[Epic Games] Both light and heavy gamers can enjoy! Blood and steel 3D mechanical action “DAEMON X MACHINA” review

[Epic Games] Both light and heavy gamers can enjoy! Blood and steel 3D mechanical action “DAEMON X MACHINA” review
March 06, 2022 12:00

How are you doing at Akiba Research Institute? This is Nero Hyakukabe, a writer who buys too many games. Suddenly, do you like “mecha”? Previously, the author wrote an article at Akiba Research Institute, “Three selections of PC games in which mecha plays the leading role!” These days I think it’s okay to do it. So, this time, I would like to introduce “DAEMON X MACHINA”, a work in which such “mecha” is the protagonist.

Introducing the story and world view of “DAEMON X MACHINA”! The battle of hot steel in a world where the fall of the moon has threatened the survival of humankind …!

“DAEMON X MACHINA” is a mechanical action game released by Marvelous. It was released on the Nintendo Switch version in 2019, followed by the Steam version in 2020 and the Epic Games version in 2022. This time we will send you a review of playing the Epic Games version.

By the way, when it comes to “mecha games,” I have a strong stereotype that the system, world view, graphics, and music are all hard-core games, regardless of the genre of the work. , The big feature of this work “DAEMON X MACHINA” that you can see at a glance is the soft animation-like graphics drawn by the toon shader. This gives the player a light and friendly impression, even though it is a work that mainly focuses on mecha, which is often imaged as a motif “for Gachi gamers”.

Let’s start with the story of this work.

The story is set in a world where the fall of the moon has threatened the survival of humankind. Due to a disaster that would later be called “THE FIRST DAY”, the moon collapsed with shining red light, half of the moon remained in geosynchronous orbit, and half fell to the ground. rice field. Civilization collapsed due to this event, and the new energy resource “femto” released from the moon brought benefits and wonders to the world.

Meanwhile, in the world, AIs for reconstruction suddenly move away from the control of humankind and become “immortals” with behavior patterns that exclude humankind. On the other hand, at the same time, a new human being called “Outer” was born, who was influenced by femto and had special abilities. Outerwear who can activate the external armor “Arsenal” developed for battle will form a mercenary group “Liberation Brigade” and will repeat the offense and defense with the Immortals who continue to increase their own production. What does the hero who survives the confused battlefield as a new mercenary see at the end of the battle …? That is the synopsis of this work.

Hard elements such as “the fall of the moon” and “the collapse of civilization” are entwined with unique science fiction terms such as “immortal,” “outer,” and “arsenal,” creating a magnificent story reminiscent of a blockbuster movie or original animation. increase. Personally, I was fascinated by the settings such as “the world where the moon fell and the civilization collapsed” and “the new energy released from the moon”.

This work adopts a mission system in which the story progresses by clearing a mission called “offer order”.
A system where you can earn rewards by clearing orders and receive more orders by increasing your rank as a mercenary is different from simply completing missions presented to minerals, “Mercenaries in the world of stories” As a matter of fact, I am taking on the mission given by the organization at my own will, “which is a mechanism to enjoy an immersive play.

For me, I thought “Oh” that the tutorial-like order to be played first after starting the game is called “Outer aptitude test”. Rather than being given a big mission suddenly, the flow of “first perform an aptitude test and if you pass it, you will be registered as a mercenary” is more realistic in terms of the setting of the hero who is a newcomer, and also on the player side “right” I don’t know the left side, but I have to pass it anyway …! ” (However, in reality, the difficulty level of the aptitude test mission is low, so even those who are not good at action can feel at ease!)

Introducing the battle system of “DAEMON X MACHINA”! Let’s enjoy a speedy and exhilarating battle by making full use of various weapons!

Now let’s introduce the main action part.

The system that advances the story by clearing the mission called order is as described above, but the contents of the order are prepared in various types such as “eradication of hostile AI” and “investigation of the area”.

Players will operate the external armor “Arsenal” to achieve these orders and run around the battlefield drawn in 3D. On the third person screen, a lot of information such as radar, aiming, remaining number of weapons and various parameters of yourself are displayed in a HUD (head-up display) style. This large amount of information has a “feeling of manipulating the mechanism in the cockpit”, which is one of the points that makes me feel awkward, but if I feel that there is too much information, the display on / off, display position, etc. You can customize it in detail, so you can rest assured.

By the way, when I hear “mechanical maneuvering”, I get the impression that the hurdles are high, but the actual basic operations of Arsenal are roughly divided into “attack”, “jump”, and “jump”. It is a relatively orthodox lineup as a 3D action called “boost (acceleration)”.

As the name implies, “jump” is the action of jumping from the ground to the air, but Arsenal can move from jumping to “flying” as it is. Personally, I felt more comfortable and comfortable flying around in the air than running around the land.

“Boost” is an action that consumes stamina and can temporarily accelerate. Avoiding enemy attacks, approaching the target enemy, and speedy movement are convenient actions that are often used for something.
One of the charms of “DAEMON X MACHINA” is that by making good use of these flights and boosts, you can freely run around 360 ° without boundaries between land and air. You can enjoy the exhilarating feeling of operation, which is like the ideal form of an action game, “it feels good just to move”.

“Attack” is mainly performed using “left arm equipment” and “right arm equipment” equipped on both hands.
For example, you can equip different types of weapons, such as “a shield on the left arm and a gun on the right arm”, so you need a unique fighting method that uses each of them according to the situation. On the contrary, it is also an ant to equip both arms with exactly the same weapon and use the other side when the bullet runs out. The depth of being able to come up with a strategy that suits you is attractive.

