Scars Above

Oh man, am I a sucker for a good Sci-Fi Game. Anything from Observation to Star Ocean. I am just a much a sucker for Sci-Fi games as I am a Cyberpunk game. So let's get into the review of Scars Above! Story: 6 / 10 The premise starts with strong classic sci-fi intrigue: Dr. Kate Ward and her SCAR (Sentient Contact Assessment and Response) team are sent to investigate the "Metahedron," a colossal alien structure that suddenly appears in Earth's orbit. Things quickly go sideways, and Kate wakes up alone on a hostile, enigmatic alien planet. While the scientific approach of the protagonist is a refreshing angle, the narrative pacing stumbles after the first couple of hours. The plot leans heavily on familiar genre tropes, the supporting characters feel underdeveloped, and promising lore concepts introduced late in the game fail to completely pay off, culminating in an abrupt cliffhanger. Graphics: 6 / 10 Visually, the game is a mixed bag that highlights its AA budget. On the positive side, the art direction and environmental aesthetics—ranging from murky, imposing alien wetlands to frozen mountain peaks—do an excellent job creating a tense atmosphere. The creature designs are genuinely creative and appropriately grotesque. However, the game falls short on human assets. Character models look stiff, and facial animations during dialogue cutscenes are noticeably unpolished, with distracting lip-syncing issues. Some environment assets also feel dropped onto the map rather than organically integrated. Audio: 6 / 10 The sound design performs adequately but rarely elevates the experience. Ambient environmental sounds effectively convey the isolation of the alien world, and the weapon audio profiles give the elemental firing modes a distinct identity. The voice acting for Kate is solid, keeping her grounded despite the chaotic circumstances. That said, the orchestral soundtrack is largely unmemorable, serving as generic background tension rather than adding an impactful auditory identity to major encounters. Controls: 7 / 10 The mechanical loop is heavily inspired by third-person shooters mixed with tactical elements (resembling a "Souls-like with guns"). The control layout is responsive, which is critical since the combat focuses on rapidly switching elemental weapons (electric, fire, ice, and acid) to exploit environmental hazards and enemy weak points. Dodging, aiming, and toggling gadgets (like decoy holograms or gravity shields) function smoothly on standard mouse/keyboard setups, though the dodge-roll and melee execution animations can occasionally feel rigid and mechanical. Value: 7 / 10 Launching originally at a mid-tier $40 price point and frequently seen on deep digital sales, the value proposition depends on what you expect from a sci-fi shooter. The campaign is a strictly linear, focused experience that clocks in at around 8 to 12 hours. It lacks extensive collectibles or a reason to backtrack, meaning replayability is low. However, for players looking for a compact, self-contained sci-fi campaign without modern open-world bloat, it delivers exactly what it promises on a budget. Final Score: 32 / 50 Final Thoughts Scars Above is a textbook definition of a solid, mid-tier AA title. It doesn't have the polished cinematic grandeur or the staggering visual budget of a massive AAA production, but it compensates with smart mechanical choices. The core gameplay hook—using elemental rock-paper-scissors combat to shatter enemy defenses and manipulating the environment to your advantage—is incredibly satisfying and keeps the gameplay engaging from start to finish. Where the game ultimately falters is in its lack of execution on the narrative front and its stiff presentation, particularly regarding human character models and animations. It is a highly focused, linear sci-fi adventure that respects your time by completely avoiding modern open-world padding. If you go into it expecting a polished, bite-sized "Souls-lite" shooter with a distinct science-first protagonist rather than a groundbreaking epic, Scars Above is a thoroughly enjoyable weekend campaign that is well worth picking up, especially on sale.

