Scarlett Nexus Review

Bandai Namco’s anime-infused action RPG Scarlet Nexus knows all about games that include subtext and thinks they are all cowards. This title is an example of how to be big. It's not afraid to fail and take great swings at achieving its goals.

You control either Yuito Sumeragi, who is friendly and humble, or Kasane Randall, who is driven and guarded. These two protagonists are part of a scifi military unit called the Other Suppression Force, which has been given the mission of using their telekinetic powers and fighting biomechanical monsters called Others. Other members of the OSF will join players during fights and serve as AI teammates. You can tap into their unique psychic abilities and use them as your own. This opens up a variety of combat styles that utilize their superspeed, invisibility, etc.

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 shonen anime at once and getting confused by the characters of two different series. Then you revel in the melodrama that saves the world with super-powered brains.

Scarlet Nexus has a knack for focusing on the human element beneath all plotlines.

Even though it is difficult to navigate the destroyed streets and iron scrap heaps, they look well-designed and detailed. It is amazing to see how, among the debris-cluttered battle areas and hordes hostiles and multiple psychic soldiers running about the screen, the action almost never becomes cluttered and you don't lose sight of your character. The design of every character makes them pop wherever they're onscreen. And the Others' designs, which are made of twisted metal parts, animal parts and human anatomy, are full of bizarre personality. Despite the fact that the scenes may look similar, the human-like creatures found within them are dynamic and full of memorable detail.

While core combat may seem simple, there are two types and slowly refilling special meters. However, Scarlet Nexus' battle systems are never slow or boring when enemies start to pile up. Tapping into the abilities of your teammates and linking them together with psychic powers is deeply satisfying. After a dozen hours of playing, I was able to get the dopamine hit of wiping down enemy mental defenses so that they could be hit with an insta-kill Brain Crush attack.

The flavor of combat will vary depending on who you play. Kasane fights at a more distant distance and with floating knives, which makes her combos feel a bit disjointed. However they are better at hitting more enemies from 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 lovers like me find Yuito a more interesting protagonist, but find her combat style less satisfying.

But the combat is not something you can just take along your giant sword. Players must pay attention to enemy moves. They also need to be cautious with how they dodge opponents and their distance. I nearly died quite often, even though I didn’t die very often. This shows a difficulty curve I find more fair. It forces me to think about my surroundings, my enemies and my own bad habits, which kept me in danger.

Sometimes however, gameplay can veer from the engaging groove that works so well. The enemy you hit at the beginning will lock onto them. However, the camera can be moved out of frame to allow for your attacks to be directed at them. Although it may seem minor, this can quickly become a problem when enemies move so fast that you have to constantly switch targets or drop everything in order to focus on one enemy.

The psychokinesis of your player character is an integral part of your combat combos. It's the only method to break the armor of enemies. Although the charging up time leaves you open to counter-attacks, it can also make the battle with this critical component feel risky and unintentional. Scarlet Nexus' combat sings together when all the systems work well, but sometimes, these bum notes could threaten to end the performance.

Scarlet Nexus' combat system isn't as cohesive as it could be. Although the skill points you get by leveling and the skill tree (or Brain Map') are sufficient, the small number of equippable items to boost attack, defense or health makes it feel as though these stat-boosting elements didn't really need to be added if there wasn't so much customization. You can still buy cosmetic items, such as glasses and masks. And any game that allows bunny ears to be worn in dramatic scenes deserves bonus points.

The Standby Phase, which is an intermission between story missions that allows your character to meet with their teammates in a safehouse, is another system that does not seem to work well. You can also talk to them and gift them gifts, which can lead into a Bond Episode. This increases your connection with them and helps you use their psychic powers better in battle. The whole thing is inspired by Fire Emblem’s Support Conversations. However, the pace is slower and less frequent. Your teammates cannot bond with you, only with your character.

You're also able to roam freely between story missions on most maps. This gives the game a similar feeling to the Standby Phase scenes. However, it is not possible to see your friends. While it's a nice idea, any opportunity to spend more quality time with your fellow teammates and observe their personalities in action is a bonus, the way it's integrated into the story's overall structure just feels out of place.

Scarlet Nexus' reach may be greater than its grasp in some areas, such as its complex combat and the extraneous system of social bonding, but it still works. Scarlet Nexus may not be for everyone but it's not trying. Scarlet Nexus is ambitious sci-fi (and upcoming anime), full of skull-jangling actions and complex concepts. It wants to make a big, bold, and unwieldy impact.