Scarlet Nexus is landing on June 25, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. While I was mildly interested in the game before, a recent hands-on session has me counting down the days to release. After experiencing the combat for myself, I am definitely curious to see what Scarlet Nexus brings to the table as an action RPG. Oh, if you like anime, I guess that’s probably a big plus too. I had a chance to play through the early part of the game, unlocking different combat techniques that sync up with psionic powers, and it forms a fairly compelling visual treat as well as testing your timing and prowess. The story and dialogue are true-to-form anime JRPG fare, and while that didn’t really have me raving from the rafters, the combat was enough to carry things along, and splendidly so.
Join us in this episode of New Gameplay Today to get a sense of the various mechanics involved in Scarlet Nexus. You can choose to play as one of two protagonists, and you recruit other various characters to your party. These side characters offer powerful augmentations to your combat style, like being able to slow down time so you can crush your opponents, adding fire elements to your attacks to burn your enemies, and more. Character abilities grow in strength as you work up your relationships with them, similar to building up rapport in a Persona game. However, weaving in traditional ARPG combat with its dodging, jumping, and comboing alongside psionic powers is where the game shines.
Kicking off a combo with a few attacks and then flinging a car into your enemy is fun, but it gets even better as you tear apart large objects in the air and pull them together into your opponent, using the thumbsticks to mimic the movement of the debris. It’s a creative combat system that has you constantly scouring the environment for your next play, even as you continue to keep an eye on incoming dangers and continue to strike with your standard skills. It all comes together as you time your psychic abilities with your triggered sidekick skills, creating (when you do it right!) an intense vacuum of carnage for your helpless opponents.
Are you looking forward to Scarlet Nexus? Let us know in the comments!
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