Arc System Works, and A+ Games' 'Damascus Gear' series offerings continue with an updated HD port of 'Damascus Gear: Operation Osaka' for the PS4. This twenty dollar visual, and all inclusive upgrade brings to fans of the series a revamped and remastered story driven mech based RPG experience with the basic features of the first installment still intact along with some changes in focus. New to the series are missions that take the gamer through multiple floors of the Cosmopolis in order to loot new gear for their GEARS, and farm rare materials to pay of a ridiculous debt taken on, and passed down to the new pilot by his/her parents. Most of the game revolves around this debt story arch in that your progress, and ranking will afford you the gear, and monetary compensation needed to pay off the various loans. Beneath the debt driven gameplay you, your operator, and your mech will be engaging in gladiatorial Japanese mech battles via the "Arena". A 1v1 sports spectacle in which the winner leaves with a huge lump sum of money, supposing they win. You will ultimately be switching focus between doing missions to engaging in arena combat while occasionally being haunted by an enigmatic person or entity who seems to know something more about your destiny than you do.
Visually, 'Damascus Gear: Operation Osaka HD" is a superior version of the first game in the series. It includes a new mech-like hud with meters/gauges for your weapons, and a mech health bar that goes from green into red. The anime art style from before that featured character designs reminiscent of a Kojima project returns in some instances, but are mostly exchanged for a slightly more anime style in other instances. Something more lighthearted, and less gritty or mature. When it comes to the environmental design the structures are a vast improvement over their former layouts with details, and lighting that makes the world around you pop. The mechs, which are a huge focal point, seem to have been shrunk down though, and still have a crude, and somewhat simplistic design that could have been visually more impressive. Accenting this mash-up of metal, and neon lights is a synthetic metal soundtrack that compliments the gameplay quite nicely. The only downside to the audio, if any, is the addition of heavily static voices coming from the home base operator, and the various other characters that come into play.
Control-wise 'Operation Osaka" is the same game you experienced in the first installment of the series. Moving the mech is done with the left thumbstick while your assortment of three weapons are tied to "SQUARE", "TRIANGLE", and "CIRCLE" respectively. Triangle being the heavy weapon, and the other two options basic guns. The boost returns via the "X" button, but does not deplete any stamina gauge allowing for dodging without the need to recover. As before the combat, as a result of the controls, feels like it was put into place for an artificial difficulty spike. By that I mean controlling the mech is what makes the game difficult. To some this may be off putting.
For those of you just now jumping into the Damascus Gear games this game can be played as if it was a standalone game. It has an "Options' menu glossary filled with terms, events, and key character listings for reference sake. Just know that the first game included humanity's fight for survival against infected mechs known as the RAGE, and that you piloted one of the GEARS (mechs) that helped to end the looming doomsday disaster. This second go around has you taking on the role of your parents GEAR, and shop as well as their supposed debt. The war for humanity's survival is seemingly over, and the GEAR's purpose in society has more or less become a means for entertainment, and making money. This is where you step in.
When the game opens up you'll find one new feature in the form of a pilot, operator, and mech naming application. You can name each character/mech as you wish or keep the pre-programmed names. While this is new to the series it's mostly for superficial acknowledgment. The mech itself is where the true customization comes in, and as before you'll be able to swap out parts from your mission or shop earnings. You'll also be able to give your mech a part based paint job to make it more personal. As you progress the story, play through missions, and fight in the arena you'll be able to rank up, and earn/equip better gear for your GEAR. These parts come in different rarities as before, and add different types of weapon based attacks ranging from melee to projectile based.
The Verdict ...
Operation Osaka is in some ways an improvement, but holds onto a control scheme that once again hinders what could have been smoother gameplay. I feel the game's Achilles heel for some will be the stiff controls. Had the developer implemented a smoother twin stick shooter setup, and made mech movement more fluid without the need for pausing to shoot it would have been a much more impressive mech combat experience. As it is though it's not a game that's gonna please everyone. I'm not saying it's horrible as a game, but it does feature a difficulty tied to the controls, and less to the actual combat. As far as a rating goes I'll let you decide. For those of you who wish to see hands-on gameplay check out my preview over at Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/otakudante).
Visually, 'Damascus Gear: Operation Osaka HD" is a superior version of the first game in the series. It includes a new mech-like hud with meters/gauges for your weapons, and a mech health bar that goes from green into red. The anime art style from before that featured character designs reminiscent of a Kojima project returns in some instances, but are mostly exchanged for a slightly more anime style in other instances. Something more lighthearted, and less gritty or mature. When it comes to the environmental design the structures are a vast improvement over their former layouts with details, and lighting that makes the world around you pop. The mechs, which are a huge focal point, seem to have been shrunk down though, and still have a crude, and somewhat simplistic design that could have been visually more impressive. Accenting this mash-up of metal, and neon lights is a synthetic metal soundtrack that compliments the gameplay quite nicely. The only downside to the audio, if any, is the addition of heavily static voices coming from the home base operator, and the various other characters that come into play.
Control-wise 'Operation Osaka" is the same game you experienced in the first installment of the series. Moving the mech is done with the left thumbstick while your assortment of three weapons are tied to "SQUARE", "TRIANGLE", and "CIRCLE" respectively. Triangle being the heavy weapon, and the other two options basic guns. The boost returns via the "X" button, but does not deplete any stamina gauge allowing for dodging without the need to recover. As before the combat, as a result of the controls, feels like it was put into place for an artificial difficulty spike. By that I mean controlling the mech is what makes the game difficult. To some this may be off putting.
For those of you just now jumping into the Damascus Gear games this game can be played as if it was a standalone game. It has an "Options' menu glossary filled with terms, events, and key character listings for reference sake. Just know that the first game included humanity's fight for survival against infected mechs known as the RAGE, and that you piloted one of the GEARS (mechs) that helped to end the looming doomsday disaster. This second go around has you taking on the role of your parents GEAR, and shop as well as their supposed debt. The war for humanity's survival is seemingly over, and the GEAR's purpose in society has more or less become a means for entertainment, and making money. This is where you step in.
When the game opens up you'll find one new feature in the form of a pilot, operator, and mech naming application. You can name each character/mech as you wish or keep the pre-programmed names. While this is new to the series it's mostly for superficial acknowledgment. The mech itself is where the true customization comes in, and as before you'll be able to swap out parts from your mission or shop earnings. You'll also be able to give your mech a part based paint job to make it more personal. As you progress the story, play through missions, and fight in the arena you'll be able to rank up, and earn/equip better gear for your GEAR. These parts come in different rarities as before, and add different types of weapon based attacks ranging from melee to projectile based.
The Verdict ...
Operation Osaka is in some ways an improvement, but holds onto a control scheme that once again hinders what could have been smoother gameplay. I feel the game's Achilles heel for some will be the stiff controls. Had the developer implemented a smoother twin stick shooter setup, and made mech movement more fluid without the need for pausing to shoot it would have been a much more impressive mech combat experience. As it is though it's not a game that's gonna please everyone. I'm not saying it's horrible as a game, but it does feature a difficulty tied to the controls, and less to the actual combat. As far as a rating goes I'll let you decide. For those of you who wish to see hands-on gameplay check out my preview over at Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/otakudante).
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