Scarlett Nexus Review

Bandai Namco's anime-infused action-RPG Scarlet Nexus is a master at subtext games and believes they are all cowards. This title is big and bold. Even when it fails, it doesn't let that stop it from taking huge swings and pursuing its most ambitious goals.

The two protagonists are Yuito Sumeragi, a friendly and humble character, or Kasane Randall who is a warrior of the Other Suppression Force (OSF). They have been assigned to use their telekinetic abilities to defeat Other biomechanical monstrosities. As AI partners, OSF members will be there to support players in fights. You can tap into their psychic powers and make them your own. This opens up new styles of combat, such as using their super speed and invisibility.

From this straightforward premise we meet the rest of Scarlet Nexus' cast, full of bright-eyed and brightly-color-haired OSF members, with easy-to-remember gimmicks like "very competitive, with purple hair," or "wears glasses and resents you for being good at your job." The plot is jam-packed with excessive twists and turns, taking the early premise of secret anti-monster police and turning it on its head so many times that the starting line becomes impossible to recognize. This is a compliment.

Scarlet Nexus is at its narrative best when it dives headfirst into inscrutable betrayals, weird body horror monsters, and proper nouns like 'The Red Strings,' spoken in hushed, reverent tones that mean nothing to us, the players. It's like watching four different shonen anime simultaneously, causing confusion among the protagonists from two different series, and then reveling in the drama of saving the world using super-powered brains and witty monologues.

Scarlet Nexus is a good example of how to focus on the human element under all its plotlines and conflicts. This skill is credited to the show, even when it begins to stumble towards the end due to the weight of its labyrinthine lore.

Even though traversing the ruined streets of cities and the swirling iron scrap piles that you pass look very sharp, it's not difficult to see why. It's amazing how the action, with its clutter-laden battle areas, hordes enemies and numerous psychic soldiers running around it, almost never becomes cluttered. And you never lose sight your character. Each character's design ensures they stand out wherever they appear onscreen. The Others' designs have a grotesque personality, with gnarly twisted metal pieces, animal parts, and human anatomy. Although the setting may seem to blend, the characters, both human and non-human, are full of dynamic style and memorable details.

The core combat is not much beyond two melee attacks, a slow-refilling special meter and two types of melee attack. But when enemies are piled up, Scarlet Nexus' battle system never gets boring. It is incredibly satisfying to tap into the abilities of teammates, link psychic powers together and wipe out bunches of enemies. The dopamine hit of knocking down some enemies' mental defenses enough that they can be hit with an instakill Brain Crush attack was more than I expected after playing for a dozen hours.

The combat can take on a different flavor depending on the character you play. Kasane is more comfortable fighting from a distance with floating daggers. This makes her combos feel disjointed and floaty, even though they are more effective at hitting enemies at a wider range. Yuito's katana requires more up-close-and-personal attacks, but it has a satisfying sense of weight and feedback with every hit. Kasane fans such as myself find her to be a more engaging protagonist, but her combat style is less satisfying.

The combat is not a walk through the park with your favourite giant sword. Players will have to be attentive to enemy moves and be careful with their distance and dodges relative to larger opponents. Although I did not die many times, I was almost always killed. This indicates that I was subject to a more or less fair difficulty curve, which constantly forced me to pay attention and be aware of my surroundings, my enemies, and my bad habits that kept me in danger.

Sometimes the gameplay could drift from the addictive groove that made it so enjoyable. While hitting an enemy at the beginning of an encounter will lock them in, it doesn't lock them to the camera. However, locked enemies can move outside of the frame and your attacks can still be directed towards them. You won't be close enough or able hit another enemy without manually switching. Although this may seem like a small issue, when enemies move so fast, it quickly becomes an issue. You will need to swap targets constantly or drop everything to keep your eyes on one enemy.

Your player character's psychokinesis can be used as a key part of your combos. It is the only way to break enemies' armor. However, the time it takes for you to charge up makes you vulnerable to counter-attack. This can make this vital battle component feel risky, random, and counterproductive. Although Scarlet Nexus' combat sings when all systems are working together, these low notes can sometimes threaten the performance.

Scarlet Nexus' combat is not as fluid as it should. Although the skill points gained by leveling up, and the skill tree, or 'Brain Map' as it is called, are useful enough, the limited number of materials that can be used to increase attack, defense, health, or both makes it seem like these stat-boosting details don't have to be there if there was so much customization. You can purchase cosmetic items such as glasses and masks. Bonus points are awarded to any game that allows your character to wear bunny ears during the most dramatic scenes.

The Standby Phase is another system that doesn’t work as it should. This is a time between story missions when your character and their team members meet up in a safehouse. It is possible to give them gifts or talk to them. This can lead you into a Bond Episode, which increases your connection and makes it easier for them to use their psychic abilities in battle. This whole scene feels like Fire Emblem's Support conversations, but at a slower pace and with less frequency. Because teammates can only bond with their characters and not each other, it is inspired by Fire Emblem.

You can also freely move through the various maps between story missions for the majority of the game. This feels almost like you are getting the same downtime as the Standby Phase scenes but without having to access your friends. Although it is a great idea and a way to get to know your teammates better, the way it is implemented in the story structure feels a little out of place and is not fully understood.

Although Scarlet Nexus may not be able to reach everyone, such as the complexity of its combat system and extraneous social bonds mechanic, there are still many things that work. Although it won't be everyones cup of tea it's not trying to be. Scarlet Nexus is an ambitious sci-fi epic (and future anime) that is full of brain-jangling action as well as complex concepts. It is bold, big, and unwieldy.