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I think mecha action role-playing game (RPG) Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is worth checking out. While clearly taking inspiration from the Xenoblade Chronicles series - particularly Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition - it nonetheless boasts excellent customization options and some very neat ideas all its own.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: September 5, 2025

If you like fine-tuning mech builds and applying your own stamp of visual flair, a la Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, then Titanic Scion will definitely scratch that itch. Parts, weapons, and auxiliary equipment are all individual pieces of gear, allowing you to build a loadout to suit your specific play style and preferences. You can then also apply distinct color schemes and decals for a more personal touch.

The game’s fusion system is similarly brilliant, altering your character’s appearance in alarmingly eldritch fashion and unlocking new abilities for your mech suit and its various weapon types. For me, this was Titanic Scion’s coolest feature, and it was always fun to see what kinds of crazy combinations would come as a result of the fusion system.

It’s a shame that everything else surrounding these great elements feels half-baked. Its story, characters, and voice acting range from nonsensical at best to downright annoying at worst. Those big explorable open areas are also shockingly lifeless, with little to do outside of setting up supply outposts, finding the odd bit of loot, or mining for resources. Interior locations are even worse, with bland corridor-like design and endlessly respawning enemies to deal with.

It’s all capped off with combat that feels rather listless. There’s little impact on your attacks, and some of the slower, heavier weapon types are rendered useless thanks to the game’s relatively fast pace.

Ultimately, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a game I want to love, and it’s got plenty going for it. There are just far too many frustrations present to wholeheartedly recommend it to a wider audience. But if you love mech suits and strong customization elements, it’s definitely worth a look, especially as it has a playable demo.

Against the world

(Image credit: Marvelous)

Take out your notebook, because Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion’s plot involves a lot of quirky terminology that can be quite difficult to parse in its initial hours. Essentially, the plot revolves around a planetary conflict between humans and a race known as ‘Outers’. Outers are capable of turning themselves and humans into Immortals, monstrous creatures that vary in size and power. Both sides also make use of a substance called Femto - crystallized Immortal remains - to power both themselves and their ‘Arsenal’ mech suits.

It’s a lot at first, but the story really boils down to ‘humanity rises up to fight a genetically enhanced, technologically superior evil empire’. The main cast of villains, then, is a group known as the Neun; nine high-ranking Outer generals, each with their own specialties.

I’m not really a fan of the story for various reasons. It’s fairly cookie-cutter, and its cast of characters range from bland to insufferable, with few that are actually outright likable or well-written. But one aspect I do like is that our player character - whom you customize via a character creator at the start of the game - is an Outer that reluctantly sides with the humans to get revenge against their masters.

It’s certainly the most interesting part of the plot. Many members of the Reclaimers (that’s the resistance outfit we ally ourselves with) are understandably wary and slow to trust our character. And we also don’t do ourselves any favors by being brash and rude towards human characters. However, we are the Reclaimers’ wild card, so it’s usually down to us to sort things out and pull its other members out of the various fires they find themselves in.

Built to last

(Image credit: Marvelous)

So the story’s not much to write home about, but it thankfully does not get in the way of what Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion does really, really well. And that’s customization. Being a game where you’re spending 99% of your time in a mech suit, you want to make sure it’s a place you can call home. Titanic Scion delivers that feeling in spades.

Best bit

(Image credit: Marvelous)

I absolutely love the fusion system in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. Effectively a way to unlock new active and passive abilities for your suit and weapons, it also biologically alters your character in unpredictable ways. From sprouting veiny wings and stony shoulders to glowing tattoo-like marks, it always felt fun to jump into the goo chamber to see what horrifying mutations would happen to my character next.

Firstly, your Arsenal suit is broken down into various parts: head, torso, legs, and left and right vambraces. These usually come in light, medium, and heavyweight flavors, though some parts offer additional perks like better laser weapon defence or increased stamina or Femto reserves.

