Recentemente, joguei o game Scars Above e foi uma das experiências mais bizarramente estranhas que já tive jogando videogame. Ele foi um game que me chamou atenção principalmente pela capa, que achei bonita, e também pela estética que me lembrava bastante algo tipo Mass Effect. Honestamente, acho que se vale a pena ou não jogar esse game depende do seu gosto mesmo e também de bastante tolerância. Afinal, para mim, o game foi mediano, ficando aí por volta de 6, no máximo 7. Apesar disso, ele tem diversos pontos muito intrigantes, como a história e o cenário de ficção científica que te prendem desde o início, algo que tem um leve toque de Mass Effect. O combate, apesar de ser estranho às vezes, é divertido, e pessoalmente gostei muito de toda a direção de arte do jogo.
Porém , contudo, todavia, entretanto, como ele é nota 6 para mim, temos que ter também pontos negativos, e esse game está cheio deles. A começar pelos problemas técnicos gerais que o game tem, como expressão facial péssima, quedas de frames em diversos momentos, animações gerais igualmente fracas e também as texturas que têm algo bem estranho nelas que não sei dizer se são mal feitas ou se simplesmente têm uma baixa resolução... ou os dois, né. Apesar disso, como disse antes, a direção de arte geral do game é muito boa, porém, se você começa a observar com detalhes, as coisas ao redor começam a ficar estranhas.
O jogo, como dito antes, também lembra muito Mass Effect, tirando, claro, todos os elementos de RPG. Obviamente, não chega nem perto dele, porém, em alguns sentidos, lembra muito, como a forma como a personagem mira, se move, corre e desvia.
Sabendo disso, se você gosta de Mass Effect ou de filmes de ficção científica, certamente vai gostar desse game ao menos em parte pela história e temática. Até porque, se você tiver pouca tolerância para jogos que parecem "ultrapassados", certamente esse jogo não é para você. Eu recomendo definitivamente que joguem ele quando estiver em promoção ou quando entrar em algum serviço como gamepass da vida.
Porém , contudo, todavia, entretanto, como ele é nota 6 para mim, temos que ter também pontos negativos, e esse game está cheio deles. A começar pelos problemas técnicos gerais que o game tem, como expressão facial péssima, quedas de frames em diversos momentos, animações gerais igualmente fracas e também as texturas que têm algo bem estranho nelas que não sei dizer se são mal feitas ou se simplesmente têm uma baixa resolução... ou os dois, né. Apesar disso, como disse antes, a direção de arte geral do game é muito boa, porém, se você começa a observar com detalhes, as coisas ao redor começam a ficar estranhas.
O jogo, como dito antes, também lembra muito Mass Effect, tirando, claro, todos os elementos de RPG. Obviamente, não chega nem perto dele, porém, em alguns sentidos, lembra muito, como a forma como a personagem mira, se move, corre e desvia.
Sabendo disso, se você gosta de Mass Effect ou de filmes de ficção científica, certamente vai gostar desse game ao menos em parte pela história e temática. Até porque, se você tiver pouca tolerância para jogos que parecem "ultrapassados", certamente esse jogo não é para você. Eu recomendo definitivamente que joguem ele quando estiver em promoção ou quando entrar em algum serviço como gamepass da vida.
It starts like a normal adventure game but suddenly turns into a terrible souls clone. Animations and the button responses are not good either. You activate pillars as a bonfire but if you die, game resets your some previously found story content. Fighting with a gorilla like alien creature is cheesy enough yet the same form strikes you as a boss with a big health bar. Everything in this game is a poor iteration of what you seen before. Most enemies are suddenly appearing from the underground and this a very cheap trick to trap gamers just for the sake of making it difficult. I do not recommend this game.
Scars Above hat mich an manchen Stellen echt gefordert, eine nette Sci-Fi-Story erzählt und mich trotz technischer Schönheitsfehler bis zum Ende gut bei Laune gehalten.
something like returnal, but more budget level.
I enjoyed the game, but it could have used a bit more polish and care. Some of the cutscenes were awkwardly implemented with cutting from one setting to the next. The motion capture made the characters move awkwardly during cutscenes and character models in general were a little silly to look at. Both the variety and the amount of enemies you encounter were lackluster. The world you were exploring felt empty at times.
On the other hand, the world you were exploring looked incredible. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into designing the biomes you would see.
The story wasn’t anything to brag about, but it kept me engaged well enough. Characters were serviceable, but with the exception of Naya, you don’t spend enough time around the NPCs to truly care about them.
