Tales of ARISE
Tales of ARISE
Game
Game2021
SCARLET NEXUS
Developer BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
Scarlet Nexus is a 2021 action role-playing game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Tose, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on June 25, 2021. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the combat, but criticism for its side missions. It sold 1 million units by April 2022. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
389 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
145 positive · 69 negative
95% range 61–74%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 145 | 69 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 60 | 6 | 64 |
| Mastodon * | 5 | 1 | 23 |
| Lemmy * | 3 | 2 | 11 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
5,742 of 6,829 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
69% recommend · 146 yes, 65 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 211 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (14,635 of 18,227 positive).
Players praise the combat as fun and rewarding, with unique SAS abilities and satisfying mechanics. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the story convoluted, clichéd, or poorly executed, though others enjoy it. [4][5][6] A few players report game-breaking bugs that prevent progress, particularly on the Kasane route. [7]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
I cannot recommend Scarlet Nexus, and it’s not because of gameplay or story — it’s because the game literally breaks and prevents you from progressing. In Chapter 5 (Kasane route), I encountered a game-breaking bug where after defeating all enemies, the barrier wouldn’t disappear and the game still thinks you’re “in battle.” There are no enemies left, no indicators, nothing — just a soft lock that completely stops …
- [6]
the story concept is interesting but the execution is painfully horrible and every character interaction became annoying. the characters are stereotypes and unlikable, they show little to no character growth and feel flat in the story progression. gameplay is great, fast paced and engaging, the skill progression is smooth, difficult but manageable making it rewarding. story: 3/10 characters: 3/10 gameplay: 8/10 I …
- [9]
I really dont understand how this game can get mixed reviews and i doubt people who make it at least decently far in the game will give anything but positive review. It has amazing story, good characters, the two protagonists are TOP tier, just listen to the dialogues in game and you are going to be hooked. Paths of both are quite different. Play Yuito first, it makes more sense and spoils less for Kasane. Graphics …
- [3]
phenomenal game so far. Combat is excellent and rewarding. EDIT— Just beat Yuitos story. the game is so good, wonderful characters if you use your eyes and ears (no, the characters aren’t boring and one note - you just didn’t do any bond episodes.) Starting Kasanes story now and it’s captured me already. also, Dream in Drive is a banger opening. play the damn game
- [4]
1- What is good? Combat, Bosses, Spectacle, Graphic Style 2- What is bad? Some bosses are unbalanced on the highest difficulty, Enemy placement sometimes reminded me of Dark Souls 2 There is a steep learning curve to have the best combat flow Story.... It melts you brain, too convoluted, even Vaatividya would need a guide to explain it Overall, very good game
Summarised from 34 of the 360 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
SCARLET NEXUS sits at 68% positive across 214 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Scarlet Nexus received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Particular praise was given to the game's combat systems, particularly the telekinesis powers of the two protagonists. IGN's Mitchell Saltzman wrote that "the ease of transition between the [telekinetic and melee attacks] is a really exciting and smooth mix of long-range and close-range combat." NME's Jon Bailes agreed, arguing that the game introduced new gameplay mechanics in an accessible way, and that it "build[s] slowly towards something very special. I took early satisfaction from the pendulum rhythm of sword attacks and telekinesis throws ... Complexity here is…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 389 · most liked firstthere's a new grid of games "to know me" type thing going around & i don't have the energy to post somethin like that right now, but what fills every single "underrated / best style / game you wish others played" square for me is Scarlet Nexus and it's on sale on steam for 10 bucks right now sooooOO
positive · AI labelView post →Any good games you can Reccomend?. Hello everyone I recently upgraded my PC and I'm excited to explore new games that can take advantage of my improved hardware. Previously, my old PC was limited, and I had to be selective about the games I played. I also have a Steam Deck, but I'm looking for offline single-player experiences on my PC. I'm looking for games that offer an unforgettable experience and high replay value. I enjoy open-world games that give me the freedom to explore, similar to…
neutral · AI labelView post →Today I learned that Kenji Anabuki, the director of Scarlet Nexus, has never stopped sharing one Scarlet Nexus screenshot a day since that game released on his personal social media. I thought he stopped awhile ago. He is currently on day 1871.