Then there are the weapons, of which there are loads of different types. One and two-handed swords, maces, mauls, laser blades, bows, Gatling guns, and even fist-type weapons that quite literally pack a punch. You can equip up to four weapons on your suit, and you also have space for a shoulder-mounted weapon and auxiliary unit like homing missiles, shields, or an ammunition pack.

Your character and their Arsenal suit can also be customized aesthetically, using a wide range of color palettes, text, decals, clothing, and facial features. At your home base, you can change your look at any time entirely for free, so Titanic Scion does a great job of encouraging you to mix things up from time to time.

Build variety feels truly limitless, and while the breakneck pace of combat renders some options borderline useless, I still can’t help but appreciate the sheer variety of equipment on offer. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to try out different styles, too, as enemies out in the field routinely drop Arsenal parts and the like on death.

That leads me into the loot system, which I wasn’t sure of at first, but did grow to like quite a bit. Basically, fallen enemies and bosses often house multiple pieces of loot, but you can only choose one before the wreckage dissolves. Often, this means you’ll have to think carefully about which items you want to pick up. A stat-boosting vambrace might be the way to go, but if you’ve run low on healing items, grabbing a healing spray from the corpse might not be a bad idea, either.

Fusion frenzy

(Image credit: Marvelous)

Customizing your character and Arsenal doesn’t stop there. Partway through the game, you’ll be introduced to fusion, which your character, as an Outer, can make liberal use of. While you’re out exploring, you can occasionally pick up DNA from fallen enemies as loot, and certain combinations of DNA can unlock various weapon skills and ancillary abilities, such as providing you with an auto-dodge or cloaking.

Take this DNA to the fusion chamber at home base, and it’ll be integrated into your character, permanently unlocking these abilities. The trade-off is that fusion can drastically alter your character’s physical appearance, too, turning them into a bit of a monstrosity - and that’s awesome.

Seeing your character grow increasingly more eldritch as you pile up fusions is a clever method of visual progression and storytelling. And while you can reset to your default appearance for a hefty credits fee, you likely won’t have such funds until near the end of the game.

Fusion is where your build really comes alive. The abilities you unlock can be set to each weapon type so long as they’re compatible with that weapon. Examples include an overhead strike with blades or a Matrix-style spin-and-shoot technique with various firearms. Some are certainly more powerful than others, but the ceiling for player expression here is impressively high.

Don't stop to smell the roses

(Image credit: Marvelous)

With such a strong showing on the customization and build variety fronts, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion would be well on its way to a glowing review. Unfortunately, many of its other aspects fall well short of providing a decently enjoyable experience.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the game’s large, open maps, one area where it takes clear inspiration from developer Monolith Soft’s much-praised RPG series. In Titanic Scion, however, these areas are visually bland and really don’t offer much in the way of rewarding exploration.

At best, you’ll come across a cave network or underground bunker to check out for additional loot, but I couldn’t stomach doing more than a handful of these. They have largely identical layouts and rely on a very boxy, corridor-like design that’s just a slog to get through.

Despite the size of the world, it immediately feels rather small, as your Arsenal suit has the ability to fly at great speeds. While this in itself is cool and can feel quite liberating, being given such a function right at the start of the game disincentivizes exploring these areas properly. But even then, you’re largely running into simple things like setting up supply outposts, small pockets of enemies, and the odd emergent quest.

Speaking of quests, side missions are especially dull. Often boiling down to simple fetch quests or taking out a pack of baddies, they rarely offer anything rewarding or narratively compelling. And that’s a shame, as you’ll need to spend much of the early game ticking off these missions to build up funds and materials for Arsenal parts and home base improvements.

Should you play Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion?Play it if...

You want heaps of mecha customization
This is what the game does best. Tons of build variety mixed with the excellent fusion system offers players plenty of ways to find a playstyle and aesthetic that suits them. I absolutely loved this aspect of the game.

