Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realization

Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realization

With a catalog bringing together a slew of historic video game licenses (Soulcalibur, Tekken, Tales Of, Dark Souls) and adaptations of the biggest manga licenses (DBZ, One Piece, Naruto, My Hero Academia), Bandai Namco is sitting on a almost inexhaustible windfall that could exempt him from all creativity. And yet, this does not prevent the publisher from regularly taking risks by releasing original titles, just to see if it could not create a new license to integrate into its catalog, which is already well supplied.



7

Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realizationSee PriceRead ConclusionScarlet Nexus

  • A complete combat system and sexy as hell...
  • A generally successful DA, soundtrack included
  • A story that never ceases to surprise chapter after chapter
  • A well-packed cast of characters
  • … encumbered by sequences of insipid parlottes
  • Repetition and recycling, obvious signs of a lack of means
  • Some display delays
  • The staging of the story, flat and static most of the time

Scarlet Nexus is one such trial. After God Eater and Code Vein, Bandai Namco called on producer Keita Iizuka again, who had already given birth to God Eater and more recently, Code Vein. For the occasion, Iizuka brought out his usual hobbies, namely a certain love for convoluted stories, universes with strong concepts, and above all game mechanics, combat in mind, made with care and precision that borders on the perfection. Is that enough to make Scarlet Nexus a title to remember for years to come? Not sure, because the game is steeped in many flaws that severely outweigh its qualities.


Hell is other people

After God Eater and its post-apocalyptic universe filled with invincible monsters, Code Vein and its post-apocalyptic universe filled with vampires driven mad by bloodlust, Scarlet Nexus pleasantly changes the game by taking us for a ride in an alternative world dominated by brain-binding technology, and/or psychic powers are commonplace.


In this future "Brainpunk", to use the terminology invented by Iizuka and his team, it will be possible to follow the story of two distinct characters, but of equal importance. On one side, Yuito Sumeragi, heir to the legendary founder of Neo Himuka. On the other, Kasane Randall, adopted daughter of the leaders of the largest arms industry in the country. In addition to their wealthy origins, both share the same power, Telekinesis, which allows them to manipulate the objects around them at will.

Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realization

The Others and their strange designs

But these are not their only points in common, because both Yuito and Kasane are part of the latest wave of recruits from the Bureau for the Elimination of Others, a military force that almost forcibly enlists a good part of the nation's living forces to fight against the threat that hangs over Neo Himuka and the country in general: the Others.

For several centuries, the world of Scarlet Nexus has been exposed to incessant attacks from the Belt of Extinction, a nebulous entity floating in the sky, which regularly drops amazing creatures, mixing organic and technological parts, grotesque, and above all, brain-hungry. The BEA constitutes an elite force, only capable of repelling these assaults thanks to the martial and psionic prowess of its members.


Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realization

Hanabi's Pyrokinesis, a valuable ally in combat

Scarlet Nexus invites us to follow Yuito and Kasane in the early days of their incorporation into BEA. By their side, it will be possible to discover the Others, the threat they represent, the workings of this world and its institutions, a gallery of colorful characters and a plot which, as you can imagine, will shake up the foundations. of their universe. Let's not talk about it any further so as not to spoil the many surprises that this title conceals.

The least we can say is that the writers had a field day. Because you see, if Scarlet Nexus tells a story, it does so through two characters. At the start of the game, you'll be prompted to choose between Yuito and Kasane, and you'll experience the plot from the chosen character's perspective. Far from being anecdotal, this choice makes it possible to discover the story from two distinct angles. Each event will be experienced differently depending on the selected protagonist, causing discrepancies, sometimes major, from one story to another. So much so that you really have to play both stories to get all the ins and outs of the Scarlet Nexus storyline.


Scarlet Nexus test: boosted action and sluggish realization

It's nice. Undeniably. But God it's empty...

Not to spoil anything, the scenario presented to us, and more broadly, the world that we discover in this game are quite captivating. The story has a string of script twists and original revelations, which keep us constantly in suspense. A good surprise in short, where we did not necessarily expect it.

