Daemon X Machina

 Switch
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 304 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 216 out of 304
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 304
  3. Negative: 49 out of 304
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  1. caronte69
    Sep 13, 2019
    6
    un mundo vacío, los gráficos no son los mejores, misiones repetitivas, historia predecible y aburrida y eso que no estoy hablando de los bugs que tiene. No es suficiente ser fan de los mechas para darle buen puntaje
  2. Sherrydile
    Sep 13, 2019
    9
    Sadly, like past titles in the Mech-shooter genre, Daemon x Machina will be met with polarizing reviews. DxM fits in a niche genre of games that makes reaching a general audience difficult. However! If you're like me, and have been waiting since Armored Core: For Answer for a good installment to the mecha-shooter genre (That's over ten years, by the way), this game will hit most, if notSadly, like past titles in the Mech-shooter genre, Daemon x Machina will be met with polarizing reviews. DxM fits in a niche genre of games that makes reaching a general audience difficult. However! If you're like me, and have been waiting since Armored Core: For Answer for a good installment to the mecha-shooter genre (That's over ten years, by the way), this game will hit most, if not all, of the right buttons.

    The Good stuff:
    +A sizable variety of parts and upgrades to customize not only your Arsenal, but also your player character. Makes nailing ideal combat performance -and- appearance less of a precarious balancing act.
    +Part of the replay value comes from replaying missions with different armaments, and finding ways to beat them faster, better, or by completing bonus objectives. I just found out you can throw your weapons with deadly results, and then punch everything. Very inefficient, but still cool!
    +Customize-able HUD and controls makes playing in a way that's comfortable to you very easy, not enough console games do this.
    +The Artstyle, while full of saturated colors, still manages to be readable in handheld mode, and plays to the Switch's strengths.

    The Bad/Meh stuff:
    -The story is kind of bland, and some places, kind of awkward with it's dialogue. To be expected at this point, as the entire genre suffers from this.
    -Personal opinion; I don't like the hangar, your base of operations, out of all the things you can customize, I wish I could spruce up my base.
    -Being a Switch exclusive hurts, not because of the game's performance, or graphics, but because it makes a good-but-niche title even less accessible.
    -For a full-priced title, there's some gameplay features that are missing (namely, competitive multiplayer). Fortunately the developers have stated that there will be post-release content updates, so there's hope.

    Ultimately, it's not for everyone, but despite it's flaws, I think this might be the best mecha-shooter we've had in a long time. It makes me think of all the good things from the Armored Core series, with a little dash of Monster Hunter for some lobby coop with friends or strangers.    … Expand
  3. RaidouF
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    As a mecha fan I can say this game is everything I can ask for. Armored team is back and we should support them.
  4. KingBarracuda
    Sep 13, 2019
    0
    As a robot mecha game the mechanics and the combat system are somewhat poorly finished, the story and characters are generic and porrly developed, and the graphics leave much to be desired, not to mention the errors and technical problems it presents even with the demo corretions.
    Quite disappointing for me.
  5. ATodoGas
    Sep 13, 2019
    0
    Las misiones secundarias son realmente repetitivas, y la historia pudo dar para mas, tenia ciertas expectativas sobre este juego, pero termino siendo una experiencia bastante insatisfactoria.
  6. BylethWhy
    Sep 13, 2019
    0
    In spite of the feedback that the game received through patches and we gave the final finish it was disappointing, playing it is really repetitive and I feel that it wastes a lot of potential, few good things can I say about the game, in general it has not liked me.
  7. ObsidianLion
    Sep 18, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Story:

    Story is full of anime cliches, tropes and single trait characters. It has issues where things are mentioned, but not explained and it reminded me of Final Fantasy XIII, where you are bombarded with weird names and affiliations early on and have no idea who belongs to which mercenary group. Innocence, Bullet Works, House Valentine, Terrors, (Something) VII, and each of those groups has 3-5 members who have constantly shifting allegiances between missions. Trying to kill each other in one, working together in another. It doesn't help you memorize them. Your character is mute and has no opinion on anything that happens and everyone else treats him like a dog to bring on missions.

