Daemon x Machina is an mecha style, 3rd person action shooter. During the latest Nintendo direct, a demo for Daemon x Machina was released with the hopes of feedback and giving players a chance to experience this new title for the Switch. I like it when game companies take a chance on original titles and not just playing it safe by making sequels to already proven titles. With that being said I played the demo a few times and there were somethings that I liked and somethings that I hope are improved upon before released.
The Good
Mech Customization. This reminds me a lot of Armored Core. Being able to customize your mech aesthetically and choose between different weapons is the most important feature to me. Having a lot of customization options really lets you play differently from others and I hope in the full game there are more weapon types to play around with.
Story and dialogue. The demo did a good enough job on selling me on the story. I am genuinely interested in who is behind the a.i outbreak and why are the people that hired you keeping you in the dark? The dialogue between the different pilots is great for world building and setting up the story since the main character doesn’t speak. The voice acting is solid too.
Controls. Simple doesn’t always mean better but in this case it does. Everything on the left side you control with the left side of your controller and the right side with the right side of the controller. Its simple but effective because when you’re using multiple weapons in the heat of battle its never confusing or hard to get used to. If you had a hard time moving around and shooting like I did you can adjust the sensitivity.
Gameplay is fun. The gameplay does have its problems but its just a fun experience. The missions seem to not just be destroy everything on the map, it also has protect missions, escort missions, and infiltration missions revealed so far. I’m hoping for a few more that haven’t been revealed yet.
The Bad.
Pilot Customization. There is little to no customization to your pilot. If there is going to be such a lack of customization they should of just given the player a standard character.
Locking on enemies. The lock on system is essentially auto aim that helps you hit you’re target when you’re moving around so much. This isn’t a bad idea but I much rather have the option to lock the camera on an enemy. There was a mission where enemy mechs entered the battle and as we were fighting it was just hard to keep them in my sights while flying around.
Enemies on the map. You see a red dot on the map that indicates there is an enemy there. But what it doesn’t tell you if they’re above or below you. This may seem like a minor inconvenience but when you’re constantly flying up and down its hard to find that red dot that’s right in front of you. Maybe a turn into a triangle if the enemy is above you.
Sound effects on weapons is off. I tried using multiple weapons and when they hit an enemy it barely makes a sound. If I am attacking a foe with a sword or shooting them close by I expect to hear some type of noise letting me know if my attacked connected but there is no sound effect for that. It really made me feel like I wasn’t doing any damage. Especially to the enemies with a lot of health. Just some extra sound effects to polish the combat would help tons.
I did enjoy the demo and I do plan on picking this game up when it drops. I just hope there is some more polishing to make this game even better.
Shin Reviews 
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