An intriguing new ‘brain punk’ world with satisfying psychokinetic combat, SCARLET NEXUS is a new anime IP by Bandai Namco launching on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, PS4 and PS5. Producer Keita Iizuke has coined the term ‘brain punk’ to describe the game’s world stating he is intrigued by what would happen if society developed the human brain. Prior to the game’s launch the Japanese publisher has launched a free demo on digital store fronts.
When the demo starts you are presented with the choice of playing between the male protagonist Yuito Sumeragi or the female protagonist Kasane Randall. Both are members of an organisation called OSF, tasked with defeating ‘The Others’, an invading alien race. Each protagonist has different party members which grant them access to different abilities to use in combat.
The locations are vastly different depending on which character you choose, with Yuito fighting through neon-lit city streets and Kasane fighting through an abandoned construction site. The ‘brain punk’ level design is mostly interesting with some visually stunning environments. The plots are mostly similar between the two protagonists with the same lines of dialogue being voiced by different characters. It’s an engaging set up and I am interested in how their stories develop, but where SCARLET NEXUS really shines is with its combat.
As an action RPG, fighting ‘The Others’ is extremely gratifying. Yuito uses a sword whilst Kasane has smaller, quicker knives with the caveat of less range. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on psychokinetic abilities (AKA using your mind to lob rocks at enemies). By pressing a trigger your character will automatically throw one of the many objects littered around the environment into enemies. Depending on the size of the object will change how long you need to hold the trigger down for- smaller objects are quick and snappy, whilst larger objects require you to hold down the trigger for a few seconds. You can’t rely solely on psychokinetic moves as it’s limited by a meter, meaning combining with melee attacks is essential.
There are also finishing moves and environmental attacks by pressing the left trigger. The most memorable of these was Yuito pulling out a lamp post and wielding it like a gigantic sword and Kasane recklessly bulldozing a JCB into an enemy causing a massive explosion. The left trigger also allows you to perform finishers once you’ve inflicted enough damage. The animations are quick and super fulfilling to watch. I felt a burst of adrenaline pulling one off after whittling down an enemy's health bar.
The characters can also utilise special moves using other OSF party members. Kasane is able to use an elemental electric attack and can slow down time. Yuito can cause fire damage and can turn invisible. It’s an exciting system with the potential to add variety to the game’s combat however the usage of them in the demo can be very situational. One enemy moves so fast it’s nearly impossible to hit without slowing down time. If you don’t manage to defeat it before the ability wears off, you will have to wait for it to recharge. Attempting to hit it without the ability is like trying to swat a fly with a piece of cooked spaghetti.
The demo also has a great soundtrack. The music accompanies the action on screen well with dance tunes with strong bass and synth, but the score is not scared to bring sax or piano into the mix. There are a lot of genre shifts that keep the music captivating and often syncs up with the combat. This makes finisher moves feel punchy like nailing a difficult piece of music after hours of practise.
Before playing the demo, I knew nothing of SCARLET NEXUS, now, I want to know everything. The game has some delightful combat, a compelling ‘brain punk’ world and some banging music. If you are thinking about buying the game I would highly recommend playing the demo to see if the dynamic combat clicks with you as much as it clicked with me.
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