Nitpicks: I wish you could backtrack to other areas and find things you missed, and Kate (the main character) had too much unnecessary dialogue.
On the other hand, the world you were exploring looked incredible. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into designing the biomes you would see.
The story wasn’t anything to brag about, but it kept me engaged well enough. Characters were serviceable, but with the exception of Naya, you don’t spend enough time around the NPCs to truly care about them.
Nitpicks: I wish you could backtrack to other areas and find things you missed, and Kate (the main character) had too much unnecessary dialogue.
A surprisingly good one
Scars Above
İnsanlığın tehlikede olduğu ve yaratıkların (aslında yaratık değiller spoiler olmasın) gezegeni ele geçirdiği bilim kurgu temalı oyunda kadın ana karakter :) ile oynuyoruz.Aslında kendisi bilim insanı olsa da özel bir durumu olduğundan tek kişilik ordu kıvamında ilerliyor.Hikaye bilim kurgu olarak müzikleriyle güzel desteklenmiş.Fakat klişeye yakın bir kurgu,kısa kesilen hikaye ve karakterlerle bağ kuramama gibi problemleri var.Burdan kırdığım puanı oynanış kısmında ekliyorum.
Oynanış
Oynanış souls dizaynı gibi olsa da aslında risk ödül sisteminin pek olmadığı,kaynağın bol elden dağıtıldığı ve savaş zorluğunun sadece doğru düşmana doğru ekipmana vurmaktan ibaret olduğu bir oyun.Oynanışı eğlenceli ve derin yapan şeyi ise çeşitlilik.Aslında ateş,su,toprak,tahta gibi klişe elementleri silahlarla kullansak da eğlenceli olabiliyor.Yetenek ağacı ise bol keseden xp verip oyun bitmeden fulleniyor.Tabkii ben uzun uzun gezip 100% bitirdiğimden de olabilir.Bir anda savaş makinesi olmuyoruz yavaş yavaş tatlı ilerliyor.Çeşitli gadget yani zımbırtılarımız da var.Her biri yine klişe olsa da eğlenceliydi.Spoiler olmasın diye ne olduklarını söylemedim ama örnek vermek gerekirse elektrik silahı ile sudaki düşmanlara fazla hasar veriyoruz.Islak düşmanlara da buz silahı ile vurulduğunda hızlı donuyorlar.Zımbırtılardan ise kalkan ve düşmanı yavaşlatma gibi seçeneklerimiz var.Zımbırtılardan 10 adet silahlardan ise 5 civarı çeşit var.Tps oynanış olması güzel,elden ring gibi takla atıp düşmanlardan kaçabiliyoruz.Fps olsa midem bulanırdı şahsen.Oyunda eğilme ve zıplama yok sadece etkileşim ile yapılabiliyor.Bu yüzden düşman saldırılarından genelde takla ile kaçıyoruz.Save sistemi de aynı şekilde bonfire yani burada temsilcisi pillar (sütunlar) oluyor.Fakat öldüğünüzde geriye atması dışında kaybınız yok.
Bölüm tasarımı/grafikler
Grafikler günümüzde geri kalsa da tatlı bir havası var.Çok güzel bir optimizasyonla birleştiğinde ise tadından yenmiyor.Genelde 144 hz tadını alabilidim.80 lere düşse bile 144 gibi akıcılığını korudu.Bölüm tasarımlarına gelirsek başta çok komplike olmasa da bazı kısımlarda nereye gideceğimi anlamadım.Gösterge yeterince bilgi vermiyor.İleride aynı bölümlere tekrar dönüp açamadığımız yerleri açma ne oluyor peki? Tabiki metroidvania.Oyun akıcılığını korumak adına bölümlerini açtığımız yeteneklere ve düşmanları da aynı şekilde geliştirerek ileriyor.Bazı düşmanlar aynı şeyin laciverti olsa da rahatsız edici ve yeni düşman tipleri de oldukça mevcut.Mini boss tarzı düşmanları zayıf noktalara vurarak almak daha yaygın.(horizon zero serisine benzettim biraz).Oyunda bazı bulmacalı kısımlar da var fakat kolay diyebileceğimiz bahsetmeye pek değmiycek klişe bulmacalar bunlar.
