With a brand new trailer focused around the character Kasane, the upcoming action RPG Scarlet Nexus confirms its release date later this year. Players can expect Bandai's newest JRPG-inspired game to launch this summer.
Currently being made by the same team behind some of the Tales games such as director Kenji Anabuki and producer Keita Iizuka, Scarlet Nexus was first announced during Microsoft's Xbox 20/20 event in lieu of canceled E3 conferences last year. It draws much inspiration JRPGs, such as with its team building, various abilities, special attacks, and unlockable skills, however, the actual flow of combat is more reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts games, occurring closer to real-time rather than being turn-based. The art direction is also reminiscent of JRPGs.
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The name "Scarlet Nexus" derives from red lines that connect people and objects that play a large role in both Scarlet Nexus' art and story. The most recent trailer for Scarlet Nexus focuses on these red strings and how they affect Kasane Randall, one of the two protagonists of the game. In common Japanese lore, red strings often symbolize fate, and sometimes how fate ties together characters. But with Scarlet Nexus, this surfaces in various forms such as combat, but most importantly the brain map.
The brain map is important to Scarlet Nexus' lore but also acts as a skill tree in-game. Bandai's upcoming game takes place in an alternate reality where humans have developed technology based on resources found in human brains, which can grant superpowers. Unlike most JRPGs, which traditionally follow one silent protagonist, Scarlet Nexus has two playable protagonists, Kasane Randall and Yuito Sumeragi, both members of the Other Suppression Force (OSF) who must defend New Himuka from creatures referred to as "Others." Kasane and Yuito have both been recruited due to their supernatural and extrasensory abilities.
In Scarlet Nexus' enticing gameplay, these powers include the ability to manipulate time and space, such as by blinking in and out of planes and controlling large objects. The newest trailer also shows off some of the recruitable characters, one of which mentions he has an invisibility power. Much like most JRPGs, characters will each have unique abilities that can affect team composition.
According to the recent trailer, the red strings will also play a role in Scarlet Nexus' core conflict.
Also announced today is an anime TV adaptation of Scarlet Nexus, which will premiere shortly after the game's release in July 2021.
Scarlet Nexus releases June 25, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.