neutral · AI labelView post →I cannot recommend Scarlet Nexus, and it’s not because of gameplay or story — it’s because the game literally breaks and prevents you from progressing. In Chapter 5 (Kasane route), I encountered a game-breaking bug where after defeating all enemies, the barrier wouldn’t disappear and the game still thinks you’re “in battle.” There are no enemies left, no indicators, nothing — just a soft lock that completely stops your progress. And the worst part? This is not a rare issue. Multiple players…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cheap and good mini-PCs for gaming?. Hello, everybody! I want to have a little mini-PC for gaming that operates like a console. I don't want to have a big, clunky case in the back or front of the TV. Furthermore, I don't play many AAA titles from recent years, so the hardware doesn't need to be high-end. It would be nice if I could run Scarlet Nexus, Nier: Automata, and Horizon Zero Dawn at a stable 60 FPS. The graphics don't need to be extreme; I just want to enjoy the game. Also recommend…
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wanted to like this game, it is well made, and the combat is fun. But it has got some of the most absolutely infuriating storytelling I have ever seen. It just strings you along ENDLESSLY, and not in a good, tension-building way, either, but with fantastically stupid conversations and people failing at asking the simplest questions. You are just being milked for your game time with dialogue that makes Power Ranger villians look like strategic masterminds. Person A : "You are my enemy…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →IP law in JP is absolutely atrocious, Japanalysis did a [video](https://youtu.be/71VUNMl1u7U) a bit ago about it. Like, WIKIPEDIA can't even use official images or merch for their pages, so they just use shitty pics similar to the thing, like this pic of a dude cosplaying Squirtle:  Youtubers/streamers can get sued for revealing the whole plot of a game I guess, so don't play too much of an RPG or Visual Novel game... Actually,…
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus (Steam) is $6.95 on Gamebillet buff.ly/1J9ekPJ Xbox Deluxe $11.99 (Game Pass discount) buff.ly/P1BSduD Deck verified
neutral · AI labelView post →Updating my pinned for the new wave of people: #promosky Hi! I'm Grenaja, a linguistics student from Belgium, a JRPG fan, and a hobby game reviewer! Follow/DM me if you like: - Xenoblade - HSR - Atlus - Nikke - Scarlet Nexus - Warframe - Other JRPGs - Quintessential Quintuplets - Dandadan - Jojo's
neutral · AI labelView post →SCARLET NEXUS (Steam) is $7.83 on Gamesplanet buff.ly/TL9lMBe #ad Ultimate Edition $19.99 Xbox Game Pass discount buff.ly/pNBHDAI
neutral · AI labelView post →A dragon design inspired by the game Scarlet Nexus. The red threads have significant meaning to them, but I won't spoil the game plot
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus is a game with some of the best combat I've played this year and some of the worst story I've experienced this year
neutral · AI labelView post →This is more of mixed feelings rather than fully negative, just a heads up. The story is fine. The characters are overall fun if a bit stereotypical. The enemy designs are quite cool. What irks me is the gameplay. The combat by itself isn't bad, and can be fun at times, specially when mixing in those sweet psychic powers and throwing items at the enemies or skills. However... you can't dodge mid combo or even during the recovery frames where you aren't attacking or doing anything, you can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📌 Hey! I'm Abyssal. I love action games, RPGs, and rhythm games. Some of my favourite games are: -NEO: TWEWY -Trails of Cold Steel 2 -Tales of Xillia 2 -Scarlet Nexus -FFXVI The rhythm games I mainly play are: -Beatmania IIDX -Sound Voltex -Etterna I make action game combo MADs on YouTube too!
