We tried an interesting combination of RPGs from a team from Mato Anomalies, Shanghai

The Chinese video game market has always been a kind of Bermuda Triangle for those hanging around. It’s difficult to analyze in depth for many enthusiasts due to language barriers (and other natures), but in recent years it has started to open up seriously to the West as well. Oh my God… Actually, it’s actually not right to talk about the “opening” given that the market in these regions is more streamlined than ever and still extremely complex for experts to explore. In fact, the changes stem more than anything from our growing interest in their developers, who have proven to be far more proficient and valid than we expected (despite the widespread tendency to imitate other formulas).

So today we find ourselves with a video game ecosystem where the weight of China is becoming more and more important (mainly due to the strength of giants like Tencent and the like) and a number of Chinese-based development teams, small and large, acting with more security than expected. their first steps in our landscape. Such a team ArrowizIt must have piqued Koch Media’s interest, because recently Try Mato Anomalies: Bizarre RPGs included in the “Prime Matter” program. The demo wasn’t as long-lived or detailed as it could be, but it turned out to be much richer in variables than we expected.

Demons, detectives and cyberspace?

Mato Anomalies is clearly a title with more than one inspiration. The look is very reminiscent of a paler and less bright version of the last Atlus Persona, and three-dimensional maps The game – which can be discovered with a skin on the back of the protagonist – features the same stylized NPCs with largely featureless faces. Arrowiz tried to give everything a bit of uniqueness in a mid-50s and cyberpunk setting where the grayness of old-fashioned buildings contrasted sharply with neon lights and some ultra-tech elements. view. It’s not exactly a classy fusion, but the initial effect is interesting and the stylization of the elements helps to give it a certain naturalness.

You play the role of a named investigator deerA woman named Nightshade – an informant with considerable power in the city of Mato, where it all seems to happen – is hired to investigate mysterious events that occurred during some illegal trade in goods. Said that way, it would have sounded like a movie noir prequel if the “mysterious events” hadn’t turned out to be linked to an actual alternate dimension inhabited by demonic creatures; to the intervention of a strange “shaman” named Gram.

Confused? Understandably, on the other hand, everything happens at great speed in the demo we tested, and it’s pretty clear how the team wanted to introduce the narrative without too many frills. In any case, it’s a premise with good potential, and with more careful management of the beats, it could also result in more than just a good story. However, it is of course not possible to judge its qualities only from the opening bars; Too simple for this kind of game.

Arrowiz’s work seems quite ambitious in terms of content. The opening lines took us to a limited number of maps, but the city of Mato has one. map fully visible on the go (not open to visitors in the demo), which gave us the impression that it was pretty comprehensive. If you add to this the other settings and the settings where the fights take place, we can deal with a long-lasting RPG.

Multiple JRPGs in one

Outside of the exploratory stages – quite simple indeed – Gameplay Based mainly on turn-based battles by Mato Anomalies. However, the developers decided to mix the cards up a bit, using two different systems, one linked to Gram and the other to Doe. In the alternate dimension, only Gram can actually damage enemies, and the fights take place just like in a classic JRPG: There are moves with variable recovery times from various effects that can be used in well-defined encounters when exploring linear maps. (or it was the first and only map of its kind we’ve come across). These aren’t detailed or more original than your average mechanics, but we’ve just had a taste of them, and the presence of slots and a weapon system for other characters means things will undoubtedly get more complicated as you progress through the campaign.

In any case, the hero’s detective is not always forced to take a non-violent path. In the final stage of our experiment, ours actually has one. special gloves to reprogram minds.

When this happens, you switch to a slightly different battle system than the one described above, to win a battle it is necessary to reset a large health bar protected by timed summons to zero and use a battle. card deck. These skirmishes are distinctly tactical compared to normal ones, as cards have multiple offensive and defensive effects, and on the first encounter you need to carefully calculate your action points and resources to avoid taking an exaggerated amount of damage from enemy counterattacks. (or let their virtual guard live too long). It is precisely this that tickles us the most between the two systems, and we often wonder if it will be an alternative to the basic conflicts or a simple variant to break the rhythm a bit. However, at the moment it is not even clear whether it will even be possible to customize one’s action “deck” for these challenges between brains in cyberspace, or to be self-empowered in some way.

In short, even if Arrowiz’s work doesn’t shine for prolific values ​​and originality, there are predecessors for a more varied and profound title than average. If the narrative proves to be valuable, and the battles described above develop properly during progression, Mato Anomalies may well come as a surprise among RPGs.