Taking place in a distant future Scarlet Nexus is a third person RPG that puts the player in the middle of an epic conflict as either Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall as they join their fellow members of the Other Suppression Force (OSF) to defend the city of New Himuka from monstrous creatures known as the Others.

Using the power of psychokinesis, players can string together combos and utilise the unique variant abilities of their ally party members in fast paced action as they explore together, grow stronger together and ultimately suppress the Others together.

Players assume the role of either Yuito or Kasane before the story kicks off, a decision that cannot be changed within the entire playthrough. Regardless of the character chosen the story essentially plays out the same way with the other character adopting a supporting role. Encouraging replayability, playing a future playthrough with the opposite character will show the story from the other character’s perspective, just subtle enough to be intriguing and worth exploring throughout the approximate 25-hour experience. Yuito favours a close-range combat style with Kasane is more appropriately used at mid-range. Aside from a perspective shift narratively, this is the only difference between either character.

The story is interesting and unique, the world it takes place in is embroiled in conflict just as humanity entered the dawn of a new era and one where a psionic hormone in the human brain allows people to tap into extrasensory abilities. This historical evolutionary feat would have little time to be celebrated before mutant creatures known as Others descended from the sky with an insatiable hunger for human brains. The arrival and chaos unleashed by the Others led to the formation of the Others Suppression Force to repel these monsters and prevent the fall of mankind.

New recruits Yuito and Kasane barely have time to come to terms with their new positions before being thrust into combat with the Others, learning on the fly with the more experienced members of their squad. With the fate of humanity resting on the shoulders of the duo and the OSF, the story constantly feels epic and tense, delivering a satisfying conclusion when all is said and done. An impressively fleshed out cast of characters, and the bonds they grow to share with Yuito and Kasane, give the ensemble troupe of saviours’ emotional depth and reasons to care for the various relationships that develop.

A fairly comprehensive tutorial takes place almost immediately as the story starts an introduces players to a somewhat overwhelming amount to process. Luckily, any tutorial information can be revisited at will in the menu screen, a feature I certainly resorted to on many occasions. With a little time, it becomes more familiar though as Scarlet Nexus is constantly introducing new mechanics along the way, demanding the player’s attention in order to keep up with the arsenal of attacks and manoeuvres at their disposal.

This constant evolution of the gameplay keeps things interesting. At its core, the combat is focused on stringing together the largest combos possible by utilising the equipped weapon, the environment, psionic abilities and the abilities of party members. Mastering perfect dodges, follow-up attacks and some very cool execution moves known as a Brain Crush. This Brain Crush has a different animation depending on the enemy it is used on which keeps it varied and satisfying as new ones are discovered. Using telekinesis to launch cars, rocks and anything in between at the enemy is a novelty that soon wears thin and becomes less interesting than the combos that can be formed with simple melee attacks and other psionic abilities.

Some truly epic and larger than life boss battles introduce a variety of elemental effects that require careful consideration in order to exploit enemy weakness and deliver maximum damage. The deep level of party member control can make these, and any enemy encounter for that matter, dynamic and enjoyable to experiment with. Effective team management can make or break these battles against the gigantic bosses in particular.

There are a variety of options that can be chosen from that determine how the party members will react in combat situations. They can be left to default to behaving however they please but they can also be set to react offensively or defensively, to attack the same enemy as the player or only enemies not currently engaging the player. Each party member can have different allocations to their combat response which allows for very flexible control and tailoring it to the player’s preferred playstyle.

In between enemy encounters players can access what are known as Brain Messages, typically aligned with story progression and the relationships between the characters as per the strength of their bonds. These messages are relatively pointless in the grand scheme of things while some can be replied to, albeit in a predetermined manner that does not even offer a choice.

Areas of exploration are fairly linear, though there are a few hub type areas that are more open and have items scattered around such as cosmetics, weapons, consumables that replenish health or temporarily increase stats in combat for instance. Perhaps the most useful type of item to find are plug-ins. These function like mods and can be allocated to provide stat boosts during combat.

This level of customisation really lets the player take control of how they want to play, and the best part is that every type of customisation the player can control for their character can also be applied to their party members. Their appearance, their weapons and their plug-ins can all be customised. This level of depth is such a highlight, offering the flexibility to genuinely feel like this is YOUR team in every sense.

With experience from combat and story progression the player can access the Brain Map, a skill tree that branches out and offers offensive and defensive stat boosts, increased combo lengths, additional use of certain abilities and so much more. As experience is rather generously earned it doesn’t take long before the player has access to a variety of combat bonuses that increase the joy and satisfaction from each enemy encounter.

