Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a strong sequel that, while sacrificing part of its soul in the pursuit of becoming more mainstream, stands out as one of the most complete, long-lasting, and satisfying mecha experiences on Nintendo Switch 2. Despite a slight, unavoidable repetitiveness and a few technical hiccups on Switch 2, Marvelous has delivered a solid hit that successfully broadens its answer to Armored Core for a wider audience.

With Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, it feels like Marvelous is really trying to let us create the mech experience we want and loadout we want in a world that needs us. I feel like the interactions between characters and storytelling are so much stronger here, and because of that I wanted to spend more taking on both large and small quests. I felt pulled into the world even more than before, thanks to the ambiance and lore around me, and the ability to really adjust every part of my mech made it easy for me to survive and thrive. On Switch 2 I will say that Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion might occasionally have a few moments, especially if undocked, but I could see that being fixed with patches and they’re minor.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion has a neat premise and fun ways of customizing your character and your Arsenal to meet the different combat challenges found in its world. It’s unfortunate that the world itself feels lifeless at times, with repetitive enemy encounters and side missions. The best moments are when you come across a gigantic Immortal that you just know will require the combined might of co-op partners, be they real or NPC, but you make a solo attempt anyways, only to be smashed to pieces, which is a humbling experience. Those interested in online multiplayer will be glad to know that the whole campaign is playable cooperatively, but I did not have a chance to check out the cross-platform multiplayer for myself, and I am concerned that online play could further compromise how the game runs. If you’re not afraid of a bit of jank and some performance hiccups, Titanic Scion offers a good time in short bursts. That said, the cracks begin to show through a little more during longer play sessions, and ultimately the sequel appears to have taken only baby steps ahead of its predecessor.

I don’t know if Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is going to turn me into a fan of these mecha games, but I certainly enjoyed the combat and design enough that I’m keen to check out some more to see if I do like something about the genre after all. Just be aware that the performance is pretty suspect at times. If you can handle that, then this is certainly an ambitious and entertaining sci-fi game for on the go.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is undoubtedly aimed at fans of mecha-based games. Its frantic combat featuring giant metal machines and especially, the boss fights, will keep players on their toes. However, Titatnic Scion could have done better at addressing its performance flaws, which sometimes prevent the game from standing out in the Switch 2 hardware when there's a lot happening on the screen at once, and beyond the combats, its plot and secondary missions are rather repetitive and end up pushing this game into a more niche territory.