Teknik olarak yaşadığım tek problem kontrolcüyü 5 dakika algılayıp sonra algısını kaybetmesiydi.Hangi oyunu denesem çalışıyor.Hatta assasins creed 1 de kontrolcü desteği yok.x360ce yazılımı ile ona bile destek sağlarken bunda çalışmadı.Oyunun en başında (ilk 5 dakika) etkileşime geçmem gereken bir yerde takıldım ve karakter öyle kaldı.Oyunun ilk 10 dakikasında kontrolcüyü kurcalarken oyun başa döndü.Bir kere de yine kontrolcü ayarlarken çöktü.Onun dışında tertemiz hiç hata görmedim.Kısaca kontrolcü ile cebelleşmişim :).Klavye fare ile rahat oynanıyor fakat ben kontrolcüden ayrı tat aldığımdan onu seviyordum tek sebebi o.Bir de eklemem lazım ben başta oyunu normal seviyede açmama rağmen oyun içinde en zorda görünüyordu.Geri normale alayım diyince yeniden başlattı ve normal ile zor arasında çok fark göremedim.
Teknik Detaylar
10 Saat oyun süremin 6 saati oyunu tamamlamak 2 saati 100% tamamlamak ve kalan 2 saat oyunu açık bırakıp bir yerlere gitmekle geçti :D.Oyunun son kısmından spoiler olmasın ama hikaye yarım kalmış gibi geldi.Sanki daha uzun yapabilirlerdi ama oynanış yetişemeyeceği için kısa kesmişler.Yine de fiyatı bir kenara bıraktığımızda gayet keyifli bir deneyimdi. (dolar olarak bakınca hayli hayli karşılıyor fakat konu yine tr ekonomisine gelmesin)
Sonuç
Sonuç olarak tps kadın ana karakter olan ve dümdüz oynayıp bitirebileceğim yani en sevdiğim tarzdaki oyunlardan birisi oldu.Tomb raider kadar derin olmasa da ilerleyiş olarak örnek olsun.(bu sefer ana karaktere aşık olmadım) Ödül törenimize geçelim:
Puan ve Madalya
4/5
Madalya Sistemi
5 star - diamond medal
4.5 star - platinum medal
4 star - gold medal
3.5 star - silver medal+
3 star - silver medal
2.5 star - bronze medal+
2 star - bronze medal
1.5 star - respect medal+
1 star - respect medal
0.5 star - broken medal
Altın Madalya
İnsanlığın tehlikede olduğu ve yaratıkların (aslında yaratık değiller spoiler olmasın) gezegeni ele geçirdiği bilim kurgu temalı oyunda kadın ana karakter :) ile oynuyoruz.Aslında kendisi bilim insanı olsa da özel bir durumu olduğundan tek kişilik ordu kıvamında ilerliyor.Hikaye bilim kurgu olarak müzikleriyle güzel desteklenmiş.Fakat klişeye yakın bir kurgu,kısa kesilen hikaye ve karakterlerle bağ kuramama gibi problemleri var.Burdan kırdığım puanı oynanış kısmında ekliyorum.
Oynanış
Oynanış souls dizaynı gibi olsa da aslında risk ödül sisteminin pek olmadığı,kaynağın bol elden dağıtıldığı ve savaş zorluğunun sadece doğru düşmana doğru ekipmana vurmaktan ibaret olduğu bir oyun.Oynanışı eğlenceli ve derin yapan şeyi ise çeşitlilik.Aslında ateş,su,toprak,tahta gibi klişe elementleri silahlarla kullansak da eğlenceli olabiliyor.Yetenek ağacı ise bol keseden xp verip oyun bitmeden fulleniyor.Tabkii ben uzun uzun gezip 100% bitirdiğimden de olabilir.Bir anda savaş makinesi olmuyoruz yavaş yavaş tatlı ilerliyor.Çeşitli gadget yani zımbırtılarımız da var.Her biri yine klişe olsa da eğlenceliydi.Spoiler olmasın diye ne olduklarını söylemedim ama örnek vermek gerekirse elektrik silahı ile sudaki düşmanlara fazla hasar veriyoruz.Islak düşmanlara da buz silahı ile vurulduğunda hızlı donuyorlar.Zımbırtılardan ise kalkan ve düşmanı yavaşlatma gibi seçeneklerimiz var.Zımbırtılardan 10 adet silahlardan ise 5 civarı çeşit var.Tps oynanış olması güzel,elden ring gibi takla atıp düşmanlardan kaçabiliyoruz.Fps olsa midem bulanırdı şahsen.Oyunda eğilme ve zıplama yok sadece etkileşim ile yapılabiliyor.Bu yüzden düşman saldırılarından genelde takla ile kaçıyoruz.Save sistemi de aynı şekilde bonfire yani burada temsilcisi pillar (sütunlar) oluyor.Fakat öldüğünüzde geriye atması dışında kaybınız yok.
