Disturbingly Gorgeous and Gorgeously Disturbing
Bandai Namco’s upcoming brainpunk game Scarlet Nexus has never been closer than it is today, when Scarlet Nexus Demo Edition launched on Xbox. The game’s full release is still a month away, but this demo provides gamers with a sneak of what the full experience will be like. The demo allows you to choose between the game’s two protagonists, Yuito Sumeragi and Kasane Randall, and play until you encounter the first boss. It promises a creepy retro-futuristic atmosphere, increasingly surreal visuals, and a ton of psychokinetic action. Don’t believe us? Check this eerie demo trailer out for size. Watching it gave us goosebumps, and for good reason: this may be the game’s most atmospheric trailer yet.
Kasane and Yuito both look absolutely gorgeous in action, fitting their slick character designs, but the world itself is even more stunning. From the nightmarish enemy designs to the red-tinged cityscape to the ruined urban battlefields dripping with cables, this game is a sight to behold. The life of a Scarlet Guardian appears to be brutal, painful, and oppressive. The moment where a deep, mechanical voice informs the characters that “this will hurt much more than it did in training” really stuck with us. Psychic powers have always blended well with sci-fi, but now we’re starting to wonder why more properties haven’t combined them with cyberpunk dystopia. It seems like a potent mix of both body horror and the biting social critique so much of modern cyberpunk is missing.
The trailer also shows off the protagonists’ psychokinetic abilities, which are always awe-inspiring to watch, as well as some of the other characters and a few towering enemies. It’s making us incredibly excited to get our hands on the game. Scarlet Nexus Demo Edition will also be available on PS5 and PS4 next week, starting on Friday May 28th.
Scarlet Nexus will be released for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC on June 25th, 2021.
Which Scarlet Nexus protagonist will you play as first? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.