Scarlet Nexus is an acquired taste. I went into the game absolutely hyped for it, but left it with a little bit of uncertainty of how I felt about it. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t live up to my initial expectations. After giving it some time to process in my brain though, I’m finally starting to learn what makes this game fantastic. To sum it up, Scarlet Nexus excels very well in some aspects of the game, and while other aspects faulter, they can still be seen as appreciated, and in some cases, are even carried by the parts of the game that are actually spectacular.
To start, one part of Scarlet Nexus that I’d argue is one of the selling points of the game is its two protagonists, Yuito Sumeragi and Kasane Randall, both featuring their own full length story modes. I wish I had the time to play both, but I am a busy college student who does this in his free time like a nerd, so I only got to play Yuito’s story. I do want to play Kasane’s story one day though. Anyway, in Yuito’s story, Yuito Sumeragi is a 16-year-old boy who wants to join the Other Suppression Force (OSF) after having a life changing event happen from said force. This police force fights an alien race who try to take over Earth called the Other. With his best friend Nagi, they join the team and meet a colorful cast of comrades, some you will adore and others you will despise with every fiber of your body. During their endeavors, Yuito and his gang discover some discord within the police force, so it’s up to them to stop whatever’s going on behind the curtains of the OSF, in addition to find out the secrets of the Other, and stop them once and for all. I should also mention that Kasane’s story takes place at the same time as Yuito’s, so instead of two separate stories, it’s one giant story from the perspective of two protagonists, and that’s where I think the game has its first hinderance: the story is too grand for its own good. It takes so many turns and twists, and it can be very hard to follow sometimes. To be fair, this complaint may be null and void when I get around to playing Kasane’s story, since I really only played half the game. Just want to throw this out there, so I can *maybe* be proven wrong. However, while I wasn’t a fan of the story, there are a lot of other aspects of the game that I adored.
The game is a hack and slash, meaning you have your usual hack and slash controls. Press the attack button a number of times, and then press the special button to do your finisher. What makes Scarlet Nexus unique is Yuito’s and Kasane’s psychokinesis. Both of them are able to pick up objects around them and pelt them at enemies. Incorporating this into combat, where you can cancel moves into your psychokinesis attacks is super satisfying and feels great to do. Combine all of that with more moves that you unlock the more you defeat enemies and level up through a slick skill tree, on top of your main arsenal, Scarlet Nexus has some great feeling combat, and can feel super fun to pull off. Surprisingly however, this is only scratching the surface of Scarlet Nexus’s combat.
Another part of Scarlet Nexus that I fell in love with the first time I saw it is how party members are utilized. Pretty much you can borrow your teammates powers and utilize them with your own abilities. Later on, you can even combine two party member abilities in addition to your own, and pull off crazy combos and stylish moves. This is where I feel the game really pulls through. It feels so great to be able to cancel moves into other ones, and where I’d argue its up there with DMC and Astral Chain. Not as satisfying as those examples, but still fun to control. One thing that does hamper the experience is that you are very limited to what you’re able to pull off in the opening chapters. It can be a slog unlocking the best and most fun moves, which can make the game feel dull and monotonous to those who don’t pull through the beginning sections.
There is plenty to pick apart with Scarlet Nexus. Everything that I found great about the game is done very well, but the small nitpicks either are added up, or just are very big nitpicks to the point where it can be bothersome. I will say, I don’t think this is a bad game like a lot of people say. It is well worth your time, and you will grow fond of what is here. There are great character interactions with the bond episodes, the music is super pleasant to listen to, the visuals truly make this look like a next generation JRPG. There is a lot going for this game, but due to the complains and weaknesses of the game being very prominent, it’s simply good. I’d say my thoughts on the game boil down to “it’s good, but it can be better.”