Mato Anomalies Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Mato Anomalies is a hodgepodge of ideas and motifs that works, for the most part, but suffers from trying to do too much with too little. It's aspirational, but the experience as a whole suffers from poor pacing and repetition, and comes off feeling like just another mediocre JRPG as a result, despite some original ideas.

Set in a neo-futuristic city called Mato, a mysterious place shut off from the rest of the world, you play as dual protagonists Doe and Gram. Doe is a detective, and through his eyes, you'll explore these gritty streets. You'll meet its eccentric citizens, chase up leads, engage in visual novel-esque discussions, and unravel the mystery at the heart of this surreal story.

Gram, meanwhile, is a Shaman, a sort of spiritual street samurai who hunts creatures known as the Bane Tide, which inhabit metaphysical rifts throughout the city known as Lairs. Together, Doe and Gram investigate the strange goings-on taking place all over Mato in typical hardbitten sci-fi noir fashion, replete with a massive holographic advertising woman on loan from the Blade Runner collection.

The story itself can be tough to follow, full of the kind of high-minded philosophising common to this kind of setting. Reality, what it means to be human, that kind of thing. It's a shame, too, because certain characters definitely have potential (Gram and Butterfly particularly) and are wasted running back and forth interacting with forgettable NPCs. These supporting characters are, unfortunately, portrayed as faceless as a stylistic choice, which only serves to make each less memorable.

The city of Mato itself is evocative enough, but navigating it quickly becomes a chore. While you can, blessedly, fast travel between its various districts