    World setting:

    There is almost no world building in the game. You are told you are working in a "poisonous zone" (for regular humans) where the moon fell, to secure a resource that is transported outside of that zone to the normal world. You never see the outside world. You get work in mission form for one of 3 big "companies". You never see any of them, or their reps. All contact is done through mission objectives and mails which are so bland that by the end, you won't feel there is a difference between either of them.

    Gameplay:

    You control a mech called Arsenal. You can load it up with 6 weapons total, but not all weapons are equal in worth on the field. The shield in particular is useless. Same for some auxiliary attachments like the ones that stop status effects, which are very rare and if you get them, very short. For short periods of time during missions, you can enhance your speed, your armor, or your firepower (I finished the game and never used this, as it was never needed). Another ability you have is the option to make a mirage (a physical copy of yourself that fights with you) while depleting a gauge of a resource you can replenish mid mission in certain spots. You are teleported with 2 allies to a location where you need to destroy something or protect something or (only 3 times during story), collect something. Missions last between 3-15 minutes.

    Customization:

    Now this is where this game is supposed to hook you. Unfortunately, it fails. Although there are many things to customize, there is almost zero relevance in terms of your success on the mission, because the missions are too easy and you cannot change the difficulty.

    Like in monster hunter, you have the option of a meal before the battle that can raise your stats for the next mission. It's useless. "1% increase in land speed." Wooooow. Amaziiiiiing. -_-

    There is an option to augment your pilot like in Deus Ex, cybernetic implants and all that. Never needed it. You have one mission that you play out of your Arsenal. These implants also affect your Arsenal performance. You get a warning that enhancing past a certain point severely alters your body. Cool. I thought this would mean something in the story late game, like maybe it will affect some cutscene where maybe I am corrupted and controlled to do something I don't wanna do, being mostly mechanical and all? Nope, nothing is done with this.

    There are chips for your mech and weapons. Parts can have up to 3 chip slots. No, not the ones you crafted, only the ones you can randomly find in missions. Everything you craft has no slots. You change gear so frequently all the time that swapping the augments between armor and weapons after almost every mission just seems like a hassle. There is no good way to farm mech parts with slots. It's all random.

    I finished the whole game, every mission, and didn't use any chips on my parts, didn't get any character implants besides the first 3, and didn't use any food bonuses. That's how easy the game is, and how worthless these customization options are.

    Replayability:

    The game has no difficulty setting, unless you count the side goals some missions have (kill enemy in certain time limit/kill x amount of enemies). I finished the game in 23 hours. I played through all story missions and all free missions, with almost no grind for pieces, and already I had collected 70% of everything. Once you finish the game, you get one more free mission. One mission. you finish it and that's it. You have nothing more to motivate you to play the game and get better parts.

    Enemy and stage variety:

    Around 12 normal enemy types, 7 giant enemies, and there are maybe 10 different stages which you revisit. Seriously, by the end of the game they force you to do the same stage 4 times in a row doing the same objective (Black Lotus stages).

    Conclusion:

    I loved the Armored Core games, and while the Armored Core franchise has existed for 2 decades, they couldn't even make a good copy of that game. The story is a a shallow mess. Some parts are dropped on you with no explanation and never mentioned again (Solomon). The mirage mechanic is never used by anyone but you, and no one comments on it.

    Buy on discount, only if mecha fan.    … Expand
  8. Xplocion
    Nov 8, 2019
    5
    The good: A new IP. Robotic action with Mechas. Many Mechas customization options. The first hours is really fun.

    The Bad: After a while (a couple of hours) the excitement ends and the game becomes repetitive. Generic and repetitive missions. Multiplayer only non-competitive cooperative. You miss a tutorial that teaches you to better manage the wick. The scenarios are as random and    The good: A new IP. Robotic action with Mechas. Many Mechas customization options. The first hours is really fun.

    The Bad: After a while (a couple of hours) the excitement ends and the game becomes repetitive. Generic and repetitive missions. Multiplayer only non-competitive cooperative. You miss a tutorial that teaches you to better manage the wick. The scenarios are as random and generic as possible. The Mechas look great, humans don't.

