i put up with this hideous, desaturated, beige filter for code vein but im starting to wonder why this is the direction we've gone in two separate games when all it does is make these anime characters look like they exist in a world that desperately needs to be power washed
While the game looks quite striking, the strange comic book story and gameplay left a lot to be desired.
I'd say I liked it but just barely. The core gameplay mechanics are quite good but they're held back by the lack of enemy variety and repetitive, mind numbing environments. The story can be somewhat cool at times but it really just rapid fires plot twists near the end and I kinda just stopped caring about what was going on after a while
A cool premise with likeable combat, ruined by horrible dialogue, characters, level design and lazy visual novel style cutscenes.
The premise in itself is fine, though not groundbreaking in the slightest, but is ruined by the horrible dialogue and way of presenting this dialogue. Emotional scenes become boring when presented as 2 character portraits opening and closing their mouths with a blank expression whenever they're talking. Not even the amount of good voice actors could save it.
As for the characters, they are every anime trope ever but in a video game with no more development than "I didn't like you, but now I do". Nothing more to say there.
Almost every level in this games felt like a straight line with a different skin with some enemies in it. The level design basically boiled down to the characters explaining where they are, for example a factory, and the level being a straight line with the walls representing some factory elements, like a pipe or a gear, that's it.
The combat was quite likeable but quickly became repetitive due to no breaks in gameplay (such as minigames) whatsoever. And even then, the constant interruption of boring "cutscenes" every 10 minutes doesn't help. But aside from that, it was pretty solid. A big upgrade tree with numerous fun upgrades, cool-looking abilties that are utilised from your team members and a well made combat system for the psychokinesis power from the protagonist made the combat enjoyable.
I really wanted to like this game, but it's just not good for what I played.
The premise in itself is fine, though not groundbreaking in the slightest, but is ruined by the horrible dialogue and way of presenting this dialogue. Emotional scenes become boring when presented as 2 character portraits opening and closing their mouths with a blank expression whenever they're talking. Not even the amount of good voice actors could save it.
As for the characters, they are every anime trope ever but in a video game with no more development than "I didn't like you, but now I do". Nothing more to say there.
Almost every level in this games felt like a straight line with a different skin with some enemies in it. The level design basically boiled down to the characters explaining where they are, for example a factory, and the level being a straight line with the walls representing some factory elements, like a pipe or a gear, that's it.
The combat was quite likeable but quickly became repetitive due to no breaks in gameplay (such as minigames) whatsoever. And even then, the constant interruption of boring "cutscenes" every 10 minutes doesn't help. But aside from that, it was pretty solid. A big upgrade tree with numerous fun upgrades, cool-looking abilties that are utilised from your team members and a well made combat system for the psychokinesis power from the protagonist made the combat enjoyable.
I really wanted to like this game, but it's just not good for what I played.
Astral chain died....
his name is shitten
i really enjoyed scarlet nexus but it's not without it's flaws. the story is... serviceable i guess? kinda disjointed and overly ambitious with plenty of twists and turns that don't have the impact they should but still competent enough where i was interested to see what happened next. as long as you go in with your expectations tempered then you'll still find something to enjoy about it.
the gameplay is fast, frenetic and just downright fun in which hauling cars, street lamps and debris with the power of psychokinesis towards enemies never got old. not to say combat is perfect as an awkward lock on system, floaty controls and a god awful camera tend to sour the experience.
music is phenomenal. nothing really else to say. i can't remember a single tune which i disliked which speaks for the quality. the suoh city theme is gonna be stuck in my head for ages and i'm okay with that :')
(i've only completed yuito's route and will be playing kasane's soon so i can only speak for my experience playing as yuito).
the gameplay is fast, frenetic and just downright fun in which hauling cars, street lamps and debris with the power of psychokinesis towards enemies never got old. not to say combat is perfect as an awkward lock on system, floaty controls and a god awful camera tend to sour the experience.
music is phenomenal. nothing really else to say. i can't remember a single tune which i disliked which speaks for the quality. the suoh city theme is gonna be stuck in my head for ages and i'm okay with that :')
(i've only completed yuito's route and will be playing kasane's soon so i can only speak for my experience playing as yuito).
it's okay
inoffensively "meh"
inoffensively "meh"
The gameplay is the star of this game. It feels fluid. It's not often annoying but in some small cases the camera angles don't help with the constant movement you're doing. Not often though. It's so fun to play as Kasane with her ranged attacks. Yuito is alright he's more typical with a sword.
One interesting thing to note is that both characters have completely different stories with a different cast that have varied abilities. This is awesome and feels like they didn't just do insert character for the protagonist. There's also social events which some people may enjoy more than me. I only really liked two or three of the character's stories. They can feel a bit typical and like they could use more fleshing out or unique parts. However I loved when Genma got deep about what comes after the OSF. Still they're a low point but, skippable!
The graphics holy shit for a Jrpg this feels almost like we've made it to playing an anime. It has gorgeous moments. The bright reds and oranges are sprayed through this world making it's very dark world seem not so garish and desolate. It's urban and cool.
I actually really like the main story. A lot. And the comic book style of panels is so much more interesting than a floating head talking to a floating head. Obviously they could have done more cutscenes but my guess is they focused on the combat and yes that is most important for a video game IMO. I've only played Kasane's side so far but can tell from some scenes Yuito goes through his own unique ordeals.
My only real large gripe about this game and what brought it to a 4/5 was the ending that seemed unrealistic. It's maybe not impossible but I would have liked to see something more drastic perhaps? Even a "bad end" would have been fun since this is a kinetic story meaning there's one true ending.
All in all I never really groaned at the end it was just a bit predictable.
Oh and the final battle holy fuck was that fun.
One interesting thing to note is that both characters have completely different stories with a different cast that have varied abilities. This is awesome and feels like they didn't just do insert character for the protagonist. There's also social events which some people may enjoy more than me. I only really liked two or three of the character's stories. They can feel a bit typical and like they could use more fleshing out or unique parts. However I loved when Genma got deep about what comes after the OSF. Still they're a low point but, skippable!
The graphics holy shit for a Jrpg this feels almost like we've made it to playing an anime. It has gorgeous moments. The bright reds and oranges are sprayed through this world making it's very dark world seem not so garish and desolate. It's urban and cool.
I actually really like the main story. A lot. And the comic book style of panels is so much more interesting than a floating head talking to a floating head. Obviously they could have done more cutscenes but my guess is they focused on the combat and yes that is most important for a video game IMO. I've only played Kasane's side so far but can tell from some scenes Yuito goes through his own unique ordeals.
My only real large gripe about this game and what brought it to a 4/5 was the ending that seemed unrealistic. It's maybe not impossible but I would have liked to see something more drastic perhaps? Even a "bad end" would have been fun since this is a kinetic story meaning there's one true ending.
All in all I never really groaned at the end it was just a bit predictable.
Oh and the final battle holy fuck was that fun.
A really fun game with a straight forward platinum, just don't go looking for a top tier JRPG story - you won't find it here.
I do wonder how this game gets produced outside of a COVID time. Seems like a lot of areas were reused way too often, and the serious lack of animated cutscenes will be a problem for some - though I didn't really mind.
Gameplay - 10/10
Absolutely solid battles that only get better as you unlock more and more. Feels so satisfyingly. My first run was with Yuito on hard, and a few bosses were really a challenge! Never felt I needed to grind, so that was perfect. Kasane wasn't near as fun, but that also could be because I played her route on NG+
Story - 6/10
Big letdown here for me. Such a neat world and lore they created, but the story just takes a dive and never seems to recover. I would rate it lower but the characters? The bond episodes between your MC and the party members? Absolutely stellar - well, MOST of them - and its those interactions that really helped.
Only complaint regarding the bond episodes is pacing. Towards the later chapters the 'stand-by' phases start feeling like a visual novel.
Graphics - 9/10
Pretty game with pretty visuals. Nothing earth shattering, but some of the brain crush animations are beautiful.
Sound - ?/10
Having a hard time rating this one. There's a couple absolute bop of songs, but then the rest of the game has music that I couldn't pick out of a blind lineup. The great tracks have a Persona vibe to them, in that I can listen to them in any mood outside of the game.
I do wonder how this game gets produced outside of a COVID time. Seems like a lot of areas were reused way too often, and the serious lack of animated cutscenes will be a problem for some - though I didn't really mind.
