Scars Above review – a striking resemblance

I’m really wondering if the developers at Mad Head Games, a Serbian studio, developed the concept for their game prior to the release of the Returnal title in 2021 and simply “used” inspiration to flesh out their story, or if Returnal impressed them so much that they started creating in response. In any case, Scars Above has no chance to deny its inspiration from the second named game without naming it directly, the authors, among other things, use almost identical phrases in interviews about the game. However, Returnal is one of the few games that got the highest rating from us, so this “eastern imitator” really interested us. At the same time, you need to set realistic expectations for a “budget” game.

• Platform: PS5 (review) PS4, X1, XSX|S, PC
• Publication date: 02/28/2023
• Manufacturer: Mad Head Games (Serbia)
• Genre: sci-fi “souls”
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Data to download: 20 GB
• Game time: 10 hours
• Price: 899 CZK (couples)

“Some things shouldn’t have been discovered”

“Some things shouldn’t have been found” is the official video game slogan, referring to a mysterious object that will appear out of nowhere in Earth’s orbit in the near future. The answer to the question of whether we are alone in the universe is given. But what is this mysterious object nicknamed “Metahedron”? Mankind sends a research expedition of four cosmonaut scientists to it, forming a special unit “SCAR” (Sentient Contact Assessment and Response). Their initial attempt to scan the mysterious object from the outside may be somewhat reminiscent of the awe-inspiring sci-fi movie Oblivion, and here the inspiration is more than obvious. One way or another, the awakened object reacts to the astronauts, transferring them to an unknown planet far from our solar system, where their ship subsequently crashes.

Your role is a scientist named Kate Ward, whose curiosity and general demeanor throughout the game reminds you that she is an explorer and scientist first and foremost. But that doesn’t change the fact that he builds a rifle relatively quickly, so almost all encounters with extraterrestrial organisms on the planet are decided by shooting. Unfortunately, the magic of the mystery almost completely disintegrates in the first chapter, as Kate is joined by the “holographic ghost” of a local (alien) scientist, and the shape and name of the main villain behind all the bad things that happened in Earth’s orbit are immediately revealed even on this alien planet.

Primarily a researcher and scientist, but most of the meetings she resolves with shooting.

If you feel like this seems a little simple, then you hit the nail on the head – the story and dialogue are very simple and predictable, most of the time I was under the impression that this was original fan fiction from a very young teenager and not a commercial. scenario. A somewhat convulsive impression is also facilitated by the fact that the faces of the characters with their stylization too often resemble the notorious title Mass Effect: Andromeda. While the simple story itself isn’t exactly the driving force behind the gameplay, I enjoyed seeing what other ideas and scenes from famous movies and games the creators borrowed (there are quite a few of them, repeatedly, for example, a series of films about aliens). In the end, I must admit that at least there is something in revealing the main villain’s intention, and his interest in the human genetic code has an imaginary reason.

Sci-fi “Souls”

Although the game is a lot like Returnal (a scientist lost on a mysterious planet tries to investigate the causes of the fall of an alien civilization, find his way home and understand why they are “reborn” here after every death), in terms of genre, there is one significant difference in the gameplay: this is not a roguelite , but “a game for the soul.” So if you die, then respawn at the nearest monolith, which will also revive all fallen enemies, except for bosses. However, received items and unlocked tags remain. As is often the case with these games, the difficulty is intentionally relatively high, though you can tweak it. Paradoxically, the fight with the first boss is perhaps the most difficult of the entire game, because you still don’t have enough weapons, “rechargeable” first-aid kits and other gadgets at your disposal. On the contrary, towards the end of the game, you are already so armed that you can mow down enemies and bosses without any problems.

Scars Above is a relatively short game, its six chapters can be completed in about ten hours, and more experienced players will surely get through it even faster. At the same time, however, it is sold at a lower price and therefore needs to be appraised accordingly. We recently had a similar “budget” sci-fi game, Deliver Us Mars, which had crappy gameplay, but the plot of which I still can’t get out of my head, I played it twice and still listen to its soundtrack. this day. Unfortunately, Scars Above doesn’t offer a particularly strong quality. Mechanically, it is functional, manages and works quite nicely on the console, without significant technical problems, in places it looks quite impressive. So, if you’re a fan of the genre and have set your expectations correctly, this might be the one for you.