Daemon X Machina Trailer Shows Off "Major Improvements" From Demo Feedback

Doesn't matter the youtube is already full of hot takes on how this game is bad based off the demo. Negative news and clickbait have doomed it.

It baffles me that some of these weren't in from the start, such as a lock on function, being able to tell where enemy fire was coming from and health bars for bosses. I played the demo and it didn't blow me away as it felt sluggish and half the time I didn't know what was even shooting at me. I'd be willing to give it another go but I'd need another demo before I even considered buying it

Old news. Nintendo shared this during E3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmwvKTwm10

What Carolos82 said! ^

I'll think of buying this game if they can increase the frame rate up to firm 30 FPS at least.

So the frame rate still sucks?

Very excited for this! I remember providing feedback via twitter (apart from the feedback survey. They were also accepting feedback via social media) totalled to around 8-9 tweets. Almost 85% of my gripe with the game was addressed especially enemy location, enemy fire direction and motion controls!

Obviously the genre is not for everyone but I still liked the demo despite the lack of QoL features. Hopefully performance was improved as well.

Glad they've listened - even if some of it should have been obvious from the start.

The game still doesn't look appealing to me and September is Zelda month

Hope they have done the work to fix it up.. Really like the concept but the demo just felt off.

Good to see how much they're improving the game, would love another demo to compare. Still think it's promising.

They actually improved on all the things I had an issue with! September is full of releases that I want to get, so this might have to wait a month or so before I buy it. But I look forward to playing it!

Maybe they could release another demo with all the improvements made to interest people more?

I want this game as much as I want to die.

Astral Chain, and nothing else matter.

I love the aesthetic of this, but like many others, I was disappointed with the demo. It's still on my radar, but with Astral Chain and Zelda: Link's Awakening out around the same time it's going to take a back seat.

Did they mess up on the first video or something? The one they posted a few weeks ago is identical?

my personal feedback was i couldn't tell what i was doing but i was winning, so that lock on, hp bar, and sound effect when hitting something should help with that.

don't remember if i complained about how annoying that boss's knock back move was, hope they considered it since they made that red barrier instant death.

Anything that increases speed of movement will improve this game a lot.
Although personally I would just disable flying altogether and make it a ground mech combat game.

I was unimpressed with the demo, but then again I am not good at shooters.

However, the fact that they took the advice and made changes is great. I hope the game does well.

I am a bit surprised about a lot of the comments.

This "demo" was called PROTOTYPE missions. It was a beta test to ask the players what improvements they wanted, that is why everyone who played it was asked what they think.
Of course the demo wasn't fully polished and of course they listened to feedback and made lots of changes.
That was, to my understanding, the entire point of those missions.

For us, it was nice to play the game a bit and get a feel for what it is about.
But way too early for a final verdict, as a lot of things were bound to change.
Also, there might be more to this game than what we have seen.

And where is the story improvement?

It was the combination of unstable framerate and horribly muddy graphics that killed it for me, and I don't think they'll be fixed.

@Kirgo Wholeheartedly agreed, I don't see why anybody should bash this game before the full product is even out and when the "demo" was clearly in very early stages of development...

If anything, this shows me that these are passionate developers who care about what people think of their game and are willing to listen to feedback and improve, whereas many developers nowadays either do not care at all or think they know better than any gamer. It's a refreshing feeling, seeing that your feedback actually matters in the grand scheme of things.

I'll be happy to see this game perform well if it turns out to be great, it's upsetting to see this much negativity and doom surrounding it because of first impressions.

Okay, this video brings the game back on my radar, still got the demo of the game on my Switch.

@Grch @sixrings Not sure why people are giving you two a thumbs down for wanting consistent performance but I agree. My main issue was the choppy framerate. Hopefully it will be improved by launch. Otherwise I loved the game.

Finally!
It's so refreshing to see a developer listening to feedback, all the major issues I had with the game have been clearly addressed (like...I love those health bars for bosses and the extra sfx, it was so frustrating in the demo how I couldn't tell if I was doing anything to the bigger enemies).

I definitely have a little more interest back for the game, if anything I would really like to give it a second chance now.

@Varkster @Kirgo Well, once complaints reach a critical mass, it becomes trendy to hate a thing, even in light of new information that largely negates the original complaints. Most people I see bashing this game are still citing the demo, but with all these changes the demo is pretty much irrelevant at this point. I'm withholding judgement until I get a chance to try it out.

