Mato Anomalies

Genre: Turn-Based RPG / Card RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Mato Anomalies, released in 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is a game that combines Turn-Based RPG and Card RPG elements in a game set in a vaguely cyberpunk setting that seems like it was clearly inspired by a combination of Blade Runner and the Persona games.

While it’s an interesting blend of elements that makes for at times striking aesthetics, Mato Anomalies’ attempt at making sure the game and its story are drenched in worldbuilding is ham-fisted in a way that comes at great expense to the clarity of the game’s story. You’re in a city called Mato which is a futuristic version of Shanghai… or maybe it’s just an echo of Shanghai in some sort of purgatory? And you follow a detective called Doe who is coerced into helping local businesswoman (and maybe mob boss?) Nightshade in tracking a drug (or maybe it’s some other sort of mysterious substance?) called Handout, which you soon find is connected to mysterious pocket dimensions stalked by monsters called Bane Tide, who Doe can’t fight but is soon saved by the mysterious Gram, a sword-wielding “shaman” seeking to destroy the Bane Tide.

Among all of this, I don’t feel like I was ever given any reason to care about Mato, Doe, Gram, Handout, or the Bane Tide. Are Handout and the Bane Tide some sort of threat to the people of Mato? If so, it’s not immediately apparent. And as for the people this story focuses on, we’re not introduced to them in a way that gives us a clear sense of who they are or what their backstories are. Heck, I still don’t understand where this game takes place or when.

As for the rest of the presentation, Mato Anomalies does at least look visually-interesting, with its Blade Runner-meets-Persona vibe clearly shining through, with some striking locales and interesting-looking cel-shaded 3D characters, backed by a moody soundtrack that works well for the game’s tone and setting. However, there are definitely some graphical anomalies here- tons of aliasing made worse by a fairly low resolution, screen-tearing, and occasional framerate hitches.

The gameplay is split between wandering the game’s 3D locales, engaging in traditional RPG battles with the Bane Tide, and taking part in Card RPG battles in mind-hacking segments. Each of these elements is okay but feel under-developed – the RPG stuff doesn’t do anything especially noteworthy, the Card RPG lacks depth, and the exploration elements are stifled by restrictive and somewhat mazelike environments without a lot to do in them.

However, all of this is made far worse by some absolutely atrocious pacing. You’ll walk to a destination, get a loading screen, get an in-game cutscene with a text conversation between characters, get a loading screen, trudge along to the train station to get to a new location, get a long loading screen, get to your next destination, get a loading screen, get another text conversation, get a loading screen, trudge back to the train station, get another long loading screen… you get the point. Between all the text and loading screens and walking from point A to point B, you’ll find it’s quite a long time between RPG battles or card battles. And even in the RPG-style dungeons, enemies are pretty well spaced apart, so there’s even more walking.

In the end, there’s very little about Mato Anomalies to be enthusiastic about. The story isn’t concerned with making the player understand what’s going on or care about the characters, the RPG and Card RPG elements are shallow and uninspired, and the game’s pacing is absolutely atrocious. Just about the only good thing here is the aesthetic based on the concept of “Blade Runner meets Persona”, but without using that concept for anything worthwhile, I cannot possibly recommend this game to anyone.

tl;dr – Mato Anomalies is a game that combines Turn-Based RPG and Card RPG elements in a world that’s seemingly inspired by a combination of Blade Runner and Persona. While that may seem like an enticing combination of elements, the story is poorly told and doesn’t give players any reason to care about its characters or world, the RPG and Card RPG elements are shallow and uninventive, and the game is plagued by horrendous pacing issues. This game’s concept may have some merit, but the execution makes for something that I can’t recommend.

Grade: C-

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