Scarlet Nexus Review – A tantalising taste of what next-gen JRPGs can offer
Scarlet Nexus is, in a word, weird. Set in the future of an alternate world, humanity is on the defensive against The Other – aggressive, mishapen monsters that descend at random from the Extinction Belt, a strange phenomenon hanging in the sky overhead, intent on consuming human brains. Luckily, humanity has also uncovered a way to gift psionic abilities to people, and those who develop such powers are the only ones capable of fighting the twisted monsters.
It’s a mish-mash of genres and concepts as a result, blending sci-fi, horror, and superhero tonal elements with visual styles borrowing from cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic genres, amongst others. As either Yuito or Kasane, the two protagonists selectable at the beginning, players will rise through the ranks of the Other Suppression Force – or OSF – while uncovering your own mysterious past.
In many ways, Bandai Namco’s latest creation it’s a fairly typical anime-style game, with a high concept setting merged with rapid action combat and traditional RPG aspects. All of which raised an interesting question ahead of the release of Scarlet Nexus – going into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, it was hard to imagine how anime-style games would really take advantage of the leap in power and the possibilities afforded by 4K resolution.
Even in film, although there are staggeringly detailed anime works – from classics such as Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira to modern masterpieces such as Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You – that have seen 4K UHD releases, they’re either remastered from original film or digitally upscaled. Barely anything has been animated in native 4K yet.
The same holds true in games – in general, the anime aesthetic still lends itself to flashy, highly kinetic scenes and relatively simple designs. That’s no bad thing, either – it’s part of the reason why a PS3 anime-style game such as Tales of Xillia can still deliver an engaging and thoroughly playable experience, a decade on from its release. So how much could a game like Scarlet Nexus really benefit from a 4K next-gen upgrade?
The answer is “a lot”, both in terms of graphical prowess and performance. Playing on an Xbox Series X on a 4K OLED screen, Scarlet Nexus astounds with some of the most ambitious and breathtakingly detailed visuals we’ve seen. The world here is strange and warped, allowing for areas designed in large part to show off how pretty they are. An early location where the city itself curves up into the sky, creating a landscape of aerial skyscrapers overhead, is a notable stunner, but the meticulous attention to world design everywhere can’t help but impress. Even larger, open areas intended for combat against boss enemies cram in nuance in what are essentially big rooms.
But it’s not just sheer detail that Scarlet Nexus does well – it’s incredibly stylish too, from the quasi-cyberpunk approach to character design, with the cast sporting cable-like accessories and digital combat masks, to even its UI. While the game occasionally interrupts the action for talking head dialogue scenes, there get their own upgrade, delivering a sort of motion comic approach. Panels twist and move to emphasise whatever the cast are talking about, making even relatively static scenes feel more active and alive.
It’s in combat where everything really sings though. Whether you select Yuito or Kasane, their personal superpower is telekinesis, allowing them to sling objects around the world. Objects in line of sight are automatically locked onto, and a squeeze of the right trigger hurls them into enemies. It’s not a limitless power though, and while it’s recharging, you’ll need to use physical abilities. That alone won’t impress, but the way Scarlet Nexus chains everything together, having you dart in with melee strikes, dodging back away, lobbing street furniture with your mind, and repeating in a satisfying, speedy loop, definitely will. It’s evocative of Astral Chain, Bayonetta, or Devil May Cry, and it’s smooth as silk on next gen consoles.
Combat gets even more impressive when other OSF members start joining you on missions. Using the ‘Struggle Arms System’, allies are linked up to you brain-to-brain, enabling you to share their abilities. In practice, this means using Hanabi Ichigo’s pyrokinesis to charge your own attacks with fire, or Gemma Garrison’s sclerokinesis to massively boost defence and avoid harm, amongst many others who’ll join you over the course of the game. You’ll call on these powers in real time, amidst the already speedy combat of using your own telekinesis, leading to even deeper and more frenetic battles as you glide around unleashing carnage.
The SAS system in turn filters back into one of the more typically RPG aspects of the game – relationship management. The more you partner with particular team members, the more you’ll bond with them. Boost affinity enough, and you can take part in relationship scenes that level up your relationship, and unlock more powerful SAS ranks.
It’s a system that will be familiar to fans of the Persona series – indeed, it’s hard not to see Bandai Namco as having taken inspiration on this front, with a slice of its own Tales of series’ party growth systems – while also delivering some of Scarlet Nexus’ deeper character moments. Both Yuito and Kaname have troubled pasts and strange memories to uncover, but the entire cast proves interesting. These also provide a few moments LGBTQ+ fans will likely latch on to, even if many require some reading between lines.
However, not all aspects of Scarlet Nexus feel as revolutionary as its visuals and its multi-layered, complex, satisfying combat. Structurally, it’s still very much in line with JRPGs of recent years, with areas that are fixed in their layout – leading many to feel like maze-like corridors you simply need to power through – and an element of level up grind. In some respects, these points of over-familiarity might even be seen as a good thing, maintaining a degree of familiarity for players for this game, before delivering something that fully capitalises on the XSX and PS5’s power for the inevitable sequel – which also, in practical terms, keeps this viable on PS4 and Xbox One for now.
For anyone who was hoping to see what a truly next gen JRPG looks like though, Scarlet Nexus is ultimately just a glimpse – but what a glimpse it is. An exciting new property for Bandai Namco, and one we can’t wait to see grow in future.
Scarlet Nexus is out now on Xbox Series X (version tested), Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC
The Verdict: 4/5
About The Author
This one was nowhere near my radar, mostly because I’m not generally into JRPG so I didn’t keep an eye out but you had me at cyberpunk. Also I’ve spent many joyful hours on Bayonetta and DMC so I’ll happily trod down that path again.
I’m not entirely shocked some of the LGBTQ+ content is nothing more than subtext (it’s Japan after all) but I’ll take that over superfetishized lesbians any day.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Stay awesome.