Mato Anomalies
- March 9, 2023
- Arrowiz Games
- 40h median play time
The Digital Shadows DLC is a surprisingly welcome return to the futuristic city of Mato.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Mato Anomalies" is a turn-based RPG set in a neo-futuristic version of an oriental city, where players control two distinct protagonists, Doe and Gram. Investigate strange anomalies around the city and battle demonic abominations in rifts to uncover the city's dark secrets and save it from downfall. Team up with unlikely companions, gather intel, and explore the city of Mato with the help of various characters to unravel its mystery.
Nintendo Switch
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Playstation 5
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Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
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Reviews
- The game features a compelling story with interesting characters and a unique cyberpunk setting that draws players in.
- The turn-based combat system is enjoyable and offers a refreshing take with a shared health pool and cooldown-based abilities.
- The art style and soundtrack are standout elements, providing a visually appealing experience that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- The narrative is convoluted and difficult to follow, with pacing issues that make the game feel longer than necessary.
- Many gameplay mechanics, such as the card mini-game and dungeon design, feel underdeveloped and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game suffers from a lack of polish, with issues in localization, animations, and UI that can disrupt immersion and enjoyment.
- story75 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging characters and intriguing cyberpunk themes, while others criticize it for being convoluted, poorly paced, and difficult to follow. Many reviews highlight the ambitious narrative structure and unique storytelling methods, but note that the execution often falls short, leading to confusion and a lack of emotional impact. Overall, while the story has potential and interesting elements, it suffers from inconsistencies and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.
“The story and especially the characters are the best part for me.”
“A turn-based noir detective anime cyberpunk story with a twist of supernatural horror.”
“With its engaging story, charming cast of characters, and solid RPG mechanics, Mato Anomalies is a game that all role-playing game fans will enjoy, especially fans of the Persona series, by which the game is greatly influenced.”
“Cheaply made garbage, looks like an extremely cheaply made rip-off of the Persona series. Very unpolished environments, story, dialogue, combat, and card mini-game. The UI is bad, the environments are cheap, the story is boring, and the voice acting is atrocious in both English and Japanese from what I've tried. Do not recommend.”
“The plot is unnecessarily long. It starts pretty weak, then the game finally tells you the major plot points at chapter 7 or 8, with chapter 9 as the epilogue.”
“The story is very straightforward and heavily focuses on the actual plot and investigation aspect without introducing arcs and smoothing the flow a bit.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Mato Anomalies" features unique mechanics and an engaging narrative, but it suffers from repetitive combat, uninspired level design, and a frustrating card battle system that detracts from the overall experience. While the game offers some interesting ideas and quality-of-life features, many players find the core gameplay loop lacking and monotonous, leading to boredom over extended play sessions. Despite its ambition, the execution of gameplay elements fails to fully captivate, leaving a mixed impression among players.
“One thing that keeps the game enjoyable is that each chapter has its own unique lair design, mechanics, and set of enemies.”
“What makes 'Mato Anomalies' stand out is its unique gameplay mechanics.”
“With its engaging story, charming cast of characters, and solid RPG mechanics, 'Mato Anomalies' is a game that all role-playing game fans will enjoy, especially fans of the Persona series, by which the game is greatly influenced.”
“However, there is a severe lack of bosses for side quests; fighting the same two bosses in every lair during an entire chapter does start to take its toll, especially since the different mechanics are only really utilized during the main story.”
“One point I didn't like: the story has these big moments of drama, but very limited gameplay mechanics to support these. Whereas in a big-budget game, maybe a QTE sequence would have been used, here you sometimes get sent to a short dungeon section in the middle of a story beat, because this is the only 'action mode' the game knows, and it never really works.”
“However, for all the ambition on display, it's let down by uninspired combat, repetitive level design, clunky exploration, frustrating card mechanics, and writing that just never manages to engage.”
- music12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its variety, memorable compositions, and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers noted the enjoyable beats and diverse instrumentation, with specific highlights like a full 3-minute music video for a character event. While the gameplay has its flaws, the soundtrack stands out as a significant strength, contributing to the game's unique ambiance.
“The music is good though, it has nice beats, different instruments and is an enjoyable listen.”
“Absolutely great background music, sound design, and voices.”
