Scarlet Nexus presents itself with an impressive amount of world-building. It’s been a while since Bandai Namco brought forth a new IP and hit it out of the park this much on a first try. The game does have problems that need to be addressed of course but overall reactions have been positive.
Some of these issues stem from the gameplay and Scarlet Nexus’ story. There are inconsistencies with the game’s lore that certainly won’t ruin the experience, but they can be a bit bewildering if dwelled on. There will be spoilers ahead for both campaigns so strap in cadets.
10 Where’s That Save Character Coming From?
Satori is the name of the archivist who follows the party around. He acts as the save point as well as the shop. It’s convenient to have those mechanics all in one place and he appears quite often in dungeons. The big question is who or what really is he? How does he travel so fast and why would he be in secret locations like the hideout?
9 Naming Conventions
Scarlet Nexus seemingly took its naming conventions from the Destiny series. The titles for proper nouns are not that spectacular in other words. The monsters are called Others. Soldiers with powers recruited late in life are called Adults. BABE is the name of a computer network. The list of nonsensical names goes on. The only one that really works is Dud but even that doesn’t make complete sense.
8 They Still Use Fountain Pens In The Future?
Seto has a treasured pen the party has to go back and find early in Yuito’s campaign. What’s so special about that one pen that he would send a squad to go get it? For that matter how does something like a fountain pen exist in this game’s cybernetic future? Not a single piece of paper was seen in Scarlet Nexus. It could be disguised as a “fountain pen” but is actually a digital utensil. These questions were never answered.
7 Yuito’s And Kasane’s Psychic Powers Can’t Lift Everything
Scarlet Nexus with psychokinesis, there is bound to be some plot holes. For example, why can’t Kasane and Yuito lift people and or Others up and toss them around? Why can’t everything in the environment be used as a weapon? Why do objects, like a train, break after one use? If this game does get a sequel it would be great to see these powers expanded to be more versatile.
6 Blocked By A Metal Grate
There are some walls and metal grates in Yuito’s campaign that look impassible. Eventually, Luka will join the team and his power allows players to warp through these grates.
The question then is why does Yuito need this power to begin with? He can lift a train but not pry a metal grate off of a wall? He can’t even cut it with his sword. Something doesn’t add up here.
5 Luka’s Teleportation Powers
Luka’s powers feel overpowered but only when the story allows them to be. It is a convenient way to settle one plot point but not others. For example, Luka teleports everyone away in the abandoned hospital except for Nagi even though he could. The excuse there is that Nagi thinks he will turn which is why he doesn’t want to be saved. Couldn’t they have just restrained Nagi and kept an eye on him in the hideout? That’s just one example of where Luka’s powers fail in the game.
4 Breaking Into Manless Facilities
The hospital as well as the other experimental facilities seen in Scarlet Nexus are suspiciously empty. The reason why is simple. The old consoles couldn’t handle processing power. That’s one theory but it makes sense. Maybe the sequel can do a better job at populating areas if it will be exclusive to the PS5 and or Xbox Series X. Not seeing humans work in these areas in the game now breaks the immersion.
3 Using Companion Powers
The SAS link system is a cool mechanic Scarlet Nexus that allows Yuito and or Kasane to use teammate powers. This gives the Scarlet Nexus a lot more variety in combat. How it works is hard to understand though. Hanabi igniting Yuito’s sword while she is next to him makes sense. Igniting his sword while in a completely different dimension or time period, which is seen many times in the game, does not. How can physically manifested powers be transferred digitally?
2 Reviving Teammates
When teammates fall in battle they can be revived. An item like a Phoenix Down from the Final Fantasy series is not needed. This is great but it begs the question why can players get a game over screen? Yuito and Kasane can be revived by their AI comrades but not all the time even if they are all at full health.
The reason in the game doesn’t make sense but from a gameplay perspective, it does. Scarlet Nexus would be too easy if teammates could revive them on repeat.
1 Why Isn’t The Party Ever Arrested At Musubi’s?
Musubi’s is almost the only trendy place Kasane or Yuito can go to during companion bonding quests. They go here even though it is completely public and they can be spotted. Both of them are seen as traitors to the OSF at one point or another in Scarlet Nexus. Wouldn’t going to Musubi’s be dangerous? The answer is apparently not in this game.
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