DAEMON X MACHINA

Almost a good game with really fun core combat, but let down by overwrought writing, a random-drops based equipment system, and absolute slog of an endgame. When you're playing the normal game you're flash stepping around in a mech blasting and slashing things apart in mecha action beaten only by Armored Core: For Answer. But you've only done so after listening to a bunch of cardboard cutouts prattle on for as long as the mission itself will take you. I understand what the devs wanted to do there-- Armored Core games all have dozens of pilots, so why not try to give them a face and a personality? Except they have barely a personality and they just prattle on and on. There's a handful of genuinely entertaining/interesting characters (there's a group of teenagers who are thrown inside regenerative capsules after every mission so they've never really known death, for instance) but every character and plot element is so surface-level that events and character development simply... happen when the plot demands. This game needed 1/3 as many characters to make it work. The gearing system is also, unlike Armored Core, centered around you picking up parts from defeated Arsenals. A silver lining is that you CAN develop upgraded/sidegraded gear out of equipment you currently have, but they have no augment slots. It commits the cardinal sin of RNG drop systems-- they also have randomized stats. There is a shop, but it is so basic and so far behind normal progression that player expression in builds (both visually and mechanically) is given a backseat to grinding out parts (if you so desire). And not only are progression and writing borked, the home stretch of the game is RIDICULOUSLY tedious and is ultimately what soured me on this game. You get thrown into fights against multiple Arsenals (with teammates who draw aggro and do chip-damage, at least) that... are about quintuple the durability of normal. So fairly straightforward and fast-paced combat up to that point requires you to bring out very specific weaponry and slowly-- oh so slowly-- grind them down. This culminates in a final boss fight where the opponent is not only ludicrously durable but has TRANS-AM and is blinking all over the place at random-- nothing like wasting ammo because you shaved off .4% of his HP and he decided to zip to the opposite side of the area and at a completely different height level, forcing you to reorient yourself and find him and repeat again. The second phase meanwhile is a bizarre joke with virtually zero defenses to you meleeing it in the face several times in a row. I wanted to like this game, and when you can actually PLAY it it feels really good. But the sheer amount of meaningless dialogue, frustrating equipment system, and utter devolution of combat progression in the last 15% of the game did everything it could to take the wind out of my sails.

Neither providing a power fantasy nor a challenge. The missions are bland and not fun, and the writing is terrible. Mechs look cool but it is not enough.

The game is extremely easy Core gameplay is boring Enemies feel tedious to fight Flight controls are awkward Story is anime word salad Artsyle and music are cool Just replay your favourite Armored Core instead of playing this

When I first started playing, it really gave the impression of a watered down Armored core. Then it throws all these flamboyant characters that look like bargain-bin anime characters on screen all at once but there is no connection that I feel with them; at least not initially. I was beginning to think that I would have uninstalled it after playing a bit. But I kept going. There was something or things that kept pulling me in. The shooting and flying just felt right, and even satisfying. And as I played on new mechanics were being taught. Things like getting out of your mech, grabbing mech parts and weapons from downed enemies on the field and equipping them instantly, and how the game nudged you into tactfully dealing with the enemy. It didn't end there. The more parts I got the more I got invested in the customization; while the amount of data on screen was daunting at first glance, a little playing around made things easy. We can customize mechs, customize our character, and the whole cycle of finding new blueprints or parts to develop stronger one was addicting. This alone would have been enough to see the game halfway through, and experiment with all sorts of weapons and builds. But somehow the story got interesting midway. Once you learn who is who, the cast actually becomes interesting, some likeable even. The voice acting for certain characters is real good, even the dialogue. Coupled with the vibrant visuals and heavy use of shadows it gave a very pleasing game to look at. To top it all off, the soundtrack was good and memorable (atleast a few tracks). Where did the game fall? Near the end where the story just collapsed and character motives went everywhere. I was really interested in seeing what was what and learning more about the lore. But the game does little in exposition and throws all this sophistry (courtesy of the villain). I love the different mercenary groups and how we serve the different consortiums, but there is no 'choice' to be made on who to side with. Infact your character has little impact on anything and is written in such a way that 'you are the chosen one, so things will go exactly as foretold'. It was all linear. I'm still glad I got this game. Since the sequel is announced and this game was on discount, and i had this wish to play every mech game out there, this was a good buy. This isn't armored core, but it is still good, and even exceeds armored core in certain elements. Definitely a game to try for mech fans.

