I’ve recently engrossed myself in Scarlet Nexus, a game that surpassed any of my expectations.
This science-fiction action RPG has been a lot of fun both in gameplay and narrative. From a story perspective, the world of New Himuka is enthralling and mysterious.
As much as I love Scarlet Nexus, it does embrace its linearity to a fault. Bandai Namco has done a phenomenal job at building out its world that it was a shame to not be able to explore it further.
Areas in Scarlet Nexus act as gorgeous hallways that let you see the world around you, but you can’t head off the path. Heck, if you look at the map, it does look like a series of hallways.
This game has so much political intrigue and a lot more it can offer. That’s why Bandai Namco needs to revisit it in some form.
I’m not suggesting we need a fully open world that allows Breath of the Wild-like exploring. In terms of this game, I think that may be a bit too much.
Rather, I’d like to see a bit more of a Final Fantasy XVI approach. That game was more linear, but some of the areas were semi-open, allowing for a bit of exploration.
Of course, Final Fantasy XVI and Scarlet Nexus are two different games so I’d like to see the FFXVI format properly adapted to the latter.
Even if the game sticks to its linear approach, I’d love to see more of New Himuka and maybe even beyond. Again, the developers made such an intriguing world, in both design and narrative, that it begs a return.
If we’re exploring the narrative, the history of New Himuka offers a great chance to further explore the world. Without spoiling, the game does a fantastic job at discussing what led to the world’s current state that it would be a lot of fun to see and play it.
Scarlet Nexus really has been the surprise hit of my backlog so far. It released in 2021, just a few months before Bandai Namco’s other hit of that year Tales of Arise. Because of that timing, Scarlet Nexus got overlooked.
There don’t seem to be any plans for a sequel at this time, but the game’s world is one that needs to live on. If that doesn’t happen in a future game, than it should be through manga or another form of media.
Has there ever been a one-off game that you wish would get revisited? What about its world made you want to return? What are your thoughts on Scarlet Nexus‘s world of New Himuka? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Bandai Namco (via RPGFan)
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