Review cover Daemon X Machina (Nintendo Switch)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): September 13, 2019
  • Release Date (EU): September 13, 2019
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
  • Genres: Action, third-person shooter

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
New to boast the Nintendo Switch exclusivity label is the mech shooter game 'Daemon X Machina'. Coming from Kenichiro Tsukuda of the 'Armored Core' series fame, with mech designs by Shoji Kawamori ('Super Dimensional Fortress Macross'), this brand-new title sure promises a lot with such names tied to it. However, does it deliver? Let’s find out!

attachFull178954

So we've all seen it from the trailers: mecha battles in a derelict world; but what is Daemon X Machina?

Actually, the above description is more or less it for the game. In Daemon X Machina’s future, some AIs went rogue following a cryptic phenomenon involving the moon’s fall and now they are hell-bent on destroying humanity. You take control of a rookie mecha pilot called an Outer who is basically a mercenary, taking contracts from the highest offers to curb evil AI-controlled robots called Immortals. Cashing out on humanity's survival, isn't this the ideal job?

Your fully customizable rookie avatar is, of course, a prodigy who quickly gets noticed by veterans as your rank increases by completing missions. And of course, every unusual event and boss fights happen whenever you are out on a mission, as if you are an events magnet.

attachFull178957

Review image Review image Review image Review image

Unfortunately, narrative-wise Daemon X Machina lacks in such subtlety and the plot progression feels repetitive and predictable more often than it should. The story does include some twists but feels underwhelming and poorly executed overall.

For one, at the beginning you often come across several unintroduced characters from various mercenary bands. I was often left scratching my head, trying to recall who’s who but I realized soon enough that all of them weren’t formally introduced by the game.

Then there’s a break in continuity between cutscenes, dialogues and gameplay when the characters switch from talking in person to chatting on some future messenger app, and the game just hops you to the mission where characters will communicate via an intercom. While the latter makes sense in context, I don’t really see the point of having a cutscene and then move to text-based chats if all of the same characters were conversing a second ago.

Moreover, during missions, some crucial plot points are elaborated upon via the intercom but these can easily be missed. This is especially the case while you're trying to shoot down a colossal Immortal but someone fires up the communications channel for a chat. In such situations, it can be kinda hard to concentrate on what's important: focusing on plot development or staying alive. Juggling both takes some getting used to and you will eventually get a grasp of it but it is undoubtedly one of the least intuitive ways to progress a plot that I've ever seen.

It's really after about 2.5 hours in that the story starts to kick in, as you get deeper into the politics of the world of Daemon X Machina, with allies facing each other and getting distracted from the actual threat. But even then the plot gets repetitive, without really redeeming itself.

It's a shame that the plot execution is not as polished as it could have been and really makes a disservice to the more elaborate combat system.

attachFull178993

Review image Review image Review image Review image Review image

For combats, you will have your fully customizable mech, called an Arsenal, at your service. The latter is really the focus of the game. If the lack of focus on the narrative is anything to go by, Daemon X Machina can be considered a mech action shooter version of a car racing game. You can tune your Arsenal to your liking with decals, paintings (you can even scan graffitis during missions to later personalize your mecha) and, importantly, weapons. There are a lot of weapons in Daemon x Machina to choose from. From machine guns to rocket launchers to sniper rifles to flamethrowers to freaking swords and more, the choice is yours! The latter weapon is my personal favorite for cool and stylish finishers. Worry not about being cool or effective, as your mecha carries weapons on both of its arms, a shoulder weapon, an auxiliary one and one for each of the right and left pylon. You can swap between those on the fly to better adapt to the situation should you need a longer range weapon or a shield to ward off incoming bullets or, like me, use a sword to finish off a pesky Immortal in style.

attachFull178961

In addition to weaponry are the mecha’s modular armor. Split into modules named head, body, processor, right arm, left arm and legs, you can equip respective parts to your Arsenal to fine-tune it for optimal performance. Some parts can even help the Arsenal better withstand certain attack types or even equip it with a weapon. You can also salvage enemy mechas for parts to upgrade your very own once back at the Hangar.

There is also a shop where you can buy/sell weapons and armor and even a factory that will let you build certain equipment with the proper resources.attachFull178968

On top of equipment is an easy-to-grasp skill tree. Progressing through the latter not only enhances your Arsenal’s abilities but also that of your Outer, giving him/her more abilities like double jump or wielding a laser sword, because, yes, you can eject your avatar out of your Arsenal during fights and have him/her take on enemies or even mount another Arsenal. Such modifications can also alter the physical look of your avatar because why not?

While on the battlefield, you will find areas rich in Femto particles, which are basically your energy source which allow you to use laser-based equipments or perform cool tricks like creating a mirage of your Arsenal to trick foes.

