An ambitious plot carries Mato Anomalies’ turn-based journey.
In a world where some of the strongest examples of incredible video game experiences that could be considered masterpieces are RPGs, it is a courageous endeavor to try to create one. Especially when it could be compared to others in its same vein. Mato Anomalies, published by Prime Matter and Plaion, and developed by Chinese studio Arrowiz, is a new RPG trying to recreate that same lightning in a bottle captured by its predecessors.
Mato Anomalies was initially previewed in October 2022 to promising comments from gaming media, unfairly garnering comparisons to juggernauts in the gaming landscape even though Mato Anomalies is without a doubt, a AA game with a smaller scope by a relatively young studio founded in 2016.
Going into the experience without much knowledge except it being an RPG, you’d be forgiven for wanting to be dropped straight into the action, but the game itself is three experiences in one. Half Visual Novel, half turn-based combat and half card game. So Mato Anomalies does drop you right into the narrative with a heavy exposition dump.
When starting any new game and learning new concepts, it is necessary to establish ground rules for the player to understand and follow. From what is possible to what is real in this fantasy world, and sadly Mato Anomalies struggles to suspend your disbelief and develop a real sense of risk and worldbuilding from the beginning, causing it difficult to follow in its 30+ hour playtime.
You wake up in a neo-futuristic Shanghai being threatened by criminals as Doe, a Private Detective with a fame for being too good at his job, and requested to join Nightshade, a queen of the underworld, to investigate certain anomalies occurring in the city of Mato. Without going into too much detail, one of the strongest aspects of Mato Anomalies, as it should be with any Visual Novel, is its narrative, although it’s not saying much in a game such as this one.
Mato Anomalies benefits much from its side quests as it gives much-needed backstory and background to the universe around you as a detective. Naturally, be prepared to read for several minutes, as not much happens other than tidbits of dialogue and information being exchanged. Side quests are relatively short, and while they feed into the overarching narrative with stories relating to gang fights, family disputes and class warfare conflicts, they usually leave you wanting for more as they abruptly end and leave much to the imagination.
An aspect that should be mentioned regarding the story is how it is told. Cutscenes, comic book-style scenes, and text-based dialogues comprise the faulty narrative. The voice acting is well done, but the cutscene animations are not spectacular and expected of a low-budget video game. As with any great work of fiction, both the main storyline and side quests should connect and feed to its overarching plot, but it feels that the more you progress, all the different characters and groups you meet operate distinctly and with very little cohesion.
Once Mato Anomalies lets you wander, it is easy to appreciate its art style, as the areas you explore resemble a clear aesthetic from 1920s Paris. Considering the smaller scale of the game, several environments and painted backgrounds look quite appealing. Visual cues from classic works of art such as Blade Runner also abound in Mato. Although there is no minimap to guide you in the main areas, they are not needed as Mato Anomalies’ maps are compact and are made up of several alleys, so it is near impossible to get lost in them. A bright point to look forward to when moving around the city is that, yes, you can pet both dogs and cats.
Eventually, Mato Anomalies’ plot leads to the other element of the game, turn-based combat, after transferring to a dungeon called “Lair”, full of “Bane Tide”, which are monsters created by the cognition and emotions of people. The combat starts as simple as can be, with one simple slash attack to slowly ease you into it, revealing a few more options as you level up. The monster designs are nothing to write home about, as they are a not too creative mix of either real-life animals, mechanical contraptions or geometric shapes.
The way combat works is certainly unique in its approach. All the members in your party share the same amount of HP and experience, so that simplifies and incentivizes a team-based strategy from the beginning. They also share items called Gears which are chips that give certain advantages in battle such as increasing the critical rate or damage done. All team members must be manually equipped with their own weapons and skill points, and that is where you decide each team member’s specialty as a healer, attacker, and so forth.
As you progress through the story, the combat does get more complex. More strategy is needed to succeed against the bosses of each Lair as you inch closer to the ending, as attack cancellations, status effects, and one-hit kills aimed to defeat your party in one go are more common. The more party members you recruit, the more varied your playstyle can be as well, ranging from an offensive, defensive or debuff focused team. The attacks and overall encounters feel uninspired, as flashier movesets could keep the player more engaged in its moment to moment combat. Although there is a powerful “Ultimate” attack that is animated and allows you to turn the tide of battle in your favor.
An interesting element from the gameplay is the randomly generated dungeons, called Random Lairs, that let you grind to your heart’s content, which is known to be the bread and butter of any respectable RPG. No random encounters are also worth mentioning, as all enemies are in front of your path and need to be beaten so that you may progress. All dungeons, or Lairs, in a similar way to the main area, are also extremely straightforward to navigate, with simple puzzles that can be solved with a few clicks here and there. Nevertheless, there is a minimap in these areas as they do become a bit bigger the more you explore.
Lastly, there’s the card based game called Mind/Hack, that as the name suggests, makes you hack into the person’s mind to continue your investigations and move forward with the story. That area of the game seemed the least focused, as the gameplay seemed terribly dull & unbalanced. When fighting against the mind of the person that you need to hack, it seemed that they were overpowered most of the time. Luckily, after losing for three times, the game unlocks a Skip option, as if the devs knew you would rather choose to omit this part of the experience.
The musicalization of Mato Anomalies feels well done, for the most part. You start with an unsettling, mysterious sound effect that alerts you of the strange world you are about to get into. At some point, the laid back jazz sounds fill the world worthy of the lens the main character, a PI, sees around him. The music in the battle encounters seems the one with most need for variety, as it would have benefitted from a more snazzy soundtrack as the songs become repetitive after several hours of gameplay.
Regarding performance, no game breaking bugs or glitches were found which is considered a big plus in today’s gaming landscape. Light stutters when changing a scene or using potions to recover did seem to occur often, though it could be fixed with a patch down the line. Several options, such as difficulty setting and battle speed, also make Mato Anomalies more palatable. Helpful tutorials from the start and accessible throughout the playthrough also make playing Mato Anomalies a streamlined experience.
Mato Anomalies is not an inherently bad game, it just feels like the repetition of menial tasks slows any momentum the ambitious RPG has going for itself. As it wraps up its 30 hour runtime with a strong twist & solid epilogue boss fight, Mato Anomalies benefits from its smaller scope as it doesn’t overstay its welcome in its eight chapters. With its fair starting price of 40 USD, it knows what it is aiming for, and some might find enjoyment in the different factors the game has to offer.