Gameplay - 10/10
Absolutely solid battles that only get better as you unlock more and more. Feels so satisfyingly. My first run was with Yuito on hard, and a few bosses were really a challenge! Never felt I needed to grind, so that was perfect. Kasane wasn't near as fun, but that also could be because I played her route on NG+
Story - 6/10
Big letdown here for me. Such a neat world and lore they created, but the story just takes a dive and never seems to recover. I would rate it lower but the characters? The bond episodes between your MC and the party members? Absolutely stellar - well, MOST of them - and its those interactions that really helped.
Only complaint regarding the bond episodes is pacing. Towards the later chapters the 'stand-by' phases start feeling like a visual novel.
Graphics - 9/10
Pretty game with pretty visuals. Nothing earth shattering, but some of the brain crush animations are beautiful.
Sound - ?/10
Having a hard time rating this one. There's a couple absolute bop of songs, but then the rest of the game has music that I couldn't pick out of a blind lineup. The great tracks have a Persona vibe to them, in that I can listen to them in any mood outside of the game.
amazing soundtrack and gameplay but near the end the story starts to drag a bit
This review contains spoilers
I was pretty excited for this in the lead-up to launch for a few reasons, but I didn't expect to have to force myself to finish this.
On one hand, the combat is very fun and flashy, particularly in the last third of the game, and I had a decent fun when experimenting with different SAS combos. Also, it fully commits to its insane narrative in a way that feels surprisingly confident for a brand new IP.
On the other hand, I'm too tired to write out my complaints in a way that flows naturally, so I'm going to number them.
(1) The narrative completely buckles under the weight of its laughable writing. This game really wants you to like these characters, but you're never given any real reason to. There's a half-baked relationship system, but it consists of cycling through menus to figure out what gifts you haven't given out yet, and the rewards for putting up with this are pretty few and far between.
(2) Whoever made this can't design an interesting world (or a functioning map system) to save their life. This game comes from the "orange Astral Chain" school of design.
(3) The game completely ruins the appeal of its most highly-touted feature--the inclusion of two protagonists with parallel storylines--by the time you get to the last third of the game. After telling you about everything that happens in their story route, the other protagonist's entire platoon joins your party at once, thereby ruining any appeal of a second playthrough to, for example, experiment with the other platoon's SAS powers (unless you really want to play as the other protagonist, for some reason).
(4) Progression is extremely vague and unfulfilling. You earn "brain points" when you level up, but you can only upgrade the protagonist's skills. This is a fine idea on its own, but 90% of the skills are passive abilities that I mostly never noticed in combat. There are a couple of cool skills, such as aerial psychokinesis attacks and concurrent SAS activation, but these are unlocked far too late in the skill tree to make any real impact. There are only about 4 different weapons and 2 costumes to unlock for each character, and there is almost no reason to optimize your party setup because it will not change their strategy or survivability at all.
(5) That's because this game's idea of ramping up its difficulty is "more enemies" instead of different enemies or unique combat scenarios. Like I said before, this game's combat is pretty fun! However, there's almost no incentive to experiment with any of it, because you'll be fighting the same 5 or 6 enemies for the entire game.
(6) The sidequests are very mundane and routine. That usually doesn't bother me that much, but the sidequest rewards are always either healing jellies or bond gifts, both of which can be bought from the shop. You are never rewarded with experience points, additional plug-in slots, or anything useful. There's also no way to track your sidequest objective--you can pin the quest title to the side of the screen, but you have to open a separate menu to view the objective.
(7) Please stop sending text messages to my brain.
Scarlet Nexus is, by all accounts, a remarkably shallow and uninteresting game. If you're going to play a JRPG primarily for its combat, just like... buy Ys IX or something
On one hand, the combat is very fun and flashy, particularly in the last third of the game, and I had a decent fun when experimenting with different SAS combos. Also, it fully commits to its insane narrative in a way that feels surprisingly confident for a brand new IP.
On the other hand, I'm too tired to write out my complaints in a way that flows naturally, so I'm going to number them.
(1) The narrative completely buckles under the weight of its laughable writing. This game really wants you to like these characters, but you're never given any real reason to. There's a half-baked relationship system, but it consists of cycling through menus to figure out what gifts you haven't given out yet, and the rewards for putting up with this are pretty few and far between.
(2) Whoever made this can't design an interesting world (or a functioning map system) to save their life. This game comes from the "orange Astral Chain" school of design.