However, despite the plethora of armaments and skills at your service, not much technique is required to emerge victorious of battles. Only a few boss fights got me to replay them but otherwise most missions were a one-shot affair.

attachFull178970

Review image Review image Review image Review image Review image

Missions themselves usually comprise of you and two other friendly Arsenals, with the exception of a few solo missions. It's cool to have AI buddies but it's not cool when they barely lend you a hand. It almost always feels like everything is conspicuously left up to you: defeat all enemies, place all explosives, and so on all by yourself in order for missions to progress or end. The flow does not feel natural but rather forced and the lack of subtlety is made evident yet again.

Unfortunately, missions feel more of the same with some few variations like placing bombs or recon missions which will often end up having you face familiar AI-controlled baddies (you'll find futuristic drones, helicopters, tanks and/or enemy Arsenals in almost every mission) in similar-looking environments. There is almost always some reinforcement or surprise foes who show up mid-mission (the term “unidentified units” will become quasi-integral to missions) and alter the initial aim of the mission. After a while these do not come as surprises but more as an expected outcome of every mission. Only when (if ever) a mission flows as it should, following its objective with no "surprise" visitors did I really feel surprised. But I’m not sure if this was the developer's original intention…

There are a few Outer missions where you infiltrate rival bases and what not as your persona and procure another Arsenal or intel. Such missions add diversity to the game but are introduced too late in the game and also mostly follow the pattern of surprise enemies with repetitive elements.

In addition to the main missions, there are Free Missions which can yield you more cash and loot and also online or local co-op mission. The latter do add some replay value and fun to this otherwise underwhelming title but you would most likely get this game for the full experience rather than an extra mode.

attachFull178978

Review image Review image Review image Review image Review image Review image

Daemon X Machina had a lot of potential. Even if you allow it time to sink in, the game sadly feels repetitive and disappointing.

Daemon X Machina - Nintendo Switch Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Cool action sequences
  • Highly customizable mech
  • Fun co-op mode
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Underwhelming and poorly executed plot with repetitive progression
  • Lack of enemy types
  • Unhelpful AI
  • Lack of challenge in most missions
  • Environments more of the same
6
Gameplay
While the focus on the combat is apparent, it feels underused in the long run and the reused assets and repetitive patterns don't bring in the much-needed diversity in the gameplay.
6
Presentation
Despite its unique, bright and attractive visuals, the rarely varying environments and enemy types and the poorly executed story progression do not make for the best presentation.
6
Lasting Appeal
Co-op can be fun as are the free missions for mindless mecha fights but the core of the game is repetitive and often predictable.
6
out of 10

Overall

With a poorly executed plot, reused assets and a lack of challenge despite an intricate combat system, Daemon X Machina is an underwhelming title that could have benefited from a more polished narrative design and varied combats.
I was looking forward this game since E3 and I was hopping that it's going to be awesome like Zone of Enders, now I'm disappointed after hearing about the poor plot.
I guess I will judge the game by playing it myself, it could be fun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Something whatever
I was iffy about both this and Astral Chain. I ended up buying and liking Astral Chain, but will probably wait on a sale for this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prans
D
Good review. The game always looked mediocre to me, so no surprise it got a low rating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prans
Looks like I lucked out by pre-ordering Astral Chain but holding out on this one for reviews.
 
So, it's essentially just Armored Core, but this game was in development for at least 2 years, and it doesn't evolve the genre in anyway? Does it still control like it's assuming we're stuck with the OG PS1 controller, where you have to use the shoulder buttons to turn and aim up and down as well? Because if it does, hoo boy, Titanfall's hype was far more believable than anything this game could have had. The OG Armored Core games also had a very small variety of enemies as well. I know the last Armored Core game on PS2 had options for switching the controls to something more "natural," as in, you used the analog sticks on the PS2 controller like any regular shooter, but the main weapons were all mapped to the shoulder buttons, with a bunch of other options on the face buttons, all of this assuming your mech was even equipped with everything in the first place!

Let's just say there's a reason that FROM is known for King's Field and DemonSoulSekiBorne series and not Armored Core beyond the PS1/PS2 era of gaming!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sage3k
I’ll still grab it. Coming from someone who immensely enjoyed Armored Core 4 (Non existent plot but really fun combat and online multiplayer), I played the prologue that came out few weeks ago and had a blast with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sage3k
Thank you for the review. I've been looking for an Armored core Clone or sequel since the PS2 era and have been sadly disappointed most of the time. This has some promise and I can tell that the creative minds behind the aforementioned series have been pooled in to the collective team to make this work. The designs are ripped completely from the AC series, the controls are more form the AC5 and For Answer entries, but considering the limitations on the switch, it is impressive.
I'm glad I purchased it and hope there is some tweaking and updates to follow in the coming months. Maybe they will get it right on the sequel...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prans and Cortador
Should have made an actual fucking Armored Core game instead of this. My heart sank when the frame rate on the demo dropped to 15 fps with the final boss. Once that happened I passed mentally on this. This wouldn't have happened with non switch current gen hardware.

Unfortunately, FromSoftware is obsessed with the "souls like" genre to revisit the Crows Nest as that's all they make now.
 
