It's a complete disaster

[Alex_White]

First of all, I was really looking forward to the release of this video game.
On the other hand, I want to leave my constructive criticism about "Scars Above".

I'm a big fan of Souls Like Shooter and this is not, it's not worth it at all. It is not worth at all the 40€ that they ask for in Spain, at most 20€ and really not even that.

I understand or I want to understand that it is a small studio and that is why it has so many shortcomings.

First of all, both the monsters and the animations are very crude, they barely have different movements.

The cinematics are tremendously out of context, they lack a lot of strength to the story.

The map is totally linear, only one path with 2 options (sometimes) and once you pass the area you unlock the door to pass the area faster. This way constantly.


The gameplay is literally horrible, the "Spanish" translation voices are not funny at all. I hope that in English the voice is not as neutral as here.

On the other hand the penalty for death and pillars, even in another type of souls the penalty is not so great as to redo again practically 10 minutes of games.

Weapons are very unbalanced, the item system is not well implemented, you can only do a couple of combos, as long as you don't feel like using EVA and kill anything at any time.

The machete is not worth anything, it's ridiculous (playing in commander).

The two skill branches add nothing, the upgrades are ridiculous.
The music does not go in context with the game itself, it lacks a lot of desire.
Due to all these problems, the game is not fun at all, with this I do not mean that it is not playable, but if it is making me very difficult to continue and not precisely because the difficulty of the game does not allow me but all the problems and errors that this has.

As far as I can see there is no NG+ mode to complete achievements or free world to perform such actions.
I don't feel like starting a game like this again, I'm really sorry.

It literally looks like they have taken the graphic engine, created 4 maps implemented 3 assets 1 mechanic and run.

I was holding on and on until the game crashed.

I've had the bug with the sound of the girl shivering from the ice zone.

I have had another bug in a puzzle system with the core which the piece that rotates automatically changed from red to blue and did not match the wall.

I am very unhappy with this game I really tell you.

[Fideo]

Your review provides valuable information for those who have doubts to buy it, you should write this in a review and don't let it be forgotten in a thread of the forum.

[srfrogg23]

I honestly don't agree with anything in this feedback. It's a AA title and I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. I wasn't expecting perfection from an indy dev, though.

[Jicaraen]

Originally posted by srfrogg23:

I honestly don't agree with anything in this feedback. It's a AA title and I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. I wasn't expecting perfection from an indy dev, though.

Totally agree.

The game is by far not that bad as described at topic.

[Alex_White]

There are enemies that literally barely change, they ARE SKIN CHANGERS, they have 2 attacks.

IT PULLS A CRAFTING TABLE OUT OF NOWHERE THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST, IT'S JUST IN YOUR MIND.

It is not an enjoyable game, it doesn't say anything, it doesn't transmit anything, it moves forward, moves forward, moves backwards 15 minutes.

The cinematics last SECONDS, they have no introduction part, they are ridiculous, the main character has no feelings, it is an asset of "Tomb Raider - Lara Croft" Literally.

WE ARE USED TO DEVELOPERS RELEASING UNFINISHED GAMES WITH SEVERE PROBLEMS AND WE, THE PLAYERS, HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THESE PROBLEMS.

I have not said anything that is not the reality today, this is how the game is.

Remnant from the ashes does not come from a "Big Company" the budget was infimum due to economic problems within the same company.

And that if it is an example to follow, to get something like this give much more love.

This is my opinion.

[Mad Matt Dog]

The game is very basic, but not a disaster, definitely something to pick up on sale. I can see it's trying to be something like Remant From the Ashes but it's very rough around the edges. I'm already almost 6 hours in and I still only have 3 guns, you get ammo for the 4th so early on yet it's still not here. I feel like I'm gonna get some fun things and the game is just going to end with no replay value.

[Uhuru N’Uru]

Originally posted by Fideo:

Your review provides valuable information for those who have doubts to buy it, you should write this in a review and don't let it be forgotten in a thread of the forum.

What makes you think it doesn't get lost in reviews, even worse.

The problem with most such reviews, is it forces you to score the game numerically, an awful system when the range is 0 to 10, or even 100, but Steam is 0 or 1.

A proper review is nuanced, especially if the reviewer explains WHY they like what they like.
ACG, and Skill Up are good reviewers you can ignore their recommendation, and form your own opinion. In fact I often do the exact opposite of what they recommend.

I enjoyed the game, and a few of the criticisms are wrong, or hyperbolic exageration.

Originally posted by Alex_White:

There are enemies that literally barely change, they ARE SKIN CHANGERS, they have 2 attacks.

Every game ever made does this, especially with the trash mobs.

Originally posted by Alex_White:

IT PULLS A CRAFTING TABLE OUT OF NOWHERE THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST, IT'S JUST IN YOUR MIND.

