Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Review

When you think of mech-based video games, what comes to mind? Armored Core, Zone of the Enders, MechWarrior? All franchises of considerable quality. Some might even reach for the multiplayer-focused Titanfall, the grand role-playing game Xenoblade Chronicles X, or Super Robot Wars’ tactical entries. There are plenty of different options out there for mech fans, with a surprising degree of gameplay variety if it is looked for. Marvelous came out with its own foray in 2019 with Daemon X Machina, a limited Nintendo Switch exclusive that had a bit of a mixed reception. Six years later, a brand-new entry in the shape of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion hits Switch 2.   It is a shaky opening for this much anticipated sequel. After a very in-depth character customisation sequence, this blank slate, with a bit of a history that gradually reveals itself as time goes on, is rescued from their captivity by an old friend. In this moment of mayhem, the player is urged to get the heck out of this place – run, escape. Except there are items to pick up, chests to open and data pads on tables to read. Forcing this slower approach during this segment is completely at odds with the cutscenes and chaos going on.

Moving ahead, there is further confusion when combat is engaged and nothing has been explained. Tutorials aren’t always the most exciting aspects when starting out new games but being thrown into what is clearly not a basic type of action game with no guidance doesn’t make for the best first impression. It’s all a bit messy as the main character figures out how to shoot, run, and then fly around in a mech suit before the escape is complete and they wake up on the surface of a planet below.

It is only at this point that tutorial pop-ups start to occur with each new gameplay element introduced and weapons that are acquired. It poses the question as to why the opening sequence couldn’t have been handled better with simple pop-ups or just limited what can be done before opening things up gradually once on “the Ground”, as the surface is known.

Very quickly it will be learned that this new location for the avatar will be home, where they are found by some friendly faces and brought to the Forge, a place where people trying to survive make a living hunting human-hybrid monsters known as Immortals and collecting scrap to better their weapons and mech units known as Arsenals. A group called the Reclaimers takes the main character in, seeing strength and potential, realising they can help in the fight against the Axiom, the main threat to humanity.

There is no need to have played the first Daemon X Machina entry as Titanic Scion stands on its own, but the plot can get a little convoluted at times. A glossary wouldn’t have gone amiss with all this talk of Outers and other terms that don’t get the explanations they deserve. It must be said, though, that there is ultimately little care for what’s what in this world when the characters are some of the most predictable and annoying people of any game that has personally been played recently. From the overly “breathy” voice work of more than one person to the constantly screaming and overbearing Ash, barely anyone is likeable. It doesn’t help that you can guess what will happen next and you’ll usually be right.

The way antagonists like the Neun are introduced, with the main character saying their name and some small fact about them, doesn’t make them interesting or cool. With barely any backstory or time with these characters – both good and bad – it is difficult to raise even a flicker of sympathy. The story moves far too hastily for its own good, meaning little emotion will be felt in key moments. There could be an argument made to not take the campy nature of the narrative too seriously, especially given its manga-like inspirations, but when such an emphasis is placed on the story with excessively dramatic voice acting that fails to match up with the basic preset faces, it becomes hard to ignore.

It is unfortunate that Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion starts off in space because it gives off the impression that outer-planetary combat and exploration may come to fruition at some point, but sadly that never happens. Instead, players are left to explore a rather dreary open world with the usual suspects: deserts, swamps, mountains and the like. There are usually bits and pieces around every corner to pick up – crafting parts mostly – and facilities are the main draw that can be delved deeper underground in a sort of labyrinth fashion for bigger rewards. It is the usual open world formula that has come to be expected, but the lack of meaningful or worthwhile points of interest makes voyages rather repetitive.

The world is vast enough that horses can be ridden on for quick land traversal, and four- and two-wheeled vehicles can also be acquired for the same purpose, but boy, do the controls suck. The trucks give flashbacks to the Mako of the original Mass Effect; they are that bad. You’ll find yourself struggling to maintain a straight line on the bike and will fall off just as easily. In the end, it’s better to just stick in the mech suit and either sprint along the ground or fly through the air.

The mech suit is exactly that: a suit. Think Samus Aran’s Power Suit from Metroid instead of a giant robotic unit of house-sized proportions. The vast majority of the game is played in this smaller mech, but the heavier versions can be called upon for a limited period from a certain point onwards. It is unfortunate that these moments have a time limit, especially as world traversal becomes much faster in the heavy armours, but the sheer power of them in combat gives them special move-like qualities that help in a pinch to defeat a tricky foe.

Although overwhelming at times, the sheer level of customisation features at your disposal is something to be admired. The array of personalisation options like colours, patterns and decals allows players to really stamp themselves onto their units. On top of that, all manner of firearms, projectiles and close-combat weapons can be acquired and equipped, with individual boosters for each adding extra depth.

The risky business of fusing what are known as factors – special gear dropped by strong fiends – to the character grants a plethora of new abilities built for each specific weapon type, as well as passive skills that boost statistics. The only catch here is that the avatar’s body may become mutilated – not always preferrable if a long time was spent in the player editor earlier on. A hefty fee can undo the hideous designs, but some of the aesthetic changes can look pretty neat.

Enemies can be tackled in a variety of ways, and given that online multiplayer is possible to take on missions and bosses together, it means players of different preferences can experiment. Some may opt for the brute force approach up close and personal, while another stays back to shoot from afar. In an almost Monster Hunter-like fashion, there are huge beasties to engage with that can lose parts of their body to be used against them or reveal weak spots. These titanic monsters are designed to be refought over and over for better loot, which does become tedious, so working in a team can offset that side of things.

Admittedly, playing online can make things much easier than if going the solo route, but there is enjoyment to be had here. Rather uniquely, too, even dying playing solo will leave your corpse behind in someone else’s game, where they can retrieve a weapon of yours that may help them in the future if examined, while you still hang onto a copy yourself. It is always worth the trek if a downed mech is spotted in the field.

Unfortunately, much time will be spent fighting the camera as it will be actual enemies. However, when everything flows well, there is good mech-based fun to be had. The piloting and depth to combat makes for an extremely enticing game if the story is glossed over. It is sadly marred by a shoddy Nintendo Switch 2 performance, though. Muddy textures can be dealt with, but when the frame rate chugs so much – sometimes even to complete stops for half a second or so in intense situations – and when the game crashes on more than one occasion, even during cutscenes, it is so hard to enjoy what is on offer here.

Without having personally played the other platform versions, it isn’t possible to say whether it is better to skip this one and pick it up elsewhere if defiant about getting Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. After all, handheld mode isn’t half bad and is ideal for bashing out a few missions and scratching off some points of interest on the world map once the roughly 15-to-20-hour story campaign is over with. The side content makes up the bulk of the game, though, with potentially dozens of hours to get lost in, so the Switch 2 version does make for an appealing proposition despite its issues.