My heart sank when the frame rate on the demo dropped to 15 fps with the final boss. Once that happened I passed mentally on this. This wouldn't have happened with non switch current gen hardware.
Not even remotely true, frame rate on PS4 and XB1 drop into the low 20s in a ton of games. Save perhaps first-party Nintendo games, high-end graphics are always prioritized over performance on consoles, which is really unfortunate. Hopefully next gen we can get a consistent 60 FPS across the board, but I'm sure it won't be long until Sony/MS encourage developers to start pushing the limits again.
 
Should have made an actual fucking Armored Core game instead of this. My heart sank when the frame rate on the demo dropped to 15 fps with the final boss. Once that happened I passed mentally on this. This wouldn't have happened with non switch current gen hardware.

Unfortunately, FromSoftware is obsessed with the "souls like" genre to revisit the Crows Nest as that's all they make now.


The frame rate going into the low 10s was fixed between the first demo released and the “prologue” demo which released a week before the games came out.
 
Seems like the PC version is getting much better reviews, at least from players. I wonder if the improved performance and visuals really improve the experience that much.
 
This entire review is horseshit, it sounds like they didnt play past the first 2 hours.
I played it till the end, paid special attention to it given that it was an anticipated exclusive (back then) and am not changing my views on this. If I recall, when my review went out after the embargo, other reviewers from other outlets shared similar opinions. Nevertheless, you can write your own review here if you share a different opinion
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chary
I played it till the end, paid special attention to it given that it was an anticipated exclusive (back then) and am not changing my views on this. If I recall, when my review went out after the embargo, other reviewers from other outlets shared similar opinions. Nevertheless, you can write your own review here if you share a different opinion
yeah sure, every single game even remotely similar to armored core gets trashed by critics by you always for ridiculous reasons, like, your partners are useless, no they arent, you can VERY CLEARLY tell that missions are easier when partners are in it, boot up any C+ rank mission and try it with and without them, you'll see the difference easily and besides, thats a small mechanic and yet you act as if thats a huge negative as if this was a squad tactics game, this aint rainbow six.

EDIT: also, all the screenshots show you using the white orsa you start with and early game cutscenes, that doesnt help your case.
 
yeah sure, every single game even remotely similar to armored core gets trashed by critics by you always for ridiculous reasons, like, your partners are useless, no they arent, you can VERY CLEARLY tell that missions are easier when partners are in it, boot up any C+ rank mission and try it with and without them, you'll see the difference easily and besides, thats a small mechanic and yet you act as if thats a huge negative as if this was a squad tactics game, this aint rainbow six.

EDIT: also, all the screenshots show you using the white orsa you start with and early game cutscenes, that doesnt help your case.
It's not just the AI that's problematic, as you would have read in my and others' reviews.

And if you checked all the screenshots, you'd notice that some are from missions available only if you progress through the game. I don't usually take screenshots throughout the whole game, just to show the varied landscapes, assets (or lack thereof) and other features. Unless if there's a really important feature to show which only becomes available at the end of the game which this game doesn't have.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chary
EDIT: also, all the screenshots show you using the white orsa you start with and early game cutscenes, that doesnt help your case.
You find most places won't take screenshots from late in a game. What's the point when early screenshots tell the same story? I'd much rather keep the majority of the game fresh for people who might be interested in playing personally.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prans and relauby
It's not just the AI that's problematic, as you would have read in my and others' reviews.

And if you checked all the screenshots, you'd notice that some are from missions available only if you progress through the game. I don't usually take screenshots throughout the whole game, just to show the varied landscapes, assets (or lack thereof) and other features. Unless if there's a really important feature to show which only becomes available at the end of the game which this game doesn't have.
so you didnt bother taking screenshots of any late game mechanics like blink, the various cyborg abilities for your pilot, the exploration mode, etc, etc.

yeah, sure.
 
You find most places won't take screenshots from late in a game. What's the point when early screenshots tell the same story? I'd much rather keep the majority of the game fresh for people who might be interested in playing personally.
except they dont, the game has a lot of stuff that is different in late game that isnt an outright spoiler.
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): September 13, 2019
  • Release Date (EU): September 13, 2019
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
  • Genres: Action, third-person shooter
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

Reviews

  1. Xiaomi has just launched its latest smartphone line, the Xiaomi 14 series. In this series, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the top-of-the-line model, with a focus on photography and a dedicated Photography Kit to complement this focus. Let’s take a closer look!

  2. Obsidian’s Pentiment is part of a new wave of Xbox games coming to other platforms. Should you try to solve the 16th century murder mystery it presents?

  3. The second iteration of Supernote's compact e-ink notebook, we check out the A6X2 Nomad!

  4. Acting like an NPC has never been more intense

  5. The Aurvana Ace by Creative might look like your regular pair of wireless earbuds but it's the first to pack xMEMS’ solid-state silicon drivers. These are supposed to deliver richer, lifelike...

Site & Scene News

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • BakerMan
    The snack that smiles back, Ballsack!
    BakerMan @ BakerMan: well, after a day of pain, i'm gonna catch some zs