We have recently had the opportunity to try Mato Anomalies, a new JRPG from Prime Matter and the Chinese studio Arrowiz, and it has caught our attention. Before continuing, we have to clarify that we have tested the game in its PC version through Steam, but the game will be released on Xbox platforms when it is officially released.
Mato Anomalies is set in Mato, a futuristic and cyberpunk version of Shanghai. The setting is one of the strong points of this title, presenting a very interesting mix between the most classic oriental style and more futuristic and electronic touches, like the ones we might expect in works like Ghost in the Shell. All this presented with a well-crafted artistic style that is reminiscent on more than one occasion of the one used in titles like Persona 5. The graphics are not the best, the textures and modeling are not great, but the art achieves a great result creating a very attractive setting.
We will have various animated scenes in the form of comics, which, although they fulfill their function, feel with a somewhat “strange” rhythm and transitions, as if they were unfinished. They may still be being worked on, but they have been a low point in our impressions. In addition to this, there are also other types of scenes based purely on text, without dubbing, and featuring 2D art of the characters, similar to that seen in graphic novels and other JRPGs.
During our short game time we were able to test as well the combat system, which works in turns in a very similar way to titles like Dragon Quest XI. At least at this point in the title (it could change as we go along or if they add new elements between now and launch) the system is pretty basic. We have a series of commands that will unleash a certain type of attack, without too much complexity beyond that. We understand that the system will get more complex later in the game, but at least from what we’ve tested it’s a bit basic.
Something that has particularly caught our attention is the existence of a mini card game which promises to be quite broad and complex. This minigame is used to “hack” the minds of other characters, an activity that we must carry out when we need to extract information from them and convince them to do things for us. Kind of like an eloquence minigame. We have been surprised by the freshness and originality of a minigame of this style, however, the rules of its operation are not fully explained, so we hope that it will have a detailed tutorial for the final release of the title.
Not counting much the story of Mato Anomalies, which seems to have a strong presence throughout the title, puts us at the feet of Doe, a detective who must gather information about a series of strange events. Although we have not been able to learn much about the story, he is quite intriguing and shows off a series of charismatic characters with good designs.
We tried Mato Anomalies, a promising JRPG that will arrive on Xbox in 2023
Mato Anomalies has pleasantly surprised us. Coming from the hand of practically unknown developers, we have come across a title with the potential to become one of the best RPGs of the coming yearalthough it is a potential that remains to be seen, since everything will depend on how the quality of the title advances as we advance further in it and as it is polished from here to the moment of its release.