(3) The game completely ruins the appeal of its most highly-touted feature--the inclusion of two protagonists with parallel storylines--by the time you get to the last third of the game. After telling you about everything that happens in their story route, the other protagonist's entire platoon joins your party at once, thereby ruining any appeal of a second playthrough to, for example, experiment with the other platoon's SAS powers (unless you really want to play as the other protagonist, for some reason).
(4) Progression is extremely vague and unfulfilling. You earn "brain points" when you level up, but you can only upgrade the protagonist's skills. This is a fine idea on its own, but 90% of the skills are passive abilities that I mostly never noticed in combat. There are a couple of cool skills, such as aerial psychokinesis attacks and concurrent SAS activation, but these are unlocked far too late in the skill tree to make any real impact. There are only about 4 different weapons and 2 costumes to unlock for each character, and there is almost no reason to optimize your party setup because it will not change their strategy or survivability at all.
(5) That's because this game's idea of ramping up its difficulty is "more enemies" instead of different enemies or unique combat scenarios. Like I said before, this game's combat is pretty fun! However, there's almost no incentive to experiment with any of it, because you'll be fighting the same 5 or 6 enemies for the entire game.
(6) The sidequests are very mundane and routine. That usually doesn't bother me that much, but the sidequest rewards are always either healing jellies or bond gifts, both of which can be bought from the shop. You are never rewarded with experience points, additional plug-in slots, or anything useful. There's also no way to track your sidequest objective--you can pin the quest title to the side of the screen, but you have to open a separate menu to view the objective.
(7) Please stop sending text messages to my brain.
Scarlet Nexus is, by all accounts, a remarkably shallow and uninteresting game. If you're going to play a JRPG primarily for its combat, just like... buy Ys IX or something
Great new IP from Bamco. Fantastic art direction, dope music (that final boss theme chef's kiss), and slick, responsive combat make for a consistently fun action RPG experience from beginning to end, nitpicks aside.
Overall, Scarlet Nexus excels more in its presentation and gameplay than narrative (though I found that to be fairly solid as well). The plot isn't anything particularly novel (still good regardless), but I found the characters to largely be very charming, and their interactions equally so. And the dual story paths gives a nice bit of replay value (I've spent almost 22 hours on Yuito's story alone).
If I had to gripe about anything, I'd say that the story has a few things left feeling unresolved (though that may very well be addressed by playing both storylines) and the camera could be a bit wonky in some enclosed spaces.
Other than those minor criticisms, I was very happy with the game. Would recommend.
Overall, Scarlet Nexus excels more in its presentation and gameplay than narrative (though I found that to be fairly solid as well). The plot isn't anything particularly novel (still good regardless), but I found the characters to largely be very charming, and their interactions equally so. And the dual story paths gives a nice bit of replay value (I've spent almost 22 hours on Yuito's story alone).
If I had to gripe about anything, I'd say that the story has a few things left feeling unresolved (though that may very well be addressed by playing both storylines) and the camera could be a bit wonky in some enclosed spaces.
Other than those minor criticisms, I was very happy with the game. Would recommend.
After the first 10 hours or so, I thought this game was amazing. Great battle system, likable characters, fun progression systems and crafting, good soundtrack, and an engaging story.
But man, this game just becomes a slog around the middle. I eventually lowered the difficulty to easy just to get through the fights and make it to the end faster. The story gets dumb, the character events become tedious, and the dungeon design is just bland with endless enemies that aren't all that different from one another.
I really wanted to like this game, and I did in the beginning, but I'd say overall it's just pretty average. The battle system is fun, though.
Oh, and this is the first PS5 game I've played where I really didn't like what they did with the Dualshock support. At times it felt like just random clicks, or just constant vibrating feedback during battles.
But man, this game just becomes a slog around the middle. I eventually lowered the difficulty to easy just to get through the fights and make it to the end faster. The story gets dumb, the character events become tedious, and the dungeon design is just bland with endless enemies that aren't all that different from one another.
I really wanted to like this game, and I did in the beginning, but I'd say overall it's just pretty average. The battle system is fun, though.
Oh, and this is the first PS5 game I've played where I really didn't like what they did with the Dualshock support. At times it felt like just random clicks, or just constant vibrating feedback during battles.
This game is like if you packed as many shonen tropes into a JRPG as possible.
