One thing I love about gaming is throwing a 200-tonne robot suit, armed to the teeth, across a battered battlefield. From Titanfall to Metal Wolf Chaos and Armored Core, these titles let you live out a true power fantasy. So when Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion appeared on my radar, I paid attention.
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Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, developed by Japanese studio Marvelous, goes bigger, more open, and more complex. Set centuries after the original, its story unfolds against an epic war between human resistance and the ruling class of augmented humans.
Raison Daemon
The tale picks up from the first game, with your character experimented on in an Outer base called Heaven before escaping to the surface known as Hell.
It’s an anime-fuelled adventure full of twists as you battle your way back to space to confront the Outer government that betrayed you. The main story runs about 15 hours if you stick to it, but can easily double or treble if you explore and chase the best gear.
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The biggest gameplay change is the move from a mission-based structure to a full open world. In theory this is a plus, but the world is mostly seven shades of brown, with few features to break up the drabness.
Beyond the dull environments lies a fairly large world to explore. Regions often have enemies camped at fast travel points.
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Clear them out and you unlock that point, making travel quick and backtracking painless thanks to the system.
The open world offers plenty to do: fighting bosses, tackling side missions, or mining resources. There’s even a collectible card game called Overbullet, played against NPCs, with a vibe similar to Gwent from The Witcher.
Mobile Arsenal
Combat centres on your Arsenal suit, a mech loaded with killing potential and a handy way to get around. Flying is smooth and adds depth to battles, though it feels a bit floaty. Fights lean towards arcade-style, especially when aiming, and attacks lack the impact you’d expect from a mech.
Boss battles can surprise you, becoming epic tests of endurance, with some giants taking half an hour to defeat. Yet a few feel spongy, which comes across as cheap.
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Your Arsenal suit is fully customisable in both appearance and equipment. There’s a shooter-looter vibe, with better loot making your suit more powerful. You can spend hours tweaking every detail.
Firepower is impressive, with dozens of guns, melee weapons, shields, and heavy ordnance to swap and experiment with. Each weapon handles differently, giving you an edge in fights.
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Skills and buffs add further depth, and in a neat twist, your character’s appearance changes based on the skills you equip, though you can pay credits to keep your looks.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a brilliant mech title if you want to build a killing machine, enjoy melodrama between battles, and bolt new parts onto your suit. It’s just held back by a dull open world and controls that aren’t always tight.
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