As part of the February Nintendo Direct, a demo for Daemon X Machina called 'Prototype Missions' was released onto the Switch eShop. The game's producer, Kenichiro Tsukuda, noted that it would only be available for a limited time, and it would seem that the end date is near.
The official page for the game on Nintendo's Japanese website notes that any save data and progress from the demo cannot be carried over to the full release later this year, and that it will cease to be available on the eShop from Monday 11th March (so one week today). The equivalent page in the US doesn't provide an end date, but we'd assume that it will be removed across the eShop worldwide.
Update: It has since come to our attention that the 11th March end date has also been confirmed for the west in a recent Nintendo Newsletter.
If you haven't checked it out for yourself yet, you might want to download it pretty sharpish. As a reminder, some players who have experienced the demo have been asked to provide feedback via a survey; make sure to check your email inboxes for survey invitations if you've played the demo, and feel free to offer additional feedback on social media, as requested by the development team during the Direct last month.
Have you already played the demo? What did you think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
[source ec.nintendo.com, via japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 49
If we already downloaded it will be still be able to play it?
I thought it was pretty fun. Would like it to look a bit nicer in handheld mode though.
@leo13 I also want to know this.
I liked the demo but not nearly as much as I hoped I would. The game needs some changes to gameplay or NO BUY.
What do other people think of the game? The graphics remind me of PS2 tbh so I wasn't impressed back when they revealed it
I wasn't too impressed by it at all unfortunately. I understand it's not the final build but I don't know if there's much constructive I could add. It's just not for me.
It's a great game, but there are a few things I want.
First, the out-of-bounds mechanics NEED to change, especially with how frequently the first boss skirts the boundary. It's far too easy to just die utterly to something like a charged particle beam. Frankly, the only system that makes sense, in this case, is an out-of-bounds countdown.
Second, to distinguish itself from the likes of Armored Core, this game should lean hard on the Outers (pilots on foot, for those who haven't played) themselves. We need lots of close-quarters love such as parts of facilities that are too small for the Arsenal. Some cinematic moments and boss fights therein would be wonderful.
Cooperative play is another must.
And for some would-be-nice: licensed Pro controller. After all, DXM is exactly the sort of library addition that already has me chomping at the bit for a Pro controller.
Only played first 2 missions so far. Its alright but did feel kinda “old-school” mech game; and not in a good way. Graphics and art style were a little rough and felt a bit “sparse”.
Will give it another go but honestly I have this sinking feeling without a major spruce up / rebuilt it ain’t gonna go far. Its unlikely to be the next Zone of the Enders.
@leo13 was just about to ask the same question. I’m too addicted to Smash Spirits to play anything else at the moment
@FX102A Definitely not. It's Armored Core, not ZotE.
I played it once or twice. It did not hook me, I think it is too busy. I also have not had the Switch for very long so there is a lot of AAA and indie titles fighting for attention.
I loved the game, very immediate gameplay, fast and imho good looking. I like the colours and the general idea of hot desert and dust... I'll buy it.
This may sound odd....but I decided not to get the demo because it feels like an unfinished product from what I have heard and some people seem to be swayed not to buy it. I'd like to wait for the final product to come out before I decide.
I wasn't very impressed. The combat lacked some impact. It was just pew pewing at some boring-looking enemies (which half the time you don't see anyway) with annoying controls.
Maybe mech to mech duels are more thrilling, but by the time enemy mech showed up I got mine destroyed and just pointlessly ran around it.
Also too much talking heads between missions.
I got bored after 5 minutes anyway so meh
I gave it the best chance I could, but was ultimately disappointed. The combat on the ground is actually quite good, but the problem is that flying is basically required for most missions. Flying feels sluggish, and not at all like the effortless feeling of skating you get while fighting on the ground.
Idk if in the full game there will be better upgrades to have flying feel faster, but as of right now fighting in the air is really no fun. Thus, my suggestion would be to make flying feel more usable, just the ability to have an incredibly quick mid air dash would go a long way. Because right now even the boost feels like swimming through molassis.
TL;DR
The ground fighting feels good, but the air combat feels like a bad water level imo.
@SmaggTheSmug
The combat does not feel very weighty at all, but I would not mind that too much if it felt like you were bolting around getting licks in between dodging.
The frames fell to an upsettingly low number during the bosses, the NEED to fix this game, it's borderline unplayable on handheld.
The game needs to be revamped in many aspects. It is 2019, games need to have more just than "shooting".
I thought it was kind of fun. I like the idea of the game, but I didn't play it for long. Like someone else said, I didn't want an unfinished version of the game to soil my final opinion. My tentative feeling based on my brief time spent was that it's a bit sluggish and the created character seems pointless. But I'm keeping it on my radar.
Good what a load of tripe!
@EverythingAmiibo it needs a lot of work graphically, some of the scenery is flat pixel like an N64 game. it needs a lot of cleaning up.
I didn't spend much time on the demo yet but I enjoyed what I played. Gyro controls are all I need.
Honestly the demo didn't pull me in for 2 main reasons.
1. The graphics. I don't know how to explain it exactly, something about the shading and colors made it hard for me to focus, like, I had to consciously pay close attention or I couldn't keep my attention on the action.
