Daemon X Machina demo impressions

I downloaded the demo of upcoming Nintendo Switch game Daemon X Machina the other day because I was really curious about it. It's an action game in which you assume the role of a mecha pilot and embark on missions to blow up a bunch of stuff and occasionally battle enormous enemy robots that are bent on destroying towns for whatever reason. It's clear I'm not very familiar with the story at this stage, but I will say that the gameplay itself is pretty fun! It does lack a certain visceral impact that I feel a game like this should have and seems to skew more towards arcade action than anything else, but the feel of zipping around a battleground, firing missiles and chewing through opponents is pretty satisfying. I also like that I have the ability to eject from my mech and run around, firing lasers from a floating pod hovering about my shoulder. I'm not sure what practical purpose this serves but I'm curious to see if there are reconnaissance or exploratory missions that might require ejecting beyond just because my mech exploded.

The one time I ended up ejecting was in a one-on-one fight with a pink-haired antagonist mecha pilot whose name I can't recall right now. I wasn't able to dodge enough of her onslaught and as a result I was forced to escape before being completely destroyed. I was actually able to finish her off by darting around the battlefield and taking potshots at her, even though I was much more vulnerable while not being protected by tons of steels and machinery. It's interesting and I hope there is more to that mechanic that simply a last-ditch effort after being effectively defeated.

The gameplay itself is pretty good, but I think what I'm most looking forward to about the game lies in the customization. I've never played much of Armored Core, which is the closest series I can think of as a comparison to this game, but I have played (and very much enjoyed) a lot of the Front Mission series, which is of course a series of turn-based strategy RPGs. The gameplay in those is quite different but based on what I can see so far, the way in which you upgrade and customize your mechs in Daemon X Machina is quite similar. It appears that you're able to switch out individual parts like the chest, arms, and legs, and each of these parts have unique characteristics which must be considered when making changes. For example, in the demo, I changed out my mech's body for a much heavier, bulkier component to increase durability. However, as a result, the speed at which my mecha was able to lift into the air greatly decreased and my mobility in general was massively degraded. I'm eager to experiment more with the ways in which I can fine-tune the way my mech feels and performs.

I don't have much of a feel for the plot or characterization at this point, but I do have a pretty firm grasp of how the game will be structured. It's definitely mission-centric. There is no open world to explore and each level is self-contained. In between missions you'll visit a central hub to maintain your mech and make any upgrades as necessary. Most of the plot of course occurs on these missions as well, or in interludes between them. There's actually a reasonable amount of dialogue and voice acting in the demo that hints at some interesting stuff, but for me, I don't have enough context to really make much sense of it.

Overall, I think the demo has sold me on purchasing the game when it releases, but I'm curious to see how the developer handles mission design as a whole. The demo contains some pretty cool levels and even an interesting boss or two, but I very much hope the full game does more than cycle through these types of levels over and over.