To start with the one positive note I have, the gameplay was actually fun! .. For the first 5 hours. Then you reach a point where you realize you're just doing the same thing over and over because the level designs are boring and the enemies aren't hard at all. The teammate abilities were kind of cool but I found none of them viable beside the fire one.
The music was okay, but I never got to the point where I heard something and was like "Damn they snapped" it's just all very mediocre.
The story was fucking BORING, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Super predictable and no interesting points of note. The characters were cardboard cutouts that fit under every single generic character type. The way you level them up is through Bond Episodes, which are just social links but worse. Short cutscenes that give a little bit of exposition on each character, but they're not even worth watching because the characters are boring. You can skip them as well which gives zero incentive to actually watch each cutscene.
In short, I didn't even buy this game and I want my money back.
To start with the one positive note I have, the gameplay was actually fun! .. For the first 5 hours. Then you reach a point where you realize you're just doing the same thing over and over because the level designs are boring and the enemies aren't hard at all. The teammate abilities were kind of cool but I found none of them viable beside the fire one.
The music was okay, but I never got to the point where I heard something and was like "Damn they snapped" it's just all very mediocre.
The story was fucking BORING, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Super predictable and no interesting points of note. The characters were cardboard cutouts that fit under every single generic character type. The way you level them up is through Bond Episodes, which are just social links but worse. Short cutscenes that give a little bit of exposition on each character, but they're not even worth watching because the characters are boring. You can skip them as well which gives zero incentive to actually watch each cutscene.
In short, I didn't even buy this game and I want my money back.
This review contains spoilers
Anime nonsense wins this round I guess. Even I have my limits.
I played ScarNex for about 20 hours on the Kasane route. I did not finish it. I will not be finishing the Yuito route either.
As an action game, Scarlet Nexus is a success. The combat is not the absolute best in the industry but it is satisfying, flashy, and fun. It layers complexity without overwhelming and is responsive to the buttons your pressing (after trying out Dark Alliance trust me this is something even big devs can whiff on).
As an rpg, it is a pretty big failure. Part of that is presentation I think. A game like DMC or Bayonetta is not trying to fool you into thinking it's more than a series of action setpieces. Scarlet Nexus wants you to care about so much though. But there's nothing to explore, no shops to enter, no sidequest worth the time it takes to read it. It's trying to thread the needle that a game like FF7 Remake does, but it ends up more like FF13. Hallways of fights punctuated by stilted dialogue and nonsense cutscenes.
Things I liked:
The OST is wonderful and I'll be listening to it for a while.
Cyberpunk aesthetic has kinda worn out its welcome, at least most of its more rote forms, but I still liked this games look. The cities in particular are well realized, just a shame they're just set dressing.
No noticeable fan service in character design or behavior, and considering the setup this could have easily gone the other way. Good shit.
The combat IS good. It's very fun. Throwing random trash at enemies never gets old, and neither does "press L2 to awesome".
Things I didn't like:
A lot of the game is presented the way it is to justify the split narrative. So many problems that would be resolved by the characters simply...talking to each other. They literally can chat at any time, as they do multiple times, they are brain linked, they have each other on cyber-discord or whatever. Just SEND A TEXT.
The world is big and has a lot of political intrigue but feels tiny. It's just you and your handful of anime friends. So alot hinges on how you like those friends and well...
On Kasane's side it's mostly a bunch of unlikeable asocial dorks. Kasane herself shouldn't be within 1,000 miles of a leadership position but gets one thrusted on her anyway for reasons. Shiden is aggressive in his disdain for anything but his epic power level. Asahi is "lazy" but also a "genius", fun. Kagero is also lazy but also rude too. What a fun crew.
But that's ok, you'll get to do Bonding episodes with the other protagonist's team members too. Even though you're supposedly fighting them for a large portion of the game...it's just kinda waved off. Makes the stakes feel a little small no matter how much they try to play them up.
The terrible dialogue is performed admirably by the VAs but man is it hokey. Battle fight mcwar battle fighting. For a few chapters, main character Yuito's catchphrase is "I will not be killed!!". Because Kasane is trying to kill him, you see. Don't worry, they eventually make up when Kasane realizes she should probably just talk to him and tell him what's going on.