As the story progresses and new characters are introduced, the player can tap into the unique abilities of more members that join their party such as pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, clairvoyance and teleportation to name just a few. These actions are only available for a short duration before a brief cooldown is required for repeated use. Increasing the effectiveness of party members abilities comes down to the bond the player has with that particular character.

This bond is strengthened by side missions and special interactions that take place between the story chapters, known as Phases, in the form of Bond Episodes. Between Phases the player is transported to a hideout, which can also be accessed at any point when not in active combat. These hideout sequences, known as Standby Phases, are where these Bond Episodes occur. Little more than a dialogue interaction, these can be missed if characters are not engaged. It is worth talking to all team members that are scattered around the hideout to ensure no opportunity to strengthen the bond, and therefore combat performance, is missed.

The visual style of Scarlet Nexus is a striking take of anime in a three-dimensional format, with the characters adopting a noticeably different style the environments they inhabit. It feels slick and stylish, an appropriate companion for the elegant combat animations. The enemy design and variety are impressive, varying from monstrous and a little outlandish with the latter working in the favour of the unique world this adventure takes place in.

The sound design is fun with an upbeat electro-pop type score that is a little familiar for fans of anime or JRPGs. Satisfying sound effects during combat match the energy and pace of the chaos and ultimately rounds out a solid presentation on the audio-visual front.

+ Constantly evolving gameplay

+ Excellent customisation options

+ Combat grows increasingly fun

+ Unique and interesting story

+ Fun enemy design

– Story feels a little too long

– Bond Episodes not as fleshed out or exciting as they could be

– A lot to digest at the start

Developed by: Bandai Namco Studios

Published by: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Release Date: June 25 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5 and PC

 * A digital code was kindly provided by One More Game/Xbox Gamer Dad via the Publisher for the purpose of this review. This review was written as a member of their team *

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Atmospheric, moody and tense, Supermassive Games deliver their most twisted experience to date with Little Hope!

The second entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology was cleverly revealed after the credits of the first, Man of Medan. Though they share the same universe, their stories do not directly connect. The exception being The Curator, an interesting, suspicious and unreliable narrator that breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to the player in between chapters, referred to as Scenes.

Little Hope, like Man of Medan, is an interactive survival experience that inserts players directly into the story by presenting a series of choices, both dialogue and actions, that has consequences to the characters and overall story. This freedom of expression so to speak has subtle and significant impacts, particularly in regards to who lives or dies. Packed with jump scares, interesting storytelling, this survival adventure thrusts players deep into a family tragedy and the witch trials of the 17th century.

Little (to no) Hope

The opening cinematic in present day sees a bus driver forced into a detour by local police due to an accident ahead. Assured by the police officer that the detour will add little time to the trip, the bus driver appears cautious about having to pass through Little Hope instead of his intended route. Swerving to avoid a little girl, the bus driver loses control and the bus crashes to its side.

Switching tracks to an alternate time period, a family of 6 are introduced in the opening playable sequence. Following an eerie encounter, disaster strikes and the family home goes up in flames while a series of grisly moments result in a hopeless outcome that despite any choices made, tragedy consumes the family.

Back in the present, the 5 survivors of the bus crash assemble and plan to seek refuge in Little Hope to elude an inescapable fog and find help. College professor John explains that along with senior student Angela and teenagers Andrew, Daniel and Taylor, the group has crashed on the way to an educational excursion. With no sign of the bus driver, the group pushes through the fog in a singular direction as any attempt to travel the other way results in them being mysteriously turned around and ending up in the same spot they started.

The group is consistently split into a pair and a trio, with each usually taking a separate path as they search for salvation in the sleep town of Little Hope. Before long the characters begin to see a little girl and upon succumbing to the clutches of a dark entity, appear to be transported to the 17th century in the middle of the infamous witch trials. To speak more of the events in this timeline would significantly spoil the story so as to avoid this, all I will say is the consequences of choices made here have a direct impact on the present day storyline and vise versa.

The interweaving time periods are well executed, with subtle clues and information allowing players to piece together the significance of their experiences and eagle eyed players paying close attention to all dialogue and the environment will actually be able to uncover the deepest mystery of the story surprisingly early on.

Stalked by disturbing beings hellbent on murdering the survivors, the group must escape the hellish entities while pushing deeper into Little Hope while making decisions that impact the very survival of each member.