Bölüm tasarımı/grafikler
Grafikler günümüzde geri kalsa da tatlı bir havası var.Çok güzel bir optimizasyonla birleştiğinde ise tadından yenmiyor.Genelde 144 hz tadını alabilidim.80 lere düşse bile 144 gibi akıcılığını korudu.Bölüm tasarımlarına gelirsek başta çok komplike olmasa da bazı kısımlarda nereye gideceğimi anlamadım.Gösterge yeterince bilgi vermiyor.İleride aynı bölümlere tekrar dönüp açamadığımız yerleri açma ne oluyor peki? Tabiki metroidvania.Oyun akıcılığını korumak adına bölümlerini açtığımız yeteneklere ve düşmanları da aynı şekilde geliştirerek ileriyor.Bazı düşmanlar aynı şeyin laciverti olsa da rahatsız edici ve yeni düşman tipleri de oldukça mevcut.Mini boss tarzı düşmanları zayıf noktalara vurarak almak daha yaygın.(horizon zero serisine benzettim biraz).Oyunda bazı bulmacalı kısımlar da var fakat kolay diyebileceğimiz bahsetmeye pek değmiycek klişe bulmacalar bunlar.
Teknik olarak yaşadığım tek problem kontrolcüyü 5 dakika algılayıp sonra algısını kaybetmesiydi.Hangi oyunu denesem çalışıyor.Hatta assasins creed 1 de kontrolcü desteği yok.x360ce yazılımı ile ona bile destek sağlarken bunda çalışmadı.Oyunun en başında (ilk 5 dakika) etkileşime geçmem gereken bir yerde takıldım ve karakter öyle kaldı.Oyunun ilk 10 dakikasında kontrolcüyü kurcalarken oyun başa döndü.Bir kere de yine kontrolcü ayarlarken çöktü.Onun dışında tertemiz hiç hata görmedim.Kısaca kontrolcü ile cebelleşmişim :).Klavye fare ile rahat oynanıyor fakat ben kontrolcüden ayrı tat aldığımdan onu seviyordum tek sebebi o.Bir de eklemem lazım ben başta oyunu normal seviyede açmama rağmen oyun içinde en zorda görünüyordu.Geri normale alayım diyince yeniden başlattı ve normal ile zor arasında çok fark göremedim.
Teknik Detaylar
10 Saat oyun süremin 6 saati oyunu tamamlamak 2 saati 100% tamamlamak ve kalan 2 saat oyunu açık bırakıp bir yerlere gitmekle geçti :D.Oyunun son kısmından spoiler olmasın ama hikaye yarım kalmış gibi geldi.Sanki daha uzun yapabilirlerdi ama oynanış yetişemeyeceği için kısa kesmişler.Yine de fiyatı bir kenara bıraktığımızda gayet keyifli bir deneyimdi. (dolar olarak bakınca hayli hayli karşılıyor fakat konu yine tr ekonomisine gelmesin)
Sonuç
Sonuç olarak tps kadın ana karakter olan ve dümdüz oynayıp bitirebileceğim yani en sevdiğim tarzdaki oyunlardan birisi oldu.Tomb raider kadar derin olmasa da ilerleyiş olarak örnek olsun.(bu sefer ana karaktere aşık olmadım) Ödül törenimize geçelim:
Puan ve Madalya
4/5
Madalya Sistemi
5 star - diamond medal
4.5 star - platinum medal
4 star - gold medal
3.5 star - silver medal+
3 star - silver medal
2.5 star - bronze medal+
2 star - bronze medal
1.5 star - respect medal+
1 star - respect medal
0.5 star - broken medal
Altın Madalya
Shorter than expected but still offers an excellent story and easy-to-understand mechanics. I really enjoyed this game, the only problem I had was re-mapping my interact key kind of broke tutorials, other than that a really good game.
Check out the whole review here: https://youtu.be/Xe-6nTgtuOk
Check out the whole review here: https://youtu.be/Xe-6nTgtuOk
Scars Above is an indie game that tries to feel AAA, to some mixed results.
On the one hand, there are some really fun gameplay moments tucked in here, as most of the encounters feel like a genuine tug-of-war between you and your opponent - at least, towards the beginning. The first hour or so is actually pretty difficult even on normal difficulty, as you have very limited resources to take on these huge beasts, culminating in this really fun first boss - a boss that the game then pretty much reuses over and over and over again, including in the [SPOILER]hilariously anticlimactic final[/SPOILER] battle, and never again to the same level of enjoyment. And while some of this comes from the fact that it's just not as enjoyable to redo stuff, a large part it comes from the abilities in this game, as fun and creative as they are, turn this game into a complete snooze fest. Use any of the best 3 abilities on any of the enemies and it'll probably just give you the win.