You enjoy simple, straightforward combat
While I lament its rather shallow combat, Titanic Scion keeps things straightforward and easy to learn, an advantage of which is that it makes builds you may not have considered using fairly easy to grasp.

Don't buy it if...

You were hoping for rich exploration
It’s not a world you can really get lost in for hours on end, as we see with the Xenoblade series. It’s unfortunately bland and lacking in meaningful activities or striking vistas.

Accessibility

There’s a good amount of accessibility options in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion.

Protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia colorblind settings are available, and you can adjust the filter intensity of them. Controls are fully customizable, and you can even adjust the size and position of all HUD elements.

Further tweaks, like individual vibration values for various actions, are also welcome.

How I reviewed Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

I put in around 25 hours into Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion for this review. I played the game on PlayStation 5, primarily using the DualSense Wireless Controller, on an LG CX OLED TV.

Those 25 hours were enough to see the game to its conclusion, as well as tick off a handful of side missions, some exploration of the world, and the optional one-on-one colosseum battles at the home base.

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Baseus Inspire XC1: Two minute review

In every headphone niche there are going to be the big-name players, and there are going to be the little-known challengers offering a more affordable or even more novel take on the form factor, and it’s no different with clip-on, cuff-style sets, which still count among the best open earbuds we've tested.

Open earbuds are a type of headphone which intentionally doesn’t block out surrounding sound, letting you hear what’s going on when you’re working out, going on a run outdoors or are on your commute, and clip-ons are one style which clips onto your ear, in a kind of cuff style, rather than a hook style that snakes behind the curve of your ear.

While this form factor is dominated by names like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and, more recently, the Shokz OpenDots One, a few other brands offer something different, and Baseus is now one of them.

The Baseus Inspire XC1 are the third 'clipping' headphone from Baseus, so you’d hope the brand has some expertise it can bring. Their pitch is that they fix open-ears’ common sound quality problems by bringing Bose-tuned audio, support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC availability, all for a relatively modest price.

To that end it was claimed at launch that the XC1 were the first open earbuds with two drivers per bud, an assertion which the aforementioned Shokz OpenDots One might take issue with, but that certainly shows a focus on sound quality.

It’s ironic, then, that the sound quality was a weaker point for these open earbuds. The sonic profile is warm yet ill-defined, so bass lacks punch and trebles and mids are missing something themselves. While some fitness users might enjoy this kind of indistinct wall of noise (something to tune out with, while focusing on your workout), audiophiles aren’t going to be impressed.

I also found that the buds’ bridge could pinch over long listening periods, which isn’t ideal, but I do mean long – I could listen for several hours before noticing the issue, so it won’t be a problem everyone faces. And the fit is reliable beyond that.

I’m starting this synopsis with two negatives, but there’s a lot to like about the Inspire XC1 beyond these pitfalls. The battery life is longer than on many rivals, for one thing, and the equalizer is advanced with several presets and plenty of customization. Also, the touch controls are easy-to-use and convenient.

That last point in particular is something I want to emphasize. The vast majority of headphones and earbuds do touch controls terribly but Baseus' solution was simple and easy – other brands could learn a thing or two here.

As mentioned above, the Baseus also undercuts both Bose's and Shokz’ alternatives, and offers good value for money when you compare their feature sets and audio qualities. If you don’t want to stretch your budget to reach for those pricier options, the Baseus Inspire XC1 option could be a good compromise.

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Specifications

Component

Value

Water resistant

IP66

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Weight

5.5g / Charging case: 55g

Driver

1x 10.8mm, 1x tweeter

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced in September 2025
• Priced at $129 (roughly £100, AU$200)
• Undercuts many rivals

The Baseus Inspire XC1 were released at the annual tech conference IFA in September 2025, alongside the XH1 over-ear headphones and XP1 in-ear buds.

At retail price, the Inspire XC1 cost $129 (roughly £100 or AU$200 but TechRadar wasn’t provided international release information prior to launch).