    Lo Meh !: you are trying to sell this game as the eighth wonder of the world and it is not. Before spending on this game I recommend trying the demo that is in the e-shop.    … Expand
  9. capthavic
    Sep 25, 2019
    5
    Repetitive, shallow, and boring. Wait for a sale if you absolutely must get it.
  10. RisingBlur
    Sep 20, 2019
    6
    I realy do like this game.
    It's flashy, has a nice artstyle, good music and fun gameplay BUT I expectet something completely different out of this game. Something more like Monster Hunter, just with giant robots.
    The giant robot fights and the battles where you have to fight a large number of enemies are a lot of fun but the problem is that 80% of the time you are fighting other Mechs.    I realy do like this game.
    It's flashy, has a nice artstyle, good music and fun gameplay BUT I expectet something completely different out of this game. Something more like Monster Hunter, just with giant robots.
    The giant robot fights and the battles where you have to fight a large number of enemies are a lot of fun but the problem is that 80% of the time you are fighting other Mechs. And fighting other mechs is like fighting flies in this game. It's just so unbeleaveably annoying to have up to 3 enemy mechs swirl arround you while you are just trying to aim at them. This game desperately needs some kind of lock on for other mechs.

    The game would easily be a 7 or a 8 for me if the mech fights where fun.. but I'm just getting angry from them.

    And more different giant immortals would be nice. These fight definetly where my highlight and the game would work way better as a Monster Hunter but with Mechs alternative than a Zone of the Enders with worse combat.    … Expand
  11. GreaseManelli
    Sep 24, 2019
    5
    Nowhere near the quality of the Armored Core games. Extremely, EXTREMELY dialog heavy anime storyline. Every single mission, even something as simple as destroy an airfield has at LEAST a solid 3 minutes of voice acting BEFORE THE MISSION EVEN BEGINS. Really shallow storyline all the familiar tropes are here. A few completely ridiculous boss battles (depending on your build, which isNowhere near the quality of the Armored Core games. Extremely, EXTREMELY dialog heavy anime storyline. Every single mission, even something as simple as destroy an airfield has at LEAST a solid 3 minutes of voice acting BEFORE THE MISSION EVEN BEGINS. Really shallow storyline all the familiar tropes are here. A few completely ridiculous boss battles (depending on your build, which is no different from AC). Awful final boss, end sequence tries too hard to have the MOST EPIC STORYLINE EVER. Alot of the missions reminded me of Ace Combat more than anything, it's really more about the story between the mercenary companies than anything else, so they'll be talking and grunting the whole mission.

    Gameplay is ok but Switch framerate gets old after awhile, some stages should've been cut. Lacking some build variety from Armored Core like true tank builds, dual shoulder cannons. Instead we get constant flight with an upgraded melee system, making this feel more like AC4.