“The atmospheric soundtrack further enhances the experience, creating an otherworldly ambiance that adds to the game’s mystique.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their quality and artistic style, offering a visually engaging experience that enhances gameplay. The diverse environments, particularly the dungeons, are noted for their distinct moods and visuals, contributing to a rich atmosphere. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, some players feel that they may not be enough to compensate for other shortcomings in the game.
“The strongest point of this game is definitely its visuals.”
“The art style is great; it is an interesting mixture of styles, carefully crafted together into a whole.”
“The visual aesthetics of Telosma are great to take in.”
“Overall, hard to recommend unless the setting and graphics are enough to outweigh the bad for you.”
“What makes the dungeons okay, and somewhat distinguishable: there are many little story beats throughout a mission to prevent the obstacle course padding effect, a bit like flavor text in an old crawler where the text had to compensate for the basic graphics.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by cyberpunk elements, effectively portraying a world of downtrodden and exploited individuals. Despite some rough edges, the strong writing, character development, and atmospheric soundtrack contribute to an immersive and otherworldly noir sci-fi experience, enhancing the overall mood and thematic depth.
“It draws some inspiration from cyberpunk and a few other places, doing a great job at creating an atmosphere of downtrodden and exploited people.”
“The atmospheric soundtrack further enhances the experience, creating an otherworldly ambiance that adds to the game’s mystique.”
“Excellent story, very relevant themes, great imagery, and a strong atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite some interesting concepts, the overall atmosphere fails to engage, leaving players feeling disconnected.”
“The game's atmosphere is inconsistent, with moments of potential overshadowed by a lack of cohesive design.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of gameplay, with some players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in titles like Mato Anomalies. While some enjoy the challenge and are willing to invest time in grinding for rewards, others struggle with difficulty spikes and find the experience frustrating. Overall, the necessity of grinding can be a double-edged sword, appealing to some RPG fans while deterring others.
“I passed over the normal ending and skipped right to the secret hard ending and just could not beat it. I put in quite a bit of grinding and played the DLC but just couldn't figure it out.”
“If you are looking for an RPG that requires grinding and you don’t mind the repetition, you might enjoy Mato Anomalies.”
“[very dialog heavy, some lower budget quirks, some grinding required]”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is marked by a diverse and interesting character design, though the quality varies. The integration of background art and philosophical elements enhances the overall experience, complemented by an enjoyable soundtrack that enriches the narrative.
“The world and character design is different enough to be interesting.”
“Background art, character design, world design, and even pseudo-philosophical intermezzos, with their own audio tracks and ambience, paint a very pretty picture after a while.”
“Thankfully, its character design is good, and the soundtrack keeps you occupied.”
“The character designs are a bit more varied in quality.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with them.”
“I found the character arcs predictable and uninspired, which diminished my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for significant performance issues, including stuttering and lag, which detract from the overall experience. Additionally, players note repetitive gameplay elements and minor performance hiccups, contributing to a lack of engagement.
“The game runs with a lot of issues, stuttering and lagging to the point of just putting down the console and walking away.”
“Far too much repetition in combat, lackluster enemy designs and uninspired attack options, overly simplistic and repetitive dungeons, card game sequences quickly grow stale and frustrating, poor writing with too much technobabble and weak characters, along with a few minor performance issues.”
Critic Reviews
Mato Anomalies
Mato Anomalies is a prime example of the journey being more important than the destination.
80%Mato Anomalies Review
Mato Anomalies mixes mystery, turn-based battles, and card-building all into one game with a great look and fun characters. If you like futuristic neo-noir games with a JRPG feel, this title is going to be one you will want to look into, even with a lack of distinct enemies.
75%Mato Anomalies [PC] | REVIEW
Mato Anomalies is an intriguing RPG that has some cool ideas and an engrossing narrative, but some of its basic gameplay mechanics fall short of the mark. Nothing is outright bad at all, but with combat being a little basic and the dungeon design a little boring, RPG enthusiasts are unlikely to be blown away by the experience. It’s a shame too because I loved the narrative and the dual-protagonist approach is cleverly implemented, whilst the world itself feels great to explore. It just doesn’t offer enough to make up for the fact that the other elements of the game could get repetitive fast.
65%