The story is pretty good though, especially if you can get past the resolution drop in cutscenes and a complete lack of lip-sync. It doesn't blow you away with ridiculously neat concepts, but, for a sci-fi story in this type of game, it's got enough cool ideas to carry it's 6 hour length. The voice acting too, while not given any terrific moments, is more than serviceable, with the main character, Kate, especially being pretty great.
Overall, I like Scars Above, but it definitely feels like it came out ~15 years ago, and could have used a bit more playtesting to balance the game a little more, and try to sustain the 'horror-survival-esque' gameplay of the opening chapter. I hope they take another crack at this though, as the ending does certainly allow for sequels, as a game filled with Scars Above's best moments would be absolute terrific - but what we got was also pretty good.
7/10
Game #28 of 2024, May 12th
On the one hand, there are some really fun gameplay moments tucked in here, as most of the encounters feel like a genuine tug-of-war between you and your opponent - at least, towards the beginning. The first hour or so is actually pretty difficult even on normal difficulty, as you have very limited resources to take on these huge beasts, culminating in this really fun first boss - a boss that the game then pretty much reuses over and over and over again, including in the [SPOILER]hilariously anticlimactic final[/SPOILER] battle, and never again to the same level of enjoyment. And while some of this comes from the fact that it's just not as enjoyable to redo stuff, a large part it comes from the abilities in this game, as fun and creative as they are, turn this game into a complete snooze fest. Use any of the best 3 abilities on any of the enemies and it'll probably just give you the win.
The story is pretty good though, especially if you can get past the resolution drop in cutscenes and a complete lack of lip-sync. It doesn't blow you away with ridiculously neat concepts, but, for a sci-fi story in this type of game, it's got enough cool ideas to carry it's 6 hour length. The voice acting too, while not given any terrific moments, is more than serviceable, with the main character, Kate, especially being pretty great.
Overall, I like Scars Above, but it definitely feels like it came out ~15 years ago, and could have used a bit more playtesting to balance the game a little more, and try to sustain the 'horror-survival-esque' gameplay of the opening chapter. I hope they take another crack at this though, as the ending does certainly allow for sequels, as a game filled with Scars Above's best moments would be absolute terrific - but what we got was also pretty good.
7/10
Game #28 of 2024, May 12th
it's a pretty decent 7/10, PS360 style linear action shooter. no big original ideas, just a Games You Probably Like potpourri with hints of control, horizon, returnal, souls, and an emphasis on elemental combos and environmental hazards to keep things a little more interesting than the basic "shoot the glowing weakspot" which forms the basis of most major encounters.
primary frustration is that you're expected to repeatedly switch weapons mid-combat, but it's mapped to the most inconvenient input - you're constantly moving your thumb from the left stick to the d-pad and back and it just feels clumsy.
story is some whatever sci-fi AI mumbo jumbo. it probably would have worn out its welcome were it a bit longer, but at a breezy 5-6 hours it made for a nice dumb palate cleanser.
primary frustration is that you're expected to repeatedly switch weapons mid-combat, but it's mapped to the most inconvenient input - you're constantly moving your thumb from the left stick to the d-pad and back and it just feels clumsy.
story is some whatever sci-fi AI mumbo jumbo. it probably would have worn out its welcome were it a bit longer, but at a breezy 5-6 hours it made for a nice dumb palate cleanser.
It’s a shame nobody played this, it’s great. Short and sweet, great combat and mechanics. The boss fights are challenging and creative, two of them I would enter in my all time favorites.
Scars above é um título de muitas qualidades, uma história sci-fi muito interessante, uma dificuldade bem escalada, personagens bem desenvolvidos. O único defeito são algumas modelagens de personagens, que parecem bastante defasados, mas considerando que é um estúdio pequeno, passa batido. Recomendado.
When you look around and see the reviews and scores at 5 or worse for Scars Above you have to ask, do smaller games and smaller developers have any chance? Scars Above is a lower budget game and it does have things we’ve seen a bunch of times before but it’s fun, well made, does enough to differentiate itself and is at a lower price point.
One of the first things that stand out to me about Scars Above is the atmosphere and world. I would honestly describe it as Metroid Prime-ish. The environments look great, feel alien and are populated with some good looking creatures. Unfortunately not everything about the way Scars Above looks is that great. Animations could be better and characters don’t look particularly good. It gets worse when watching them talk. They lack expression and it looks like what they are saying doesn’t match up with their face. It’s not the end of the world though and mostly it’s a very good looking game, maybe it just falls short in some areas because of the smaller budget and team.
