In early May, a Japanese publishing house Bandai namco provided journalists and bloggers with a demo version of his new flagship project Scarlet Nexus… The game was announced in May 2023 at the presentation Xbox… And even then it became obvious that the company was clearly oriented towards the studio’s creativity. Platinum Games…
The Scarlet Nexus demo only reinforced suspicions. As in Astral chain, the game takes place in the world of Japanese cyberpunk, in which humanity is fighting an otherworldly threat. As in NieR: Automata, the developers offer to go through the same single player campaign for several characters, and each passage will differ in detail. Even the combat system is built around the concept of a perfect dodge, after which the character enters the time dilation mode.
Scarlet Nexus is set in the city New Khimuka… Humanity was able to unlock its latent psionic potential, but at the same time faced the threat of the invasion of the Others, who devour the brains. An elite organization is created to fight mutants OSF (Others Suppression Squad), in which people with unique abilities serve: pyrokinesis, teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, super speed, and so on. To coordinate hostilities, agents are connected to SAS (Combat weapons system), thanks to which they can combine abilities.
The problem is that the above information GameMAG edition borrowed from the description of the game on the site Wikipedia, the pre-order page in Steam and in the blog Playstation… We went through the demo in six hours (three hours for each of the characters), but we never got a normal exposure. Even the descriptions of the characters in the local encyclopedia do not contain useful information.
Instead, the developers give out a story about “ordinary Japanese schoolchildren” from an elite division, in which the emphasis is on their relationships and love triangles. Yes, Platinum Games at Astral Chain did not hesitate to slip into a buffoonery about looking for toilet paper and a girl in a plush dog costume, but understanding about the structure of the world came much earlier.
The main hero in Scarlet Nexus is a rookie Yuito Sumeragi – the scion of an influential dynasty of politicians. As a child, the guy was saved from the Others by a mysterious girl with ash hair, which prompted him to join OSF, despite the resistance of the family, which controls the organization. Very quickly, the young man collides with Kasane Randall, which is like two drops of water similar to his savior. This is the main intrigue of the whole story.
Relationships and a spirit of competition are strung on this framework, for OSF agents are divided into two classes: recruited in childhood (elite) and volunteers (second class). However, society perceives them all as superstars, followed by flocks of drones of journalists, who are nicknamed Ravens (Crows).
Yuito is fixated on Kasane, while his sister is the last to fall in love with a young man – Naomi… Also featured in the story: red-haired childhood friend Hanabiwhich secretly “dries” according to the main hero; glav hero’s best friend Nagiwrapping circles around Naomi; squad leader Yuito, with whom Kasane is in love; an arrogant bespectacled man possessed by the same commander; a former priest who builds intrigues just for the sake of joke … You can continue until you turn blue (they have not forgotten about the lolicon).
This approach should not surprise, because Scarlet Nexus is really an anime, and in the summer of 2023 it should be released eponymous animated series with all that it implies. Moreover, the placement of accents is based on the gameplay, although it raises questions.
The game is an action RPG. A large urban area is available to us in the form of a hub location, from which he can go on missions to other parts of New Khimuki. The character can be accompanied by associates from OSF.
The main feature of the Scarlet Nexus is the use of psionic abilities on the battlefield. Yuito and Kassane are telekinetics who manipulate objects around them at locations. In fact, we control such Jedi who can not only use melee weapons, but also throw bicycles, cars, refrigerators, lamp posts and other interactive garbage at enemies, wasting their psionic energy.
It all looks pretty spectacular – especially when the QTEs are turned on. The apotheosis was a skirmish with the boss at a construction site, in which Kasane began to throw giant dump trucks at him. It is also worth highlighting the level in the subway, where the characters launched whole trains into the crowds of enemies.
Instead of blocking enemy attacks, the developers suggest performing perfect dodges, after which time dilation is activated. The problem is that fixation on the target does not work well – the character regularly hits past enemies, and the attacks of the latter are poorly read. Others also have a balance scale, resetting which, you can quickly finish off enemies by tearing off their pistils, stamens and other parts of the body.
The second important element of Scarlet Nexus is the partner system that empowers the protagonist. Let’s say with the help of pyrokinetic attacks will inflict fire damage. Moreover, at locations, barrels of oil are sometimes scattered, which can be poured onto the Other and then set on fire. An alternative is to pour out the water and shock it with electricity.
The developers are pushing to use the capabilities of companions, because some enemies need a special approach. Let’s say some of them can move quickly, others are invisible, and still others are struck by lightning. The madness begins when Yuito and Kasane are in the same group. They enhance the ability of each other, thanks to which opponents can be filled with various debris.
By communicating with colleagues between missions, giving gifts and completing their quests, you can strengthen the SAS connection by unlocking additional skills. However, not all of the characters are equally useful. The most stupid ability is invisibility, because stealth in Scartle Nexus is not worked out, and the additional effect in the form of increased critical damage helps little.
As mentioned above, there are two story campaigns available in the game – for Yuito and Kasane. The main storyline remains unchanged, but the choice of the character affects the sequence of passing some levels or their pieces, dialogues, a set of partners, the choice of weapons, and so on. In addition, certain zones may or may not be available to different characters. For example, in the subway, Kasane walks with a partner who can shoot lightning. Therefore, it can be used to open doors to closed rooms.
The sequence of events in some scenes also changes. In one of them, a training battle takes place between two central characters, during which they mutuz each other with lampposts. It also seemed to us that the passage for the girl is more difficult, because she came across more aggressive opponents.
Nobody forgot about pumping. The character receives skill points, due to which it is possible to “strengthen” his brain: passive and active skills, bonuses, and so on. You can scold the developers for the fact that some of the skills that should be available by default are blocked at the start (for example, the ability to jump up after a fall). Additionally, you can buy equipment for the main character and his partners (chips and weapons), as well as sets of cosmetic items.
Visually, the game looks interesting, although you can find many parallels with Astral Chain. AR-elements (augmented reality) are used in the design of New Khimuki, and large objects are visible in the background – towers, skyscrapers, ruins and even entire districts that bend like a city from a dream in a film Christopher Nolan “Start“.
At the same time, the environment is made deliberately faded and even monochrome (like backdrops in comics), thanks to which the look is accentuated on the bright anime characters and eccentric Others. The latter look like hybrids of garbage, flowers and human body parts. Almost immediately, players are faced with three-meter bouquets with female legs in red heels.
Scarlet Nexus can be called a pretty promising project, although the local presentation of the plot can be confusing. However, this approach has its fans. And there are not many games in which you can manipulate the interactive environment in the style Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or Advent Rising… This is the main incentive to take a close look at the game.
In addition, Bandai Namco continues to spill the Russian market. As representatives of the publishing house told the editors of GameMAG, the project will be translated into Russian (subtitles).
Scarlet Nexus goes on sale June 25 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PS4 and PS5… On May 21, owners of Xbox consoles will have access to a demo, which will reach PlayStation on May 25.
Read also: “The main platform in Russia is PC – Steam”: Big interview with Tales of Arise producer Yusuke Tomizawa