It was a bad, bad, bad idea to play this after having nearly 100%'d armored core 6, and every other AC game besides 5. Huge Shoji Kawamori fan, and that's cool. The music is sometimes pretty good too. But everything else? No thanks. RNG equipment drops, the cringe anime stuff, the nonsensical story and setting. The gameplay is technically OK, but the interface is hard to follow and the colors are too saturated so it's hard to tell what's going on. The weapons feel anemic and the lack of customization compared to AC is kinda painful. I guess they're making up for the fact you can edit your character, but even so. It's too bad really. Refunded.

its a okay mech game but locks all decent gear behind co-op, if you have a mind you'll be fine but if not enjoy long waiting times

[b]Armored Core at home[/b] My first ever mecha game that I got into and completed! Very simple and minimal. Daemon x Machina is literally just the Monster Hunter format on a tiny scale. Mecha Hunter Was excellent on Steam Deck OLED regarding wattage/battery life and performance for a game of this caliber [u]All Achievements![/u] Gameplay was rly fun I had an issue with the FOV. It felt difficult to see anything in this game. Mini map helps to an extent. Doesn't compensate for the 360-degree enemy positions The camera controls on controller were bad. Huge deadzone. Made aiming and moving the camera very difficult for me Story was lame. Ended up skipping all cutscenes and muting the voices. English VA was super cheesy and fruity OST was great, especially the main theme. Absolute banger Very short. Not a whole lot of content Some of the achievements had NOTHING to do with the game. You can complete the game with like 5k AI enemy kills total The grind for 100k is absolutely stupid. It has nothing to do with the game, and just artificially drags out this content lack-luster game in the worst way possible [hr] I look forward to DxM 2, but I'm also disappointed in it. I came here for the Mechs, not Anthem

I have not played many games in the mecha genre, but Daemon X Machina scratches the robot dogfight itch I have on my soul. It's not a terribly complex game, you slide, fly, shoot, and slice your way through hoards of AI and rival pilots with your growing collection of weapons and robot heads/torsos/arms/legs, which you can mix and match as you please. The loop is very repetitive, but I've enjoyed it enough to play the campaign on Switch, Epic, and now Steam. The meat of your playtime would be the multiplayer missions/bosses if you chose to keep playing after the campaign, but you will NOT find a single soul to play with you. You can do all the missions alone, but it would be quite difficult unless you decided to cheese everything with the bazooka arms. The price is a little steep, but if it goes on sale, I highly recommend Daemon X Machina.

The games not perfect but it accomplishes what it set out to do before Armored Core 6 came out. The sequel is differentiating itself from both this and it's original inspiration in a way that looks like a huge improvement as well so I say support the devs and give the game a try.

Buy on sale for $10, no more. I skipped 95% of all cut-scenes and conversation logs because the story and characters are boring. Customizing your mech is probably the most fun this game can offer. Not many playing online anymore, to be expected. Worth if on sale.

This game is awesome. Yea, armored core has a lot but it's also insanely hard. This game has just the right amount of difficulty and the story isn't half bad. The game play is smooth and ports well to PC. Played it on switch and now through steam. Grab it while it's on sale.

Its aight ig Pros compared to AC6: + Vanilla coop + Runs better on older hardware 7.4/10

This is a title that’s been on my radar for a while but only managed to pick it up after a deep sale and I think only under those circumstances can I recommend purchasing it. Daemon X Machina has lots of baggage. As much as I liked the level of customization when it came to making your ideal mech and the fast action that came with its gameplay, it’s brought down by a weak story that fails to invest the player along with its repetitive mission structure that feels like a checklist of missions rather than each naturally flowing from one to the next. It also has an incredibly annoying final boss. I would honestly recommend picking up Armored Core 6 or Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner instead if you are looking for a more polished mecha game. There’s still fun to be had here but not without its problems. Deep sale purchase only.

It's like if someone took armored core 6 and made it not fun.

if you can handle the anime/weeb then this is an easy learning curve before you start AC 6

Too easy.... ---an AC6 player

i'm having fun

gud

yers