As the Persona franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary, fans are desperate for word of the next installment in Atlus' long-running, urban-fantasy JRPG. But with no announcement in sight, players will need to look elsewhere to scratch their itch during the wait. One option could be Scarlet Nexus, a sci-fi action-JRPG that released in June 2021, boasting a relationship-based battle system, easy-to-overlook side quests, and a robust story campaign. Like the oft-overlooked earlier installments of Persona, Scarlet Nexus is something of a cult classic with a lot of potential for future installments.
Even though the title launched nearly a year ago, Scarlet Nexus saw a considerable boost in popularity with its recent release on Xbox Game Pass. As a debut series with a different style of gameplay, Persona fans could easily overlook the title, but that would be a shame given the wait for Persona 6. Bandai Namco's psychic, cyberpunk saga likely holds a great deal of appeal for those who enjoyed the Phantom Thieves.
Kindred Spirits
Thematically, Persona and Scarlet Nexus were clearly made with the same audience in mind. Both titles explicitly court anime fans with their aesthetics, televised adapatations, tropes, and general trappings. The games also star groups of precocious, battle-proficient youths (with a few adult hangers-on), who must topple God-like entities, save the world, and figure out how they feel about each other.
Character relationships are not only central to Scarlet Nexus' story, but deeply intertwined in the game's action combat. Becoming better friends with party members will pay dividends in the form of new combos and abilities. Relationship-building and gift-giving mechanics are becoming increasingly common in RPGs, but few titles link a party's combat efficacy to the power of friendship as explicitly as Persona or Scarlet Nexus.
It should be acknowledged that Scarlet Nexus' story isn't as "tight" or coherent as most Persona titles, and the game's cast of companions feel more like archetypes than distinct personalities. Much of the story's disorienting qualities are by design though, requiring a full playthrough from each protagonist to get the full picture of its mind-bending plot. For a standalone title, or possibly the first installment of a new franchise, Scarlet Nexus handles inter-character relationships with satisfying depth.
Scarlet Nexus and Persona Are Games That Keep On Giving
Scarlet Nexus isn't as long as an average Persona title, even if someone plays through the entire title as both protagonists. Yet like Persona, it provides players with a steady drip of fresh mechanics throughout the game to keep things lively. Combat seems fairly simplistic at first, requiring players to alternate between physical and telekinetic attacks to fight foes. But as the player unlocks additional party members and new mechanics, the battle system evolves into one of the best RPG fighting systems in recent memory.
Scarlet Nexus also features a gift-giving system that is necessary to rapidly advance party members' relationships, leading to "bond episodes" that develop their personalities and individual storylines. As a result, both Scarlet Nexus and Persona games grow in breadth and depth as the player progresses. Players can try to achieve perfect bonds with every party member, or cherry-pick the characters that appeal to their play style and attitude. Scarlet Nexus will also likely appeal to mature audiences despite the teenaged cast, just like Persona, and director Kenji Anabuki expressed interest in developing a sequel for more grown-up audiences.
A Distinct Adventure with Familiar Flourishes
Even though Scarlet Nexus is clearly influenced by Persona, the game has an identity of its own that will make the experience feel fresh and distinct. Both titles' magic systems are rooted in themes of cognition and the mind, but Persona takes a more metaphorical, occult, and psychological approach to power, while Scarlet Nexus is firmly situated in sci-fi territory with militarized psychics, brain networks, and a futuristic setting.
The biggest mechanical departure from Persona is that Scarlet Nexus' battles play out in real time, requiring skillful dodges, quick reflexes, and timed button inputs, like a blend between The World Ends With You and Kingdom Hearts. Turn-based purists may be turned off by this distinction, but fans of Persona 5 who have tried Persona 5 Strikers should find it easy to acclimate. Given the wait for Persona 6, there are few better ways to kill time.
Scarlet Nexus is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.