Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion full game tested on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally

Marvelous' Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion launches this week worldwide for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). Early last month, I wrote up my initial thoughts with the Steam release played on Steam Deck. Since then, I've also gotten the PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion to try out and also I've played them both with the day one patch installed. This is notable because at least on Nintendo Switch 2, the experience before the day one patch was not great. I'm not sure how the PS5 version was before that patch, but I'll cover my thoughts on all three versions both online and offline here. 

Daemon X Machina vs Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Switch and Switch 2

Before getting to how Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion's full game with the day one patch feels across platforms, I wanted to cover a bit about how it feels on Switch 2 compared to the first game on Switch 1. I enjoyed Daemon X Machina a lot on Switch, but it did not have good performance or image quality. This was an issue both docked and handheld, but I got used to it. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Switch 2 is a much larger game when it comes to production and scope. It is also built on Unreal Engine 5 (as far as I can tell looking at the PC files). All these things considered, I'm more than happy with the end result on Switch 2, but it isn't perfect, especially online. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion's image quality handheld far exceeds what the first game did docked on the original Switch as well. 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Nintendo Switch 2 full game impressions — docked and handheld

Speaking of handheld and docked, I noticed even with the day one patch that Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion had better stability when played offline. It also has faster loading offline compared to online, but I'll save that for the load times comparison at the end of the article. I have replayed the opening hours with the day one patch multiple times across platforms and on Switch 2, the major issues it has right now are with some hitching while moving in the open world. The image quality is fine both docked and handheld. In fact I'd go so far as to say the handheld image quality is much better than I expected given the game's scope. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion targets 30fps on Nintendo Switch 2 in both handheld and docked modes. When playing offline, I didn't notice any major issues outside of the hitching during traversal in the open world and during some particle-heavy moments where it froze for a second. I'm not sure if this is going to be addressed in another patch for launch day, but I was told the patch available as of this writing is the day one patch for Switch 2. 

There are a few things I'd like to see added in potential updates to Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Switch 2. Obviously I hope the traversal hitching when moving across zones is addressed, but it would be great to have a 40fps mode for handheld play with proper VRR and 120hz support. Beyond that, I'm surprised that there are no gyro/motion controls right now and also no Joy-Con 2 controller mouse controls. Considering Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is available day one on PC with mouse controls, I was hoping to see the Switch 2 version also offer them. 

If you plan on playing on Switch 2, I recommend disabling lens flare and chromatic aberration in the game's graphics settings in the options menu.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion PS5 full game impressions

I only got Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on PS5 after the day one patch was released so I don't know how it played before that. Right now, it has some traversal hitching, but not as bad as Switch 2 or ROG Ally. The PS5 version targets 60fps compared to the 30fps on Switch 2, and the image quality is a lot better. The aesthetic doesn't lose too much on Switch 2 though and I think Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion scales well on both consoles. The major issue on PS5 is the hitching during fast movement. Beyond that, it has the fastest load times of any platform right now and feels great to play.

When playing on my 1440p monitor, I also thought it looked great throughout when it comes to image quality and draw distance. Just like on Switch 2, I recommend disabling lens flare and chromatic aberration in the game's graphics settings in the options menu. I'm not a fan of the game's look with those two settings enabled.

For PS5, I'm a bit disappointed that Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion doesn't use the DualSense controller well. It could've used proper haptic feedback, but it just has basic rumble right now, the same as on other platforms. The one thing it does use is PS5 Activity Cards to track your progress and other activities. 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion PC port features and control options

Like I said in my preview, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is quite a featured PC release when it comes to its graphics and display options. It includes anti-aliasing and upscaling options including TSR, FXAA, DLSS, and TAA. You can also adjust the quality of the upscaling options or rendering scale depending on your hardware with TSR even offering multiple quality levels before you adjust the rendering scale. I haven't seen this specific TSR option exposed to the user in other games.

Beyond that, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on PC supports up to 200fps and 4K so far. The PS5 and Xbox versions are capped to 60fps and the Switch 2 version is capped to 30fps as of now making the PC version the only one with high frame rate support. You can also disable post-processing effects like Lens Flare and Chromatic Aberration here like on consoles. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion also has keyboard and mouse support with rebinding options for many inputs. 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Steam Deck recommended settings and impressions

I won't be surprised if Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is Steam Deck Verified very soon or at least marked Steam Deck Playable. The latter because some of the in-game text is small on the Steam Deck and also Switch 2 screen for that matter. As for the rest, it brings up the on-screen keyboard correctly, supports online, and has no real issues on Steam Deck right now. Having spent about 20 hours with the Steam version for testing across devices, I have no hesitation in recommending it for handheld play if you were hoping to try it on Deck. While you can squeeze some more performance out of both Steam Deck models, I ended up aiming for a 30fps target to aim for a more consistent experience both online and offline. If you only want to play offline, you can aim for 40fps with heavier upscaling like I cover below. 

My Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Steam Deck recommended settings for the full game are to play with textures on medium, lens flare off, chromatic aberration off, the other settings on low, TSR set to Medium or High with the super-resolution set to Quality. This provides good image quality at 30fps that works both online and offline. The hitching is still present to a lesser degree on Steam Deck compared to the more powerful ROG Ally, but it doesn't feel bad to play. If you want to aim for 40fps, I recommend using super-resolution set to balanced or performance to be safe. Don't be fooled by the game running at 60fps or higher in the opening prologue area because while you will see indoor and smaller locations run at 60fps or more, the open world is very demanding. 

The final recommendation I have for playing on Steam Deck is to map the back buttons to your liking. I ended up using them as a replacement for pressing the left and right stick. I also set one up for screenshots and one for video recording. Beyond that, thanks to Steam Input, we can enable gyro in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Steam Deck or even PC in general. You can also use the right trackpad as the mouse for precision aiming. Some of the Steam Deck and Steam Input advantages really shine in situations like this.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion ROG Ally impressions 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion can scale above Steam Deck on ROG Ally with improved visuals, but no matter the resolution and settings I used, it had more stuttering than other systems. I'm not sure if this is a reflection of the Windows version in general, but I was not able to get Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion to run without constant hitching on ROG Ally. I even tested with the 30W turbo mode plugged in and heavy upscaling. I will revisit this after any potential optimization update arrives, but I would recommend downloading the demo and seeing how it runs for you on ROG Ally before buying the game. 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion load times across PS5, Switch 2, and Steam online and offline

For the load times, I've tested the Steam version installed to my Steam Deck internal SSD, Steam version installed on the ROG Ally internal SSD, PS5 version installed on the internal storage,  and Switch 2 version installed on the internal storage on Switch 2. I also mashed the buttons to skip any logos to speed things up as much as I could for the dashboard to title screen option. For the save file and fast travel load times, I tested loading an early save to the same position on all platforms and fast traveling the same way.

Note: All load times above are in seconds. 

As you can see, being online (which you can only change from the title screen) affects the load times quite a bit for the initial save file load. As for loading things while in-game, I only noticed the Switch 2 being massively longer for fast travel which I can't figure out why. I retested this thrice after redownloading trying the internal storage and two different networks with similar results. Hopefully this is a bug that gets addressed. Until then, if you don't plan on playing with others, I recommend playing Switch 2 with the game set to offline.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion PS5 vs Nintendo Switch 2

Right now, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on PS5 is a much better experience with its 60fps target, much faster load times, and also less intense hitching during open world exploration. This version also has much better resolution and draw distance. This is not to say the Switch 2 version is bad, but it does suffer from more issues when online in my testing with the hitching during movement feeling worse. Neither console is free of those, but it is more pronounced on Switch 2 in my testing with the day one patch on both systems.

As for handheld play, I enjoyed the original Daemon X Machina handheld on Switch 1 despite its tech issues. If you also did, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Switch 2 handheld feels a lot better across the board. The only real issue is the hitching when it loads new zones or parts of new areas which is very noticeable and jarring compared to just unstable performance which the first game had on Switch 1. 

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck for portable play

Overall, I'd recommend Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Nintendo Switch 2 given the hybrid nature of the console with improved visuals docked, but for a pure handheld experience, things are not as clear cut. I would recommend playing Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion on Steam Deck OLED over Nintendo Switch 2 given the former's better screen and battery life, but the comfort matters as well. If you are able to, I recommend trying the demo and reaching the open world exploration portion before judging visuals and performance. I also recommend using my Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Steam Deck recommended settings when you compare them because the default preset is not great. As for the Steam Deck LCD, it is very close to the experience you get on Switch 2 all things considered, but again I recommend trying the demo for yourself in the open world area. Keep in mind the precision trackpad options and added paddles on Steam Deck for portable play since those aren't present on Switch 2. If you value the hybrid nature more and would like to play on the go and on your TV or monitor, don't bother with the Steam Deck since the docked experience is not as good .

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion issues that need fixing in patches

The major issue affecting all versions of the game now to some degree is hitching while flying around or moving in the open world. It is worse when playing online on Switch 2 compared to offline Switch 2, Steam Deck, and PS5, but I ran into it the most on ROG Ally by far. You notice this a lot when you just enter the open world or return back to base flying in. Barring that, I would like to see some feedback added to specific guns and even some haptics on Switch 2 and PS5 for melee. Some of the guns can feel like toys with feedback right now. 

Aside from those issues I want addressed, I like Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion a lot more than the first game. It isn't a direct follow-up when it comes to gameplay, but it manages to blend in elements of different games and genres I like into a compelling package I can see myself playing online on PS5 and offline on both Switch 2 and Steam Deck handheld this year. I'm looking forward to seeing the story DLC as well.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion launches for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam) on September 5.