They really shouldn't have called it a demo - beta test, playtest, anything that would more strongly imply unfinished.

That’s a lot of improvements in such a short amount of time. Some are a little strange not to have in the beginning, such as staying locked onto a target, but hey, it’s looking better. Gyro controls are a nice touch.

The biggest issue the demo had was the FPS. No word on that here, but that’s something that usually gets tinkered with as they go. I am still very maybe on this one, we’ll see.

This game looks bargain bin at best.

Sounds great. They practically fixed and/or addressed every single complaint I had, which was mainly framerate, boundaries during boss battles, no gyro, and more audial feedback for gunfire. Bunch of other improvements made too on top of that. Excellent.

@Synthatron_Prime @8itmap_k1d @sixrings @Grch

Framerate has officially been improved upon according to the devs. It was listed in their change log post-feedback.

@Xelha
demo

It wasn't really a demo. It was more of a beta test. Heck, alpha test even. Hence the name "prototype missions", because it was just a prototype, a basic framework which which feedback could be generated.

@JaxonH

Oh framerate was improved? Good to know. I figured they tinkered with it, but wasn’t positive.

The changes sound good but September is already packed so I'll have to pass on this one.

I was, and still am, 100% buying it. Even with the clunky controls, it just felt like an older armored core game. Me gusta

@JaxonH Hmm, I'll believe it when I see it with regard to the framerate. If they boosted the FPS then it seems strange that it wouldn't be a headline in this promo.

@8itmap_k1d
It was a headline in their original feedback list

Daemon X Machina Framerate Improved

You are no longer forced back into the mission area... now we kill you if you leave!

I like the premise of this game but the demo wasn't fun. I'll need to enjoy playing an improved demo before buying this.

Great to see the long list of improvements, they have been busy!! Well I hope its turns out good at release.

"Attacks now feel more forceful thanks to additional sound effects"

But did they fix the weak sound? I never felt like I was piloting a mech that could rain destruction down on its enemies because you don't feel any impact when shooting at stuff. The combat felt dull and that's just sad.

@JaxonH It just seems strange that they wouldn't include such an important improvement in this list. We'll see when the reviews are out I guess.

They ought to release a new demo showcasing the improvements.

I'm very very curious about this game. It seems to be mech aerial combat mixed with a Phantasy Star Online-esque hub town game structure, even with online play! I also am quite drawn to the unique art style, especially seen in motion.

It's a good sign to me that the devs are taking feedback so seriously, but I worry that the demo will still leave a bad taste in people's mouths; this game may have to rely on post-launch word of mouth in order to sell, or a second demo or something.

But I hope it has been improved to an 8/10+ level and that it does sell well! I love the risk these devs are taking with a new IP exclusively on Switch, which is something we can only hope for more of from other companies.

Day one for me, although I hope it gets a bit delayed, as there's too many games coming out in September...

Looking better and better.

Increased ammo drops and bigger font size are both really important fixes. The game still felt more like a helicopter simulator than a mech game though.

Also if they didn't change up the story to make the player character actually there, rather than just a weapon the NPCs throw at the bad guy, then I'm not really interested. It was really weird how everyone would be talking in cut scenes and occasionally referencing your presence, but you'd NEVER speak or have any personality at all.

Mass Effect and Fallout get it right with how you can still pick what YOU the player wants to say, while still giving the impression that you are indeed part of the story. the DaemonXMachina demo felt like you were just a gun that someone else was pointing at the bad guy.

I am really looking forward to getting this game. The "demo" was not the most horrible game I have ever played as some people seem to want to paint it. The improvements look solid, the story has be baffled but curious, and I will be picking it up.

@Heavyarms55 ME and Fallout are RPGs, and in ME's case a character driven RPG, and in Fallout's case, the player is the "generic" specific character of the story/prophesied savior/etc.

This game is a combat action simulator thing that reminds me a lot of 90's mech games on PC. Mech Warrior, Starsiege, flight-action sims like Freespace, Freelancer, and to a lesser extend IDWar (slightly more character driven there, but only at ceratin moments.)

Very different genre, and this game feels like a love letter to 90's Western PC combat simcade games. Which is surprising coming from an anime-art style game from a Japanese developer and with a producer so young (is that guy even old enough to remember 90's PC simcades? )

Sounds like they listening.

But They still need to release a new Demo to try out before paying $60. The trailers looked good before also.