The story is surprisingly clever and connected, executed in a manner that makes subsequent playthroughs all the more enjoyable by noticing clues early on and continuing to discover new information my baking alternate decisions. The replayability is excellent and justifiable if for no reason other than to see what happened with the survival or death of any combination of the 5 characters. The moment of revelation at the end is intriguing and satisfying, likely to shock players that haven’t quite figured out what’s going on or giving players confirmation of the theories they have likely been working on as the puzzles of this interwoven narrative fall into place.

The Curator, as mentioned, appears between the Scenes and reflects on the events that preceded while also offering cryptic dialogue as to things that have or could have happened. He presents a choice as to whether a clue is offered for what follows and when played co-operatively, this clue is only offered if all parties select yes. This is a fun mechanic that doesn’t spoil anything but does tempt players with how blind they want their initial playthrough to be.

Their fate is in your hands

As with Man of Medan, the narrative of Little Hope is subject to subtle and major changes based on the decisions made by the player. While some of these choices may appear inconsequential, developer Supermassive Games have executed the story in such a way that may not be truly realised until later. The choices made can result in any combination of the 5 playable characters surviving or being killed, leading to a number of endings including ones where nobody lives or all of them survive.

Being a highly cinematic and interactive story, the gameplay is extremely simplistic. Walking around and interacting with the other characters and items of interest within the environment comprise almost the entire core gameplay experience outside of the decisions to be made via dialogue or actions during sequences of tension. A large number of items can be interacted with and expected, offering insights into Little Hope’s dark history. Hidden throughout the explorable environment are pictures that when collected, offer a premonition that may or may not come to pass. As explained by the Curator in between the Scenes/chapters, whether they occur or not may be impacted by decisions made. This remains a fascinating staple of the series and by presenting possible outcomes, may subconsciously affect the choices made by the player or drive them to act in a manner to achieve the potential scenario.

Despite being in control of the characters, the game is fairly linear in the sense that regardless of which path is taken, there is only one way forward. While exploration of these paths is possible, it remains pretty straightforward tightly enclosed.

In the air tonight

The atmospheric tension is excellent, an ominous and eerie mood are ever present. With an immaculate attention to environmental detail and an incredible score and sound effects, the player always feels a sense of anticipation of the unexpected. Constantly feeling watched or stalked, a sense of dread inspires players to proceed with caution.

A solid voice cast provides genuine emotion and depth to the characters they bring to life. Admittedly the characters themselves don’t feel very fleshed out but their motivations and actions in the moment feel authentic and believable. The character models themselves are insanely detailed, adding to the believability of these characters and the world they inhabit.

“There are ALWAYS consequences”

As iterated by the mysterious Curator, there are always consequences. Small or large, every decision impacts the characters personalities and the events themselves, particularly as it relates to life or death. Little Hope has a stronger and more interesting story than Man of Medan though it’s character development doesn’t quite reach the same heights.

Little Hope is an atmospheric treat of tension, surprise and tragedy, felt throughout all of its playable timelines that are masterfully interwoven with a climax that hits the mark. Playable solo or co-operatively locally and online, the replay value is excellent. Making different decisions and unlocking alternate endings is fun and a second playthrough is almost more rewarding, adding context to events that may not have been clear the first time around. The addition of the Curator’s Cut allows the story to be played from the perspective of different characters.

Following the precedent set with Man of Medan, Little Hope also includes a photo that when interacted with offers a premonition of the next entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Following the credits of a completed playthrough, a teaser trailer for the next entry is shown in full. House of Ashes, arriving in 2021, is revealed and like Little Hope, appears to present a completely different take for the series which continues to excel in the interactive narrative genre.

+ Excellent story interconnected through time

+ Incredible environmental and character detail

+ Atmospheric tension

+ A lot of replayability either solo or co-operatively

– Gameplay could use a little more depth

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Supermassive Games

Published by: Bandai Namco

Release Date: October 30 2020

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC

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 An action-packed story fitting of the film franchise with gameplay that feels anything but fast and furious.

The Fast & Furious franchise has once again taken a turn onto the video game highway. Boasting a story considered canon to the film franchise and voice overs from Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson, reprising their roles as Dom Toretto, Letty Ortiz and Roman Pearce respectively. Packed with a typically over the top action packed story in the neighbourhood of 5-6 hours and an assortment of online operation modes, Fast & Furious: Crossroads tends to spin its wheels on the gameplay. 

