Daemon X Machina

Daemon X Machina goes beyond the expectations of a mech game with the Outer playing an integral part in tactics and combat. The other Outers you encounter are varied, unique, and have great personalities that shine through their voice acting. Combat is crisp, fast, and beautiful, accented by the stellar rock and metal soundtrack. The customization is phenomenal and the overall experience screams “just one more mission.” With the only downside being its lack of tutorials and occasionally bothersome menu, this is a game still easy to learn, fun to master, and an absolutely intense thrill to play. This is the mech game you’ve always wanted.

The best description is this is basically Armored Core X Gundam. It has great mech and character customizations, fast and chaotic combat and a good enough story. If you have a Switch and are a mech fan then this game is a must buy.

Daemon X Machina is a wonderful new IP and you wouldn’t go wrong picking it up, especially if you’re a fan of mech titles. Though it’s a little slow to start, and there are definitely things it could do better, once it picks up you’ll find high-octane action, a diverse cast of characters, and a story full of intrigue and depth. There’s nothing quite like it on the Switch that I’ve seen thus far, but I’m hoping Daemon X Machina will pave the way for more.

Daemon X Machina is the perfect meeting point between Armored Core and Zone of the Enders, offering a quick and exciting gaming system, without sacrificing a good dose of depth and customization.

Everything about Daemon X Machina works to make you feel like a central character in your own mecha anime. The visuals and the soundtrack immediately immerse you into the world, while the frantic gameplay and mechanics make you feel like a genuine mech pilot. The story is absurdly serious and undeniably cheesy, which is likely to polarise players – as will the intensely crowded HUD and somewhat unwieldy control scheme. Some players will take one look at the screenshots and begin to tremble at the thought of keeping track of all those stats and meters, while others will relish the experience of customising and piloting their own mech. Either way, Daemon X Machina is worth checking out and with a free demo available on the eShop, you’ve got nothing to lose.

Daemon X Machina is a great mech action game in a genre that has pretty much disappeared. The combat and customization options are first rate and I never got bored with experimenting with different weaponry. This really is like a mecha anime, and it’s one I highly recommend, even if it isn’t as great as it could be.

Daemon X Machina takes much of what made the Armored Core series work but goes its own way to make something new. As a standalone mecha gaming series then, Daemon X Machina has gotten off to a solid start, but it needs more work on the missions and story. It’s not as strict or as unforgiving as many of the Armored Core games but I think there is definitely room for a mecha game like this. So if you like to play with nicely designed mecha packed full of weapons and destroy all kinds of robotic enemies, then Daemon X Machina does a good job letting you do just that. So ignore the more casual players out there and try this out, as this is a proper mecha game.

A modern mech title that can easily be a gateway drug to hours of fast-paced action, there’s nothing else quite like Daemon X Machina on Switch. While its story falls a bit short, it’s still enjoyable and intriguing enough of a ride to keep up with even when confusing. It shines strongest in its amount of replayability and sheer mountain of additional content that can be unlocked. Daemon X Machina is a title that’s hard to put down and is easy to get sucked in and just want to keep going further and see what other crazy things it has waiting around the corner. It’s obvious that a ton of time and dedication was put into Daemon X Machina, and it’s one that fans of the genre or those with the tiniest bit of interest should check out.

Perhaps one of the strangest titles Nintendo has published in the Switch era, Daemon X Machina is far from a perfect game. Its storytelling is underwhelming, its gameplay loop is repetitive, and it’s not really doing anything particularly new. Despite that, it manages to be spectacularly fun, and all those worries go out the window the moment you jump into a mech and blow up some helicopters.

Built from pieces thought too inscrutable to survive 2019, Daemon X Machina is sincere in its appreciation for a bygone era of mech action games. It understands the charm of assembling giant robots, the appeal of blasting exotic weapons, and the fantasy of combining both together in dozens of pleasing arrangements. Daemon X Machina revels in its esoteric reverie.

There’s no denying that Marvelous can make a game, but to make a mech simulator of this calibre... That I didn't expect. I was pleasantly surprised and Daemon X Machina is proof of just how well Marvelous can execute on great ideas. With the Armored Core series currently on hold, the void of its absence can finally be filled with this highly customisable and equally story-driven experience.