That price is in the ballpark of rivals, confirming that the Baseus product undercuts lots of its competition to a greater or lesser degree; the Huawei FreeClip, Shokz OpenDots and Bose Ultra Open earbuds all cost increasingly more.

But there are some well-respected options for cheaper still, including the JLab Flex Open and Anker Soundcore C40i. And let's not forget, Baseus itself has two other alternatives that undercut this, in the MC1 and BC1.

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Bud and counterweight connected by small hook
• Lightweight but can pinch after extended use
• Easy-to-use touch controls

For those of you who skipped the intro, the Baseus Inspire XC1 is a clip-style (or cuff-style, if you prefer) open-ear earbud. The latter hyphenation indicates that these are earbuds which don’t block your ear, so you can hear your surroundings, and the former signifies that instead of using a sports loop to hover over your ear, they clip onto your auricle, using a small earbud which nestles into your ear and a counterweight behind the ear which are linked by a plastic bridge.

Clipping earbuds always look frightfully unreliable but that’s rarely the case, and it’s not true for the XC1 either: the buds’ hold is reliable and I went on many hours of runs without any slipping or falling. However, it does pinch a little which, although only noticeable after sustained use, means they can stop being comfortable if you’re listening for long amounts of time. I also found myself knocking the behind-the-ear counterweight with my shoulder on occasion when I was stretching or rolling my head, but those were rare cases.

Each bud weighs roughly 5.5g, so they tip the scales to a similar degree as rivals, and they have an IP66 rating which certifies them against any kind of solid particles like dust, as well as high-pressure water jets… I think. Elsewhere in the information Baseus provided to TechRadar, it referred to the buds as having an IPX7 rating, which offers no proofing against dust but increased water resistance.

The counterweight has a small physical button, and you can customize what this does using the app – but by default, it pauses music. I found it pretty easy to pinch this to control my music once I got used to the position, and I’m glad Baseus isn’t trying to do anything more complex with its controls like some other brands.

The case weighs 54g and it’s fairly small, although that’s not saying much given that most clip-on earbuds have tiny cases. It opens horizontally and accepts either earbud in either hole, saving a lot of faff when you want to put the buds away.

• Design score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Not as many features as rivals
• Battery life is 8 hours, 40 hours with case
• EQ with lots of useful presets

The Baseus Inspire XC1 will offer you 8 hours of listening time in one go, according to the brand’s figures – my own testing didn’t raise any reasons to doubt this. That just a hair on the long side compared to lots of other rivals using this form factor.

Using the case, you can get an extra 32 hours of listening time, for 40 hours in total, and again lots of the Baseus’ rivals fall a little short.

Due to the form factor, there’s no noise cancellation – it’s not unheard of in open-ears, but it’s incredibly rare and so we don’t expect it.

Baseus offers an app with a few extra features including an equalizer, a low latency mode, the ability to customize touch controls, toggles to high-res audio and a feature I haven’t seen much of on headphones: a battery-saver mode. As someone who gets battery anxiety on long trips, this is certainly a welcome feature.

The equalizer comes with seven presets, including a Bose-designed one, but you can create your own sound mix using an eight-band EQ mode too.

I’ve never written this sentence about an earbud tie-in app before, but the Baseus app felt very slow to use on my powerful Android phone. This shouldn’t dictate your purchase decision but it’s just to say ‘no, your phone isn’t breaking down’.

• Features score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Sound performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Two drivers per bud
• Muddied sound profile
• Support for several standards

Each bud of the Baseus Inspire XC1 gets two drivers: a 10.8mm woofer for low-end sounds and a balanced armature tweeter for high-end ones that we weren’t told the size of.

It’s rare to see a dual-driver open-ear, with most manufacturers opting not to kit out earbuds that will be competing with so many background sounds, but that’s not all. The buds also support higher-resolution audio and the LDAC codec if you switch them on in the app.

Listening to music, it’s clear that the sound is good quality, and that’s especially true if you do opt to make the most of the standards offered. And so you’re probably wondering why I criticized the audio before. Well, that comes down to the tuning.