Scars Above is about a group of scientists getting mysteriously transported to a hostile alien world. It’s a pretty enjoyable story that had no problem holding my interest throughout and I think sci-fi fans will enjoy it. It has a great main character, Kate, who is brought to life very well by Erin Yvette. Kate is a capable, likable scientist who has no problem stepping up into the hero role. She is constantly curious and analytical but still has plenty of compassion which ties into what the story is about. I think it was just refreshing to play as a scientist and the approach it brings to many areas of the game is too. Unfortunately outside Kate and Naya the rest of the cast is very forgettable.
The gameplay is very likable too. It’s a third person shooter but actually feels more like a mostly ranged action game. There’s no cover so you’ll find yourself sprinting around shooting enemies, using gadgets, dodging and maybe sneaking in some melee hits. There is a stamina bar to consider while doing this and your resources are on the more limited side. The really cool thing about combat is using elements and the right combinations of them to fight efficiently. Your guns are fire, electric, ice and toxic and these can be combined together on their own and with things like water, rain and ice in the environment. Enemies have weak spots as well which are vulnerable to a particular element. There is a small variety of gadgets like a shield and gravity trap too. It’s really fun and keeps you on your toes as you frantically move about dodge rolling incoming attacks, prioritising targets, using the right combination of gadgets and elements and healing when needed. It’s just a shame they didn’t push things even further. I’d love to see a follow up to this game that builds upon what’s here. The biggest flaw for me was the difficulty. The game starts off with this promise of a good challenge but once you get comfortable and Kate gets more gear and skills it falls off a bit and death becomes a lot rarer. It’s not too bad and there is enjoyment it getting powerful but it’s enough to consider putting the difficulty up.
Outside combat you’ll be exploring, investigating and solving some puzzles. The world is linear but often loops back on itself, creating a short cut and it has some small side paths to check out. The checkpoint/recover points also respawn enemies in the area, so it is slightly souls-ish but there’s no recovering anything from where you died. The experience in Scars Above is called knowledge and is earned by scanning things and picking up little knowledge cubes. This builds up to earn ability points which are used to unlock new skills. There are weapon upgrades to look out for as well. Investigating is similar to what you have probably seen in other games and has you clicking and scanning stuff to figure what happened or get answers. I am not usually the biggest fan of this but I didn’t mind it here. The puzzles are a bit basic but at least they don’t feel hand-holdy. As you can see Kate being a scientist is carried across most aspects of the game and it is done well. As a whole the game does a great job of being consistent through its story, main character and gameplay.
Something that Scars Above also does well is pacing and progression. It is on the shorter side and has you pushing through at a good pace, except for a section right before the end when it does slow for a bit while you complete three tasks. I kept feeling like I was constantly getting something whether it was an ability point or more story or a weapon upgrade or a new enemy. The other fantastic thing is it doesn’t waste your time. Scars Above is not open world, it’s not full of padding, and it doesn’t run too long, there are no lackluster side quests, no pointless collectables and no microtransactions. God damn, this is a beautiful thing which more games should learn from.
Scars Above is like a PS3 era game and I mean that as both a wonderful compliment and a bit of a criticism. It does look lower budget or a bit dated and even feels like it a bit too. But it doesn’t mess around and isn’t full of bloat. It’s just fun, plays well, works well, has great atmosphere and tells a decent story. It is interesting because it can come off as unoriginal but it feels so refreshing at the same time. The developer Mad Head Games is another one to keep an eye on. Scars Above is at a lower price point and would be fairly reduced by now too, so I would recommend not hesitating to pick it up if it has you interested at all.
7.7/10
One of the first things that stand out to me about Scars Above is the atmosphere and world. I would honestly describe it as Metroid Prime-ish. The environments look great, feel alien and are populated with some good looking creatures. Unfortunately not everything about the way Scars Above looks is that great. Animations could be better and characters don’t look particularly good. It gets worse when watching them talk. They lack expression and it looks like what they are saying doesn’t match up with their face. It’s not the end of the world though and mostly it’s a very good looking game, maybe it just falls short in some areas because of the smaller budget and team.