You don't get to call yourself Brainpunk. The merging of technology and humanity, the near-mysticism of the digital age and its perverse consequences are all pretty key themes of cyberpunk. Scarlet Nexus is just a techno-flavored melodrama.
I played ScarNex for about 20 hours on the Kasane route. I did not finish it. I will not be finishing the Yuito route either.
As an action game, Scarlet Nexus is a success. The combat is not the absolute best in the industry but it is satisfying, flashy, and fun. It layers complexity without overwhelming and is responsive to the buttons your pressing (after trying out Dark Alliance trust me this is something even big devs can whiff on).
As an rpg, it is a pretty big failure. Part of that is presentation I think. A game like DMC or Bayonetta is not trying to fool you into thinking it's more than a series of action setpieces. Scarlet Nexus wants you to care about so much though. But there's nothing to explore, no shops to enter, no sidequest worth the time it takes to read it. It's trying to thread the needle that a game like FF7 Remake does, but it ends up more like FF13. Hallways of fights punctuated by stilted dialogue and nonsense cutscenes.
Things I liked:
The OST is wonderful and I'll be listening to it for a while.
Cyberpunk aesthetic has kinda worn out its welcome, at least most of its more rote forms, but I still liked this games look. The cities in particular are well realized, just a shame they're just set dressing.
No noticeable fan service in character design or behavior, and considering the setup this could have easily gone the other way. Good shit.
The combat IS good. It's very fun. Throwing random trash at enemies never gets old, and neither does "press L2 to awesome".
Things I didn't like:
A lot of the game is presented the way it is to justify the split narrative. So many problems that would be resolved by the characters simply...talking to each other. They literally can chat at any time, as they do multiple times, they are brain linked, they have each other on cyber-discord or whatever. Just SEND A TEXT.
The world is big and has a lot of political intrigue but feels tiny. It's just you and your handful of anime friends. So alot hinges on how you like those friends and well...
On Kasane's side it's mostly a bunch of unlikeable asocial dorks. Kasane herself shouldn't be within 1,000 miles of a leadership position but gets one thrusted on her anyway for reasons. Shiden is aggressive in his disdain for anything but his epic power level. Asahi is "lazy" but also a "genius", fun. Kagero is also lazy but also rude too. What a fun crew.
But that's ok, you'll get to do Bonding episodes with the other protagonist's team members too. Even though you're supposedly fighting them for a large portion of the game...it's just kinda waved off. Makes the stakes feel a little small no matter how much they try to play them up.
The terrible dialogue is performed admirably by the VAs but man is it hokey. Battle fight mcwar battle fighting. For a few chapters, main character Yuito's catchphrase is "I will not be killed!!". Because Kasane is trying to kill him, you see. Don't worry, they eventually make up when Kasane realizes she should probably just talk to him and tell him what's going on.
You don't get to call yourself Brainpunk. The merging of technology and humanity, the near-mysticism of the digital age and its perverse consequences are all pretty key themes of cyberpunk. Scarlet Nexus is just a techno-flavored melodrama.
This feels like the licenced game for a bad seasonal anime that everyone mines for profile pictures for 6 months before forgetting it ever existed. Except it's a game getting adapted into an anime instead of the other way around. The combat is pretty fun tho.
The combat holds up the entire game, and even then there's times where it isn't fun because some enemy varieties and combinations are just a pain in the ass to fight. That being said when it gets fun, it gets really fun. I enjoyed many of the boss fights too.
However the story is one of the least engaging stories I've had the pleasure of watching in a while, and most of the characters just feel like a bundle of poorly executed tropes. I'm not saying stories have to be deep, but the story of this game rarely entertained me. Outside of the plot surrounding Naomi everything feels poorly executed.
I'm not even sure if I want to complete the other route. I played Kasane's and if the ending is about the same, I don't really care to know whatever details come from it.
Overall I'd say this game was disappointing. The demo and the trailers made me think it'd be one of my favorite games of the year, but bland level design, the story, and the dull cast of characters just don't help.
However the story is one of the least engaging stories I've had the pleasure of watching in a while, and most of the characters just feel like a bundle of poorly executed tropes. I'm not saying stories have to be deep, but the story of this game rarely entertained me. Outside of the plot surrounding Naomi everything feels poorly executed.
I'm not even sure if I want to complete the other route. I played Kasane's and if the ending is about the same, I don't really care to know whatever details come from it.