    Anyone rating it more than a 6 hasn't beat the game or is a shill.    … Expand
  12. D80
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    It's Armored Core with light Monster Hunter elements and technicolor battlefields. Either you like it or you're a casual that needs to go away.
  13. CDizzness
    Sep 18, 2019
    10
    STOP REVIEW BOMBING GOOD GAMES!!! No game deserves a "0" rating, especially one of this calibur. This is one of the best mecha fighters I have played in the past 19 years. If you are a fan of the genre and own a Nintendo Switch, pick it up now!
  14. Anarchy23smith
    Sep 19, 2019
    9
    I absolutely love this game! Im a huge armored core fan and i have to say daemon is a very good stand in for that series while its on hiatus.not only that it carves out its own niche and series hype. Its not perfect but its a high octane thrill ride with amazing combat. Long live Daemon X Machina!
  15. Poophead64
    Sep 17, 2019
    10
    Great mech game reminds me of monster Hunter but wayyy faster. The story is a little forced and run of the mill but the gameplay is great
  16. d4rt
    Sep 16, 2019
    8
    Daemon X Machina accomplished something no other game on switch did for me. It is a perfect action time killer. This game is simply addicting to play, it is satisfying to shoot and blow up stuff while flying around in your fully customized mech with your fully customized character. The addition of online multiplayer and couch coop only add to this fun factor.
  17. Wichael
    Sep 15, 2019
    7
    I would probably have given an 8 if this game had launched with PvP. I know it's coming but here I am close to finishing the campaign in my first weekend not knowing how long farming is going to keep me occupied. Also doesn't help that we currently don't know how long we will have to wait for that content update. Those are really my only issues with the game. Story introduced too manyI would probably have given an 8 if this game had launched with PvP. I know it's coming but here I am close to finishing the campaign in my first weekend not knowing how long farming is going to keep me occupied. Also doesn't help that we currently don't know how long we will have to wait for that content update. Those are really my only issues with the game. Story introduced too many characters/factions too fast but probably a third of the way through the game the characters became recognizable and the story hooked me. The combat is fun, you can equip your Arsenal to be a damage soaking tank or a fast and nimble dual sword wielding beast. Probably could use some more fine tuning of the cosmetic customizations, but as far as the gear customizations I felt like there was enough without feeling like I needed a spreadsheet. All in all I am enjoying it (currently ~22 hours).… Expand
  18. Yung_omlit
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    This game is brilliant. The graphics are unique and push the switch to its limits, the soundtrack is aggressive and matches the intense mech action, and the gameplay is intense, fast paced, and requires lots of skill. This is my game if the year 2019
  19. xSelene89
    Sep 21, 2019
    4
    I tried to like this Game but Im already thinking of reselling it. Its like they didnt even read all the feedback we gave from the Demos. Graphics are average and the frame rate unstable. Story and Quests are already pretty repetive after 3h Playtime. The only thing I like is the OST and the Mecha Designs. Dont buy this Game, wait for a sale and Patches!
  20. Spindot
    Sep 14, 2019
    6
    Game so far seems fairly generic in gameplay and story. Better than the initial demo but not great.
  21. Zer0TheHer0
    Feb 12, 2020
    0
    ruined by that stupid off-centered camera. why can't developers understand that tvs and monitors have a definite CENTER?
  22. greengrounds
    Sep 14, 2019
    10
    I love the graphics and art the smooth frame rate, the giant mech action, character builder and customization. Very fun action and great multiplayer.
  23. cobradactyl
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    DxM is a great addition to any Armored Core lovers library. You will not be disappointed.

    Do not listen to the trolling review bombers that keep giving Switch exclusives zero ratings. This happened with FE Three Houses and Astral Chain.
  24. AllPlatforms
    Sep 13, 2019
    10
    Anther Nintendo exclusive being review bombed. Ignore the 0 scores armoured core fans fuming that it not on their machine and the usual Ps4 downvoters.

    This is a great niche mech game, well worth picking up if you like this kind of game.

    One of the very few mech games this generation.
  25. Foxazoxi
    Sep 14, 2019
    9
    The game of 2019 for mecha fans. Everything is perfect except the storytelling.
  26. endlesssoul336
    Sep 13, 2019
    9
    Premise: You are a mercenary for several corporations looking to maintain control over the world. All share a common enemy against the Immortals, a faction of AI that act for control and the destruction of mankind. Not too deep into the story but it's engaging enough to allow for unwinding for missions with enough engagement to slow down the action.

    The Mechs: Several playstyles are    Premise: You are a mercenary for several corporations looking to maintain control over the world. All share a common enemy against the Immortals, a faction of AI that act for control and the destruction of mankind. Not too deep into the story but it's engaging enough to allow for unwinding for missions with enough engagement to slow down the action.

    The Mechs: Several playstyles are open for the player to explore. Everything is dependent on your Arsenal's (the Mech's) gear. From a fast, adept maneuvering machine that will dash across the map from incoming rockets to a slower, yet momentum maintaining behemoth with heavy armor and weaponry. The pilot is also upgradable with abilities, like a double jump, but this will greatly augment the player into a cyborg-like appearance and is a trade-off worth considering.

