Scarlet Nexus Review (PS5)

On paper, Scarlet Nexus feels like bigger-budget Code Vein, but assuming the former plays like the latter would be a huge mistake. Scarlet Nexus draws inspiration from many games of different genres, but Code Vein is not one of them.

Scarlet Nexus is an action RPG featuring an anime art style, which isn't surprising considering it's made by Bandai Namco. While I did enjoy my 40+ hours spend with the game, this wasn't an easy ride. The pacing was completely off and many of the moments between missions were painstakingly boring.

But let's start with the best part, the combat. In Scarlet Nexus you play as either Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall, two youngsters who have just become members of the OSF (Other Suppression Force) who are tasked to defend humans from creatures known as the Others.

All members of the OSF possess supernatural powers like pyrokinesis, hypervelocity, invisibility, and many others. The two protagonists can use psychokinesis to throw objects and debris at hostile enemies. It's like playing Control in a different universe. As the game progresses, you'll be able to use all the powers of your teammates who are fighting with you for some grandiose combos.

+4more

Combat in Scarlet Nexus is smooth, fluent, fast-paced, and quite exhilarating. How you mix together your abilities and weapon attacks is the key to success. Some enemies are weak to certain elements, while others require stealth or hyper-speed. The game teaches you all the intricacies of the combat system, but it only gives you the key, so you'll have to discover the best combos to apply in certain scenarios.

Although it may seem simple at first glance, there are many meters that you need to track during fights to unleash devastating combos. You can't just use your powers to wreak havoc among the Others since they all have a resource that replenishes by executing weapon attacks. Some weapon combos will help regenerate your abilities gauge faster than others, so you want to make sure you weave them into your combat moves as often as possible.

Visually, Scarlet Nexus has been designed in the traditional anime art style but turned up a notch or two from everything that Bandai Namco released until now. The music in between missions strongly reminds me of Persona 5's soundtrack. Not only that, but even the concept of having a hideout where your characters get together to bond is an important part of Scarlet Nexus.

As you progress, you'll unlock “bond episodes” with your teammates that are supposed to give you an insight into their aspirations and what drives them. This is the visual novel part that you must endure if you want to unlock the improved abilities of your brothers in arms. Of course, you can always press the “skip” button, although I wouldn't recommend that since some of these episodes will provide interesting pieces of information.

Play Video

Although it doesn't matter which character you play when it comes to the outcome, the story is told from the protagonist's point of view, so some twists might not make sense at first if you play as Yuito but will make perfect sense when playing as Kasane. As a result, to get the full story, you'll need to finish the game with both characters. I'd recommend starting with Kasane since her story reveals important things much earlier.

I can't help the feeling that Scarlet Nexus is trying hard to copy the visual novel concept in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a game that focuses more on the story and less on combat. However, while in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim you would try to get rid of the turn-based battles to return to the story as quickly as possible, in Scarlet Nexus you'll want to do the opposite.

Scarlet Nexus benefits from a solid combat system, pleasant visuals, great soundtrack, and compelling story, yet it denies the player the complete fun experience. The intermission parts are too long and completely uninteresting for the most part. You can't skip them if you want to get the whole picture, but the important parts are few and far between.

While the plot is really interesting, the way the story is delivered to the player is contrived and artificially extends the time needed to complete the game. There's also the matter of side-quests, which are more like fetch-quests that don't fit the story at all. My theory is that they're just there for trophy hunters, otherwise, I see no reason to do any of them. The rewards are completely useless if you don't go for platinum, so I'd strongly recommend avoiding them.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion