a properly built mech experience, albeit, with a low variety of enemies, a graphical prowess directly ported from the Switch and a fairly low difficulty factor. Nonetheless, as far as mech games go, this one is actually very promising, if they update the game a little bit to match the specs of a decent PC build.
Daemon X Machina - Review,
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[…] Pre-order bonuses are mostly just small extras that don’t really add value but are a nice treat when you decide to pledge your hard-earned money to the developer. Now sometimes these things are so nice that developers decide to later re-add them to the game. Prototype Arsenal Set was originally only for those who purchased the game within four weeks of its launch. For the small price of $6.99, €6.99, and £6.29 you can customize your mechs and player characters with a unique old-school look. We did a review on DAEMON X MACHINA which you can find here. […]