Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is the sequel to 2019’s Daemon X Machina, developed by Marvelous First Studio. Set centuries after the first, I was curious if this follow-up could refine the formula as the original had plenty of ambition but often felt uneven. Unlike the towering war machines of the first game, the mechs here have been scaled down to human size suits called Arsenals, think Anthem.
The Armoured Core inspiration is still clear and if you’re a fan of that series or other mecha games such as Zone of the Enders, then you’re likely to enjoy what’s on offer here. Honestly, if you say I get to pilot a mech and blow things up, I’m sold!
A Rocky Start
The game does itself no favours with its opening sequence; the story is confusing and I found the tight space station corridors too cramped for learning the Arsenal’s breakneck-speed movement. Once you hit planetside, and the open world is introduced, things start to improve. However, systems are introduced slower than I’d like, and early missions can feel repetitive.
It takes roughly five hours before the gameplay loop really clicks and you understand the rhythm of the game. Once it does, oh man… You’re chasing new parts, diving into side contracts, and bargaining with yourself, ‘just one more mission‘. It’s frustrating at first, but the slow burn pays off.
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Story: A Coin Toss
Titanic Scion’s story follows a mercenary pilot of your own creation, caught between two major threats: the tyrannical Sovereign Axiom empire (from which you escape at the start), and the monstrous alien Immortals. Your character is an Outer, a rare human granted special abilities through exposure to Femto energy, which puts you at odds with the rest of humanity. You join the resistance group known as the Reclaimers to fight back against these threats.
The narrative is far stronger than the almost non-existent story of the first game, exploring themes of power, survival, and the blurred line between humanity and Outers. The plot is delivered with over-the-top anime flair, however character development can feel inconsistent. Emotions shift unpredictably, one moment shouting threats, the next acting like best friends.
The story provides enough context for your mech battles, but it often takes a backseat to the addictive gameplay loop. That said, there were still moments where the music kicked in and I found myself getting hyped for what was about to go down, so it’s not all bad.
Homebase
The game’s structure is straightforward. You have a central base of operations where you can accept missions, shop, customise your Arsenal, and most importantly interact with dogs… Or cats, if that’s your preference. Oh, and you can buy ice cream too; pairing flavours provides a variety of buffs to your arsenal, adding a quirky layer to mission prep. Get enough stamps on your card and you’ll be rewarded!
From this hub, you load into open-world zones where you can explore freely at your own pace. The open world offers the usual fare: gather resources, attack bases, explore randomly generated dungeons, hunt for secret loot and so on and so forth.
Giant world bosses also roam these zones. I’d recommend taking them on with help from other players unless your gear is endgame-level. The game supports three player online co-op, which I couldn’t try during my review due to time zones and player availability, but it seems perfect for smashing through missions with friends over a weekend.
If you’re flying solo as I was, the game is still fully playable, with the main story taking roughly 15-20 hours to complete. Though taking the time to explore thoroughly and tackle all of the side quests adds plenty more hours of content.
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Arsenals & Wardrobe
Combat and movement in Titanic Scion are undoubtedly its strongest points. The variety of gear is exceptional: shotguns, rifles, SMGs, bows, shoulder-mounted railguns, and laser swords. The potential for building unique Arsenals is staggering; collecting and experimenting with weapons to find your ideal setup is half the fun.
The speed at which combat unfolds feels exhilarating. There’s a precise balance to dodging incoming fire while countering with your own attacks that scratches exactly the itch mecha fans crave. You can prioritise speed with a lightweight Arsenal or go all-in on firepower with a Heavy Arms setup (if you know you know) — dual miniguns, and shoulder-mounted missiles!
Certain Arsenal chest pieces come equipped with built-in ‘particle armaments’, offering additional guns, energy shields, or extra boosters for when you need to go even faster. These armaments consume Femto energy, one of two resources alongside stamina. Femto fuels traversal and high-speed movement, while stamina governs traditional dodging and quick boosts, creating a layered, tactical system that rewards mastery.
Titanic Scion doesn’t just let you tweak your Arsenal’s gear, you can control every aspect of its wardrobe. What good is all that firepower if your mech doesn’t look good distributing its justice? You can customise colours, patterns, and decals, offering practically endless combinations. It’s easy to lose hours just tinkering with the look of your Arsenal, much like any dedicated Gunpla builder would know.
Luckily, the game also includes a loadout system, so you can save your favourite builds and appearances, swapping between them at a whim. Dual-wielding lightsabers at supersonic speed quickly became a personal favourite of mine.
With Great Power Comes Great Deformity
As an Outer, your character has special abilities that manifest as skills and passive perks. To gain these powers, however, you must sacrifice part of your humanity through the fusion system, which involves merging the DNA of the Immortals with your body… Gross, but effective.
Immortals are essentially organics that have been corrupted by Femto exposure, and they provide three types of genes: Might, Skeleton, and Shell. Different combinations unlock a variety of skills, including ocular lasers, stealth fields, and even caustic blood. The more you fuse, the more your body mutates, with changes ranging from scars and protruding bones to extreme, full-body transformations.
You could ignore the fusion system and still complete the game relying on raw firepower, especially once you unlock the ability to summon an even bigger mech (akin to those seen in the first game), but the skills fusion offers are often too enticing to pass up. By the end of the story my character was almost unrecognisable — except for his haircut — but, I could shoot lasers from my eyes!
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Your Arsenal Is Due for a Service
Unfortunately, Titanic Scion suffers from performance issues. Hung frames when picking up loot frequently interrupt the flow, while environmental pop-in and warping were commonplace. Load times are often long, particularly when moving between open-world zones, and the loading either side of a coliseum bout were even longer than the fight itself, which drained my desire to work up the ranks.
In an era of SSDs, sitting through any load screen longer than a minute feels excruciating. The game attempts to mask this by letting you control your Arsenal in the loading zone, but I often found myself running laps or hopping around like a robot with a virus in solitary.
Even with these issues and some low-resolution textures in the environment, the core combat loop is satisfying enough to forgive most technical hiccups. The immersion does take a hit, but the thrill of fast-paced mech combat made me forget all about it.
The game also features several odd additions to expand gameplay variety. Such as horses, cars and transforming bikes that you can drive. Why these are needed when you can fly at mach speeds I don’t know. There’s also a card game system which I barely touched, but it’s there.
Verdict: A Fantastic yet Flawed Scion
Titanic Scion is stylish, addictive, and a mecha fan’s dream once it finds its footing. Despite a weak intro, inconsistent story, and technical hiccups, the combat and customisation carry the game. It may not be perfect, but for fans of mecha action, it’s a flawed masterpiece worth diving into.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
Quest Daily Scores Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion:
7/10
A review copy of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
