This post was a part of the My Collection series.
Most melee action games take place in third person, but Maken X on the Dreamcast is a rare exception. The game instead opts for a first person perspective. It’s a bit awkward and floaty but the rest of the game easily makes up for it. You basically start as a girl using a sword with a face on it before switching bodies with a variety of different characters who have unique play styles.
While Maken X is not a part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, it seems to loosely fall into the franchise with the same pale characters and bizarre monster designs. I haven’t played a SMT game, but it feels like Maken X might share the same kind of tone that I’ve seen from those. The game actually has a significant number of paths and endings, although I never explored them all myself.
If you’re into something that’s a bit weird, but not in a usual zany kind of way, Maken X is probably worth your time. There’s also a PS2 release that only came out in Japan and Europe, which switched the game to a third person perspective.