2. You're not there. It seems like this is one of those create your own character games where doing so means you're a stupid silent protagonist for side characters and whomever else to throw at the bad guys. Conversations happening all around you and you don't interact in any meaningful way. I just am not a fan of that. Didn't like it in Pokemon Sun and Moon either. It annoyed me in Breath of the Wild as well, but at least in those games, everything else pulled me in. As of the demo of this game, it doesn't manage to do that.
@Kainbrightside I know ....that's why I didn't want to play it. I'd rather just wait for the final product and make my choice then.
I went to download this over the weekend, but there was no download link ... ?!
I really enjoyed it and can't wait till release, like the art style and feel like the universe could be really fun to fight in
I actually like the style it's going for, but cel-shading is always a point of contention for some.
Overall the demo was decent, but the game does need some serious work. The framerate was all over the place, and for a fast paced game like this, it needs to lock 30fps at least most of the time. Obviously 60 would be better, but I'm sure that's impossible for this game, and at this point in development. Digital Foundry's analysis showed the game was consistently in the 20s. It's still a work in progress obviously, I just hope they can fix that. I also thought the demo had a serious difficulty spike in the second half of the 3rd mission. Like seriously, wtf — that came out of nowhere.
I gave Nintendo my honest feedback, so we'll see what happens. I hope they can pull it off, cause I really want to love it — it's just not there yet.
Played it for 5 minutes and deleted. Definitely not for me
I was curious about the game but drastically disappointed with the demo. I found visuals underwhelming, especially on the hangar, and the story elements (that I got to experience mid mission) felt like they were lost in the background. Team mates talking in the middle of fighting, barely noticed it was going on. Almost wish a box popped up with a portrait of the character talking and the dialog... but I never got a survey email... maybe because I never finished the demo... precisely due to how disappointing it was.
Maybe it's not for me, and that's ok, but the way the game been hyped, I was expecting a bit more of emphasis on the story delivery.
@TheBlobfish yes you have upgrade your mech
Absolutely loved it, I've played through each mission 5+ times, collected multiple parts, messed with the customization, and tried nearly every weapon available; this is what I've been waiting for. The graphics definitely need some cleaning up, but gameplay feels good and works for me. As a huge Armored Core fan from the PS2, I've been waiting for a revival of that series and this is the next best thing. Can't wait for the release!
Great demo and look forward to the finished product. The only feedback I'd give is the following:
Better tracking system for faster enemies.
More tactile input when actually firing your gun/missiles and also when bullets/missiles hit the enemy.
Maybe a better system for aquiring more ammo and a default beam sword for when you do deplete all ammo.
More usefulness for getting out of your Arsenal.
A better map alerting at enemy locations and types plus healing areas and dropped ammo.
Well that's stupid, why didn't they keep it on there for longer? I know the actual game is coming but c'mon leave it in the eShop so we can compare the early version to the later finish one. The Octopath Traveler first demo is still there so why remove this one?
The demo didn't stick with me to be honest.
I had fun customizing my character and mech, but thats about it.
They need to add gyro controls to get the slightest of my attention, not that it'll fix the repetitive gameplay though.
Whats also worrying is that the game is coming out this summer and people don't seem to be impressed at all with the demo.
It may not be the final product, but with the release date coming so soon, it's probably close to it.
@ELRinley I believe cooperative play was already announced awhile back. I don’t have a source right now though it’s listed as multiplayer in most places. The demo was just single player.
Like so many others, I also thought the game felt pretty lackluster. It baffles me Nintendo was confident enough in this game to open their E3 presentation with it last year. Granted, I didn't expect this sort of game to appeal to me from the start, but as I read these comments I see I'm far from the only one who wasn't impressed.
The frame rate needs a lot of work. Maybe they're removing it because it's a bad indication of the final product...
I liked the game. Definitely needs frame rate work. The main problem for me was it was hard to follow the story chatter during a mission.
They should delay it into early 2020 and get the feel right.
Didn't even finish the demo, it just didn't grab my attention at all and half the time I wasn't even sure what was shooting at me. Not one for me I'm afraid
Like some already said this game needs pro controller support and a basic auto lock on feature most enemies that are not mechs are painfully small to see also I hope the character you create has more input than just be another stand that just watches.
@EverythingAmiibo Nothing wrong with PS2 graphics imo.
I really enjoyed it, and gave them some deep feedback. If the demo remains downloaded, I hope it remains playable or at least redownloadable. I still regret deleting the first Octopath Traveller demo, not realizing it would be completely gone. The PlayStation Underground and Club Nintendo kid in me likes to collect those things. Lol.
I really really wanted to like this game. I was excited for it ever since the E3 trailer. I loved the look of it, the concept seemed cool, and I had it penciled in on my list of games I wanted. Then I played the demo...
Maybe because the demo lacked the context of some larger overall story but I was just disappointed in the blandness of the gameplay. it felt so slow, the world seemed lackluster. I don't know. Unless the game is very different in its final form, I'll probably end up passing on this, which bums me out. I had a similar excitement for Astral Chain and hope that one can deliver.
This demo and game need to go back to the kitchen for more prep time. I was not impressed.
The demo was just unintuitive. It felt like the game was punishing me for not being perfect. Devs should consider that many players haven't played mech games before (not saying that they didn't consider that). I think I'll skip this and just hope that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is on the Switch.
@BlackenedHalo
Makes sense. Although I really do not feel like grinding in games for fun gameplay is something I can get behind.
@jobvd they did changes according to the video today
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