REVIEW: ‘Scars Above’ – Simple Story But Great Gameplay (PS5)

Scars Above follows Kate, a scientist who wakes up on a hostile planet with little rhyme or reason for how she got there or where her crew mates have ended up. It’s this mystery that fuels Kate’s quest and is partly what makes Scars Above so compelling. Published by Prime Matter and developed by Mad Head Games, Scars Above is a third-person action-adventure shooter that is equally focused on story and action—a balance that can be hard to achieve.

When a gigantic, enigmatic alien structure—known as the Metahedron—appears above Earth, humans choose to investigate, naturally. Kate is part of the team known as the Sentient Contact Assessment and Response (SCAR) chosen to study the structure. But when the Metahedron pulls them across the stars to a mysterious planet, Kate takes it upon herself to find where her fellow SCARs have ended up and who is behind all this. This search takes her far and wide, exploring a plethora of environments and encountering numerous hostile alien lifeforms.

The story is certainly a huge draw for Scars Above, but while it’s generally good, it also has its pitfalls. The mystery unfolds slowly but not too leisurely, with small portions of the main story being filled in by snippets of voice recordings you’ll find out in the wild. The small drops of information here and there easily build intrigue. The sci-fi elements are front and center, and the characters do a good job of getting you invested in the plot and each other, even if the script feels stiff occasionally. Kate periodically over-explains situations, but I particularly enjoyed the parts where she describes the biological processes and physiology behind some of the flora and fauna. It adds a bit more depth to the planet and its creatures, along with selling Kate as a scientist.

But as I was nearing the end of the game, I was waiting for a twist that never came. The story was much more straightforward than I anticipated, leaving me wanting. While not a bad story, it certainly isn’t the most novel sci-fi tale out there, and some of the logic felt like mental gymnastics were needed to understand. Nevertheless, I certainly wouldn’t mind a sequel to Scars Above, especially when the tale is paired with some really well-done gameplay and graphics.

Along her travels, Kate picks up different tools, beginning with a blade for melee attacks and quickly moving on to a modified welder. The basic welder shoots electricity, which introduces one of the really fun elements of Scars Above. As you explore, Kate will slowly pick up more elements to wield—ice, acid, and fire. These elements can be strategically used based on the environment. Wet enemies freeze faster and are more susceptible to electric damage, so taking note of the presence of rain or puddles is a must. On top of this, various enemies are more susceptible to certain elemental damage, and many have weak spots players need to hit, making switching elements important and challenging at times. Overall, the third-person shooter aspect of Scars Above is very well-crafted. The hitboxes feel fair, the firepower at your disposal is delightful, the enemies can be challenging at the right times, and players will be able to upgrade Kate to beef her up—increasing health, stamina, reload speed, and much more.

Additionally, Kate will find gadgets to use which perform some pretty basic mechanics like healing, slowing down time, or creating a hologram as a distraction. While most of these options are useful, a few feel redundant, and others I rarely used. For example, Shift allows Kate to slow down time to move into a better position. At the same time, Kate can also create a gravity bubble around enemies which slows them down. On paper, they do different things, but in practice, they’re used too similarly (although the gravity bubble is used for some of the puzzles).

The assorted environments Kate explores are wonderfully varied—an icy wasteland, alien architecture, dark, dank caves, and fleshy caverns. But with each new environment, the unforgiving landscapes bring their own struggles, particularly the snowy habitat. Players will have to juggle fending off hypothermia with battling mutated creatures. It creates a harried experience that is wonderfully fun.

The graphics are detailed and vivid, splendidly bringing the environments to life, and the artful use of light and shadows craft some really creepy areas. While I very much enjoyed the cutscenes and the mind-bending sections that excellently used audio and visuals to build tension and some good scares, there are a lot of sudden shifts between cutscenes and gameplay, especially when the end of a cutscene leaves you somewhere you weren’t before. If these were smoothed out just a bit, the experience would be perfect.

Scars Above has its ups and downs but offers fun gameplay with interesting mechanics in an alien world that is equal parts beautiful and dangerous. There’s a good mystery to be solved, even if it’s a bit too straightforward. And while there are a few snags regarding the script, I very much appreciate the scientific approach with Kate.

Scars Above will be available on February 28th for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.