With a captivating setting, a likable protagonist, and an aspiration for grandeur, Scars Above is the sci-fi adventure game we’ve always wanted. Unfortunately, the experience is hampered by lackluster combat, terrible map design, and a central narrative that ultimately fails to boot.
After a mysterious alien artifact known as the Metahedron appears in Earth’s atmosphere, a crack group of scientists and engineers known as SCAR (Sentient Contact Assessment and Response) is sent to investigate. You play as Dr. Kate Ward. Dr. Kate Ward investigates the artifact and, along with the rest of her team, finds herself transported across the galaxy to a mysterious and inhospitable alien planet.
At least at first, the plot is captivating as Kate sets off to discover the fate of her compatriots and deal with the hostile world around her. It won’t take long.
Most of Scars Above’s short run time (around 6 hours or so) is spent exploring various passages, fighting alien beasts, and solving puzzles to progress. Considering it’s a small project, it’s still remarkable how quickly experience evolves into iterations and frustration. Just to clarify, Scars Above retails for $39.99 or £34.99. What that price doesn’t take into account, however, is your time, whatever it’s worth to you.
There are several different biomes to explore on your journey. Some have exploration-related mechanics (such as setting certain types of leaves on fire to prevent hypothermia, or freezing worm-infested water to traverse), but none are particularly exciting. There aren’t any maps that aren’t too much of an issue at first, but later in the game, having to go back to each biome for narrative McGuffin reasons and having to re-read the steps proved to be quite annoying direction, often completely lost.
Combat is the next pillar of gameplay, and that’s enough. Kate creates half a dozen or so weapons, each with different elemental affinities and firing modes. For example, a charged rifle that deals fire damage to a target, or a shotgun that fires acid shots.
There have been some pretty brave attempts to tie this into a larger system of combined effects, and we appreciated it. Follow up an enemy with acid for a combo that deals massive damage.
However, it rots quickly due to the very limited enemy types. Among them, he probably has 7 unique variations (other than bosses). His two of them are introduced quite late in the game. Expect to spend most of your time battling weak spider swarms or knock-off necromorphs that can breathe venom and dive underwater.
There were several boss encounters scattered throughout, some really engaging. is incorporated into the encounter.
Still, there’s an unavoidable level of jank and stiffness, and while everything runs smoothly and looks great, navigating each playspace and combat encounter becomes a chore long before the credits roll .
The puzzles are, well, the last piece of the puzzle and not a big shake-up either. Finding power sources to open doors, identifying passwords in the environment, analyzing objects for clues — cookie-cutter video game fare with no reward other than simply being allowed to progress.
On the flip side, the voice acting is surprisingly solid, and while the supporting cast is paper-thin in terms of character development, Kate herself is likable enough. I couldn’t escape the feeling that if there was, she could be an attractive character.
Scars Above makes a lot of hay on the fact that Kate is a scientist and not a soldier (despite inflicting death on countless aliens with the agility of an experienced space marine). is represented by her ability to synthesize items after analyzing alien flora and fauna, and in some cases, reverse-engineer her findings into new equipment. Just scan an object and it will give you an item.
This equipment takes many forms, from weapons to healing injections to personal bubble shields to antidotes to name a few. All are powered by batteries that can be refilled using materials found in the environment. There was little reason to use any of them other than the added heal and shield, and everything else felt too situational.
Even with elements of the Soulslike genre, Scars Above fails to enact what makes FromSoftware’s formula so special. Enemies are tough and supplies are limited. Dying returns you to an obelisk that acts like a checkpoint, respawning the same aliens in the area. But without an economy worth the souls you lose and gain, there’s little reason not to simply sprint through nasty enemies, and the aforementioned lack of enemy variety only exacerbates the problem.
Conclusion
Scars Above is more of a compelling prospect than a final product — an intriguing premise that ultimately gets lost amid repetitive gameplay and mediocre design. It’s really interesting, but simply reaching a star is no guarantee that it will actually leave orbit or even come down to Earth. asking price.
