Scars Above is an action adventure video game developed by Mad Head Games and published by Prime Matter. Scars Above was released on February 27, 2023. The game is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam.
Scars Above borrows from a few genres but delivers heavily on sci-fi action. The science fiction genre can be as endless as space itself. You can go in an incredibly goofy direction or lean more toward horror.
Delve into the Mad Head Games-developed sci-fi action game, Scars Above, and you’ll know the studio put in work to give players everything they need to immerse themselves in this alien world. Add in a high layer of challenge, and there’s much to look forward to from this adventure. It’s this very attention to detail and narrative with a high layer of difficulty makes it stand out from other titles being released.
Storyline
Something strange has entered Earth’s orbit; an object alien and unknowable, made out of matter that seems not to obey the laws of physics and stuns the entire world- the Metahedron.
The Sentient Contact Assessment and Response team (SCAR) – consisting of scientists and engineers – is sent to investigate the alien object.
Things don’t go as planned and the Metahedron hauls the team across space onto a mysterious extrasolar planet. Playing the role of Dr Kate Ward – a SCAR member – your fate takes a jarring turn as you awaken in another world – dazed, alone in a strange, hostile environment. Determined to survive, you set out to find your crew and unravel the mystery behind what’s happened. This is a game of mystery and discovery.
Gameplay
Scars Above is a challenging and immersive sci-fi third-person shooter inspired by modern action-adventure games. It takes the genre staples, combining the rewarding feeling of overcoming difficulty with a compelling and intricate story, set in a mysterious alien world – a living, breathing ecosystem to explore and endure.
From the beginning in the new alien world, you’re taught the basics of interacting with the environment, introducing a core system of light puzzle solving as you select objects in the first-person, and Kate will comment on them. You can also twist the objects to find additional means of interacting with them.
Actual gameplay happens in the third person as Kate must push forward to find answers. Her intelligence plays into exploration as she can scan objects and downed enemies to learn more about them. This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding Scars Above’s worldbuilding. The team clearly spent a lot of time building out the lore of this world, and it’s found in the many times that Kate talks to herself out in the field.
Alongside this lore is some rather challenging activity. However, death doesn’t seem to carry such a significant impact outside of taking you back to a checkpoint and resetting the enemies. Players will have access to a variety of weapons that can be customised with elemental properties. Utilising these methods proved effective during fights, which rely on shooting weak points. Kate is highly agile in the field; she can dodge and move freely.
Combat
Kate is an astronaut and a scientist – not a soldier – but she’s resourceful and determined to do anything to survive. Using a combination of ranged weapons, devices, consumables and melee attacks, you need to manage stamina as you run, dodge, exploit weak points and discover effective tactics to defeat your foes. Combine different elemental attacks to beat the odds and break through otherwise impassable obstacles. Craft different items and gadgets to aid you against the countless threats in this exoplanet.
Exploration
Immerse yourself in a carefully crafted adventure, inspired by the sci-fi classics.Explore an alien world filled with countless threats, gorgeous landscapes and ruins hinting of an ancient – yet advanced – civilisation that somehow disappeared. Journey through different biomes, such as marshlands, freezing wastelands, underground caverns and alien facilities – all with their own set of challenges, enemies, secrets and environmental hazards.
Research
Kate is a scientist to her core and you’ll use that scientific expertise to extract information from your surroundings by scanning artifacts, materials and creatures in order to learn about their features, properties and weaknesses.As you explore your surroundings, you will conduct analysis and gain knowledge which will allow you to craft new gadgets, weapons and unlock abilities in Xenobiology and Engineering trees.
Boss Fights
This game is filled with ghastly enemy designs, with diverse strategies and tactics, that will for sure keep all of your encounters fresh, because it will actually force you to find creative ways to defeat them.
Features
- Immerse yourself in an exciting sci-fi adventure inspired by the classics of the genre
- Explore an enigmatic and intricate alien world – with plenty of mysteries to uncover
- Fight tactically, using a combination of elemental attacks, gadgets and items, exploit the environment and enemy weaknesses
- Engage exciting and challenging enemies and bosses, from hulking rock-covered monstrosities to nightmarish creatures lurking in the dark
- Gain knowledge and acquire new skills
- Scan enemies to learn about their weaknesses and behaviours
- Use your scientific skills to conduct research and extrapolate information
Final Words
The developers describe the content in this game like this: Violence, Depictions of mutated human bodies, Depictions of dead and mutilated aliens. So, beware that these things may pop up now and again in the game, but if you are fine with that and are ready for this new adventure that this game offers then you should definitely add it to your watch list.