All in all, Daemon x Machina is about the best that one can hope for from an Armored Core fill-in. It isn't quite as good as the highs of the tragically sleeping franchise, but it's on par with the average. If you like mecha, customization, and blowing up stuff, and you have a tolerance for the learning curve of the controls, then Daemon x Machina will keep you happy. At the end of the day, you get to pilot a giant robot and slash up enemies with a giant lightsaber, and who doesn't love that?

A great return to the action mecha shooter sub genre. Daemon X Machina is not for everyone, nonetheless, a pretty good videogame.

A passion project for its developers, this game has been originally dismissed by the players, but has managed to revive from its ashes due to constructive feedback from the community. Despite its drawbacks, regarding technical restrictions and the underperforming A.I, Daemon X Machina is a game suited to genre lovers and those who enjoy co-op action, and has all the requirements to develop even more.

Despite some interface complexity, Daemon x Machina manages to cover a genre with unfortunately almost no competition. And it does that in a great way.

Daemon X Machina is one of the biggest surprises of this year on Nintendo Switch: a third person shooter that is much more of the sum of its parts, recommended not only to mech and anime fans but to anyone looking for a good mission-based shoot'em up.

Daemon X Machina is fun, fast, with surgical controls, an extraordinary sense of growth and a huge customization of every aspect of the game. Not to mention the galvanizing and powerful sound; however, on the scale we also have sufficient graphics, albeit stylistically refined, and a style of play that requires so much dedication to be fully appreciated.

Daemon X Machina makes the player feel like a futuristic mech pilot, but they can never escape a dull story that keeps interrupting the action.

Fun combat and an intriguing story make Daemon X Machina a great game for fans of mechs. Both visually and audibly striking, the game impresses in a lot of ways, though some of its shine wanes towards the end.

DXM introduces a lot of interesting mechanics, but they are sorely underutilized outside of specific missions. Picking up a rusty car and smashing enemy with it looks great – but you won’t be doing that, since proper weapons deal much more damage. [Issue#240, p.46]

Despite being weighed down by a certain repetitiveness (accentuated by the need to repeat the missions several times to scrape together parts of equipment and credits) and although it has some technical limitations, Daemon X Machina represents a respectable exponent of the mech games, able to satisfy the hunger for fans of robottoni and blows.

Daemon X Machina allows us to create our own giant robots, select between multiple weapons and engage in frantic combat with other pilots and enemy creatures... but the control scheme is complicated and missions feel too similar.

Daemon X Machina may very well be one of the most refined mech-based shooters, but some questionable design choices leave more to be desired from the game.

Daemon X Machina might not be Nintendo’s most high-profile title of 2019, but I really enjoyed what it brought to the table. Mixing in nostalgia from the early Armored Core days and mixing it with over-the-top anime style action is a truly great combination. I wish the performance and aesthetic was a little better, but every other facet of its presentation really makes up for it. If you are like me and have fond memories of losing hours in classic Armored Core games this is the next best thing. Especially considering From Software seems like they are never going to revisit their mech franchise again.

Daemon X Machina does enough to satisfy those wanting solid mech combat. Good looking effects and blisteringly fast paced combat, coupled with tight controls makes this one a must-play for fans of the genre. Despite nailing the mech side of things, the game boasts one of the most unlikable roster of characters I've encountered in years. Despite the forgettable story, the game managed to hold my interest for the duration; I just couldn't tell you what it was about...

Daemon X Machina is a great mech action game that’s comparable in quality to the best entries in the franchise it’s heavily inspired by.

The action-packed gameplay in Daemon X Machina makes it worth checking out for any mech game enthusiast. As long as you don't expect the game world to offer any sort of engaging plot or characters, you're sure to have a fun time.

Despite not being excellent, Daemon X Machina is a breath of fresh air for Nintendo Switch. Its most interesting points are its freedom of customization and action, and being able to pilot your own mecha is pretty satisfactory, even though it has some control problems.

There may be some rough edges, but for anyone looking for some fast-paced mobile suit action and who don’t mind a repetitive grind, Daemon X Machina is a big mech with cheese that’s worth sinking your teeth into.

Daemon X Machina is a fun and frenetic mecha game with a hell of a lot going on. It occasionally gets too busy for its own good, but competently out-Anthems Anthem in terms of gameplay.

Daemon x Machina is a frantic action game with an interesting atmosphere and mechas. However, it is overshadowed by its optimization, bugs and a predictable story.