Scars Above is about a group of scientists getting mysteriously transported to a hostile alien world. It’s a pretty enjoyable story that had no problem holding my interest throughout and I think sci-fi fans will enjoy it. It has a great main character, Kate, who is brought to life very well by Erin Yvette. Kate is a capable, likable scientist who has no problem stepping up into the hero role. She is constantly curious and analytical but still has plenty of compassion which ties into what the story is about. I think it was just refreshing to play as a scientist and the approach it brings to many areas of the game is too. Unfortunately outside Kate and Naya the rest of the cast is very forgettable.
The gameplay is very likable too. It’s a third person shooter but actually feels more like a mostly ranged action game. There’s no cover so you’ll find yourself sprinting around shooting enemies, using gadgets, dodging and maybe sneaking in some melee hits. There is a stamina bar to consider while doing this and your resources are on the more limited side. The really cool thing about combat is using elements and the right combinations of them to fight efficiently. Your guns are fire, electric, ice and toxic and these can be combined together on their own and with things like water, rain and ice in the environment. Enemies have weak spots as well which are vulnerable to a particular element. There is a small variety of gadgets like a shield and gravity trap too. It’s really fun and keeps you on your toes as you frantically move about dodge rolling incoming attacks, prioritising targets, using the right combination of gadgets and elements and healing when needed. It’s just a shame they didn’t push things even further. I’d love to see a follow up to this game that builds upon what’s here. The biggest flaw for me was the difficulty. The game starts off with this promise of a good challenge but once you get comfortable and Kate gets more gear and skills it falls off a bit and death becomes a lot rarer. It’s not too bad and there is enjoyment it getting powerful but it’s enough to consider putting the difficulty up.
Outside combat you’ll be exploring, investigating and solving some puzzles. The world is linear but often loops back on itself, creating a short cut and it has some small side paths to check out. The checkpoint/recover points also respawn enemies in the area, so it is slightly souls-ish but there’s no recovering anything from where you died. The experience in Scars Above is called knowledge and is earned by scanning things and picking up little knowledge cubes. This builds up to earn ability points which are used to unlock new skills. There are weapon upgrades to look out for as well. Investigating is similar to what you have probably seen in other games and has you clicking and scanning stuff to figure what happened or get answers. I am not usually the biggest fan of this but I didn’t mind it here. The puzzles are a bit basic but at least they don’t feel hand-holdy. As you can see Kate being a scientist is carried across most aspects of the game and it is done well. As a whole the game does a great job of being consistent through its story, main character and gameplay.
Something that Scars Above also does well is pacing and progression. It is on the shorter side and has you pushing through at a good pace, except for a section right before the end when it does slow for a bit while you complete three tasks. I kept feeling like I was constantly getting something whether it was an ability point or more story or a weapon upgrade or a new enemy. The other fantastic thing is it doesn’t waste your time. Scars Above is not open world, it’s not full of padding, and it doesn’t run too long, there are no lackluster side quests, no pointless collectables and no microtransactions. God damn, this is a beautiful thing which more games should learn from.
Scars Above is like a PS3 era game and I mean that as both a wonderful compliment and a bit of a criticism. It does look lower budget or a bit dated and even feels like it a bit too. But it doesn’t mess around and isn’t full of bloat. It’s just fun, plays well, works well, has great atmosphere and tells a decent story. It is interesting because it can come off as unoriginal but it feels so refreshing at the same time. The developer Mad Head Games is another one to keep an eye on. Scars Above is at a lower price point and would be fairly reduced by now too, so I would recommend not hesitating to pick it up if it has you interested at all.
7.7/10
This review contains spoilers
It's a game for you if you want your Gordon Freeman like "scientist turned into a soldier due to circumstances" thing.
It's and ambitious AA game with an interesting setting. Starts with a great prologue then, when the game starts production quality is not matching the cutscene. Even with the highest settings, textures are quite disappointing after watching that movie-like cutscene. Game has a mysterious setting and the scenario starts really intriguing. I felt like game had so much Control (Remedy) inspirations both for it's setting and gameplay. It felt similar for it's collectibles, crafting, gun types, superpowers etc. On top of that Scars Above had environmental puzzles. One thing about gameplay, Scars Above emphasizes boss weak points too heavily like it's not balanced at all. I also felt like it had inspirations from Death Stranding for both environments and mysterious atmosphere. It even had a very similar colossal Humanoid entity all the way up to the skies. Game's scenario has a "mixed" message I will explain later in spoilers.
Now the disappointing parts, like you don't directly battle the boss, you battle the minions he sent. Game has a mixed message like "trust the science" but also villain of the story, Custodian is a master scientist pursuing the unpursued, his hunger for knowledge ruins literally everything. In the near end, our mentor is saying "Do not repeat our mistakes. But never stop searching for answers. Never stop being hungry for knowledge." Like it's kinda contradicting but is she suggesting trying to find a balance?