Its just a good game. Nothing exceptional, but it is not trying to be. A decent 7/10

For this game I wish Steam had a button for mix ratting, that is where it hinges. So, the core combat mechanic is the shooting, in my opinion this is also its biggest strength but weakness too. To keep it brief, you get to use 4 weapons each with a different element, from electric to fire to ice and finally to toxic. Throughout the game you will meet enemies which has one of those weaknesses (imagine bosses with weakpoints, with the added factor that you need the right weapon for those weakpoints). In order to reach those weaknesses you also have a variety of gadgets to help, such as a barrier to soak up some hits, a bubble to slow time, a gas bomb which you can use to ignite an area, etc… You can also combo these elements for even more damage, like toxic + fire = a chemical reaction, frost + electric = more damage (I think it counts as wet which means +electric dmg). To give you even more options there is also 2 skill trees to improve your stats. Environment can also be used to help you out with things like icicles dropping on enemies, cracking ice under them, electric pustules which act as explosive barrels for usual FPS games. Some might like this kind of combat, but for me what was let down about it is that it gets tedious. First of all, the game uses a checkpoints type saving, aka you need to interact with pillars to save your game or wait until an autosave triggers. Choosing to save your game respawns the enemies. This might not be an issue, but some of those enemies are just a pain to deal with, especially at the start to mid game, because late game you unlock some nice gadgets, have more hp and bigger stamina for dodges, so it is kinda of an inverted difficulty curve to this game, in a matter of fact the last boss was easier compared to the first one. Secondly are the enemies themselves, some are just a pain to deal with, as an ex. there are some big brute type ones which can shield themselves with their arms. Their weakpoints are on their chest and you gotta wait for them to attack or pound their chest. As mentioned, they are easier to deal with late game cuz you have more stuff to use, but early they are such a pain, it also does not help when you return to a pillar in order to heal, that means they will end up respawning. The game is a constant matching elements, hit weakpoints, dodge, reload and repeat. This makes it feel less of an FPS (or 3r person) and more of a QTE or puzzle gameplay. It is a constant loop of: look for ways to hit weakpoints with the right gun, if enemy not dead then run or dodge, repeat the first step, if still not dead then reload and dodge again (btw weapons have very little ammo, so get ready to reload a lot and use a gadget to replenish ammo), repeat steps until dead. It also does not help that this system is janky, I lost count on how many times I hit a weakpoint with the right gun and didn’t register. And speaking of bugs, dodging is also janky, eventually I found out it’s best to just dodge backwards cuz for some reason enemies can still hit you sometimes if you do a side dodge, and since you can make like 2-3 dodges b4 stamina runs out, you cannot just spam them. A final point is the characters, dialogues are fully voice acted, but the issue is facial animations, let me just say, this game should shake hands with ME: Andromeda on this aspect. The ending also leaves the story opened for a sequel, so, if the combat can be properly polished with less weapon switches involved, more freedom in the gameplay and have better narrative design along side character art and animations, then sure, I welcome a sequel, but as for this one, no way it is worth the full 30 bucks price!

It's decent if it's on sale. It's a generic, linear AA game that doesn't compete with Dead Space or Alien: Isolation. However, for $2 you get 10 hours of straightforward action, simple puzzles, and a basic story. A 3/5 star game, fine for passing the time.

I had great fun with this game. It feels like a mix of Lara Croft, Dead Space, and Control, combining exploration, action, and a mysterious sci-fi atmosphere. There are plenty of different enemy types to keep the combat interesting, and I really enjoyed the gameplay throughout. The planet's environments are varied and visually engaging, making exploration rewarding, while the storyline kept me intrigued from start to finish. The facial animations can be a little janky at times, but honestly, who cares when the gameplay is this enjoyable? Scars Above is definitely a hidden gem that deserves more attention. I just hope one day they make a sequel, because I'd happily jump back into this world again.

It's not a bad game, but isn't good either. I'll explain: I enjoyed playing because I really like sci fi, but the graphics are really dated, no music, enemies are all the same, bosses are lame... So, technically, the game sucks, hard. But, and it's a big BUT, if you like sci fi games and a good story, maybe it can worth a try.

