If this follow up to 2020’s Daemon X Machina has taught me anything, it’s that owning a colossal ground quaking mecha isn’t all that much different from owning a desirable sports car. Sure, you could turn plenty of heads by driving around in the factory issued livery, but there’s also pleasure in making your prized possession one of a kind. Metallic paint, florescent trims, body kits, and perhaps custom decals for that personal touch. Before you know it, you’ve spent more time tinkering in the garage than enjoying the great outdoors. I always expected Titanic Scion to have a customisation aspect with a parts catalogue, but I never expected it to be a focal point.
Then again, this is a game based around self-improvement, ergo the need to constantly seek better gear. Strip destroyed enemies for parts, take on missions for cash rewards, offload surplus stock, all the while maxing out your mecha’s potential. Over time, you’ll go from taking feeble handguns, assault rifles and crude metal swords into battle, to carrying flaming laser sabres, shoulder-mounted railguns, and bazookas with names such as Ear Splitter. Heck, why not switch out an entire arm for a mini-gun attachment. All in the name of being able to kill more proficiently, seeing enemy’s health bars reduce in a flash rather than in 10-15 seconds.
An action sequence on-board a spaceship sets up the storyline – a tale of betrayal and the fate of humankind – while also explaining the controls, loadout screens and many of the finer points. Indeed, it’s a bit of an information overload, with every weapon type and new piece of equipment having its own text-based tutorial. This isn’t an experience intended to instantly gratify (although the fancy line of explosions sure does help) but rather something that takes around an hour to get into, gradually learning its mechanics and what the mecha is capable of.
That’s in addition to finding a new home on the ground below at an outpost that has seen better days. Life is hard on this dustbowl of a planet, but there’s good money to be made by taking on missions as a mercenary. You’re welcomed in as an exile and your talents put to good use, carrying out research projects, clearing out bases, locating missing citizens, gathering resources, and acquiring scrap to improve the base’s facilities. It isn’t long until trouble catches up with our protagonist – created and named by your own hand – but fortunately your newfound surface dwellers are keen to back you up, especially when the stakes are this high.
Essentially, Titanic Scion plays like a combination of modern-day Monster Hunter and EA’s commercial flop Anthem. Or to be more exact, this is Anthem through the eyes of a Japanese development team, only with online play restricted to two-player co-op and less live service bloat. The base is where missions can be selected, loadouts configured, the mecha customised, and equipment bought and sold. There’s also a research team for developing organic weapons from ‘immortal’ creature DNA, as well as the ability to alter the protagonist’s own DNA by infusing with infected genes. It’ll also change their appearance, spawning tendrils and such, but they’ll gain new skills including the ability to throw swords and perform a helm-splitter attack. This aspect is never at the forefront, with mecha improvement always the focus, although it does open the path for more melee attacks.
Adjacent to the base is a battle coliseum, which sees you rising the ranks and gaining more notoriety. Another diversion is a card-based mini-game where five cards featuring the main weapon and armours sets must be strategically placed on a table, with new cards to find throughout. Lastly for the base (well, aside from choosing to home either a cat or dog) there’s an ice cream parlour that dishes up sugary treats that bestow temporary perks. Think of it as a bit of Japanese silliness to help balance out the storyline’s stuffiness.
‘Armed to the teeth’ is the phrase that springs to mind when it comes to the mecha’s arsenal. You’re able to carry four weapons, along with a shoulder mount and a supplemental such as grenades. There’s a small item inventory to manage too which includes health sprays and elemental traps that cause damage over time. The four-weapon limit is one of the defining features, allowing you to dual-weld firearms, carry a sword and shield, or even two swords – which expands the range of attacks. Remaining slots can be used for a sniper rifle, bow or bazooka. Weapons level up through use, preventing them from becoming outclassed, and some can be modified with attachments. Certain arm types are also better suited for firearms. There is a weight limit to adhere to (I didn’t cross the threshold until the final mission, amazingly) and the hanger menu takes a while to master. While this is no Armoured Core, neither is it a casual experience, requiring a spot of experimentation to discover its finer points.