    Combat: A pleasuring experience with uncommon pitfalls. When everything is going smoothly, weaving in and out of combat with the ai in constant gunfights, launching missiles, and changing modes for evasion, defense, and attacking all combine into a race to clear out as many enemies as possible while maintaining the mission objective, stamina meter, and health bar. However, more intense sections against much larger, flashier enemies (see Gunfort: alpha) will set the frame rate to a crawl and make the screen illegible. While uncommon, it is a disappointment when it occurs.

    Story: The weakest part of the game. The english dub is extremely shotty but gameplay doesn't allow to read subtitles when displayed in the bottom right of the screen. Story is simple and does everything you expect it to. While I haven't finished it, I've experienced enough to know that I don't care and it's not a focal point of the game.

    Graphics: A ps2 title rendered at 720p sub 60fps with cgi from the Transformers movies. Either looks very cool when killing ai to the sounds of thunder and the flash of lightning turning the screen dark or extremely bad when the screen clutters with gunfire and explosions.

    Sound: The Soundtrack is awesome and makes otherwise boring fights against the story characters into fun, engaging battles. Too bad the default sound mixing is so bad that I can't hear the music over the sounds of my smg shooting 30 rounds a minute at max volume. Max out BGM and decrease sfx it'll improve the experience.

    Online: Haven't played enough yet to determine quality.    … Expand
  27. ovenmitts
    Sep 17, 2019
    8
    A proper homage to the classic PS2 Armored Core games, for better and worse. Graphics style is love it or hate it, but I feel like they did a good job of using the Switch's capabilities. Story is pure Armored Core weird/cheesy, so don't come into it expecting a masterpiece, expect a bunch of tropes providing you reasons to go blow stuff up. Customization is not as deep as later ArmoredA proper homage to the classic PS2 Armored Core games, for better and worse. Graphics style is love it or hate it, but I feel like they did a good job of using the Switch's capabilities. Story is pure Armored Core weird/cheesy, so don't come into it expecting a masterpiece, expect a bunch of tropes providing you reasons to go blow stuff up. Customization is not as deep as later Armored Core games, but should be deep enough to keep the player interested in tweaking both their mecha and their pilot (the latter being a rarity in mecha games) as the game progresses. The game is repetitive, sure, but the same can be said of previous Armored Core games, and also pretty much every mecha game ever made, so it's less a problem with the game and more an issue with the genre (if you consider it a an issue at all). I wouldn't buy a Switch just for this game, but if you have the system and you like mecha, definitely grab this, it's very difficult to put down.… Expand
  28. oceansoul1987
    Sep 17, 2019
    10
    Its not a 10. For me its a 8/10. But its definitly not a 0! Its a very good game that gets very repetitiv after a short time. But the Gameplay is so much fun and also the upgrades/loot is motivating! The missing of an interessting Story and the repetitiv Missiondesign are both minus (10-2=8). Graphics are stylish and fluid. And yes - at the beginning the informations at the HUD are veryIts not a 10. For me its a 8/10. But its definitly not a 0! Its a very good game that gets very repetitiv after a short time. But the Gameplay is so much fun and also the upgrades/loot is motivating! The missing of an interessting Story and the repetitiv Missiondesign are both minus (10-2=8). Graphics are stylish and fluid. And yes - at the beginning the informations at the HUD are very confusing. So much is on the HUD. But after a short time in, i dont look at it - or only the ones i really need. Theres also an option to disable most stuff. Im now 8h in and again. Its somehow something between Zone of the Enders and God Eater (more GE than Monster Hunter). Fast paced Mecha action. I love it!… Expand
  29. TruckHeck
    Sep 23, 2019
    1
    Does the worse thing a game can do. Is boring. Nintendo needs to pick better partners to finance their exclusive games.
  30. Ethelmord
    Sep 16, 2019
    9
    A brilliant Mech game. Loads of weapons, plenty of customisation options, big focus on story, soundtrack is cool and visually, looks good as far as the limited hardware goes. Highly recommended for Mech fans.
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 68 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 68
  3. Negative: 2 out of 68
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 28, 2020
    70
    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]
  2. Nintendo Insider
    Oct 28, 2019
    70
    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.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Oct 16, 2019
    85
    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.
    Read full review
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