Daemon X Machina (Switch | Mech Game)

[The Boston Crab]

After playing the first demo in February, I wasn't looking forward to this at all. It felt slow, sluggish and a bit boring, to be honest. I later read that part of the purpose of the demo was to elicit feedback for the full game and that a lot of tweaks had been made, as well as technical improvements.


When they announced a Prologue Demo at the Direct this week, with saves carried over to the full game, I didn't even bother downloading it until this morning. Turns out it's virtually the same content as the previous demo (so far) but it's vastly improved. It feels snappier, looks better, runs better, controls better and it's now very much on my radar. My main issue is where to fit it in with Fire Emblem still on the go, Astral Chain just started and plenty other stuff I'm enjoying. I'll likely give it a couple of months but I'm really pleased with how much better this feels.


I saw that GameXplain had done a vid on it which suggested it's pretty grindy and looty and repetitive, and they're normally very pro-Nintendo, but I also get the feeling this isn't going to be as accessible as even Astral Chain. It's a designed for fans of the genre, which is pretty cool given that genre is basically dead.


Anyway, did anyone else give this a whirl? I'd recommend it, even if you thought the first demo was poor. I think this is going to be pretty good.

[Kelvin]

I liked the original demo a fair bit, despite it clearly needing to be sped up and the UI improved. Reminded me a lot of games like Rogue Squadron on the N64/Gamecube, where you pick off a bunch of smaller ships and tanks in an arena, then face some bigger foe or ace pilots, then move on to another area. I can get behind that - although frankly, as you suggest, the timing of this game is very unfortunate. It feels like Nintendo have sent it out to die, wedged as it is between Astral Chain and Link's Awakening. I'd have put it out in November or December as an alternative to Pokemon. 

I saw that GameXplain had done a vid on it which suggested it's pretty grindy and looty and repetitive, and they're normally very pro-Nintendo, but I also get the feeling this isn't going to be as accessible as even Astral Chain. It's a designed for fans of the genre, which is pretty cool given that genre is basically dead.

I think I'm going to ignore GameXplain's review for this one. The footage of the guy playing while he talked about it made it pretty clear he was incredibly averse to getting close to enemies, and just fired weaker guns from a distance. Then his big complaint was that he found it boring and hard to kill enemies. Maybe that's true - but I'm wary enough of the footage that he just didn't know how to play it properly, and was simply over-cautious. I'll get a sense of the wider reactions when reviews come out, but I currently expect to play it at the end of the year, when the current glut of games has calmed down. Doesn't look like it will compete with the other Nintendo games this year, but still looks like it could be a good time if you want an arcadey shooter.   

[Kelvin]

Did not like the latest demo of this at all. Maybe it's been changed since the initial demo (which I quite liked), or maybe it's because I know this latest demo is how the final game will play, but I really, really disliked the movement when I tried it yesterday.

Basically, because you don't have the momentum of, say, an arcadey fighter jet sim, you constantly feel like you're being dragged downwards during combat, unless you either pull back on the stick (which makes you hover, and more vulnerable), or "jump" which unpredictably throws you upwards, rather than the slower movement you need. In other words, the game needs to let you move on a proper x and y axis, swap jump for a dodge/mid air dash, and make you feel much more in control of the vehicle in the air.

In any case, I think I'll give the demo a little longer and play around with the control options a bit, but as it stands, unless the reviews are good, I think they've demo'd themselves out of a sale later in the year.

[The Boston Crab]

That's interesting because I defo preferred the feel of this one over the last. I do understand what you mean though about the downward momentum, something different and requires constant adjustment if you want to stay still but I felt like it brought a certain sense of weight. I reckon I'll give this a go but I totally get why it wouldn't necessarily click with everyone and sorry to hear they've tweaked it away from your preference.

[The Boston Crab]

I opted for the online voucher offer to get this and Link's Awakening. Still barely touched Astral Chain but feeling like DxM for some reason. Will give it a go today and report back.

[Kelvin]

I opted for the online voucher offer to get this and Link's Awakening. Still barely touched Astral Chain but feeling like DxM for some reason. Will give it a go today and report back.

Don't use a voucher on Links Awakening! I did that and only realised afterwards I wouldn't get the pre order double gold points for that game. Use the second ticket on a game that doesn't have that offer available.

[The Boston Crab]

Too late :(

They really are a snide bunch of greedy twats.

DxM is fun but the story, voice acting and characters are perhaps the worst I've ever experienced in a game. We're talking about the level of Dead or Alive Extreme 3. It's a shame because there's something really solid at the the core but when you're just skipping through this inane, convoluted dialogue and cheesy banter to get to the next chunk of gameplay, it does become a bit meaningless.

[Kelvin]

DxM is fun but the story, voice acting and characters are perhaps the worst I've ever experienced in a game. We're talking about the level of Dead or Alive Extreme 3. It's a shame because there's something really solid at the the core but when you're just skipping through this inane, convoluted dialogue and cheesy banter to get to the next chunk of gameplay, it does become a bit meaningless.

God, yes. The non-stop inane chatter from the boring cunts you're fighting with is one of the things that annoyed me most about the demo. It's awful. 

[The Boston Crab]

It's something which doesn't bother me as much in Japanese, and there are a couple of good shmups which have constant chat from your co-pilot who is usually a babe obviously, but here it's cack.

I really wish this was basically Monster Hunter but with mechs. Unfortunately, it feels more like that Starlink game, mixture of total crap for kids and overly verbose jargon wank crap for people who like reading manuals. It should have longer, fewer missions with more at stake, not little bitty shit shooting popcorn enemies. They should focus on the massive bosses because they're amazing.

[The Boston Crab]

The actual gameplay is great, though. Boosting across a sunburst sky, rattling turrets with your assault rifle as you lock onto a row of tanks and then line up your bazooka and crumple a building on top of them.

[Kelvin]

The actual gameplay is great, though.

Is it, though, Bosto?

Is it?

No.

Play Astral Chain, you stupid cunt.

[The Boston Crab]

It's very likely not as good as Astral Chain butler I'm knackered and ill and I've ended up having a blast with this. The online mode basically IS Monster Hunter, as I wished for above. 4v4 co-op against other mechs and massive bosses and looting their best gear is really the best highlight of this game. It feels just like Monster Hunter but a bit easier and shorter missions, at least at the moment. It's really good fun.

[The Boston Crab]

If you skip the story stuff and just play for the spectacle, mixing up your gear and working with three Jappers to take out a colossal jellyfish mech with a massive Buster sword, acid bazooka, shoulder mounted laser cannon, assault rifle arm and a heat seeking missile launcher rucksack, it's a total triumph. It captures that Monster Hunter sense of 'oh shit' but missions take ten minutes rather than forty. It's definitely not going to be for everyone but it's pretty spectacular to me right now. It depends how much you enjoy the core gameplay.

[The Boston Crab]

Fuck I've played this for about eight hours today listening to the cricket. It's immense.

[The Boston Crab]

Turns out I played for twelve hours somehow.

Little things I love about this game:

Crumpling a skyscraper with a bazooka.

The 90s naff Japanese emo/metal tune in the hangar.

The acid rounds explosion.

Stunning an enemy with the Arc gun and then slamming them with a massive sword.

The massive insectoid boss designs.

Saying 'Well done!' to some Japanese randos who reply in Japanese, taking a picture, Google Translating it to find it says 'Well done!'

[The Boston Crab]

Still a great fun game, utterly buried. Performance shits on the new Zelda, they should have delayed that and pushed this more.