It’s been a while since I did a game review on this blog, mostly because I’ve been playing mostly bit AAA titles and there’s no real need to throw one more voice into the pile, but then there was a somewhat interesting PS Vita release last week which I picked up.
Damascus Gear is a small Vita title which was published by Arc System Works, which probably explains why the US got it over a month ago. ASW doesn’t seem to care about Europe at all, but I digress.
The game can be most easily described as a really simplified Armoured Core. The plot involves fighting a war against machines which went skynet and have started to wipe out mankind. That’s pretty much the backstory and don’t expect much in terms of plot. The game has you piloting your mecha and completing missions, most of which are either search-and-destroy missions or get-to-point-B ones. As you progress and destroy enemies, you unlock extra mecha parts which can be purchased at the store in your base or picked up in the battlefield. You can customise your unit by changing the body, legs arms, head and armaments to try take on missions.
The game is played in an isometric view with 3 of the face buttons mapped to weapons and you can have up to 3 equipped at a time. The X button is used for evasive boost, which uses a bar on the bottom left of the screen. L is used for healing items (assuming you have some) and R is used for extended boost to get you around the map quicker but it uses up the same bar as the evasion boost. Weapons are broadly categorised into rifles, close range weapons and powerful back weapons which require charging, use a lot of energy but does a lot of damage. Your parts and weapons are limited by the amount of energy used as it cannot exceed the amount which your body can generate. In that respect, it’s similar to the weight limit for AC.
In terms of gameplay, movement is controlled by the left analogue stick. when you face an enemy, you auto-lock on and will remain locked on so long as you are using a weapon. You can’t switch targets once locked (unless you stop attacking) and it can be difficult to lock onto a specific enemy at times. it would seem that using the right stick for targeting would have been a good idea but it wasn’t implemented. the evasive dash also seems to invoke some invincibility as well so it’s easy to avoid damage by dashing around so long as you have boost to use.
other than that, there’s not much to say about the game. It’s fairly simple and has a budget price so we are’t expecting a huge amount of depth but it’s pretty effective for a budget title. but if you want to go into more detail…
LOVED
- Simple but effective customisation – The parts selection may not seem too great at first but it does add a decent amount of depth to the system. customisation is very much a main component in the game.
- short but intense missions – most missions don’t last too long, which makes it good for quick bursts of play.
HATED
- Awkward controls – I mentioned the lock-on system above but I cannot understate just how annoying the movement controls are for the game. you often feel like you’re fighting it as much as you are the enemies
- difficulty spikes – the main grunt enemies are incredibly weak and not worth noting but you are frequently tasked with dealing with larger and much more powerful enemies on stages and their armour is very strong. At those points, the game basically devolves into a grindfest where you simply dodge and attack repeatedly until it falls, which can take a while.
- Repeated maps – don’t expect too much in terms of variety as far as maps go. Only a handful are in the game and they get reused repeatedly.
Given that the game is a budget title, it handles admirably well. It’s not really a game which will suit everyones tastes but if you’re looking for something along the lines of Armoured Core lite and can get passed the controls, you should find enough to like about the game to justify the cost. but for everyone else, there’s not much here.
