![]() The SAS system is activated by holding down a shoulder button and then pushing whichever face button that corresponds to whichever ability you have set it to. This is a system in which your party members can grant you additional abilities at the push of a button. ![]() Scarlet Nexus’ combat is so good thanks to the Struggle Arms System, or SAS for short. The combat in Scarlet Nexus is such an addictive, deep, and yet easy-to-understand system it borders on perfect. One moment Arashi, a member of Kasane’s team, is trying to stop you and the next she’s inviting you out so you can test her program… It’s such a bizarre choice that broke any immersion I had almost instantly.īut let’s end this on a high note - and I mean a really high note. I’ve not had an experience like this in a story game in quite some time where I felt such a massive disconnect from what the story was telling me and what the gameplay was allowing me to do, but I had to step away from the game for a little while and have a look to see if other players were having similar issues with these bonding episodes. So, with the main narrative showing you that these characters are no longer your allies, why on earth is the game suddenly offering me bonding episodes to spend time with members of the enemy team?! I won’t tell you why they are suddenly fighting, but just know that Kasane’s group views Yuito’s group as enemies at this point in the story. ![]() Small spoiler warning here! After certain events take place in the game, the OSF splits into two groups - one headed by Kasane and the other by Yuito. ![]() However, I don’t think that this system can just be added in willy-nilly as, in the case of Scarlet Nexus, it can create some serious ludonarrative dissonance. As someone who places characters at the top of his priority list, having the opportunity to pursue deeper relationships between characters is a fantastic addition to the genre and I hope we continue to see more of it. I love the addition of stuff like this to RPGs. Progressing through these episodes allows you to find out more about the characters and their stories, but it also offers additional perks in combat. Similar to most Japanese RPGs nowadays, this is a system in which you can increase relationships between the characters in the game. Bonding episodes are essential character-specific quests that occur during the “Standby Phases” - the downtime in between story chapters - that happen throughout the game. Let’s dive into this one because I have some serious opinions on this area of the game. However, there were numerous times where these mysteries and events could have all been solved very easily, and when they eventually are solved, it just leaves a bitter taste and my only response was “Really?” I definitely felt this way throughout the game - something would happen and my curiosity to uncover the truth would spur me on to play for hours on end. I played through Yuito’s story first, and the biggest appeal to Yuito’s perspective is the mysteries that surround him, his powers, and why certain events are happening the way they are. I’ve spent the majority of my life just accepting most things that happen in these kinds of series or games as “anime logic”, but sometimes I do think this can be done just a bit too much. As I’m sure you’ve probably noticed, Scarlet Nexus is an anime-inspired game and if the aesthetic wasn’t enough to prove that to you, good Lord will you know it when you get into the meat of the story. Okay, let’s talk about my feelings regarding the story as there is a fair amount of stuff to unpack here. While their stories do overlap at points, there are elements that you will definitely miss should you only play from one character’s perspective. These routes have different protagonists, Yuito and Kasane. The game has two routes to choose from and these can be played in either order. This is a unit devoted to fighting the mysterious enemies known as The Others. Those who are particularly gifted with their powers, or just generally good in combat, are drafted into a military force known as the Others Suppression Force or OSF. Cities are filled with augmented reality advertisements, people are able to directly communicate with one another through brain messages - it’s crazy. In the world of Scarlet Nexus, the vast majority of humans have acquired cognitive superpowers such as pyrokinesis, invisibility and the ability to duplicate things - or themselves. Scarlet Nexus is a game that manages to strike a good balance between exploring its story and characters while also providing an extremely flashy, reflex-based combat system - I really enjoyed this game’s combat and I’ll explain why later.
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