Wasn't really sure what to think about this game until I tried the demo. It can be a bit slow at first but it's absolutely fun to deck out the mech in weapons you salvaged from the missions. Definitely would like to get this one.

And, please, for the love of all that's holy, bring back that kickass track that plays in the last mission in the demo (also played in the announcement trailer).

@Rika_Yoshitake they really need to do another demo so folks can see if it's better, I didn't like the demo.

@Danrenfroe2016 I 100% agree with you. I played the demo for several hours and gave a LOT of feedback afterwards. It looks like they have taken it to heart. I almost want to buy the game now just to show I support a company LISTENING to me. I just REALLY hope they do a new demo before so I can see if it plays as well as I would hope.

@carlos82 The demo release was an interesting thing for them to do. It was less demo and more early beta (it was actually the June E3 2018 demo, just being released in February 2019). I think it was good they did it for feedback, but too many saw it as a demo for the final release. And, starting with a bad mech in the final release is par for the course, but for a demo to get people excited it wasn't the smartest of choices. That said, if you grinded for some parts you get a better feel for what the actual speed of the game is going to be.

@Grch I'd probably buy it day one if it runs at a locked 60fps. If it's 30 I'd have to consider a bunch of factors and would probably wait for a sale if I buy it at all

I hope they include a performance mode that locks the game at 60fps. Don't care what visuals have to be cut to achieve that!

Nice to see that they fixed most of the problems I am looking forward to sink my teeth into a new mech game.

I'm still on the fence about this one. It looks fun, but I think I'll wait for more gameplay and reviews to surface near its release. September is full enough as it is! XD

@TechJunkie69 yeah it's better this way then like many others these days releasing their games and then fixing any issues. Problem is first impressions can be hard to shake and for many this experience will play a major part in whether to buy the game. As I said, a few of those fixes seemed like they should have been part of the design process anyway but perhaps weren't there as it primarily a development build. If I was in their position I would definitely put out a second demo, if anything just to get some presence in people's minds in what is a pretty stacked September. Definitely one I'm keeping an eye on but at the moment behind Astral Chain, Zelda, Ni No Kuni and Dragon Quest XI for me in those few weeks

I enjoyed the demo quite a lot actually, you had to upgrade some parts to see the true potential they had here. i was pretty impressed wit the demo. and sometimes lock on etc is a design choice . i remember when games used to actually require some mastery.

i'm all in will see what happens, SEGA refuse to give me virtual on, so this will do me for now.

Sounds like they have really tried to improve the game and listen to feedback which is great!

this game doesnt deserve the negative backlash it received, i am still very excited for it especially after improvements made after listening to feedback from beta test (it was a test, not a demo to entice sales) Dayone purchase from me.

I enjoyed the demo, even if it was a bit clunky. I was lucky enough to fill in a survey and its good to see a developer listening to players for once, instead of releasing crap and then trying to fix it after the damage has been done. I'll definitely be buying it on release. Good job.

@NEStalgia Doesn't matter the genre. Proper story telling is important. The demo clearly tried to suggest there is a big story element to the game. If you just want an action game with little more than a shell of a story, don't waste time with a character creator and have all these conversations going on that you are supposedly a part of.

"Font size of text is increased"
This should be the case for almost every single Switch game! Developers forget it's a portable system, and some of the text we frequently need to deal with can barely be read.

I played the demo of this for about an hour, and it sux! While I could accept the clunky controls for it being a demo, the real problem is it was so boring, so directionless, and made no sense. The radar was the biggest impediment, causing me to lose every mission.

@Kirgo

Ecactly.

@Varkster

It's just the sign of the times. It's trendy to be negative, snarky and cynical constantly these days it seems. I was going to comment more, but meh...

@gameboy1975 yep it’s amazing how many people come and go on here with a serious lack of social skills, you wonder how they deal with people in the outside world.

I wasn't a huge fan of the genre. Felt kind of "Monster Huntery" to me and I just don't have the free time for those games, they last forever and overstay their welcome.

I really enjoyed the demo - warts and all. The level of customization is exactly what you want in a mech game like this.

On the downside, melee combat was near impossible to tell if you actually hit anything. No health meter - no sfx - no visible cues.

Glad to hear they slightly corrected this, but in my opinion didn't go far enough.

Yay, full gyro aiming that's not a stupid dual stick hybrid system! Now we've got a game!

See, Nintendo, this is what you should be doing with the controls in the "Splatoon" games (that, and also include a pure deathmatch mode with no turf warfare)!