Scars Above Reviews
Scars Above is a game that will help you turn off for a few hours, without needing to be challenged by gameplay while being entertained by the visuals and storyline - if your eyes haven't glazed over by then.
Despite a tedious beginning and many generic traits, Scars Above comes alive near the end with decent third-person shooting set in an intriguing alien world that is oddly familiar in more ways than one.
Although Scars Above will not become a gaming icon and you will quickly forget the name of the main character, we have a good feeling about the sci-fi adventure. Especially the first phase of the game is imaginative, then the level drops a bit and the gameplay is more austere, but finally everything ends successfully.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Combining classic sci-fi elements with an intriguing story, Scars Above presents a great combat and exploration experience, where the satisfaction of overcoming its challenges represents very well the feeling of surviving on a hostile alien planet.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Scars Above is an incredibly challenging and satisfying third-person shooter that mixes and matches elements from some of the most popular video game franchises in history. It doesn't fully flesh out elements from any of these franchises though its addictive gameplay loop, fueled by some diligent boss encounters, is enough incentive to finish its campaign. However, its bland writing and underwhelming vocal performance mean you won't remember this one for a very long time.
Scars Above can at times come across as fairly generic, it’s still however a decent enough sci-fi mystery and I think at the right value point you can have an enjoyable time working through it.
There is some promise in Scars Above. The game presents solid foundations to build upon, and the fact that this is the maiden title from Mad Head Games is an achievement on its own. On the visual side, the game is a looker and performed admirably on PC. However it is hard to overlook its game design and technical shortcomings. While its use of repeated sci-fi tropes doesn’t do it any favors. Perhaps Scars Above will be the necessary learning experience that will likely enhance the studio’s future projects.
Scars Above is a game that have a lot of ideas but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The game feels like a lesser version of Returnal with pacing and animation problems, that being said the game does have some neat concepts (specially the combined damage), but it doesn't get the time it deserves and feels a little bit undercooked.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Scars Above comes across as an average title. The developers had a lot of good ideas that fell flat due to mediocre execution. The game can be recommended to fans of the Alien movie franchise, but we recommend not to have too high expectations.
Review in Czech | Read full review
If you are okay with spending $39.99 for roughly a 6 to 8-hour sci-fi experience then I think Scars Above would be worth your time and money. However, if it was more than $39.99 then absolutely not, but thankfully that isn’t the case here. Scars Above is a decent game for its price point, but it isn’t your next big-budget sci-fi blockbuster.
Scars Above is a competent enough game that efficiently gets you through its six-hour runtime. It won't make you forget its influences, but if you can find this one on sale, you could definitely do a lot worse.
Scars Above really embraces its sci-fi and soulslike themes, offering an atmospheric game with a good balance between exploration, puzzle-solving and battles. It's a bit janky but palatable when you consider the game comes at a budget price. If you're looking for something different than the mainstream cooker cutter offering, Scars Above is worth the time and effort.
It is hard to say that Scars Above is a bad game, but rather, it feels like something that was not made for the modern gaming audience. There is some merit to how it approaches some of its systems, but they never ever go far enough to make a significant difference as a whole. Interesting ideas are only half the battle, and with its mixed visuals and wonky controls, it turns a potentially complex alien journey into a road of forgettable crashes.
Scars Above doesn’t rewrite the rule book, nor does it break any new ground, but it plays mostly well and remains enjoyable through to its end through combat variety, environments, movement and storytelling. Ropey graphics, bugs, light-feeling weapons, as well as frustrating sections, environments and some unfulfilled mechanics mean this also lacks the polish and quality to match up to other diamonds in the genre.
Scars Above is not your average shooter, but it will pleasantly surprise you. This is because you don't play a soldier, but a scientist. Because of this you will have to rely more on science instead of combat training. Despite the repetitive elements, due to the Souls-like touch, you will be faced with enough challenge. Scars Above has many layers, which makes for a unique experience.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Despite Scars Above’s stellar visual presentation and challenging combat, it suffers from lackluster story-telling and repetitive gameplay. Thankfully it does manage to redeem itself to some extent by effectively blending its exploration with combat and puzzle-solving even though it may get frustrating at times. If you like titles like Dead Space, Returnal, or Control, it may be worth checking out. But considering its inconsistent animations and glitches, it’s best to wait for a sale on this one.
Scars Above may be a little on the repetitive side, and sure it’s not perfect. I wouldn’t say it’s not worth trying out, but I would also classify it somewhere between a quick fix to expect nothing too lofty. The characters are forgettable, the story is not important, and its mission statement is worthless to its protagonist in the sense that there’s no goal to attain, rather a moral standard to which in a dire situation as this would be a judgement call, rather than any level headedness applied.
In years to come, Scars Above may be the sort of game you find in a “games you missed” list, or ones that deserve more attention. It’s rough around the edge, isn’t the prettiest, and doesn’t reinvent the gaming wheel, but what it does deliver is an enjoyable sci-fi romp that may gain a cult classic status one day.
Scars Above will seek inspiration from many other works, but it does not emerge at any of the points it has carried. Poor quality of kinematics and dialogues, rudimentary and frustrating gameplay that reveals almost no motion capture, and dubious visual quality. A project that has to be looked at outside the most demanding levels of a high-profile, budgeted title below. You don't ask for a full price, nor could you, but even with a more desirable price I can't recommend it, fail the most important, reward the player for the hours you play it, and that Scars Above can't do it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall Scars Above shows large promise in being a story that will be remembered and enjoyed by various types of gamers. For the price it is going for on the PlayStation Store (£36.97 at the time of writing this), it is a steal for an immersive and beautiful experience with plenty to shoot, investigate, and discover.