On normal difficulty, these die in just a few hits, so they are mostly fodder. Over the course of the story you'll mostly be fighting robots called Immortals that have become corrupt/hostile. Still, soaring around, taking out targets quickly and efficiently, helps the game have some fun moments. Shooting just requires holding the shoulder buttons it's not exactly thrilling, and the game goes way overboard on making the Joy-Cons vibrate from every little thing.
![daemon x machina joy con daemon x machina joy con](https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/media/51751/4/2.jpg)
Your reticule is always on screen and the game clearly indicates when you're in-range to deal damage to targets. Controlling your mech from a third person perspective is satisfying and easy, and you can fly around to your heart's content without any limitations on air time. Out on missions is where Daemon X Machina finally shows some promise. The menus are straightforward to navigate, but annoying to interact with, as each screen utilizes almost every button on the controller. Everything else is handled via the menus, so there's no reason to spend much time in the hub. There's not much to do in the hub except run around your mech and perhaps visit the two stores - one store is where you can purchase items for temporary boosts, while the other lets you purchase upgrades for your character. The game is arranged into distinct missions that you start from the small hub hanger where your mech is stored. Eventually, the urge to just skip everything becomes too strong. The "show, don't tell" approach was clearly ignored here, as you scroll past line after line of meaningless dialogue. And whenever the game tries to get serious, it becomes a confusing and uninvolving mess.
![daemon x machina joy con daemon x machina joy con](https://images.nintendolife.com/a52371edc4a59/screenshot-2019-06-12-at-09-08-19.900x.jpg)
![daemon x machina joy con daemon x machina joy con](https://media.vandal.net/m/9-2019/20199131749292_2.jpg)
Before each mission you have to silently listen to all these cliché characters discuss their issues, their apparent distrust for each other, and yet somehow it all works out into friendly banter and everyone gets paid. But, for one reason or another, all the merc pilots casually meet and chat together, rather than compete for a payday. An AI named Four controls the process and hands out the missions to the various mercenary companies. It goes all-in on the pointless and childish dramatics, while offering a nonsensical overarching plot. While the recently released Astral Chain managed to create a great story despite its occasional anime tropes, Daemon X Machina is the opposite. While the setup seems original and perhaps intriguing, the narrative is a complete let down. You can visually customize both the character and the mech, if you're into that sort of thing.
![daemon x machina joy con daemon x machina joy con](http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/media/51751/4/4.jpg)
Players assume the role of a rookie Outer who is handed the keys to their own Arsenal mech, as you join various mercenaries on their combat missions spanning the continent. The humans who were able to absorb the power of this material became known as The Outers not only that, but they could also pilot the newly created combat mechs called Arsenals. But it also brought with it a material known as Femto Energy, which helped the surviving humans not only develop amazing technology, but also become infused with it themselves. This caused an obvious mass catastrophe, and left our planet in rather poor shape. We learn that a part of the Moon was torn away, and crashed right into the Earth.