Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo

Nintendo World ReportDonald Theriault

6.5/10

Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo is a good first attempt at a loot mech game from Arc. I think some of the issues could be worked out in a sequel, which coincidentally - or not - launched just after the Switch release of Operation Tokyo. It plays well on a handheld with the short missions, just pop the volume down a bit and move the headphones over to something else.

Nintendo LifeGonçalo Lopes

6/10

Damascus Gear Operation Tokyo is a competent slice of mech/dungeon crawler action fest that will mostly serve those who love both genres well. Other gamers might want to look somewhere else for their Switch action fix. There is nothing wrong with the core game and we certainly had quite a bit of fun merrily boosting and slashing metal monstrosities into exploding debris of metal, but the game would benefit from a little more visual spectacle to go with the simulated reality of controlling a giant bipedal tank. Despite its age and not being able to shake off its mobile roots, it is (as of writi...

Push SquareRobert Ramsey

6/10

There's a really neat premise at the heart of Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo – a downloadable title that's destined to be completely overlooked by most. In a post-apocalyptic future where mankind's on its last legs and Japan is little more than a smouldering ruin, machines known as Rage stalk the desolate landscape, scouring forgotten cities for surviving humans in order to erase them. It's a grim future, that's for sure, but at least it gives us an opportunity to face extinction in style, taking on our Rage aggressors by piloting our own giant robots known as Gears.

RPGamerAlex Fuller

Mecha RPGs have been sadly lacking in the West for the last decade. Arc System Works is perhaps hoping to start a revival with this short, but fairly sweet, isometric action title.

There really is not a lot to say about Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo, where it does excel is that the gameplay is tight and the loot system is addictive. The narrative however is a bore, so oftentimes it does feel like there’s no real point to it and the stakes in the characters isn’t high enough to feel any connection to the game. The sequel is actually out on other systems right now and is hopefully a bit deeper than this one. I’d only recommend this one for a quick burst and a bit of fun, because it doesn’t offer anything substantial.