Weapons are not only left arm and right arm, but also left pylon, right pylon, shoulder, augment, and it is possible to equip a total of 6 weapons.

The left and right pylon can be replaced in real time at any time during battle, where spare weapons can be equipped, and the shoulders and augments can also be equipped with their own weapons. Of course, the more places you can equip, the more you will remember. However, this system, which allows you to equip each part of the aircraft with various weapons and customize it freely, seems to be a plus element that gives the player a sense of reality and fulfillment that “I am playing a mechanical game!” I felt it.

One thing to keep in mind when attacking is that some weapons, such as guns and missiles, can only be attacked by locking on the enemy. It seems quite complicated when it comes to lock-on while using 6 different weapons, but in reality it is a system that automatically locks on just by catching the enemy in the aim of the center of the screen for a certain period of time. It was an impression that it was relatively easy to operate.

By the way, in the synopsis, I introduced the new energy resource “femto” released from the moon, but in fact, this “femto” is closely related not only to the story but also to the battle.

First of all, as a premise, femto is floating in the field where the main character fights, and Arsenal is a mechanism that naturally absorbs femto. With that accumulated femto, Arsenal can improve their fighting ability.

One of the ways to use femto is “particle armament”. It’s a sci-fi-like name, but this particle armament includes “Assault” that increases the attack power of the arm weapon, “Wing” that increases the speed during the boost movement of Arsenal, and attack from the enemy with the particle wall. There are three types of “shields” that prevent you from getting sick, and you can switch between them at any time you like. However, it is important to note that it cannot be activated unless there is a certain amount of femto, but in addition to natural recovery, femto absorbs residual femto left by defeated enemies and has a high concentration scattered on the field. I had the impression that there would be no serious shortage of femto, as I could recover faster in the femto area.

Another way to use femto is “Mirage”. It is a word that means mirage, but it is a surprising ability that you can create your own alter ego with mass by activating it. Since the alter ego moves automatically and fights, it can be both a force and a decoy. Like particle armament, this is also an ability that makes combat much easier, so those who are not good at action want to make active use of it.

Finally, I would like to introduce another characteristic element of the attack. That is the “grabbing technique”. Arsenal can grab some of the seemingly ornamental objects placed on stage and use them as attack items. Destroy enemies with the excitement of a giant mecha, such as pulling out a road sign and swinging it like a melee weapon, or lifting a car and throwing it! It is an intuitive and pleasant action.

There are a lot of things to remember about battles such as 6 weapons, femto, and throwing objects, but lock-on operation is easy, there are weapons that automatically attack enemies, NPCs There are many elements that reduce the difficulty of the action, such as helping the battle with auto, so you can play quite casually. I felt that even people who are not very good at action games can enjoy exhilarating battles with peace of mind.

Coco is amazing! Author’s recommendation point of “DAEMON X MACHINA”

The first thing I want to give as a point of recommendation for this work is “the feeling of battle”. The feeling of flying around 360 ° freely in the sky, the feeling of running through the battlefield speedily with boost, the feeling of shooting down locked-on enemies one after another, anyway, there are many points that are comfortable to play in this work. It has been. In addition, the synergistic effect of flashy effects and crisp sound effects doubles the comfort. It’s addictive and you just lose track of it.

The so-called “hack and slash” element of defeating enemies and acquiring equipment is also one of the points that cannot be overlooked.
In this work, it is possible to acquire one armor, weapon, etc. by approaching the defeated enemy Arsenal during the battle and collecting it, and the acquired armament can be immediately replaced on the spot. This savage and savage system of stripping off the equipment of the fallen opponent and strengthening your own machine on the spot makes you feel like a “battlefield”, but anyway, to get stronger equipment. This hack and slash element, which is sure to make laps faster, makes this game a “swamp” game that you can’t go back to if you get hooked.

Another thing I would like to recommend is the abundant customization elements. Not to mention the volume of customization of parts related to the performance of the aircraft such as weapons and armor, this work can also enjoy plenty of customization related to appearance.

The player-operated arsenal can be customized by freely changing the coloring of each part such as head / body / right arm / left arm / leg, and dressing up with decals. If you like it, you can forget the time and continue playing just by customizing this appearance. In addition, this game also supports online multiplayer, so it’s fun to show off your customized and proud aircraft to other players. This is also a “swamp” in a different sense from the hack and slash element …!

“DAEMON X MACHINA” is a work that we want people who are not good at mechanical games to play!

That’s why I introduced “DAEMON X MACHINA”.

“DAEMON X MACHINA” is a mechanical game that anyone from heavy gamers to light gamers can enjoy by fusing “hard world view”, “abundant customization elements”, and “easy-to-play game system”. To be honest, I had a preconceived notion that “it seems difficult” and “it seems complicated” and a little weakness in action games that operate mecha, but by playing this work, I am not good at that. Consciousness was brilliantly dispelled. Not only for those who like mecha and science fiction, but also for those who haven’t played 3D action games very much. If you are interested, please become a mercenary and board the Arsenal to experience the “Story of Beliefs, Blood and Steel”.

Title information
“DAEMON X MACHINA” (Marvelous Inc.)
Genre: Action
Released on January 28, 2022 (Epic Games version) Price: 6,578 yen (as of February 21, 2022)
Copyright: (C) 2021 Marvelous Inc. Licensed to and published by XSEED Game

Author: Nero Hyakukabe
A freelance writer who buys too many games. Currently more than 300 stacked games. He is also a novelist. His writings include “Yubisaki Kaidan 140 Characters Scary Story” (PHP Institute) and “Goaken His Unrated Edition” (Kodansha).
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/KINGakiko
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about.me: https://about.me/nero100kabe/