No need to "Shout", especially when what you shout is just wrong.

There isn't a "Crafting Table", it shows how it works first time, if you bothered to actually pay attention, it's a PORTABLE 3D printer Kate carries in the Backpack. technically it doesn't animate this, but few games actually do that, and it's fine.
I don't want to see the same boring animations, just to pull something out of my backback, switch "Weapons".

While it's OK to have a low opinion, it's far from a "complete disaster".
You like Soulslikes, and seem to think combat is all a game can offer you.

Personally, I hate melee combat, the signature feature of every Soulslike I've seen.

Melee combat bores me to death, whether Skyrim on easy mode, or Soulslikews, but I've been around since Pong released, getting old now my solution is often Cheat Engine the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ (you can use it to raise or lower the difficulty), it's not just "God Mode".
FOV sliders, walk keys when the game has none.

I could see the Soulslike influences, but it's the latest trend, and publishers will kill it with overuse, or drop it the moment the next big hit, turns their head, then they'll chase the next trend. This has guns, and Soulslike combat is more the NPCs here than the player.

Soulslike combat is very contrived, relies on punishing every mistake with death.
Fact is once you know the telegraphed attack signals, it's stupid easy to avoid them.

Now I'm not saying negative opinion are invalid, but you'd get it across better without the hyperbolic language

Originally posted by srfrogg23:

I honestly don't agree with anything in this feedback. It's a AA title and I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. I wasn't expecting perfection from an indy dev, though.

Not an indie dev, or a "AA Title, a dumb label, almost as bad as AAAA.
I do wish you ignorant (Lacking knowledge) gamers, would stop calling every game "indie".

"Independent" means no outside Investors funding the development.
Once that just meant "Publisher", but in these days of Direct Venture Capital backing, and once Indie Devs like CDPR being floated on the Stock Markets direrctly. the definition must be widened.

True "Indiie" dev studios are a very rare breed, it's mostly the sole dev type these days.
Few games get developed without a Publishers backing, and there have always been smaller publishers around, even before the "Steam" explosion, when Valve dropped actual, curation for a $100 fee.

AAA was built by swalliowng smaller Publishers, and Dev Studios whole.
Speaking of which.
Embracer Group owns many "Publishers", they started as "Nordic Games", then aquired rights to THQ name, and Most of the IP in a Bancruptcy Auction. Became THQ Nordic.
Then they bought Plaion AKA Koch Media AKA Deep Silver
Now they are actually far bigger than most "AAA Publishers".

Just look at the list of Dev Studios and Publishers they own now, it's insane to call anything they own an "Indie".
THQ Nordic