neutral · AI labelView post →Play on Very Hard mode for a more satisfying gameplay experience, don't turn off ur brain and do brainless combat in the game, don't be a DUD as the game puts it. the story is a solid 7-8/10 if you played both stories. Now for a quick rant. People turn on ur comments when leaving a review about a technical issue, for crying out loud, how do you expect help when u turn it off? Ohh ur Dualshock not working? Well mine does maybe we can fix your issue as it prob isn't the game but steam input or…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarlet Nexus is 4 YEARS OLD! And so, I revisit this game in THIS ULTIMATE RETROSPECTIVE, see how it holds up now and try to find out what Happened AFTERWARDS? BUCKLE UP, CAUSE IT’S GONNA BE A LONG ONE! Likes ❤️and Reposts ♻️ Appreciated Link in the Replies 🔗
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is boring, the combat is extremely samey for the entire duration, you'll never get to change to a different weapon or get a new moveset and the basic moveset is entirely without depth. You'll master it as soon as it tells you what the buttons do, and that'll be all you do for the rest of the game. Your buddy powers will not substantially change your gamestyle and all the powers that could possibly give you some interesting advantage have some hediously low usage time and recharge…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Buuut Tales dead?!? New Tales game isn't surprising, given the success of Arise, the Arise team and Scarlet Nexus team mostly being on Tales, and with the remastered project being outsourced. But nice to see the number of titles we at least still get from the project. Also Xillia 2 mentioned!
neutral · AI labelView post →I can't keep up, my game cycle is wild. -Death Stranding -Xenoblade Chronicles 3 -Scarlet Nexus -Metaphor: ReFantazio And I'm dying to play: -Lost Odyssey -Oblivion -Stellar Blade -Wukong -Clair Obscur: Expition 33 I just want to quit my job for a year so I can catch up! FML!
neutral · AI labelView post →Okay yeah I know what I'm playing next after Scarlet Nexus. It takes place chronologically after the last Ys game I beat too (Ys 2), so it's convenient.
neutral · AI labelView post →I need BANDAI NAMCO to remember Scarlet Nexus exist and make another game like it because I've been craving a sci-fi fantasy RPG so bad lately ⚰️
positive · AI labelView post →I really dont understand how this game can get mixed reviews and i doubt people who make it at least decently far in the game will give anything but positive review. It has amazing story, good characters, the two protagonists are TOP tier, just listen to the dialogues in game and you are going to be hooked. Paths of both are quite different. Play Yuito first, it makes more sense and spoils less for Kasane. Graphics are good, music is amazing. The only lacking might be lack of levels and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wakana Sumeragi @simplyallegra.bsky.social Video Game: Scarlet Nexus Year: 2021 Allegra Clark also voiced Wakana in the Scarlet Nexus anime released that same year. Also in the English voice cast for Scarlet Nexus are @chrishackneyggk.bsky.social, @ericamendez.bsky.social, and more. #ScarletNexus
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus was a good game, I wonder if Bandai Namco is gonna do more games in this universe. I thought the second half of the game, once the gameplay opens up and the story gets better, was really great.
positive · AI labelView post →Weekend PC Game Deals: Bundles to defend, Battlefield to try, and a DRM-free spring sale. ``` FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – $34.99 on Steam STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor – $31.49 on Steam Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered – $30.44 on Gamebillet CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION – $29.99 on Steam Prince of Persia The Lost Crown – $29.99 on Epic Store Forspoken – $27.99 on Steam NieR Replicant – $23.99 on Steam DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age –…
neutral · AI labelView post →Something that also has a 2 in its name is Switch 2, so Bamco... Play Scarlet Nexus! Such an underrated game. Great combat, nice character, awesome experimental OST Bamco was on a banger trip in 2021 youtube.com/watch?v=eDFS...
