Scarlet Nexus
Game Pass of the Week
Developer: BANDAI NAMCO
Game Pass Release: October 1st, 2021
This is a title I actually purchased when it released as I was just genuinely excited for a novel, modern JRPG experience to come to Xbox. I ended up absolutely loving this game and now I am glad it is joining the Game Pass library, allowing so many more people to discover just how fun this game is.
The New JRPG Experience
Bandai Namco has discovered an interesting new mechanical formula for modernizing the nostalgic genre of JRPGs. Scarlet Nexus is on of two large releases this year (Tales of Arise being the other) that have adopted the new gameplay style and have delivered an incredibly fun experience.
The crux of this gameplay revolves around simple action, combo base combat that usually revolves around a couple basic attacks, a core gimmick and calling on your party members for special attacks/abilities. In Scarlet Nexus, the gimmick is telekinesis and calling on your allies amplifies your own abilities as well as providing access to powerful attacks. This probably sounds pretty plain, and quite simple but the result is an incredibly fun gameplay loop that is deeply satisfying.
The game maintains the charm and party (story) dynamic that makes JRPGs unique while ramping up the pace and engagement of the game with the new flavor of combat. The result is a much shorter (by JRPG standards), denser gameplay experience that respects your time while simultaneously keeping you stimulated in a way that older games of the genre never did.
These revised and refined iterations of the JRPG genre have quickly become some of my favorite games. Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus are two of my favorite games I have played this year, and have me excited for future entries in both series.