You can see on their socials that game is made to "inspire the next generation of female STEM graduates!" and "about the gender gap in STEM and how video games can encourage more girls to pursue science and engineering". So they are clearly "trust the science" side of the things but maybe they are trying to say "Science without morality will end in catastrophe" or maybe it's just my thoughts.
Also it's kinda feels like a "revenge of the feminism" scenario when all the female characters in the game are either "Hero, Mentor and strong helpful ally" and male characters are "Villain, victim, and weak helpless ally" like kinda felt a pattern there. It's not a problem but they felt obsessive about it.
It's and ambitious AA game with an interesting setting. Starts with a great prologue then, when the game starts production quality is not matching the cutscene. Even with the highest settings, textures are quite disappointing after watching that movie-like cutscene. Game has a mysterious setting and the scenario starts really intriguing. I felt like game had so much Control (Remedy) inspirations both for it's setting and gameplay. It felt similar for it's collectibles, crafting, gun types, superpowers etc. On top of that Scars Above had environmental puzzles. One thing about gameplay, Scars Above emphasizes boss weak points too heavily like it's not balanced at all. I also felt like it had inspirations from Death Stranding for both environments and mysterious atmosphere. It even had a very similar colossal Humanoid entity all the way up to the skies. Game's scenario has a "mixed" message I will explain later in spoilers.
Now the disappointing parts, like you don't directly battle the boss, you battle the minions he sent. Game has a mixed message like "trust the science" but also villain of the story, Custodian is a master scientist pursuing the unpursued, his hunger for knowledge ruins literally everything. In the near end, our mentor is saying "Do not repeat our mistakes. But never stop searching for answers. Never stop being hungry for knowledge." Like it's kinda contradicting but is she suggesting trying to find a balance?
You can see on their socials that game is made to "inspire the next generation of female STEM graduates!" and "about the gender gap in STEM and how video games can encourage more girls to pursue science and engineering". So they are clearly "trust the science" side of the things but maybe they are trying to say "Science without morality will end in catastrophe" or maybe it's just my thoughts.
Also it's kinda feels like a "revenge of the feminism" scenario when all the female characters in the game are either "Hero, Mentor and strong helpful ally" and male characters are "Villain, victim, and weak helpless ally" like kinda felt a pattern there. It's not a problem but they felt obsessive about it.
Fun game play, the environments were fantastic and the length while short, felt appropriate.
i played the steam next fest demo when it was available, and... well, it didn't grab me. i stopped playing after an hour because it was both hard and not interesting or fun enough to make me want to keep trying. and yeah, that was a demo, not the full game, but even a finished version does not interest me at all.
it sucks, because i actually LOVE the idea of exploring an alien world from a scientist's point of view! Outer Wilds is my favorite game and i'm really interested in Returnal! but once i actually started playing i was incredibly disappointed, because the scientist angle is just sort of slapped on top of a much more generic alien-shooting game, which has been done much better by other games. it tries to be both and ends up succeeding at neither.
(speaking of Returnal, it became incredibly obvious to me, after watching a friend play some of that game, that this game is trying REALLY HARD to be Returnal, but falling flat on its face, because it doesn't seem to understand what actually makes Returnal cool and what it does effectively.)
maybe it gets good further in, but nothing about it convinces me to stick around and find out.
my impressions are:
- another 3D shooty game that relies on hyper-realistic graphics to distract the player from how the actual gameplay, story, concept, etc. are mediocre, half-baked, not given actual development and care
- blatant Returnal clone, but without any of the stuff that actually makes Returnal good
it sucks, because i actually LOVE the idea of exploring an alien world from a scientist's point of view! Outer Wilds is my favorite game and i'm really interested in Returnal! but once i actually started playing i was incredibly disappointed, because the scientist angle is just sort of slapped on top of a much more generic alien-shooting game, which has been done much better by other games. it tries to be both and ends up succeeding at neither.
(speaking of Returnal, it became incredibly obvious to me, after watching a friend play some of that game, that this game is trying REALLY HARD to be Returnal, but falling flat on its face, because it doesn't seem to understand what actually makes Returnal cool and what it does effectively.)
maybe it gets good further in, but nothing about it convinces me to stick around and find out.
my impressions are:
- another 3D shooty game that relies on hyper-realistic graphics to distract the player from how the actual gameplay, story, concept, etc. are mediocre, half-baked, not given actual development and care
- blatant Returnal clone, but without any of the stuff that actually makes Returnal good