Scars Above
- February 28, 2023
- Mad Head Games
- 10h median play time
Scars Above is a well-crafted third-person shooter with plenty of options to take on the punishing alien world you find yourself in.
"Scars Above" is a sci-fi third-person action adventure shooter set in a mysterious alien world. As Dr. Kate Ward, you must survive on a hostile extrasolar planet after being hauled there by the colossal Metahedron. Combining challenging gameplay with an intricate story, players must use Kate's scientific knowledge and resourcefulness to unravel the mystery behind the Metahedron and find your crew.
Reviews
- Engaging story with interesting twists that kept players hooked.
- Unique elemental combat mechanics that encourage strategic gameplay.
- Visually appealing environments and good sound design.
- Clunky character animations and poor facial expressions detract from the experience.
- Frustrating save system that respawns all enemies upon death, leading to tedious backtracking.
- Difficulty spikes, especially with certain boss fights, can be frustrating for players.
- story883 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Scars Above" is generally described as engaging and intriguing, with a straightforward sci-fi narrative that draws players into its mysterious alien world. While some reviewers appreciate its well-paced plot and character development, others criticize it for being predictable and lacking depth, often comparing it to familiar sci-fi tropes. Overall, the game is seen as a solid experience for those who enjoy story-driven gameplay, despite some technical and presentation shortcomings.
“The story is engaging, with twists that kept me guessing, and the combat mechanics are both dynamic and rewarding.”
“Great game with a captivating story.”
“The story was well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat, always anticipating what was going to happen next.”
“The story kept me hooked, unraveling the mystery of that weird alien world was definitely a highlight.”
“The story was pretty bare bones sci-fi.”
“The story had promise, but ultimately fell flat along with the gameplay with little to no emotional impact or stakes.”
- gameplay545 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Scars Above" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its linear progression and clunky mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While the elemental combat system and various gadgets offer some strategic depth, the repetitive nature of combat and poorly executed animations hinder enjoyment. Overall, the game presents a decent but flawed gameplay loop that may appeal to fans of the genre, though it lacks the polish and innovation seen in higher-tier titles.
“The gameplay is fun and the story is good; what more do you want?”
“The gameplay mechanics do work properly but just on a very basic level.”
“The gameplay is very smooth and fluid; the creatures telegraph their moves clearly through wide motions and distinct sounds; the gunplay works within the setting and the story flows quite well.”
“Very linear gameplay; in some areas you can see that there is a path to travel, but you cannot; you are like locked out of that area.”
“The gameplay feels extremely clunky and the difficulty of enemies doesn't really make you want to keep playing.”
“The gameplay certainly gets in the way of the story as enemies regularly ambush you by coming out of the ground in the most annoying fashion possible or just take more time than is enjoyable to defeat.”
- graphics270 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning environments and overall visual design, particularly for a AA title. However, criticisms are directed at character models and animations, which are often described as janky or outdated, detracting from the overall experience. While the game runs well on higher-end systems, some players note performance issues and graphical glitches that can impact gameplay.
“Graphics and the environment are phenomenal for its price and as a AA game, although the character models and animation could be better.”
“The stunning visuals and immersive world-building really draw you in, while the challenging gameplay offers a satisfying sense of accomplishment.”
“The graphics are stunning, and the art style perfectly fits the game's theme.”
“The graphics are surprisingly subpar.”
“Visuals feel like they came straight from the PS3.”
“The graphics are some five years behind, gameplay can be more of a jump scare and a pain than fun, and the story is from a C-class sci-fi.”
- music78 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its immersive quality and atmospheric fit, often drawing comparisons to the iconic soundtrack of the Mass Effect series. While some reviews noted that the soundtrack can feel generic or derivative, others highlighted its ability to enhance the game's emotional and narrative depth. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance and player experience.
“After the introduction mission, I was mesmerized by the soundtrack.”
“The sound design is excellent, and the music is immersive, setting the tone for each scene.”
“Awesome atmosphere and music.”
“The soundtrack is rather generic and could serve as filler for just about any and all sci-fi media existent.”
