Mato Anomalies is a hodgepodge of ideas and motifs that works for the most part but suffers from trying to do too much with too little. Although ambitious, the experience as a whole suffers from poor pacing and repetition, resulting in it feeling like a mediocre JRPG despite some original ideas.
You play as two main characters, Doe and Gram, in a futuristic city called Mato, a mysterious place far from the rest of the world. Doe is a detective and explores these gritty streets through his eyes. As he meets quirky citizens, searches for clues, visuals he participates in novel-style discussions, and unravels the mysteries at the heart of this surreal story.
Gram, on the other hand, is a shaman, a kind of spiritual street samurai, who hunts creatures known as baintides. to investigate. blade runner collection.
The story itself can be hard to follow, full of lofty philosophies common to this kind of setting. Reality, what it means to be human, that sort of thing. It’s also a shame because certain characters (especially Gram and Butterfly) definitely have potential and it’s a waste to run back and forth to interact with forgettable NPCs. As a stylistic choice, they are depicted as faceless, which only makes their respective impressions worse.
The city of Mato itself is exciting enough, but navigating it quickly becomes a chore. Thankfully, it’s easy to fast travel between different districts, but having to return to the same spot repeatedly can quickly become a pain. An impenetrable escalator that bisects it neatly and each time you are forced to ride it strains some precious moments of your life on this earth. visit.
The Lair is a core gameplay location, basically a much less detailed take on Persona 5’s Palace, and if you keep to that example, it ultimately feels like Persona 3’s Tartarus. To provide turn-based combat in spades, expect a series of drab, empty corridors and rooms that mostly exist.
Doe doesn’t participate in combat, but in traditional JRPG fashion, he gathers a highly eclectic group of loners, misfits, and outsiders. Combat is simple compared to the kind of game Mato Anomalies is trying to emulate. Actions can be automated, which may or may not be to the purist’s taste, but we liked that the capable AI could quickly handle business and blitz on weaker encounters.
Mato Anomalies tries to mix things up, at least in terms of gameplay, with varying degrees of success. For example, parties share health. This means that individual party members will not be knocked out, but will lose if the overall health bar reaches zero. Additionally, abilities move to turn-based cooldowns, adding an extra layer of strategy to manage. This is perhaps the worst example of this phenomenon since the recently re-released The Legend of Dragoon first launched.
The game works well for the most part, but there are some minor frame rate issues here and there. It features a rather unique visual style and looks great overall. More essentially, it has a unique demeanor and vibe that makes it feel counterculture, even punk rock. There are some pretty great moments between characters, but just as many are marred by sloppy writing and localization.
This step forward, step back pattern extends to the design of the monsters and the imagery of the lair itself, borrowing elements from Buddhist and Taoist depictions of hell. It’s definitely very cool and does a lot to distract you from the boredom of your surroundings. Between the main story, side quests, and randomized digs, you’ll spend far too much time wandering familiar corridors.
The Mind/Hack mini-game is a mechanism Doe occasionally participates in to obtain information from a subject by participating in a fairly powerful card battle system. I’m sure some people would pick up new decks as they progressed through the game and enjoy the deck building aspects included, but they didn’t. It is plagued with tedious combat with Doe and generally feels like Doe is being pushed as a thing to do.
In addition to visual novel sections, animated cutscenes, and in-engine dialogue, the developers also have comic-style panels for certain story beats. Again, though neat, you’re constantly seeing familiar characters portrayed in so many different ways, often so poorly, that the whole experience feels messy and disjointed, making them It becomes difficult to develop attachment to any of the above.
Mato Anomalies is a game full of cool ideas, but it often fails in execution. It features a unique visual design and tone that can’t make up for the shortcomings created by its poor writing, bland dungeons, and repetitive nature. Fanatics of turn-based RPGs and schlocky sci-fi might find something to their liking here, but it’s not an experience I recommend as there are so many better options available .