Daemon X Machina goes that extra robo-mile, with one of the best player creation tools we’ve seen in a long while.

Daemon X Machina has a lot of personality when it comes to moment-to-moment action, but everything else sometimes feels like an afterthought. [Issue #42 – October 2019, p. 72]

There’s much to applaud about Daemon X Machina. The third-person mech action game delivers an experience unlike any other on Nintendo Switch, thanks to the striking mech designs and red-drenched world merging with combat that can readily thrill in the game’s many large-scale encounters. However, shortcomings such as the convoluted plot and repetition let it down – holding it back from reaching the brilliance that Marvelous nearly achieved.

What Daemon X Machina gets right is the feeling that you're in control of a huge mech and wrecks havoc on the battlefield, and that's certainly no small feat. Unfortunately, developers seem to have focused on refining the combat mechanics to perfection but forgot that the game does have other parts that need their attention too. If you can get past all the negatives, Daemon X Machina is a very refined mecha game that truly catches the spirit of the genre but falls flat when it comes to narrative and characterization.

Daemon X Machina scratches an itch only select titles can alleviate. It shines through its cel shading aesthetic, but suffer from a bad control scheme and a horrible camera design that will cause you to miss the action in the game. Piloting a mecha is the best feeling it has to offer, but the game stiff mission scheme turns boring quickly.

Mecha genre fans will find a lot to love in Daemon X Machina, but those hoping for more mainstream appeal might want to stay away. The game features an overabundance of options, mechanics, and customizations that will give it longevity, but only if you clear the initial hurdle set in front of you.

Considering the dearth of Mech games, Daemon X Machina is bound to get anyone's attention. Rather than allow itself to serve as mere niche fulfilment, this rises above through a solid balance between accessibility and depth. With just a little effort, you can make the battlefield your own, cutting through countless enemies like… *sigh* a hot knife through butter. The variety of armaments, armours, and skillsets allow veterans to create a thoroughly customized experience. Of course, they'll have to deal with a rough frame-rate, as well as a dreadful last boss. In the long run, those are small fees to pay.

It's a good Mecha video game, hindered a bit by an overly convoluted story and a very slow pacing to its gameplay and world building.

The missed potential of the story and minor issues with mech-vs-mech combat and multiplayer loadouts make Daemon X Machina fall just short of its potential, but the foundation is strong. As a total package, it’s on the verge of greatness; it just needed a little more time in the shop tinkering.

Quotation forthcoming.

There’s plenty of content to wade through with the lengthy story, assortment of side missions, and multiplayer options with friends or strangers (strictly co-op not versus).

With an intriguing story, pretty solid gameplay, vigorous customization options and a promising online component, Daemon X Machina is a welcome addition to the arsenal of third-person shooters on Nintendo Switch. All in all, it’s a fresh take for Nintendo fans and – for the most part – an enjoyable experience.

The sum total of my experience with Daemon X Machina is positive. The combat is amazing, the game is bright and colorful, the framerate mostly holds up in either docked or handheld mode, and the hangar is great to tinker around in, checking out all the different configurations of my mech. That's what I'm going to remember out of all of this, which is safe for me to say because most everything else in this game is pretty forgettable.

Daemon X Machina is an edgy and well designed work that puts the player at the centre of a detailed experience, where mission planning, strategy and customization make a major contribution towards building this into more than a mere action game. If the plot is not its greatest asset, the overall experience is fun and involving and anyone who enjoys action with strategic planning will find a very satisfying time around Daemon X Machina.

At its core Daemon X Machina is a solid mech action game that controls well and gives the player a generous helping of customisation options. Its mission structure can get repetitive, and its plot is so difficult to grasp it may as well be soaked in grease, but as long as you’re willing to put up with these and get through its initially bewildering array of gauges and icons you should have a good time with it.

At the end of the day DAEMON X MACHINA is a mixed bag where where is a lot of content in here but with the lacking variety and tedious loading it feels repetitive just like reading this review! Why it still holds my attention is with fun core gameplay that feels like a good game with the wrong kind of structure. But if you really want a mech game and my criticisms do not apply to you then you’ll have a good time with DAEMON X MACHINA but for others you should try the eShop demo first.

When it’s great, Daemon X Machina is a fast and frenetic mech action game with deep customisation options and a killer artistic direction that sets it apart from the rest. But when it’s not, it’s repetitive mission structure, nonsensical story and facile combat stop it from being the best it could be.

