Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion (PS5) | REVIEW | Exosuit-Style Open World Combat Continues!!!

Developed by Marvelous and published by Marvelous USA, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion serves as a direct sequel to the 2019 original, expanding its mech combat formula into a sprawling open-world adventure. This installment shifts the focus to more fluid, exosuit-style piloting while introducing larger-scale exploration, deeper customization, and a narrative set centuries after the first game's events, offering players a fresh take on the series' high-octane action with added RPG elements and co-op features.

The Story ...

The story unfolds in a distant future where humanity has splintered into two warring factions including the Reclaimers, struggling survivors on a harsh planetary surface, and the Outers, enhanced superhumans residing in orbital stations who view their ground-dwelling counterparts as inferior. You play as a customizable Outer pilot who starts off as an elite operative but quickly becomes a branded traitor after escaping a sinister genetic experiment and mind-erasing procedure. Forced to flee your faction's space base, you crash-land on the planet below and reluctantly ally with the Reclaimers, earning their trust through combat prowess and taking down key threats like the Neun, a squad of formidable Outer enforcers.

Beyond the single-player campaign, the game includes a range of features to extend replayability. The core story mode can be tackled solo with AI companions or in online co-op supporting up to three players, where progress syncs across the group for seamless teamwork on missions. Additional activities await in the Reclaimer hub base, such as a card-based minigame called Overbullet for downtime strategy, and the Coliseum for intense 1v1 arena battles against AI or other players. These features complement the main loop, providing breaks from exploration while still tying into gear progression.

The Gameplay ...

Gameplay kicks off with robust character creation, letting you tweak your pilot's gender, facial features, accessories like ponchos or eyewear, and even voice options for a personalized touch that carries into voiced dialogue. The real depth comes in customizing your Arsenal, the agile exosuit mech that defines combat. You mix and match modular parts like helmets, cuirasses, vambraces, and greaves, each influencing stats such as defense, speed, and energy capacity to suit playstyles from tanky brawlers to nimble snipers. 

Cosmetics are equally detailed, with per-limb color schemes, decals, and a transmog system to keep your preferred look while swapping stats underneath. In action, the mech handles like a responsive third-person shooter, emphasizing constant motion with strafing, boosting, and quick dodges to evade incoming fire. Mech skills revolve around a Mutation system, where defeating massive Immortal enemies yields factors to fuse for passive buffs and unique abilities, like enhanced damage or regen. 

Weaponry by comparison is vast, covering four slots including primary firearms (assault rifles, shotguns, lasers, bazookas), melee options (swords, lances, knives), special shoulder mounts (missiles, railguns, cannons), and shields or auxiliaries (grenades, decoys). Each feels distinct, with upgrades via attachments for further tuning. Mobility shines through double-jump activated flight for seamless aerial traversal, allowing you to zip across maps, lock onto foes mid-air, or even mount vehicles and alien horses for ground charges. Aerial maneuverability is a highlight, offering Iron Man-like freedom in open skirmishes, though it can feel clunky in tight caves or facilities where boosting leads to frustrating collisions. A flinch mechanic adds tactical depth, letting melee strikes stagger enemies for follow-up combos, while looting one item per defeated foe encourages on-the-fly build adjustments.

The open world is structured around three expansive biomes on the planetary surface, blending wasteland ruins, underground dungeons, and cavernous networks into a semi-open hub-and-spoke design. Fast travel connects key points like supply bases and the central Reclaimer hub, minimizing backtracking despite occasional load times. Objectives range from story-driven missions, such as infiltrating facilities or battling Neun bosses, to dynamic side content like patrolling enemy hunts, resource mining, hidden caches, and overworld Immortal encounters that drop rare loot. 

Dungeons double as extraction zones with claustrophobic halls packed with foes, adding risk-reward tension. The story feeds into this loop organically, as main quests unlock new areas and gear while weaving narrative beats through cutscenes during exploration, turning routine patrols into plot-advancing skirmishes.

The Presentation ...

Visually, the game embraces an anime-inspired aesthetic with vibrant colors and flashy effects that pop during battles, though some environments suffer from low-res textures and barren stretches that can feel empty. The open world captures a post-apocalyptic vibe through dusty wastelands dotted with junk piles and monstrous lairs, creating a sense of scale. Enemies stand out with bio-mechanical designs, from hulking Immortals resembling mutated kaiju to agile rival Arsenals with over-the-top gimmicks like cloaking or turret hijacking. Playable mechs look sharp thanks to detailed customization, with fluid animations for boosts and strikes that convey power and speed effectively.

The soundtrack amps up the intensity with heavy metal riffs, djent grooves, and techno-metal fusions that kick in during combat, providing an adrenaline rush that perfectly matches the chaotic action. Menu tracks offer uplifting heaviness.

The Verdict ...

Overall, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion delivers a thrilling open-world mech experience built on addictive customization, satisfying combat, and a narrative that hooks with its anime flair, though it's occasionally bogged down by repetitive missions and uneven pacing in exploration. As an evolution of the series, it succeeds in blending looter-shooter elements with high-mobility battles, making it a solid entry for the genre. This game is best suited for fans of fast-paced action RPGs, mech enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with builds, and players seeking co-op chaos in a sci-fi setting.