You’re presented with a desert open world initially, which leads into forest and mountain regions just a few hours in, all of which can be impacted by weather. Locations are peppered with enemy bases, roaming patrols, organic skeletal beasts that often attack in packs, and lots of resources to gather. New decals can also be discovered by scanning the environments, while glowing equipment pods can be spotted from afar. Backtracking and navigating the map is kept brief and simple thanks to the use of fast travel, although you do need to land every so often to smash crystals to restore flight energy reserves. Alternatively, a futuristic motorbike can be summoned. After completing a quest, it’s possible to fast travel back to base to turn it in, helping to keep progress swift. You’re free to carry on and explore too, perhaps to go looking for bigger creatures to fell, and to assist in optional pursuits service bays can be established to restore health and swap equipment.
If you stick to the storyline missions, which can be accessed one after the other, you’ll get to see a large proportion of the map, with quests set below ground and occasionally inside the remains of structures. From the outset there’s a long list of optional quests too, mostly of the generic ‘go to a location and collect/find something’ variety, quite of few of which can be completed quickly for a cash boost. The main storyline quests are a bit of a mixed bag as after the dramatic opening and settling in the ways of becoming a mercenary it starts to introduce outlandish, augmented, adversaries at a fast pace, all of which must be defeated during the more boss-battle centric second half. During the final hours open-world exploration is put on the backseat, with the onus on boss hunting along with an hour long gauntlet run.
Boss fights against mere mortals can be challenging, and battles pan out differently due to adversaries having unique attacks. These aren’t anything outstandingly creative, with examples being a musclehead able to summon military units, a spectral female able to turn invisible and avoid lock-on, and a returning rival who can make clones of themselves. Battles against colossal beasts are more memorable, each having weak points that can be grabbed. Upon defeat you’re able to collect a new weapon or a piece of armour. Never both, as you’re always forced to choose a reward. Often this means mulling over either a sought-after weapon or armour way above the rank of your current one. Several achievements are linked to acquiring full boss equipment sets, adding replay value.
I was able to play through the storyline and a handful of optional missions in just over 14 hours and was left feeling that I had only scratched the surface. Well, more of a dent than a scratch. I had only dabbled with the coliseum and the card battling mini-game, and hadn’t explored the map fully. If you’re hoping for a bunch of live service style ‘end game’ features then you need to dial back expectations. Once the credits roll, you’re plonked back inside the base – as if the ending never happened – and poised to replay the hour-long final mission again. However, all loot gained during the last mission can still be found in the inventory – and there are high power equipment drops during the final hurdle, including rare weapons. I guess the idea is to clear all the optional quests and continue to rank up while dabbling in co-op.
Playing on Xbox Series X, I didn’t notice any performance issues and found the loading times brief. I did however notice that textures in the open world can appear washed out, and a few areas are lacking in environmental detail. It still has the capacity to surprise though with trees that catch fire and buildings that crumble. One scene with a waterfall also caused me to pause for a few seconds. The mech units look the part too, making it clear a lot of thought and effort went into their design, showcasing more intricate detail than the environments. It’s worth noting that the voice acting is similar to a typical anime tie-in than a brash western developed action game, with a few irritatingly high-pitched voices to contend with. The way the protag yells “take this!” and “get lost!” when firing a sniper rifle came across as particularly irritating.
Titanic Scion sees Daemon X Machina go from a niche Switch/PC exclusive to a fully-fledged and multifaceted open-world game befitting of current-gen consoles, with a wealth of potential for the future. If the developers knuckle down on the Monster Hunter beast battling aspects, this could become another key franchise for publisher Marvellous. It doesn’t have the live service elements present in similar western games, which in a way is quite refreshing, instead relying on traditional RPG-like sensibilities to create a rich experience – albeit one that’s curiously boss battle centric for an open world affair. It doesn’t take long to become invested in the customisation aspect, and the need to better oneself is enough to keep the adventure ticking over until its foregone conclusion. You may feel a little lost after that point, but at least you’ll have a sleek custom mecha to show off to anyone needing a hand in co-op.
First Studio’s Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is out 5th September on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. Published by Marvellous/XSEED.