Scarlet Nexus Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Republished on Wednesday, 15th February, 2023: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February 2023's PS Plus Extra and Premium lineup. The original text follows.

Scarlet Nexus is quite a unique action RPG set in a world where the human brain has evolved. Most people are hooked up to a kind of brain network — like if you could access the internet inside of your own head. What's more, some especially talented individuals are able to use 'powers' — utilising their mental strength to control the elements, or move objects with their mind. Basically, they're brain-powered X-Men, and the story revolves around a small number of these psychic soldiers.

It's dystopian sci-fi from a very anime viewpoint, and while Scarlet Nexus does offer up an intriguing setting and a range of cool concepts, the storytelling itself falls a bit flat. The game is split between two protagonists: Yuito, a kind hearted cadet who hails from a prestigious family, and Kasane, a psionic prodigy with a cold personality. You choose to play as one or the other right at the start of the game, with the overall plot playing out from a different perspective depending on your decision.

This means that in order to get the full picture, two playthroughs are needed; one from Yuito's perspective, and one from Kasane's, each taking around 20 hours or so. It's an intriguing premise on paper, but in practice, both the storytelling and gameplay of Scarlet Nexus wear thin by the end of one playthrough — never mind two.

That's not to say these aspects of Scarlet Nexus are bad. In fact, this is a well made RPG, and arguably the most polished title that Bandai Namco Studios has developed in a long time. It's just that, once you're