卡关但看完剩余实况后五编： 优点 1、主要女角色塑造丰富 2、武器及玩法较为多样 3、世界观没有明显漏洞 4、大部分解谜难度不高 缺点 1、女角色的离奇男凝建模（主角、引导外星人和某NPC的剪影） 2、不必要的男角色过多、主角主要行动动机之一为救活某个男性。 3、制作在某些细节处较粗糙。 4、某些解谜很恶心。 总之谨慎入手，绝对不要全款入库！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ —————————————— 玩到倒数第二章四编： 好消息，女主、引导外星人和朋友戏份碾压式的多； 坏消息，.同事没死。 我说制作组你们敢不敢做得细致点？CG里出现的同事在场景的同位置里压根没有啊！你们不是建模了吗？！ 跑图的时候女主说话不动嘴也很难绷，好歹站桩的时候动动吧！ 泥巴的，才发现女主裤子背面还有个离奇三角区，另外，外星人也得你爹的穿勒裆裤叉是吧？！！！ —————————————— 开修改器后的三编： 无语，引导外星人的建模刻板印象已拉满，以及主角你听到好友语音时毫无动静，捡到.同事的玩偶之后潸然泪下是几个意思？还有，非得让.同事给主角的枪取名？？？开头剧情里没看清楚是.同事抢了女主射击第一还是朋友抢了女主射击第一，如果是朋友那还行，如果是.同事那我真要拿刀骟特跌了！！！！！ —————————————— 极速二编： 你爹的给女主大腿根上勒两道是啥意思！ —————————————— 首先海报构图微妙地令人不爽。 开篇导入对。同事、。上司的描写较多，女性好友只存在于物品描述和过场CG中的几句话。 正式开始探索之后制作组详细建模了引导外星人的屁股，且外星人的体型疑似刻板印象中的女性体型。目前勉强算加分点的只有主角阵亡之后没有诡异的音效和动作，上半身衣物建模是紧身背心但观感还行，没有恶心的故意强调曲线。 动作游戏菜鸟，目前只玩到了第2个柱子，真要玩完不知道得啥时候了，看完实况再编辑。

Scars Above est une excellente surprise. Si vous aimez les jeux d'action-aventure avec une touche de science-fiction et d'exploration, il mérite vraiment votre attention. Les points positifs : - Une histoire captivante. - Univers de science-fiction original et immersif. - Exploration agréable qui récompense la curiosité. - Environnements variés avec une bonne ambiance. - Système de combat basé sur les éléments, demandant un minimum de stratégie. - Boss intéressants et plutôt bien conçus. - Bonne durée de vie pour un jeu AA. - Bande-son et effets sonores réussis. Les points négatifs : - Animations et expressions faciales parfois rigides. - Doublages inégaux selon les personnages. - Combats qui deviennent répétitifs sur la durée. - Quelques pics de difficulté frustrants. - Certaines textures et finitions techniques sont datées. Conclusion : Malgré ses défauts, Scars Above est une véritable pépite. On sent qu'il a été développé avec passion et qu'il possède une vraie identité, ce qui le rend bien plus marquant que certaines productions plus ambitieuses sur le papier. Si vous êtes amateur de science-fiction et de jeux d'action-aventure, ne passez pas à côté. Encore mieux si vous le trouvez en promotion, il mérite qu'on lui donne sa chance.

The story is worth it. It's engaging and explains everything along the way. Love how it explaind why we are the ones that can be resurrected (Yes it's part of the story, not just a game mechanic!). Sure the game has some downsides: - No level cap (I finished with 8 points i couldnt spend and the notification bugged me so much) - Animations clip into objects (You have set points were you cross under something etc. and the weapons clip) - You are a bit OP when you reach the endgame with everything unlocked. (I felt like a God sometimes :D) - Oversize hitboxes when it comes to enemy attacks - The waypoints and item pickups sometimes glitch - Ocasional lag during cutscenes (and I have a beefy rig) But overall the game is fun: - It's not too long (8-10h to unlock everything) - The controls are fluid (played on mouse and keyboard) - Gives you a lot of tools to play with - Biome mechanics keep things interesting - THE STORY! (It's well scripted, unfolds in the right pace, has very inteligent dialog lines and delivers a message) I'm not talking about graphics, because if that's the main thing that matters to you, than lets be honest... You won't even mak it to the comment section. :D Give this title a chance. It's worth it.

I like my female protagonists to be pretty. So, Scar Above was an instant turn-off. I would have trudged through it for the story but all the characters look bland and ugly and that just put me off. Add to that the stiff movement and animation. I just couldn't enjoy it.