positive · AI labelView post →I first came across Scarlet Nexus years ago through a Gameranx video, and something about it quietly stayed with me ever since. At the time, I was not in a position to buy games freely, so I waited patiently until the Ultimate Edition finally reached a discounted price I felt comfortable with. Looking back now, I am genuinely glad I waited and experienced the complete package together. What initially drew me toward the game were the combat animations, music, visual style, and cinematic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's 'post a random game of your collection' Saturday! Scarlet Nexus is a really fun game that honestly deserves more attention. Really enjoyed the combat in this one. This games director and producer worked on the Tales of series so that was one of the hooks for me to try it
positive · AI labelView post →I want to say that I like the game but I just don't, First gameplay because that is easy to talk about, it's bad. The gameplay is extremely repetitive, never really evolves and higher difficulties do nothing but just make enemies hit harder and be really spongy. Now the story, the story has the potential to be really intersting but is held back by a lack of literally anything being fleshed out. There is a reason most story heavy games tend to have slow starts. Yes, it is often a bit booring…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first half of the PS summer sale ends in around 7 hours and I still intend to grab a game off of it. Just am very indecisive on which to get. Help. A) Sekiro B) Resonance of Fate C) Dispatch D) Scarlet Nexus (have on Xbox) E) RE 7 + 8 GE bundle (have on Switch 2)
neutral · AI labelView post →Show me your… 🎮 Current Game ⏭️ Next Game 🔥 Best Game you’ve played this year 🤔 Most anticipated Game (2nd attempt at beating Scarlet Nexus so hope it pans out well this time lmao)
neutral · AI labelView post →My top 4 video game of the 2020s Tales of Arise Scarlet Nexus Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon Hi-Fi Rush
positive · AI labelView post →Weekend PC Game Deals: QuakeCon specials, bundled Resident Evil, and Assassins to try. Big Deals - System Shock – $29.99 on Steam - Stray – $22.49 on Steam - Expeditions: Rome – $22.49 on Steam - EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 – $20.99 on Steam - Hi-Fi RUSH – $20.39 on GreenManGaming - Conan Exiles – $19.99 on Steam - SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake – $19.99 on Steam - Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed – $19.99 on Steam - Terra Nil – $18.74 on Steam - Bramble: The Mountain King – $17.99 on Steam…
neutral · AI labelView post →Kouta Ochiai released a 5 Year Anniversary Artwork for Scarlet Nexus!!! Absolutely love this game and hope we get something new from this world soon. Happy 5 years Scarlet Nexus!
positive · AI labelView post →Lunch break phone sketch with Yuito Sumeragi 📱🎨 More practice on diagonal face angle for male character, similar to previous Lloyd sketch. I chose a character from Scarlet Nexus because it is an underated game that I really enjoyed and hoping for a sequel 🥹🙏
positive · AI labelView post →One of the coolest settings I've seen for a game, love the world and lore. The characters are fun, if a little trope-y, but that's just JRPGs as a whole, and the combat is great. I wish they'd make more with this IP, it feels like there's still a lot of untapped potential games here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would give this game a mixed rating if there's one. It has been a year since i dropped this game, it was pretty fun and the aesthetics were nice. But the story is so bad that it killed all interest to play the game. The favour system with the short stories were also stupid. If you can deal with horrendous writing its definitely worth checking out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With how many new people are joining, let's do the introduction again. Hi, I'm Grenaja, I'm a linguistics student and game reviewer. Follow me if you like: - Xenoblade - Quintessential Quintuplets - Persona - Scarlet Nexus - HSR/Genshin/ZZZ - Nikke - Warframe And much more! So feel free to hmu
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus is a JRPG that I really needed in my life -No missable achievements -Linear progression -No grind -Whacky story full of mysteries. -Fun combat It's a game that respects your time and is fun to play. The longest part of the game is the final dungeon, which I still liked coz it allowed me to play around with powers to the fullest. It has challenge here if you seek one, there are different difficulty options (pick whichever you want, no difficulty achievements) I played this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the story concept is interesting but the execution is painfully horrible and every character interaction became annoying. the characters are stereotypes and unlikable, they show little to no character growth and feel flat in the story progression. gameplay is great, fast paced and engaging, the skill progression is smooth, difficult but manageable making it rewarding. story: 3/10 characters: 3/10 gameplay: 8/10 I hated every character and found them all to be very annoying except for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Story was alright, dont let the comments effect you too much. There is a spoiler reason why so many things were going haywire. Everything was fun and story ended nice enough without loose ends. You need to play as both characters if you want to know everything though, it doesnt take long with the ng+ so thats nice.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#SteamReplay2024 FINALLY I did fully embrace PC as my main platform this year, and while Cities Skylines IS STILL MY MOST PLAYED GAME THIS YEAR SOMEHOW, but now it's waaay more balanced lmfaooo Also got my first and so far only game I got all the achievements in this year, Scarlet Nexus
positive · AI labelView post →What game from 2021 deserves to be our first deep-dive of 2026? ♟️- Dungeon Encounters 🧠- Scarlet Nexus 🏜️- Shin Megami Tensei V 😈- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Patrons at any level can vote until Saturday at Noon PT! Winning game gets a full ep in February! www.patreon.com/posts/panthe...
