I can excuse myself by concluding that my passion for sci-fi, great robots, and high-end anime would make Daemon X Machina a perfect fit. However, after playing it, I will not be able to excuse myself if I do not warn others of the same tendency so they do not go away. Although parts of it may seem exciting at first, Daemon X Machina has failed to deliver a gameplay, story, or other element that might seem like a thrill at first.
In the ill-defined post-apocalyptic world, the major warring mecha are fighting in a desolate land, fighting against another and the future threat of greater artificial intelligence. Competitive interests, government agencies, and the motives of each of the mercenaries compete for the attention of the narrative, and all in vain. None of the characters have words that blend in with an entertaining personality, but almost all speak in one voice about their mysterious combat goals, or just shake my head in the absurdity of their long conversations.
The storytelling is almost unmistakable, spending hours lost in the inaccessible mash-up of anime skeletons and the ridiculous revelations that seem to come. In the meantime, players embrace the role of "rookie," the protagonis who quietly go unnoticed, destroying much of the building's happily ever-evolving machinery, no matter what side of the conflict that sets them apart. As a player, you learn to not care what happens, and just move on to action.
At first, I was inspired by the spectacular sharp lines of spherical designs ("arsenals," in game design), as well as the many mechanical locations you visit during long work trips. But even those extra details fail to impress as the actual fight grows tiring and unpleasant. Weapon plans and fixed targets. The rapid pace of air and space travel can be enjoyable, but it also means that tracking the action on the screen, especially against other quick arsenals, is a useless exercise. That problem is exacerbated by an unanswerable military UI, which fails to monitor basic information such as the level of multiple dropped stones on your radar.
The difficulty was also uneven. After the first few hours of easy fighting, the final hours of the campaign change dramatically. For one thing, the fight is so easy for me to end the boss before the in-mission conversation even ends. In some cases (including on some defensive trips), I roll my head against a wall of repeated machine failures, or strike enemies with extended battles where high points are replaced by actual attacking positions. I've been impressed with how everything feels about the same mecha games from over a decade ago, but they aren't in any of these great ways.
Among the equipment, the hangar bay provides opportunities for improvement. Your driver's body modification offers a few minor bonuses. Professional plants are designed to scare you about how they are slowly stealing your personality; that attempt failed, because the hero is already robotic and lifeless. My equipment is upgrading using new weapons and weapons purchased and upgraded with money earned during the service Thanks for the detail and variety of options here, as well as the features of time-based cosmetics, and a deep commitment to stat min-maxing can bring benefits. However, the customization of your arsenal is poorly defined, and it is seldom you to have a clear idea of which components of your computer best fights. Individual weapons and pieces of armor have the challenge of comparing without mindless study, blurring the process of deciding whether a new piece is worth the price. The cumulative effect that any sense of development has received. It never felt like I had a sound growth even after many playing sessions.
If you continue to surpass the game's shortcomings, the option of multiplayer interactivity allows you to participate in selected journeys with friends or other online enthusiasts. These battles tend to be simple and seem like they were never retold by many live performers, but the observation of the different weapon effects on display is provocative. Setting up a lobby and access to the kitchens is easy, and I would love to be able to design some A.I. pilots as partners in the times you chose not to focus on online.
I've been waiting for Daemon X Machina to pull the curtain back and bring out some fun art in its gameplay, or narrative twists that would make the war forbidden. Those things don't come. While the game shoots an itch for players who have craved something like Armored Core on the switch, the model feels inconsistent with the latest innovations in the utility game world. There are many better places to save than this wonderful future.
