Provided you have enough of a meter to pull it off, you can hold down a button to have your character automatically target a nearby object and throw it at the enemy you're locked on to. It doesn't take long before you use psychokinesis, a power shared by both protagonists. You can dish out quick and heavy attacks and well as a few combos your defensive measures include a dash, healing potions and other items without jumping into a menu.
The companions can attack and heal, and you can give them basic directions on how to behave, but you're mostly taking care of threats on your own in real time. You rarely go on a solo mission, as you go into battle with at least one or two people by your side.
The transitions between the cut scenes and back to gameplay are done smoothly, but since the engine can produce some nice visuals on, the lack of full animation is a letdown.Īt first glance, the combat system is familiar enough. The scenes don't take up the whole screen, and you can even shift it to see more of the background while temporarily tilting the image perspectives. There's a still of the scene done with the in-game engine, and character portraits appear above it, with only the character mouths moving. Instead of fully animated cut scenes, the game transitions into a manga/visual novel combination. Some players may be disappointed in the format of the cut scenes. The actual play styles also differ, with Yuito being more of a close-quarters fighter with his sword and Kasane going for a more distance-based attack with her daggers. That also translates to gameplay, where some bosses are only encountered when playing as one character. Some events are exclusive to each character, so you need to play through both campaigns to get a more complete picture. Although both protagonists go through the same major events throughout the campaign, they do so with different squads, so the dialogue is always different. It also helps that character choice impacts the plot. As the game progresses, everyone gets more than a few chances to gain some depth, and by the end, you care about their well-being. Squad members occupy their expected roles well enough, including the brash, insecure guy the dependable guy the trustworthy childhood friend and the lazy starlet. Initially, both playable protagonists fall into the typical archetypes, with Yuito being the good-natured, down-to-earth type despite his upbringing and Kasane being cold and no nonsense to those she isn't already close to. Of course, having an ensemble cast like this demands that the characters are at least intriguing, and the game succeeds in that regard. It remains engaging even if some of the story threads can feel like absolute nonsense. Little by little, the tale starts to reveal several surprises to keep you guessing. There are tidbits that are both interesting and disturbing, such as the celebrity given to the OSF members despite their young age and the forced censorship of the dead. The setting is fascinating thanks to a mix of modern aesthetics and technological advancements that don't seem too far-fetched. If you enjoy anime because of their stories, then you'll certainly like what you find in Scarlet Nexus. You play as Yuito or Kasane, two recruits on the Other Suppression Force, as they fight the good fight while handling issues in their own lives. Some humans have developed psionic powers that help in the fight against the Others. Hailing from an area above the Earth known as the Extinction Ring, beings known as Others frequently come down from orbit and feast on human brains. It also suffers from a phenomenon that has become increasingly common over time: invasion. New Himuka looks suspiciously like any Japanese city but with loads of augmented reality elements, like animated billboards and holographic signs. Scarlet Nexus is set in a future that's advanced yet apocalyptic. Regardless of the genre, the result is a game that will not only please anime fans but also hold the interest of those who would normally be turned off by the aesthetic.
Since then, we learned that this was going to be a multiplatform title, and with some of the people behind the Tales of series involved, it would lean toward an action-RPG rather than a straightforward action title. The initial trailer sold people on the idea of what looked like a high-action, Devil May Cry-style title with the usual anime trappings. Scarlet Nexus was announced during a press event that touted some of the early titles that were coming to the Xbox Series X shortly after the console's launch.