Fans of action RPGs can be more than satisfied with some of the releases that Bandai Namco will make during these months. Without going any further, last week we talked to you about what we thought about Tales of Arise and before all this we told you about the positive feelings that Scarlet Nexus gave us, whose launch will take place this week.
Last month we had the opportunity to enjoy the first three hours of the adventure and it certainly turned out to be most rewarding. Despite this, we were left wanting to find out if the final version was going to leave us with the same opinion or not, something that we have managed to discover after having played it thoroughly, as we are going to tell you in the following analysis.
Fighting the Alters with a group of humans with special powers
The plot of Scarlet Nexus takes us to a future in which humanity is in danger due to the invasion of strange beings known as the Alters. These deranged monsters began to arrive from the sky and devoted themselves to devouring the brains of the inhabitants, although they are not invincible. This is where the members of the FSA, the Alter Suppression Forces , a military organization that has the objective of fighting against these creatures in order to restore peace, come into play.
To survive this threat, the population began to delve into scientific and technological advances, which led certain people to develop some supernatural powers that gave them ideal abilities to defeat the Alters. Thus, those who stand out from the rest are the ones who end up being chosen to join the FSA and are differentiated from the rest by having their own special powers.
In this sense we have Kasane Randall and Yuito Sumeragi , two recruits of the FSA and the protagonists of the game. In the case of the first, she is the best of her class and an expert in ranged combat with throwing knives, while the second belongs to an honorable family and her attacks are more focused on hand-to-hand combat with him. use of the katana, although both agree that they are capable of using psychokinesis abilities.
However, what they differ above all is that the campaign will be somewhat different depending on the character we choose . Although the main plot will be identical for both, there will be certain events that only one or the other will experience or choosing one of them will allow us to discover how some sequences happen from their respective point of view, which offers a magnificent replayability for those who are want more after the game is over. Even so, it will take a good amount of hours to finish it for the first time.
Best of all, how easy the story constantly grabs you. Since its inception it becomes quite interesting and as the hours go by our desire to continue advancing grew without stopping, because more shocking details are being revealed and totally unexpected script twists are produced . Naturally we are not going to go into details in this regard so as not to gut you absolutely nothing, but argumentatively speaking we loved it from beginning to end.
The different characters have also seemed fantastic to us, with very defined personalities. Perhaps in some cases certain characters are a bit cliché, but at all times there is room for moments of action, tension, humor, romances, sadness, etc., with a futuristic setting and with sequences that will mostly take place in the form of of vignettes when the different protagonists have conversations with each other, although we will also witness other really spectacular animated scenes.
Some of the most addictive and entertaining battles at all times
In the advancement of Scarlet Nexus, the gameplay seemed amazing to us with some of the most entertaining combats, at the same time that it gave us the feeling of being a bit easy because at no time did we suffer too much when trying to annihilate the Alters. On the other hand, having selected the same level of difficulty this time, we have realized that in the final version the enemies, both the common ones and the final bosses, have become even stronger and there has been more than one occasion that by fighting against the crazy thing we have suffered more than the account or paying dearly .
Nor is it that certain fights have made us pull our hair, but they have forced us to think better all our movements both when attacking and avoiding impacts. Our characters will be able to make use of two different attacks, one normal and the other stronger, in addition to using their special powers , which in this case will be able to blow up cars, trucks, drums, stones or any other object that is available. around us to take our enemies ahead causing them great damage.
In fact, most of Alter will have a shield bar that we can destroy with blows or by locating its weak points. Of course, this section is very important to take into account because it will serve to leave you briefly stunned and thus have a few seconds of advantage to reduce your health quickly. Of course, it will not be the only thing, since we can also execute a kind of finisher with its respective animated sequence with which we will see how Kasane or Yuito tear the Alter in question.
Beyond all this, the stage will be one of our greatest allies at all times for everything we will have within our reach to throw it into the air, but there will also be other objects or vehicles heavier than normal that will require the use of the call Brain Collision. Thanks to this ability, the game will offer us a kind of quick time event in which we will have to hit certain buttons or move the sticks of the controller in a certain direction. No doubt this will be the way the Alters will regret trying to stand up to you more than ever.
With all that has been discussed so far, it gives the impression that the characters are authentic killing machines, something that is totally true, but the icing on the cake will be put by the Brain Impulse. At a certain point in the game, our protagonists will obtain an energy bar that will be refilled by attacking or receiving damage and will cause this state of concentration to be activated automatically, increasing damage, attack speed or movement temporarily, in case it was not enough With all the above.