A visual firework

As you might have guessed given the latest productions mixing Bandai Namco and Iizuka, Scarlet Nexus offers us a strong and very successful visual and sound identity. It also sticks us in the face from its first seconds. The animated intro presents us with a good part of the cast cutting up Others with a grace as airy as it is deadly, all carried by a soundtrack that tends to stay in the ears. If this intro is used to highlight the animated series that comes out in parallel with the game, it above all allows you to set the tone for an irreproachable DA.


JVFR

Visually, Scarlet Nexus does not care about it quite regularly

Scarlet Nexus also relies on a high-end visual part. The visual identity of the title is based on a very impressive Cell Shading, especially on PS5. Characters and environments are absolutely sumptuous, and the DA is sublimated once all these beautiful people get in motion. The animations in combat are impressively fluid, and an avalanche of visual effects transforms everything into a real firework that flatters the retina as rarely.

The casting of the characters for its part, if it is a bit cliché for this type of production, is nonetheless very successful. A tomboyish childhood friend (and a bit in love with the hero), a cold and distant handsome kid, a silent girl who has trouble with emotions, but has a heart of gold, a joker mature man focused on the bottle, take your pick, they are all there. But they have the advantage of being all fully dubbed, and by seiyuus having largely rolled their bumps in the animation, which gives the dialogue a particularly pleasant flavor if one plays with the Japanese voices (but who would have the bad taste of playing this type of production in English?).


JVFR

The visual equipment part allows you to customize the appearance of your team. For the pleasure of all webs

The claws of boredom

Unfortunately, this abundance of effects is not enough to hide the weaknesses that plague Scarlet Nexus. If the title turns out to be magnificent, it nevertheless suffers from several rather crippling flaws. Starting with a level design that clearly lacks inspiration, and only highlights the economy with which this title was produced. Throughout the story, our protagonists will have to visit a dozen different environments which, if they have interesting visual identities (a construction site, a disused metro, an abandoned shopping district, an old hospital), all end up look alike.

Each place consists of a succession of corridors and rooms that act as arenas where some enemies await us. Places that we will cross in a straight line, with the exception of a few detours required by the scenario (the game will not let us go where we should not go anyway) until we come across the room finale which houses the end of chapter boss. History to add a layer (negative), these places are populated by enemies who all end up looking alike.

JVFR

The environments are quite pretty, but lack panache in the level design

If they have original and striking designs, they also suffer from the declination syndrome specific to many Japanese RPGs. The bestiary is indeed filled with variations of the same enemy, so much so that we get tired quickly and everything ends up looking the same. Again, this repetition of monsters underlines the scarlet resources allocated to Scarlet Nexus.

Finally, let's finish with a word on the realization of the title, which fails at many times. Often magnificent during the action sequences, Scarlet Nexus crashes in the great widths as soon as it comes to exposing its story, however catchy as we have already underlined it previously. Most of the exhibition segments are in fact done through static shots interspersed with vignettes showing the portraits of the various interlocutors. Talking sequences a bit long which contrast radically with the dynamism that emerges from the action sequences.

JVFR

Most of the story goes through a flat realization, which contrasts too much with the action scenes

Worse, the game offers, between each chapter, Interludes that allow you to deepen the relationships between the different characters. A good idea to expand the universe, and push the player to take an interest in his companions, which is unfortunately served by insipid stories that unfold through endless dialogue sequences. And it's infuriating, because in the end we spend a lot of time reading these endless stories. Shame.

The BEA BA of combat

Although burdened by its realization and its lack of means, Scarlet Nexus still has an asset up its sleeve, and not the least. Iizuka games are often based on game systems that give pride of place to extremely polished combat mechanics. And this one is no exception to the rule. Simple at the start, the gameplay of Scarlet Nexus expands chapter after chapter to acquire a complexity and precision that borders on perfection and gives birth to precise and particularly enjoyable combat sequences.

On bases common to any good action-RPG (single blow, strong, dodge, jump, juggle) comes to be grafted a whole bunch of systems which grant a very great freedom of action, and strategies. The first of these lies in the use of Yuito and Kasane's psychic powers, which allow them to swing objects from the environment at their opponents. These attacks, when coordinated with a single hit in the right timing, allow you to close in at high speed on the opponent to stick a few good hits, creating an extended combo.