Daemon X Machina has an attractive approach, with a striking technical and artistic execution, a careful history and a very convincing manganime audio-visual section. However, it fails in the basics: the gameplay.

Despite what Nintendo has tried to sold us, Daemon x Machina is a low budget game that have potential, but its lack of ambition is the reason for not being successful.

Like a mech without a pilot, Daemon X Machina is a beautiful shell with not enough to fill it. It’s a frustrating thing - simultaneously proving that there’s life in this old genre, but failing to inject much of interest beyond the base level. I was thrilled enough by the opportunity to truly micro-manage a mech for the first time in a while, but there just wasn’t enough to do with my creation once I was done tinkering.

Daemon X Machina is clearly trying to replicate the formula of Armored Core, but it suffers from an uninteresting plot and weary dialogue. On the other hand, it offers a careful artistic direction and advanced personalization of mechas. Unfortunately, as the missions progress, Daemon X Machina loses its rhythm and the interest of players, due to too many similar objectives and a blatant lack of inventiveness related to the repetition of quests. It's a shame, too, as it's a title with such a beautiful color palette and controls that are so accessible.

The single player campaign is a bit of a wash, but your experience depends on what you want from the game. Daemon X Machina excels at playing against skilled human opponents and taking the time and care to customize your arsenals. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I don’t think it will be a game I want to play again, at least not for a long while. I’m glad I played it, though. I needed that giant arsenal-sized hole in my heart filled once more, at least temporarily. Also, there’s a really bizarre ice cream-based mini game. I’m not sure what they were thinking with that one.

Daemon X Machina offers the Nintendo Switch a chance to delve deeper into mecha games, but misses the mark in challenging missions and captivating story. Still, it’s animation style and customization options make for a bright, colorful game.

The combat is a lot of fun and the visuals are dynamic and exciting, but repetitive missions and dire storytelling ruin what is otherwise a mechanically superior giant robot game.

Daemon X Machina is a frustrating game. Because, on one hand, it has everything a real robot anime lovers is looking for. But most of the time, the game is sluggish, with terrible gunfeel and repetitive missions.

The biggest problem is the game just doesn’t offer enough variety. I’d have gladly traded 10 missions for 3 more Colossal Immortal fights. About a third of the way in things started to click, but for the last few hours I was more than ready to see the plot conclude. Fans of Armored Core should look past my concerns, and give the game a go. People who want to take the controls of a mech and shred a bunch of underpowered foes will have a good time. The general public should probably give it some extra thought.

Daemon X Machina has some great aspects and some others… are not so great. Repetitive missions, slow combat and an unbalanced difficulty make it a little bit disappointing.

In full flow, Daemon X Machina can be exceptional... But it’s a thrill that fades with repetition, in a structure that falls uncomfortably between a Platinum style linear action game and the long haul loop of a Monster Hunter.

Daemon X Machina can really look visually stunning and sound amazing. But when playing the game, I just can't shake a feeling of disappointment. Daemon X Machina can be beautiful and ugly, and only the biggest mech fans will be able to look past the less flattering half of the game's visage. Great music and a great sense of style can't mask the fact that this game feels either boring or frustrating to play.

Daemon X Machina is an underwhelming mech game that offers too few enjoyable qualities to recommend, even for the fans of the genre. Fleeting fun from the action is buried beneath a poorly told story, lackluster presentation, and barebones mechanics.

I kept waiting for Daemon X Machina to pull the curtain back and reveal some sophistication in its gameplay, or some narrative twist that might make the uninspired combat worth slogging through. Those things never arrive. While the game ostensibly scratches the itch for players who have longed for something like Armored Core on the Switch, it’s a model that feels out of step with recent innovations in the sphere of action games. There are better worlds to save than this benighted future.

Early on, we wondered why they don't make games like this more often. Within a few short hours, we were grateful they don't. [Issue#338, p.120]

Far too flawed from a technical point of view, Daemon X Machina is also quite redundant in the long run. The Arsenal is really enjoyable to control but that's pretty much it.

Daemon X Machina has its ups and downs, with some amazing action and an impressive amount of weapons. Unfortunately the worlds are completely empty and it is not strong in the graphical department.

The mechbuilding is kinda cool, and so ist controlling these metal monsters. Unfortunately the action is rather mundane and set in pathetic areas.