SCARLET NEXUS

The game's got it for me due to the JRPG tag back in the day, as I was somewhat interested in figuring out what to expect. Scarlet Nexus's been the first JRPG that I've ever tried, although I got warned by a couple acquaintnaces that this is more of a [i]light[/i] JRPG with slight differencies that do make it play out quite differently. The plot of the story is.. Mysterious. At first, it appears to be missing and I haven't felt like progressing despite believing that the game's got a good story. Sure, some are scattered left and right by the designed quests in-game, but I would've never thought of them as pieces of puzzle to later on connect to. It's not that much of a bad design, but it felt a bit overwhelming at times and I didn't really know what to think. I got confused instead, leaving me to progressing further and hoping that the mystery will unreveal itself eventually.. Which it did. The story is branching at two main protagonists, Yuito and Kasane who are .. Connected, in a way. Not that it's gonna make sense, but playing it will untangle it. My very first playthrough had next to no understandings towards the characters; They've felt superficial, not like humans with emotions to me.. But the third or fourth playthrough has finally made me aware of what's going on, and I started to actually relate, emphatize, and sometimes even symphatize with the characters throughout the story. It is so well written, but leaves the details scattered around and the connection to them is somewhat misleading, leaving me kinda unsure of what to think about the character and their development in general. I've also managed to surprise myself by expecting some romance to occur and be involved here, which there clearly isn't and wasn't meant to be.. Although there were moments and even space that'd easily allow for that. Oh, well.. So much for the daydreaming.. The graphics, as one can see from the showcased screenshots, is somewhat of a live-action comics, if I may. There isn't anything too deep or detailed to make you think that [i]this is how it also works in reality,[/i] it's far more polished; It's all about sparks, slashes, and.. Some ground impacts that do sometimes shake the ground and objects around. The scenery is very much futuristic, but the polishment to the anime art style that it includes does disconnect it from appearing realistic whatsoever. It's nowhere close to what Cyberpunk or other worlds set in the future look like. It's still nice enough, especially the sceneries of the setting evenning sun.. The light reflections, those sure are at the top-notch quality. The soundtrack that does accompany the player seems well polished aswell, although it's a bit too modernized for my likings. The mentions of rock / metal guitars, ... No, that's nowhere to be heard of. It's mostly relaxing, slow paced, but features a couple more fast paced tracks to support the thrills for a challenge, add to that dramatic moment from time to time, especially for specific sequences while in combat. As I initially mentioned and touched only briefly, the gameplay is absolutely satisfying. I don't know if this game deserves the JRPG tag, but if so.. Then it's probably gonna be my favorite JRPG of all times, because it's so smooth, albeit with a couple missing actions that I would've liked to see. With two playable main protagonists, as well as many supportive characters, each with unique animations for attacking, running, jumping.. As well as using the .. Abilities, to make it easier to undestand, creates for a variety of options on how to approach each of the combat scenario. Some of the abilities will however prove to be necessary from time to time, but most should be just fine with a support of a couple of them together. The lacking part here is that you can't block the incoming attacks; It is necessary to dodge them, otherwise get punished by losing some portion of your HP; And even then, there is usually an opening, an option for other characters from the party to revive the downed ones, fully controlled by AI so you don't get a say in that matter. With that, there are a couple skills that get unlocked by playing and earning XP, contributing towards the increased combat capabilities, but completely unrelated and unnecessary to the story and its unfolding. For proper understanding of the story and better feel for the gameplay from all characters, it is necessary to play the game at least twice, meaning at least once from the perspective of Yuito and Kasane. The game also features a New Game+ feature, allowing the player to replay the game with the collected and mastered skills, leading to far more satisfying combat experiences, as that's truly the experience you don't get to see much anywhere else. What next.. Right. I'd especially recommend this one to any JRPG beginners and people who are looking for some smooth combat from the third person perspective. The optimization is of no concern, it is very well done, and.. Yeah. The story might take a bit of a punch, but that's probably only for those who aren't gonna skip through the dialogue, which should be possible by the way. The game is based on anime adaptation of the same name, or maybe the other way around..? Unrevealing some of the mysteries is directly tied to the anime and its references to it, but that doesn't mean it's necessary to give it a go; There should be several published guides that do mention and contain the clues for them, as those aren't to be found in the game. - The issue with the game x anime crossover comes with the story and character development spoilers. If the player decides to play the game first, then they will find the anime boring and will be able to predict how is it gonna end.. And vice-versa, the other way around. That's one of the major flaws that this game has, so.. Take that into consideration, I guess? Not that it's necessary to watch the anime afterall, I've dropped it myself after finishing the game first. I believe that this shall cover it all. Enjoy!