Announced a year ago, Bandai Namco’s wild new third-person RPG Scarlet Nexus has now seen a release, finally unleashing the title’s inspired cybernatural anime aesthetic. Set in a tech-advanced and monster-infested future, the stylish hack-and-slasher follows one of two members of the OSF (Other Suppression Force) as they dispatch legions of mind-hungry mutants with a sharp arsenal of blades and brain-power — telekinesis, to be precise. The game notably sports effectively high-energy gameplay, but also a fantastic sci-fi story to boot.

As Scarlet Nexus represents the latest effort from the team behind Code Vein and the Tales games, there’s been undoubted anticipation surrounding the game’s recent release. So, what have the critics been saying? Well, according to emerging reviews, the Bandai Namco title is fairing pretty well, earning praise for its exciting combat, visuals, and interesting world. However, some outlets also feel the experience might fall short despite its strengths, namely, in areas like enemy variety, locations, and narrative.

• Attack of the Fanboy – 80/100

“Overall, Scarlet Nexus is a simple, yet great and enjoyable experience for any fan of the genre out there. You hunt monsters, make yourself and your allies stronger, gather resources for making new cosmetics and gear, constantly unlock new features for inside and outside of combat, all that while you watch an interesting story materialize in front of your eyes. It really is a modernized, old-school adventure which will satisfy anyone, even with the few drawbacks it has and the rather slow beginning.“

• COGconnected – 84/100

“Scarlet Nexus marries varied and unique action RPG combat to two extended campaigns featuring engaging protagonists and a cast of memorable supporting players. Using its brain punk conceit to power a range of extended combat techniques, Scarlet Nexus is at its best in the thick of the fight, when the player can mix and match melee weapons, telekinetic beatdowns, and whatever talents the team on hand has to share.“

• Game Informer – 88/100

“Bandai Namco has crafted something truly strange and quite satisfying with Scarlet Nexus, and I hope we get a slightly more refined sequel.”

• GameSpot – 70/100

“Even though the plot devolves into a trope-filled sludge pool by the end, I don’t feel like Scarlet Nexus was a waste of time. Yes, the excitement of combat begins to taper off towards the end of Scarlet Nexus’s twenty-odd-hour runtime–and the areas in the final stretch of the game feel overly long–but I had a good deal of fun mixing up my SAS abilities, crushing enemies in my Brain Field, and watching my team have a video game tournament at our base to settle an argument over living space boundaries. It might not be a new pinnacle of action-game storytelling, but Scarlet Nexus is still plenty of fun in the right places.”

• VG247 – 60/100

“If you like the sound of a deep RPG with extensive combat mechanics, Scarlet Nexus shouldn’t disappoint. If you are expecting something more akin to Devil May Cry, you might find the extensive storytelling gets in the way of the gameplay a little too much. With that said, you can still enjoy it if you’re not an anime connoisseur. There’s plenty of fun to be had for all players because it’s great once it gets going – but I fear it might lose people in its opening few hours.”

Scarlet Nexus is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. What do you think? Are you excited to start slaying in Scarlet Nexus, or did you simply want to know what the critics thought? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!

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