The story is fitting of the film franchise with its over the top action and dramatic set pieces while coherently weaving a tale of international espionage through its driving exclusive gameplay. Franchise favourites Dom, Letty and Roman are cleverly used, avoiding being present for the sake of star power, their inclusion meaningfully connects to the story of main protagonists Vienna and Cam. Not only are these 3 characters present, they are playable. The main story alternates between the characters and some cases allows for switching between 2 or more. The story is as ridiculous as fans have become familiar with and the explosive set pieces are ever present including an intense avalanche in the desert and racing to escape a collapsing tunnel resulting in an overall presentation that is very cinematic. 

The characters each take the wheel of several different cars but retain a singular special ability to be used when called upon. For instance, Vienna has a grappling hook to pull cars backwards equipped to her car and Dom has retractable wheel spikes for side-swiping enemies. These abilities require varying levels of cool down, as does the nitrous boost and side-swipe attack that each character has access to. Later in the game some extra special abilities become available to mix things up a little.  

Mission variety is fairly limited, ranging from simple get from A to B type drives, beat the clock sprint races to reach a destination before a timer expires or follow a car undetected for example. Enemy vehicles can be taken out by side-swiping them or utilising whatever ability is available dependant on the playable character for the mission. The vehicle combat isn’t particularly exciting and the driving itself lacks meaningful engagement, failing to standout as a driving title despite that being the predominant theme of the game. It’s underwhelming but the tension, sense of urgency from some of the missions, high speed chases and dramatic set pieces alleviate this feeling for a few moments at least. 

When it comes to the Fast & Furious franchise, where there is a will there is a way to introduce something that simply should not work but they manage to somehow pull it off. In Crossroads, this is boss battles. Somehow, boss battles against various vehicles have been introduced that are cleverly handled, satisfying and most importantly pretty fun. Whether it’s chasing the equivalent of a tank, a large hovercraft or even a rocket, these encounters are over the top and typically layered in terms of how to handle them. I shook my head upon seeing some of these initially but that expressions was replaced with purses lips and subtle nodding to myself upon completion. 

Completing missions awards the player with licence plates to use in the Online Operations mode. The Online Ops, for short, is 3 v 3 v 3 faction based multiplayer mode pitting Cops vs Villains vs Heroes in matches with an assortment of objectives to win. Tank Takedown in particular was fun. In order to win the Heroes need to destroy the tank before it escapes, the Villains have to protect the tank until it escapes and the Cops have to arrest all suspects before the tank escapes.

Playing as each faction allows for the same mode to feel slightly different from each perspective but the limited amount of modes still feel restricting. There’s certainly room to grow here and if new modes are added over time, Online Ops could certainly feel like it has more to offer. The Garage is home to the decent variety of vehicles to unlock across Power, Lightweight, Terrain, Speed and Tech classes, each with unique stats and a combat ability. Vehicles are unlocked via progression. They can be customised with Paint, Wraps, Licence Plates and Sprays to personalise them to the players tastes. All customisation unlocks are awarded when the player reaches certain levels, increasing by playing and in particular winning matches. 

Visually, Crossroads brings little to the table and this extends to the likenesses of the key film cast that reprise their roles. They look stiff yet still better than the remainder of the cast. The cars themselves even lack the visual fidelity to stand out which is surprising given this is of course a driving title. The sound design is competent, with vehicle effects and voice acting sounding and feeling legitimate but some very stilted writing holds most performances back on a few occasions. The music adds tension and drama to the moment to moment action and driving sequences, providing a weight to the scene. 

Fast & Furious: Crossroads is likely to satisfy fans of the film franchise, the limited gameplay may be overlooked by being able to see and play as Dom, Letty and Roman though the price point is a tough pill to swallow for the overall experience. Casual players may feel like they’ve been short changed however with a short story and an online mode that doesn’t quite scream replayability. Enjoyable boss battles and set pieces should satisfy most players and leave the game feeling as though they’ve seen something they never expected to see. Even as a fan of the films there is a moment at the end of the story that took me by surprise yet felt absolutely believable to what the franchise has become. It’s an uneven experience that is definitely best reserved at a sale price. 

Final Verdict: 

+ Kickass soundtrack 

+ Voices from 3 of the main film cast  

+ Surprisingly enjoyable boss battles 

– Driving gameplay is underwhelming 

– Online Operations modes are lacking 

– Limited mission variety  

– Price point 

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Slightly Mad Studios

Published by: Bandai Namco

Release Date: August 7 2020

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC

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