The Inspire XC1 have a warm sound profile, with the woofer coming up clutch to support lots of bass. However it’s an ill-defined kind of bass, muddy and indistinct, a that’s an issue that plagues music as a whole: treble isn’t sharp, mids are mushy.

The result is that music seems to lack a lot of energy and spark. I don’t know about you, but lifeless tunes are the last thing I want with earbuds designed for exercise.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just jump into the equalizer to fix the problem; I tried, and it didn’t really work. Other presets beyond the default (the Bose-tuned one, I must add) maintain the issue to a lesser or greater degree. If you’ve got the buds, I’d recommend opting for the Jazz Rock preset, which was the most energetic to my ears.

• Sound performance score: 3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

The Baseus XC1 undercut a decent amount of the competition, including options which don’t offer substantially more for your money, although you can get alternatives that are a lot cheaper if you shop around.

Bearing in mind the cost and what you’re actually getting for your money, they offer a reasonable value set, letting you get all of the features of pricier rivals with a few downgrades to justify the cost.

• Value score: 4/5

Baseus Inspire XC1 review: scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

While they don't match premium options in terms of feature set, they don't in price either.

4/5

Design

They're not the most comfortable open-ears I've ever used, but they're lightweight and don't fall out.

4/5

Features

The equalizer is handy but beyond that there aren't any unique features and the battery life is about average/

4/5

Sound

I wasn't wowed by the Inspire XC1's audio chops, despite the hardware, but non-fussy workers-out will find them fine.

3.5/5

Baseus Inspire XC1: Should I buy?

(Image credit: Future)Buy them if...

You want something protected
I don't often see earbuds with an IP66 rating, with most opting for less protection against dust ingress and sometimes just sweat resistance, instead of the ability to survive jets of water.

You know your way around an equalizer
I appreciate how much customization Baseus offers over your music. You've got plenty of presets for people who don't want to fuss over their tuning, and a 10-band EQ for people who do.

You don't want to stretch for a name brand
Clip-on earbuds from well-known brands cost more, but Baseus offers most of those features for a lower price, even though it's not an out-and-out budget option.

Don't buy them if...

You're an audiophile
Despite the specs, I wasn't won over by the Baseus' sound quality, as it didn't offer energy in tunes. If you need perfectly-optimized music in order to enjoy your workout, you might not enjoy these buds.

You plan to wear for long periods
I could feel the Baseus on my ear after working out for an hour or longer, so if you're about to do an ultramarthon and want something comfortable, this isn't it.

Also consider

Component

Baseus Inspire XC1

Shokz OpenDots One

Huawei FreeClip

Water resistant

IP66

IP54

IP54

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

10 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

8 hours (earbuds), 36 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.3

Weight

5.5g / Charging case: 54g

5.6g / Charging case: 52g

5.6g / Charging case: 44.5g

Driver

10.8mm, tweeter

2x 11.8mm

10.8mm

Shokz OpenDots One

For a little bit more money you can get these Shokz options, which are more comfortable to wear, sound better and come with a longer-lasting battery.

Read our full Shokz OpenDots One review

Huawei FreeClip

For roughly the same price as the Baseus, this option from well-known Chinese brand Huawei comes with similar specs in most areas. However its age means that you might be able to find it greatly discounted.

How I tested

(Image credit: Future)

I wore the Baseus Inspire XC1 for two weeks in order to write this review, which is TechRadar's standard testing time for headphones.

The buds were connected to my Android smartphone through the test. I used them on runs, on cycle rides, at the gym, on public transport, at home and on walks around my neighborhoor, mostly for music streaming but for some spoken word too.

I've been testing products for TechRadar since 2019 and this has included plenty of other workout headphones, as well as loads of open earbuds.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: September 2025

The Baseus XC1 are clip-on open earbuds with a few rough edges, but they're a valid alternative to pricier rivals.