I’ve been writing a lot about Scarlet Nexus lately and that’s largely because the game was such a surprise.

I was looking for a game to break up my Spider-Man playing marathon as I had just beaten Miles Morales and was gearing up for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. I had beaten my first Uncharted game but wanted something a bit more different before shifting back to Spider-Man.

That appeared in the form of the action RPG Scarlet Nexus.

I had seen this game regularly on sale with many saying how underrated it was and how others should experience it. I decided to give it a shot and I have not regretted my decision.

Let me preface this all by saying Scarlet Nexus is far from a perfect game. If I was reviewing it, I would objectively give it a solid 4 out of 5. That said, just because it isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean it’s any less enjoyable.

Scarlet Nexus released in 2021, just a few months prior to Bandai Namco’s other hit RPG of the year Tales of Arise.

Scarlet Nexus, however, was unique. For one, it was set in a science-fiction setting rather than a fantasy one. There are good sci-fi RPGs out there, but fantasy tends to dominate the genre.

Furthermore, the game employed dual protagonists, another unique approach to RPGs.

Scarlet Nexus allows players to choose between Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall. Both characters will experience the same overall plot, but there are enough exclusive story moments to each that it can feel completely different at times. Having the differing perspectives also helps further explore this story.

Narratively, Scarlet Nexus has a lot of twists and turns. I can say that whatever you think the story is about when you start is not what it ends up being about. I played Yuito’s route first and that playthrough had so many fun twists and swerves.

Sure, some might not enjoy the story. It’s admittedly a firm representation of Shonen anime complete with all the tropes you might find in this genre. If that type of anime is not your thing, this game may be a hard sell. Still, I’m not necessarily a huge anime fan and I did really enjoy it.

Lastly, the combat is superb. For me, it was easily the most addictive part of the game. It’s not terribly deep, but it’s fun.

In short, you combine melee attacks with psionic abilities. Combat is action-based so everything is happening quickly and chaotically. I found a lot of satisfaction in embracing the system and really enjoyed myself.

As I said at the start, Scarlet Nexus was the game I didn’t know I needed. It checked a lot of boxes for an RPG and the journey wasn’t too long to play.

Playing through Yuito’s storyline took me about 36 hours but many have beaten one playthrough in under 30. Going through Kasane’s route has been a lot quicker thanks to carrying over levels from my Yuito playthrough.

It’s always a lot of fun to come across a game you weren’t expecting to enjoy as much as you did. I’m sure we’ve all found games like this that have been pleasant surprises.

So what about you? What game surprised you when you played it? Have you played Scarlet Nexus? What did you think about the game? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Bandai Namco

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