Beyond even that though, I’m disappointed more so at the way the game goes about dictating the player’s time outside of story or pivotal cutscene placement. An intention to promote this unraveling mystery implying all too often (and all too on-the-nose) that there’s a mysterious connection between protagonists Yuito and Kasane. But Scarlet Nexus feels too assured to take things all too seriously in tone. To which my usual response at many of the pivotal story-beats - in keeping this family-friendly - was usually “oh come on, really?!” Generally I can forgive a game with such an exaggerated, over-the-top caliber of writing, if it at least acknowledges, embraces or is just playfully self-aware of such a delivery. So why is it that Scarlet Nexus can’t even rustle up at least one noteworthy character whose history or persona (from what’s provided) I can recall that can’t be relegated to the usual seen-it-all-before templates? Answer, again: the writing is just not up to snuff. Likewise Fire Emblem’s relationship conversations illicit a greater investment in even its secondary characters. Nihon Falcom are able to make me interested in the dynamics and backgrounds of many a new face in a mere prologue dungeon. Even if you were to put the basic mission structures and unappealing environments to the side, to shunt as many character archetypes in such short a span, without dedicating anywhere near enough time or effort to make me truly care about any of them. The problem is that Scarlet Nexus doesn’t hold in it the strength of either its writing or its general direction to justify most of these scenarios. I’m in fact disappointed by what we’ve got.ĭisappointed first by the fact that this new IP - this new world and premise - seems to chuck away all of its novel intrigue in favor of a story that is padded with one too many unnecessary confrontations and amateur attempts at a heart-tugging plot-twist or sudden character death.
After spending around 20+ hours spread across two separate story campaigns, Scarlet Nexus leaves me feeling worse than a little apathetic. That Scarlet Nexus would string together if not the most gripping tale professed, then one whose likely excesses with style and spectacle could be leveraged in the right way. A middling demo aside, I was still (like that very same tutorial theme) optimistic that Bandai Namco could (more importantly, would) deliver. Maybe it’s the way the theme for the tutorial has such a positively-charged upbeat vibe to it (to the point I immediately conjured thoughts of the N64/PlayStation days for whatever reason) where my perception on how Scarlet Nexus - from both a narrative and gameplay standpoint alike - would pan out was led a tad astray. A city whose augmented reality signs litter the streets with careless abandon and whose neural network allows our two dual protagonists to share thoughts and converse telepathically with their fellow OSF members. Already your mind’s eye is darting wildly with hope and intrigue. In a world where psionic powers are so common-place, it’s the people in this ascended civilization whom lack powers that are the outcasts. And the concept, on paper, sounds near-bursting at the seams with opportunity: an action RPG/hack-and-slash title centered around the use of psionic powers.
#SCARLET NEXUS CHAPTERS CODE#
Bandai Namco’s latest new IP - like 2019’s Code Vein before it - an obvious, if still curious, attempt to establish itself amid a budding crowd of aspired imitators. Prior to jumping into Scarlet Nexus in any form, my intrigue was persistent if not insurmountable when it came to 2021’s releases. A position where enjoyment doesn’t necessarily have to stem from meeting some otherwise objective criteria, though it certainly helps. Whether it’s the world that’s built, the characters introduced and maybe, just maybe, the gameplay mechanics at your fingertips anything from hack-and-slash action to party-based RPGs are in a fortunate position. It’s not often that you come to something perceived as over-the-top yet can still end up being endeared or at the very least entertained by the spectacle and substance put forth. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a sucker for Japan-based hi-jinx in the occasionally interweaving realms of video games and anime.
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