“Only complaints are that you can easily 100% beat this in under 8 hours and the soundtrack is barely there.”
“Sorry, there is no music.”
- atmosphere71 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Scars Above" is widely praised for its captivating sound design, stunning visuals, and immersive world, effectively creating an eerie and foreboding alien environment. While some players noted that the atmosphere can feel repetitive over time, many found it to be a standout feature that enhances the overall experience, drawing comparisons to beloved titles like "Dead Space" and "Mass Effect." Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics, the game's atmospheric elements are consistently highlighted as a major strength, contributing to a unique and engaging sci-fi adventure.
“The eerie atmosphere, coupled with the stunning visuals, creates a sense of foreboding and sets the tone for the unforgiving journey ahead.”
“The atmosphere is amazing.”
“Visually it’s fantastic, not just for the atmosphere created around an alien planet, but also the lighting, the effects of guns, and even the way that the different enemies are portrayed.”
“While scars above successfully captures the eerie atmosphere of an alien world, it fails to deliver a lasting emotional impact.”
“The effects would have needed a bit more polish and seem a bit outdated, and sadly the atmosphere suffers because of that.”
“The facial expression variety of the characters are those of a frozen rock and the graphics are not what you'd expect from a recent Unreal Engine release, but the storyline and atmosphere make that up easily.”
- stability58 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting a smooth experience free of significant glitches, while others have encountered frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs that disrupt gameplay. Many users noted minor issues, but a substantial number expressed frustration over game-breaking problems, particularly related to freezing when interacting with the environment. Overall, while some players found the game technically solid, others deemed it unplayable due to its instability.
“I had no glitches, the game played smoothly.”
“This game runs fantastic, it's easy to get over 200 fps and it does not stutter, also the game seems to be mostly bug free.”
“Running all maxed runs great, no stutters, etc.”
“Really buggy, got stuck in the environment a few times that I just don't want to deal with it.”
“The game freezes after about 10 minutes at a random action and has to be closed with the Windows Task Manager.”
“Constant graphical glitches, stuttering, and freezing ruin the flow and quite literally make the game unplayable at points.”
- optimization53 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and high frame rates on powerful hardware, while others report significant issues such as frequent crashes, excessive RAM usage, and lag spikes, particularly in specific environments like snowy biomes. While some users found the game well-optimized overall, others noted that it struggles on older or less powerful systems, leading to performance dips and graphical glitches. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further optimization to address the inconsistencies across different hardware configurations.
“Levels load very fast, game runs smoothly for hours without crashes of any kind.”
“Honestly one of the better optimized games out there, I love the story so far and how the game works, the mechanics aren't that frustrating and the game itself is enjoyable to play.”
“Game visuals are good and very well optimized; I was getting between 150-200 frames on ultra quality at 1440p with a 3090 and 12900k.”
“Unfortunately, the game suffers from frequent crashes, excessive RAM usage, and poorly optimized animations.”
“The optimization is horrible; I was running around with the highest settings without issue until I reached the snowy biome. Then, even with the lowest settings, there are lag spikes. It's just bad.”
“Constant graphical glitches, stuttering, and freezing ruin the flow and quite literally make the game unplayable at points.”
- grinding36 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the respawn system that resets enemies and the need for backtracking. While some appreciate the game's respect for their time and the lack of traditional grinding for experience, many express dissatisfaction with repetitive combat and boss fights that feel more frustrating than challenging. The consensus suggests that the gameplay can often feel like a slog, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“Gameplay is really good, progression is linear, combat feels nice and intuitive, and exploration isn't too grindy.”
“There is no grinding for experience in order to buy the next special ability or reach a level.”
“Not grindy but not very long either.”
“However, the game’s respawn system—resetting all enemies upon checkpoint use—adds unnecessary frustration, especially when coupled with limited ammo and tedious backtracking.”
“Given the fact you are probably going to die a few times, this becomes very tedious and honestly just sucks.”