Overall I'd say this game was disappointing. The demo and the trailers made me think it'd be one of my favorite games of the year, but bland level design, the story, and the dull cast of characters just don't help.
The combat really holds this game way higher because everything else around it is nothing to write about.
The characters for the most part are copy and paste characters that you can find in so many games/ anime series. The story is fine but by the end I found myself really not caring as so many things were thrown at you during the final few phases. Speaking on phases phase 10 and 12 are dragged on so long to the point that I almost wanted to quit there was no reason for those phases to have been as long as they were lol. And kasane as a character really did not strike me with her annoying dialogue. And I am personally not a fan of the still picture cutscenes as it took away so much emotions from specific cutscenes that they really became annoying as the story went on.
Past that I really did enjoy the combat and the variety of skills the game gives you to mix and match with its very fun. And while I brought up the characters being basic I still enjoyed the dialogue with them during their bond quests some are very enjoyable.
Overall not a bad game by the stretch but nothing I see myself ever playing again or remembering down the line.
The characters for the most part are copy and paste characters that you can find in so many games/ anime series. The story is fine but by the end I found myself really not caring as so many things were thrown at you during the final few phases. Speaking on phases phase 10 and 12 are dragged on so long to the point that I almost wanted to quit there was no reason for those phases to have been as long as they were lol. And kasane as a character really did not strike me with her annoying dialogue. And I am personally not a fan of the still picture cutscenes as it took away so much emotions from specific cutscenes that they really became annoying as the story went on.
Past that I really did enjoy the combat and the variety of skills the game gives you to mix and match with its very fun. And while I brought up the characters being basic I still enjoyed the dialogue with them during their bond quests some are very enjoyable.
Overall not a bad game by the stretch but nothing I see myself ever playing again or remembering down the line.
greatest of all time
This was a very weird game that never really achieve greatness. Basically I only enjoyed the middle of the game, when the combat gameplay starts to get interesting with different powers and options, but before it becomes an endless repetition of the same enemies and strategies in the dragging dungeons of the end of the game.
Apart from the combat, nothing is above average. The story is somewhat interesting but flood by long and uninteresting dialogue, while suffering almost obnoxiously of the "power of friendship", especially towards the end. Some characters are interesting and at least all of them are well developed.
Environments are beautiful when inspired, but it's a rare thing. Most of the time it's just blend post apocalyptic city landscapes. Level design is basic and it all become very repetitive as you will see a lot of them twice or more due to how the game is delivered through two very different character paths.
I wanted to like this game but actually had to force myself to finish it. It doesn't stand the distance as the only true stand out is the combat system, but they don't have the bestiary to go with it.
Apart from the combat, nothing is above average. The story is somewhat interesting but flood by long and uninteresting dialogue, while suffering almost obnoxiously of the "power of friendship", especially towards the end. Some characters are interesting and at least all of them are well developed.
Environments are beautiful when inspired, but it's a rare thing. Most of the time it's just blend post apocalyptic city landscapes. Level design is basic and it all become very repetitive as you will see a lot of them twice or more due to how the game is delivered through two very different character paths.
I wanted to like this game but actually had to force myself to finish it. It doesn't stand the distance as the only true stand out is the combat system, but they don't have the bestiary to go with it.
This game is the coolest, such a pure fun experience with an enjoyably tropey narrative and a fun cast
Doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table but I enjoyed pretty much everything it threw at me
Doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table but I enjoyed pretty much everything it threw at me
i played this game
I tried getting into this game, but god it became a slog. It's well made and creative visually, but for some reason the game is 65% story and 35% combat. Usually I don't mind, but the issue is the story is just tropey and bloated and frustrating.
The combat is quite good until it begins to overstay it's welcome, and the missions quickly turn to backtracking. It's well made however.
Idk, play it if you don't care about anime tropes and you're cool with bloated play time? It's kind of fine?
The combat is quite good until it begins to overstay it's welcome, and the missions quickly turn to backtracking. It's well made however.
Idk, play it if you don't care about anime tropes and you're cool with bloated play time? It's kind of fine?
Pacing gets a little messy by the end but the combat system kicks ass, all the characters rule, and the story really commits to some buckwild, super fun ideas. If they make a sequel, I'm confident they'll absolutely knock it out of the park. This is a really fantastic base for a franchise.