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus was so much fun, this game should be more recognized and I think every fan of the Tales of franchise should give it a try! Kasane Randall
positive · AI labelView post →The anime of Scarlet Nexus might be not a great adaptation of the game. But the openings are bangers www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnAI...
neutral · AI labelView post →phenomenal game so far. Combat is excellent and rewarding. EDIT— Just beat Yuitos story. the game is so good, wonderful characters if you use your eyes and ears (no, the characters aren’t boring and one note - you just didn’t do any bond episodes.) Starting Kasanes story now and it’s captured me already. also, Dream in Drive is a banger opening. play the damn game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really only for people who love JRPGs and anime tropes. It has all the typical characters: the couple, the smart kid, the childhood friend, the muscle guy, and the rest of the usual cast you see in these kinds of games. The story is not very good. It keeps throwing random ideas at you: strange monsters that mostly look the same, corporations fighting for control, time travel, and even people living on the moon. But when you finally learn why the enemy is doing all of this… it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fourth playthrough of Scarlet Nexus complete 🫡 Another step closer to 100%... Man I still love this game 🥹
positive · AI labelView post →It took me ~42 hrs to beat the game once on one out of two story tracks (Kasane), with no backtracking to previous areas or grinding more than necessary, almost no sidequests and missions, and being sure to do every single Bond (friendship level path) with each party member. Considering this adds up to a total of over 80 hours potential game time across both story paths, that's content on the level of the best Tales games, which is really impressive! I originally thought this game was a bit…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hey you. yeah you. do you want to play the best 7/10 action game you'll ever experience? do me a favor: pick up Scarlet Nexus. It is 10 bucks. store.steampowered.com/app/775500/S...
positive · AI labelView post →QTP with a gif of an under-appreciated video game Scarlet Nexus my beloved!
neutral · AI labelView post →Scarlet Nexus... what a charming little game, i should replay it
positive · AI labelView post →You know what I'm excited, I saw that snippet and it's probably not Tales but a new ip I'm sure. Part of me is secretly hoping for Scarlet Nexus 2 tho, that game was awesome
positive · AI labelView post →I don't know why there are any negative reviews for this. Is this the best story driven game of all time? No, but its engaging enough to play. This game is very fun and unique with its combat and special abilities. I love the new style of this gameplay having a digital world and you discover mysteries that are in front of you the whole time. The boss fights are challenging and it reminds me a little bit of DMC for some of the combat, but its unique enough with your SAS abilities from other…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →**Neon White** I think I‘m almost done, minus the rushes. I kinda dread handing in all the gifts cause the dialogue‘s been pretty bad but I also kinda wanna read it now that I’ve collected them all lol **SCARLET NEXUS** I can‘t really recommend it. It runs kinda poor for essentially looking like a PS4 game and the game’s whole movement and combat feels insanely awkward and clunky. The story‘s ok but yeah. I like anime games but this one‘s a stinker in my book. The systems just aren‘t coming…
negative · AI labelView post →A friend bought me this game a long time ago and years later I'm glad I finally got to it. Is it the best game ever? no Is it worth playing if it looks like your type of game? YES! I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, it is well polished and the only "issues" would be it's just a generic anime story, some people like that, others don't. Plus you can put cat ears on the characters, the only thing they could have done better was add a fishing minigame.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve finally finished my first playthrough of Scarlet Nexus, spending considerably more time on it than necessary thanks to my completionist tendencies. If there’s one thing I took away from the experience, it’s whiplash. I initially picked up the game because it promised a more self-contained story than other prominent JRPG action games like NieR or DMC, whose broader franchises span multiple titles. At first, I was genuinely invested in uncovering its mysteries, but the longer I played, the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kasane Randall @ericamendez.bsky.social Video Game: Scarlet Nexus Year: 2021 Erica Mendez also voiced Kasane in the Scarlet Nexus anime. The rest of the English cast include @chrishackneyggk.bsky.social, Zach Aguilar, @rebabuhr.bsky.social, Megan Taylor Harvey, and more. #ScarletNexus
neutral · AI labelView post →Garbage story writing. Instead of going full retarded, Yuito and Kasane can just sit down have dinner and some conversation to clear the misunderstanding, it will save half of the game time. Typical Japanese game lol
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun anime action RPG. The combat can get a bit repetitive after a while and the characters like to talk just a bit too much but overall its a solid game with very satisfying combat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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