• Alkimia Interactive
  
• Appeal Studios
  
• Ashborne Games
  
• Black Forest Games
  
• Bugbear Entertainment
  
• Campfire Cabal
  
• Experiment 101
  
• Gate21
  
• Grimlore Games
  
• Gunfire Games
  
• HandyGames
  
  • Massive Miniteam

Kaiko

• Metricminds
  
• Mirage Game Studios
  
• Nine Rocks Games
  
• Pieces Interactive
  
• Piranha Bytes
  
• Pow Wow Entertainment
  
• Purple Lamp
  
• Rainbow Studios
  
  • Rainbow Studios Montréal

Plaion

• Deep Silver
  
  • Dambuster Studios
    
  • Fishlabs
    
  • Free Radical Design
• Development Plus
  
• Flying Wild Hog
  
• Milestone
  
• Plaion Pictures
  
  • Anime Limited
• Sola Media

• Prime Matter
  
  • Warhorse Studios
• Ravenscourt
  
  • DigixArt
    
  • Voxler
• Splatter Connect
  
• Spotfilm Networx
  
• Vertigo Games
  
  • Force Field
    
  • SpringboardVR

Coffee Stain

• Box Dragon
  
• Coffee Stain Gothenburg
  
• Coffee Stain Malmö
  
• Coffee Stain North
  
• Coffee Stain Publishing
  
• Coffee Stain Studios
  
• Easy Trigger Games
  
• Ghost Ship Games
  
• Lavapotion

Amplifier Game Invest

• A Creative Endeavor
  
• DestinyBit
  
• Frame Break
  
• Goose Byte
  
• Green Tile Digital
  
• Infinite Mana Games
  
• Invisible Walls
  
• Misc Games
  
• Palindrome Interactive
  
• Plucky Bytes
  
• Rare Earth Games
  
• River End Games
  
• Silent Games
  
• Studio Hermitage
  
• Tarsier Studios
  
• Vermila Studios
  
• Zapper Games

Saber Interactive

• 34BigThings
  
• 3D Realms
  
• 4A Games
  
• ALL CAPS
  
• Aspyr
  
  • Beamdog
• Bytex
  
• Demiurge Studios
  
• Digic Pictures
  
• Fractured Byte
  
• Mad Head Games
  
• New World Interactive
  
• Nimble Giant Entertainment
  
• Sandbox Strategies
  
• Shiver Entertainment
  
• Slipgate Ironworks
  
• SmartPhone Labs
  
• Snapshot Games
  
• Tripwire Interactive
  
• Tuxedo Labs
  
• Zen Studios

DECA Games

• A Thinking Ape Entertainment
  
• CrazyLabs
  
  • Firescore Interactive
• IUGO Mobile Entertainment

Gearbox Entertainment

• Captured Dimensions
  
• Cryptic Studios
  
• Gearbox Publishing
  
  • Gearbox Publishing San Francisco
• Gearbox Properties
  
• Gearbox Software
  
  • Gearbox Studio Montréal
    
  • Gearbox Studio Québec
    
  • Gearbox Studio Shanghai
• Gearbox Studios
  
• Lost Boys Interactive
  
• Volition

Easybrain
Asmodee

• Access+
  
• Atomic Mass Games
  
• Bezzerwizzer Studio
  
• Catan Studio
  
• Days of Wonder
  
• Edge Entertainment
  
• Exploding Kittens
  
• Fantasy Flight Games
  
• Gamegenic
  
• Libellud
  
• Lookout Games
  
• Mixlore
  
• Pearl Games
  
• Plan B Games
  
• Rebel Studio
  
• Repos Production
  
• Space Cow
  
• Space Cowboys
  
• The Green Board Game Co.
  
• Unexpected Games
  
• VR Group
  
• Z-Man Games
  
• Zygomatic Games

Dark Horse Media

• Dark Horse Comics
  
• Dark Horse Entertainment
  
• Things from Another World

Freemode

• Bitwave Games
  
• C77 Entertainment
  
• Clear River Games
  
• Game Outlet Europe
  
• Gioteck
  
• Grimfrost
  
• Limited Run Games
  
• Middle-earth Enterprises
  
• Quantic Lab
  
• Singtrix
  
• Tatsujin

CDE Entertainment

• Crystal Dynamics
  
  • Crystal Northwest
    
  • Crystal Southwest
• Eidos-Montréal
  
  • Eidos-Sherbrooke

That's not even thinking of all the IP that they have. Many considered AAA.
Note: AAA truly refers to Publisher, and simply means they have the resources to spend more on marketing a game than developing that game, it doesn't mean they spend that amount on every game they publish, so the term AAA gets linked to the games where they do.
Some of Embracer Groups Franchises, have had that AAA Game label, but few get that sort of marketing, Deep Silver, and Gearbox would qualify as AAA Publishers.
Saints Row
Metro
Darksiders,
Dead Island
Kingdoms of Amalur
Homeworld
Borderlands

From what I can find out "Mad Head Games" is around 100 Devs, and hiring more.
Hardly a plucky little Indie then, are they?

There's far too much Hyperbolic language, and no nuance.
"It's a complete disaster", no you clearly had unrealistic expectations

Is it best game I've ever played, not by a long list.
Is it worst game I've ever played, not by a long list.

All that matters is did YOU have fun playing the game YOUR WAY.

What I found fun, was playing a Science nerd, and actually seeing her approach to things (Being a girl science nerd was a bonus for me).

The puzzles were fun, and one thing the OP said, about the triangular key, and wall symbols is valid, it needs fixing. in fact I haven't picked it up since, I gave up on it.
It was late, I was tired, having got to that point, though Steam says I've played just over 2 hours it's wrong, games DRM free, so Steam doesn't know how long I've played.

Going off my typical lengths, about twice as long as the average, I play slow, explore everywhere, especially as I've only just realised why I couldn't sprint.
My bad, I accidentally unbound it. No matter I generally only sprint retracing steps.

I didn't like all the soulslike stuff, never have never will, but I don't let that spoil my fun.

If you have fun in a bad game play it, if you don't have fun in a great game, don't play it.

[Sckadi]

Good review matches with what I've seen for the past 5 hours of gameplay, the game has good bones and is doable but for maybe 5 bucks.

Too many glaring DESIGN mistakes stack up, check point system taboo NEVER ever use that stupid choice sadly control MUST be in the hands of the user not your arbitrary whim developers if you want the money that is. Force to backtrack 10 min of content because of stupidly placed checkpoint is a big mood killer.

Enemy boss arenas are boing and repetitive. There is no real challenge in the game the difficulty is force imposed and you can either hope for a good RNG run with a mod or cheese to negate the stupid design choice instead of skill based difficulty.

I'll prob. finish in but this is not a recommend. really disappointed.