Also steadily seeing your team decorate your apartment with gifts you buy them (And having custom animations where they mess with almost every one of them) is so so soooooo good.
Also also the music slaps.
Also steadily seeing your team decorate your apartment with gifts you buy them (And having custom animations where they mess with almost every one of them) is so so soooooo good.
Also also the music slaps.
Scarlet Johansson
Oh boy I do like anime :)
Would it be completed or abandoned if I dont want to play again as the dude
Edit 3/1/2022: i've decided this game sucks and I dont care
Edit 3/1/2022: i've decided this game sucks and I dont care
I was pretty excited for this game at announcement. Code Vein, Namco Bandai's last very anime game, wasn't without faults, but was rather enjoyable, so Scarlet Nexus, which looked notably more polished by comparison, was an exciting prospect. However, Scarlet Nexus drops the ball in so many ways, that the final result is ultimately dissatisfying with glimpses of a greater game underneath.
Story
I think the individual story beats are... okay? They're not particularly special sci-fi, but they're fine enough. The execution and writing for many of these scenes ensure that the story falls flat though. Characters are rather stilted in their delivery, but it feels more like a problem with the dialogue than the VA. Often overly expository and long winded, it doesn't flow particularly well, and this ultimately hurts the character writing as well. One annoying thing about the game is its' presentation of cutscenes though. Traditional cutscenes are used sparingly, and most of the cutscenes are instead still pictures of the models with VA playing over them. It feels very ... cheap and lessens the impact of the scenes whenever they're used.
Gameplay
So the story is whatever, but most aren't here for the story anyway. Unfortunately, the gameplay, while better, is riddled with many small issues that culminate in something frustrating. No ability to dodge out of attacks makes dodging based one enemy tells more difficult. Status effects like like electrocution leave the player unable to move for what feels like an eternity in an action game. Again, there are good moments there though. Using the powers of your teammates can be pretty satisfying even if some of them are a bit... unimaginative in their application, and when you get a good chain of telekinesis, it can feel pretty good. It's just otherwise, it can feel a tad frustrating, or arguably even worse, boring.
Technically, the game is pretty great. I didn't run into any bugs or noticeable frame dips on PS5. The game models look generally pretty nice. Environments range from bland to okay depending on the location, but they're also serviceable for the most part.
In the end, I was left disappointed by the game, and despite liking the idea of playing it with the other character to get their side expanded, I have zero interest in continuing on, so this is where I'll end it. Hopefully a possible sequel can better address some of these issues.
Story
I think the individual story beats are... okay? They're not particularly special sci-fi, but they're fine enough. The execution and writing for many of these scenes ensure that the story falls flat though. Characters are rather stilted in their delivery, but it feels more like a problem with the dialogue than the VA. Often overly expository and long winded, it doesn't flow particularly well, and this ultimately hurts the character writing as well. One annoying thing about the game is its' presentation of cutscenes though. Traditional cutscenes are used sparingly, and most of the cutscenes are instead still pictures of the models with VA playing over them. It feels very ... cheap and lessens the impact of the scenes whenever they're used.
Gameplay
So the story is whatever, but most aren't here for the story anyway. Unfortunately, the gameplay, while better, is riddled with many small issues that culminate in something frustrating. No ability to dodge out of attacks makes dodging based one enemy tells more difficult. Status effects like like electrocution leave the player unable to move for what feels like an eternity in an action game. Again, there are good moments there though. Using the powers of your teammates can be pretty satisfying even if some of them are a bit... unimaginative in their application, and when you get a good chain of telekinesis, it can feel pretty good. It's just otherwise, it can feel a tad frustrating, or arguably even worse, boring.
Technically, the game is pretty great. I didn't run into any bugs or noticeable frame dips on PS5. The game models look generally pretty nice. Environments range from bland to okay depending on the location, but they're also serviceable for the most part.
In the end, I was left disappointed by the game, and despite liking the idea of playing it with the other character to get their side expanded, I have zero interest in continuing on, so this is where I'll end it. Hopefully a possible sequel can better address some of these issues.
I enjoyed the battle system more than the nonsense story—which is mostly comic-style, non moving pictures. The final three hours/final dungeon almost made me punt my controller with its waves of unfun and utter BS enemies.