Scars Above sets out as a standard sci-fi action game

Humans encountering an extraterrestrial object and being teleported to another planet isn’t a new premise. But even if Scars Above treads familiar ground, it experiments in other aspects to stand out from the crowd. These experiments pay off, giving you a solid adventure that doesn’t wear out its welcome too quickly.

Scars Above has an amazing narrative. In fact, it is probably my favorite thing about it. The sci-fi writing and detailed world-building highlight the experience, which is shown in a few of the in-game systems. The story follows Kate, who we’re told is NOT a soldier but a scientist and a member of a group known as SCAR. This elite crew was put together to make contact with an alien ship found in Earth’s orbit.

In terms of gameplay, the scientific nature of Kate’s background bleeds through here also, which gives Scars Above a core gameplay loop that is quite unlike anything the genre has produced before.

In terms of moment-to-moment combat, the majority of your time in battle will play out as a third-person shooter, with melee typically being used as a last resort when enemies get too close for comfort. Truth be told, melee here is more of a spacing tool, something used to buy you time to reload or get additional shots off, rather than a primary means by which you can do damage. Pretty standard so far, right? Well, sort of, but where things get interesting is in the elemental combo-based system that underpins the majority of the gunplay.

Despite not having the horror label, the story still has strong horror elements throughout. It never detracts from the overall science fiction story, instead motivating you to see things through to the end. The game also introduces its own unique concepts which result in story twists that differentiate the game from other science fiction releases. The twists help the story develop its own identity, and provide some nice surprises that you can appreciate. The story plays it safe, and the result is a coherent narrative that wraps up nicely without being too confusing.

Although the game is rather linear, multiple branching paths lead to knowledge points. These act as experience points to gain skill-ups for upgrades. No, this game isn’t as simple as farming enemies for experience. To be clear, enemies don’t provide any experience but often drop ammo. So, not having a map leads to passing up experience points and you may find yourself at a place of no return sooner or later.

There are bottlenecks where the environment is virtually untraversable unless you remove certain enemies, but the fact that in a souls-like, a core mechanic such as combat is made as redundant as it often feels here is a pretty big misstep. Enemies are no longer threats worth conquering and, instead, turn into annoying obstacles that bear little reward in defeat. It’s a huge shame, too, because, as I mentioned before, the art direction, enemy variety, and combat are all excellent, just sadly wasted.

Scars Above sets out as a standard sci-fi action game and experiments to great success. The story intelligently weaves in some horror elements to keep you hooked with a level of narrative consistency and cohesion that keeps things simple yet enjoyable. Combat is fun and forces you to think on your feet, leaving you properly immersed in the gameplay. With only one save file and a lack of voice and mouth synchronization, the game certainly isn’t beyond criticism. Although despite the shortcomings, Scars Above is a great example of a game that isn’t afraid to push boundaries, and succeeds in delivering a fun experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

https://www.z2u.com/scars-above/accounts-5-20695 is the best online Player to Player Trading Market, which we're enabled to offer you the best Scars Above Account sellers you can trust, found your favored seller, simply click on their offer and checkout. With the help of suppliers all over the world, you will enjoy the cheapest price and the fastest delivery in the marketplace.