Even so, there will not be everything, because the members of the FSA will accompany us practically at all times. Most of the time it will be the game itself that will assign us which companions will fight alongside us side by side, who in turn will be characterized by having their own special powers that we can take advantage of. In this way we will join them so that we can temporarily use their abilities , such as Shiden’s electrical attacks, Kyoka’s duplication, Arashi’s hyper speed or Luka’s teleportation, among many others.
Precisely one of the questions that the advance left us was that we did not know if we could choose the allies and finally the answer is yes . This situation will not always occur, but there will be times when we will have several characters that will accompany us during battles, of which two will remain in the attack group and others in reserve, having access to the abilities of all of them. regardless of where they stand when push comes to shove.
In any case, as we have previously pointed out, the combat system is certainly one of the strongest points of this RPG with which we have never tired of fighting one after another, especially with the encounters against the final bosses. for how exciting they were. In general, it feels very frantic, agile and varied enough thanks to the different types of actions that we can opt for and the certain difficulty peaks that we have encountered due to the enormous amount of points of difficulty have not been a problem for us. saved that we have been meeting on the stage.
Customizing and strengthening ties with the group of heroes
Throughout the game we have discovered more ways to empower our characters even more. Based on winning battles, which take place in real time at all times without loading screens in between, they will level up and earn points to exchange them on the Brain Map . This section is where we can fully customize them by choosing which new skills to learn, most of them passive so that the attacks are more devastating or so that they obtain secondary effects.
On the other hand, both Kasane, Yuito and the rest of the characters, we can only change the main weapon so that it makes more desk, but there will be no pieces of equipment that affect the statistics. Instead we will have accessories that will provide secondary improvements , such as more experience points, more money, more health points, etc., being able to choose who will be the ones who will carry them. We can even get outfits that will modify your entire wardrobe with different outfits, glasses, hats, charms and other items in case someone wants to give the team members a more personal touch.
Another way to interact with the companions will be with the lair. At certain times we can go to this base of operations to rest and strengthen ties with the rest of the characters by giving them gifts. The purpose of this is that we can increase the level of friendship that we maintain with them so that they learn more additional skills by unleashing their special powers during combat, so it is vital not to neglect any of them so that anyone who accompany is a perfect ally.
Even so, friendship is not only bought with gifts and for that reason we will also have access to the Bond Episodes . In this kind of secondary missions we will travel to previously visited scenarios or we will simply witness conversations between our protagonist and the chosen character to get to know them in greater depth, so that not everything is to fight without stopping and advance in the story, being able to pass the time in other ways which are not bad at all to relax.
And speaking of secondary missions, in the main city there will also be citizens who will entrust us with tasks that will give us very striking rewards . Nor is it that they are indispensable and the truth is that the objectives are very unattractive, so it is not that it is a great inconvenience if you choose to ignore them or not pay too much attention, since these will be fulfilled automatically if, for example, we obtain the items that are requested from us while we are playing normally.
To say that Scarlet Nexus is one of the best novelties that 2021 has left us so far is no exaggeration. Personally this year there have been few games that have made me have so many good times as this brilliant action RPG with which the hours fly by and I have enjoyed each and every one of its combats while I was more eager to continue advancing in the story with so as to continue discovering what else I was going to find.
Technically there is nothing negative to highlight, because the setting is very well achieved with that futuristic and science fiction touch, with some scenes in ruins in which it is appreciated how the invasion of the Alters has taken its toll. Likewise, all the action runs very smoothly without any jerk and at a constant 60 fps , at least in the PS4 version that we have played from a PS5. On the other hand, the soundtrack, although it has some themes that are good, is not that it presents us with melodies that we are going to retain in our heads over time.
Scarlet Nexus approaches the stores without making too much noise and it is a shame, because it is a title with which it would be rare for you to regret adding it to your collection and with which you will want to replay it just to check the differences between the stories of the two main characters. One of those games that of course ends up being a most pleasant surprise as soon as you get to the controls .
Essential
Scarlet nexus
| Platforms | PC, PS4 (analyzed version), PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series |
|---|---|
| Multiplayer | Not |
| Developer | Bandai namco |
| Company | Bandai namco |
| Launch | June 25, 2021 |
The best
- A plot that does not stop leaving you surprises and very shocking moments.
- The fighting is excellent and it is hard to tire of it.
- The different types of attacks and special powers with their respective sequences.
- The characters and the relationships they have with each other.
Worst
- Not being able to take control of another character other than Kasane or Yuito.
- Some themes on the soundtrack don’t stand out too much.