“Not being able to save right before the fight, but having to walk and fight random monsters each time up to the point where you trigger the boss fight is tedious when the boss smashes you in two hits.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
Overall, the game suffers from a lack of replayability, with many players noting its short length and linear design as significant drawbacks. While some find it entertaining for a single playthrough, the absence of features like collectible tracking or difficulty variations limits the incentive to replay. Many reviewers suggest that the game is only worth purchasing on sale due to its brief experience and minimal replay value.
“Replayability is limited, but definitely an entertaining experience.”
“Due to the linearity of the game, there isn’t any deviation, so there is low replayability here.”
“Definitely not worth it at full price because the game is quite short and doesn't have much replayability, but it is worth it when on sale.”
“Unfortunately, the game is quite short and has zero replay value.”
“Due to the linearity of the game, there isn’t any deviation so there is low replayability here.”
“Replayability is non-existent and the entire playthrough took me 7 hours.”
- emotional21 mentions
- 95 % positive mentions
- -10 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some players finding moments of genuine engagement and heartwarming storytelling, while others criticize the shallow character arcs and lack of lasting emotional impact. Despite strong voice acting and a well-paced narrative, many felt the emotional stakes were underdeveloped, leading to a disconnect between the characters and the players. Overall, while there are glimpses of emotional depth, the execution often falls short, leaving a sense of missed potential.
“Good story, almost heartwarming ending.”
“Well paced story with emotional pull.”
“Very well written and acted characters (most of them at least, especially Kate), main character that actually acts like a scientist, simple, but well written story that can sometimes be creepy and terrifying, and sometimes heartwarming and hopeful.”
“I thought it would be just another linear game with a boring story and combat, but damn how much of a fool I was.”
“The emotional depth of the characters felt forced and unconvincing, leaving me disconnected from their struggles.”
“I expected a heartfelt journey, but instead, I was met with clichés that undermined any potential emotional impact.”
- character development11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as insufficient, with many players feeling a lack of attachment to the characters. While some appreciate the protagonist's development and the overall story, others criticize the character designs and express a desire for deeper narrative twists and more engaging character arcs. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, it falls short in delivering meaningful character growth.
“Game has a solid story, good character development of the protagonist, pacing, nice enemy design and fights, especially the bosses, and variety, weapons, gadgets, items, everything pretty well flushed out.”
“I just wish there was a bit more character development in this one.”
“Character development for all felt sufficient but not enough to get attached to.”
“Very little character development, if any; the story would have been better served with a twist ending.”
“It felt a lot like the first Tomb Raider reboot where all of Lara's so-called 'character development' was just bad stuff happening to her and changing her into someone new.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game largely stems from its awkward and poorly executed facial animations, which players found amusing rather than frustrating. Many reviewers noted that the odd cutscenes and choppy character movements led to unintentional hilarity, especially when shared with friends, making the experience more enjoyable despite its flaws. Overall, the game's comedic value appears to be derived from its technical shortcomings rather than intentional humor.
“The only reason I didn't drop the game and just move on was because I was hanging out with friends on Discord and we were laughing at the game together.”
“It does get to a point where it is hilarious, and the facial animations are very Mass Effect: Andromeda.”
“Character facial expressions and movements are chonky but funny.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game features optional microtransactions for cosmetic variations, but this is seen as a minor criticism given its low price point of 34 euros and the absence of intrusive in-game purchases. Overall, players appreciate the game's value and quality at launch.
“Access to featured in-game microtransactions with optional cosmetic variations!”
“But still, that is a very slight criticism for a game that came out mostly bug-free without in-game purchases and for only 40 (34 currently) euros.”
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive, pushing players to spend more than they should just to enjoy the game fully.”
“I find the in-game purchases to be excessive, making it hard to progress without shelling out extra money.”
“While the game is enjoyable, the constant prompts for microtransactions can be quite distracting and detract from the overall experience.”
Critic Reviews
Scars Above review
Scars Above is a well-crafted third-person shooter with plenty of options to take on the punishing alien world you find yourself in.
80%Scars Above Review
"Scars Above tried to make its place by adding twists onto well know mechanics, but tragically falls just short. While it does bring many new and interesting ideas to the table, it is hard to notice them when none of the other mechanics seem to work well together."
50%