JVFR

Cerebral Pressure Eliminations Deliver Very Dynamic Moments

In addition, some objects in the environment have special interactions capable of radically changing the face of a confrontation, especially against bosses. Who has never dreamed of swinging a subway train in the face of a group of enemies, of blowing up a tank truck, or of spraying an opponent with oil before setting it on fire, all , with a single thought.

Everything changes when you unlock the SAC. As stated before, the world of Scarlet Nexus is all about brain-to-brain interaction, and the SAC allows your character to bond with fellow travelers in order to use their psionic skills. One character grants you flame attacks, another a temporary invisibility or invincibility, a last, an offensive teleportation. In total, it's a dozen powers that it will be possible to use according to your wanderings. Better, by acquiring the right skills, you can even use up to four of these powers simultaneously to create overpowered builds depending on the opponents facing you.

JVFR

Entering the Brain Field, a moment of pure enjoyment

Add to that the Brain Boost, a kind of burst mode increasing speed and power, and which engages automatically after performing certain actions, the Brain Field, which multiplies the psychokinetic prowess of Yuito and Kasane for a short period of time, or even Brain Pressure, which allows you to knock out certain opponents almost instantly, and you get a dense, rich, complete and incredibly enjoyable system when you have it in hand. And again, we have only exposed here the outline of this system which has many subtleties that we will let you discover at your own pace.

This is the great strength of this Scarlet Nexus. The slightest skirmish, whether we face foot soldiers or bosses, is transformed into a ballet combining precision and mastery in a debauchery of animations and effects specific to take off your retina. So much so that we want more, again and again, without ever getting tired.

Scarlet Nexus : l'avis de JVFR

With its Scarlet Nexus, Bandai Namco gives us a halftone performance, carried away by explosive game mechanics, even grandiose, and harmed by lots of little worries which, when combined, destabilize the balance.

On the one hand, the game offers game mechanics that are close to perfection with an extremely dynamic, cutting-edge combat system that constantly evolves over time to burst into as enjoyable fireworks as possible in its final stages. hours. A real gem of balance that offers a feeling of control and incredible power once you master it. Carried by a frankly successful DA based on Cell Shading as we had rarely seen, Scarlet Nexus also relies on a scenario that constantly manages to renew itself with a lot of twists and revelations that could not be more surprising.

On the other, Scarlet Nexus offers us a slightly wobbly gaming experience, between exploration that quickly turns into boredom and uninspired level design. The endless alternation between corridors and arenas, as well as the lack of renewal of the bestiary which displays many variations of the same enemy quickly ends up tiring. And what about these interludes, a good idea on paper, but which ultimately boil down to stupid and wicked leveling and farming sessions interspersed with short stories without much interest. Add to that a few technical concerns, especially on the side of the display distance and the camera, which is often found at the strawberries in the tightest places, and you get a more than mixed result.

In the end, Scarlet Nexus is part of the purest tradition of the AA of yesteryear. An experience that could be improved, with many faults, but which has at its center a strong idea, a concept carried out to perfection, which allows it to stand out from the crowd. Here, it is undoubtedly about this combat system, assembled meticulously by the teams of Bandai Namco, and which will undoubtedly delight amateurs fighting as technically as aesthetically. And if we can not deny the many worries that enamel the game, we can not however blame Keita Iizuka and his teams for trying, tirelessly, new things.

Scarlet nexus

7

Full of small flaws, uneven in its execution, repetitive at times, Scarlet Nexus is far from perfect. But it can also count on a surprising scenario, an AD that flatters the retina and above all, a combat system that borders on perfection. A little gem that almost single-handedly manages to make you forget its flaws. Almost.

Most

  • A complete combat system and sexy as hell...
  • A generally successful DA, soundtrack included
  • A story that never ceases to surprise chapter after chapter
  • A well-packed cast of characters

The lessers

  • … encumbered by sequences of insipid parlottes
  • Repetition and recycling, obvious signs of a lack of means
  • Some display delays
  • The staging of the story, flat and static most of the time
  • A level design that leaves you hungry
See the price
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