Namco Bandai have had an interesting decade. Outside of the form-redefining Dark Souls (2011) the publisher has not had many breakout hits. They have, however, funded a plethora of novel, single-player titles, from the bone chillingly brilliant Little Nightmares (2017), to the interesting, if not entirely successful, Dark Pictures Anthology (2019-). Scarlet Nexus (2021) is an action game with an ambitious, high-concept narrative, and a combat system that, while not as visceral as the fare of say, Platinum games, has a super-powered tactical twist that feels distinct within the ouvere of Japanese action games.
Scarlet Nexus is an action game with some role-playing elements. You play as either Yuito or Kasane, two newly graduated cadets at the ‘OSF’: a branch of the government fighting paranormal creatures. For the purposes of this review I played through Kasane’s story, which is grounded by her relationship to her sister, Naomi. They fight so-called ‘others’, bizarre creatures whose physical appearances vary from looking like a bouquet of flowers to an industrial coil. The baroque designs of these creatures felt reminiscent of the witches from the anime Madoka Magica (2011). Anime is a relevant comparison as the game opens with a flashy animated video sequence that feels like the opening to a television show. The game’s so-called ‘phases’ also feel like episodes in a television show. The game plays out like a high-concept anime. It is thematically loaded with ideas of environment, politics, revolution, work culture and sibling love. Seeing these themes develop as the game gradually reveals the political corruption and mind-bending forces at play is comparable to bingeing a good show on Crunchyroll (Japanese animation Netflix). Unfortunately, however, the impact of the game is hurt by both performance and presentation. Voice acting for video games can often feel more stilted, due to the sheer volume of content that voice actors are forced to record (often on tight time schedules). This is why many games feature voice acting that misses the mark in tone and delivery. Voice actors cannot conjure the same investment for hundreds or thousands of lines. Scarlet Nexus’ dub is exceptionally stilted however, even with this in mind. This might come down to a problem with direction. A few performances still shine through however. The actor that plays Arashi Spring, Reba Buhr, brings a relaxed confidence to the role that really endeared me to her, but even this performance is let down by the stoic speaking animation that plays during scenes of dialogue. I do not understand why the characters in this game are not posed in more expressive poses during these scenes. I understand that the game’s characters are meant to be soldiers, but the inexpressive animations delivers a feeling that the characters are constantly incredibly poe-faced. This really hurts one’s ability to empathise with them in more emotional moments.
To return to the ways in which the game feels like an anime, I would like to talk about the combat. The fighting begins rather simplistically, which made some fights in the early part of the game drag a little. As one learns new moves through the game’s skill tree the combat begins to show it’s true colours. The plethora of moves and skills allows for tactical depth and stylish maneuvers that the player is given the time to learn and grasp. One fights as their chosen character, alongside a small squadron of individuals with supernatural powers which your character can periodically borrow. About halfway through the game the combat feels vastly more open and there are opportunities to use the various super powers in tactical ways, such as using electrical powers on wet enemies to deal extra damage. The slow unlocking of these techniques, allows the player to become comfortable with when and how to use each of them before a new layer of the combat is introduced. The progressive structure also offers a real feeling of improvement. It also means the game is not frontloaded with explanations of all the powers. This slow learning process does mean however that the player receives tutorial pop-ups many hours in which are slightly annoying from a pacing standpoint in my opinion.
Whether it is the twists offered by the bonkers story or the thrills of learning how to command you and your squad’s powers to become a tactical leader, Scarlet Nexus is an entertaining game from start to finish. It is held back from ever achieving true greatness however, by performances and animations that limit the players ability to empathically invest in the game’s characters and narrative. I still enjoyed my time with this game, wondering where the story would go and devising new combat strategies. As a Sci-Fi game with familial love, political intrigue, and tactical fighting, Scarlet Nexus is no masterpiece, but it offers a lot to dig into.
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Reviewed for PS4. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
