Scars Above is an action-adventure video game developed by Mad Head Games and published by Prime Matter in 2023.
| Scars Above | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Mad Head Games |
| Publisher(s) | Prime Matter |
| Engine | Unreal Engine[1] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editAfter examining a structure in Earth's orbit with her crew, scientist Kate Ward wakes alone on an alien planet. Players control Ward as she attempts to learn what happened and how to return. Scars Above is an action-adventure game played from a third person perspective. Ward must battle her way through the hostile creatures on the alien planet using weapons and utilities that she crafts.[2] Ward can heal herself and recharge her devices using alien monoliths, but doing so requires her to backtrack and fight through enemies that she previously defeated. The monoliths are also checkpoints that she returns to when she dies.[3]
Development
editMad Head Games is a game development studio with offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Sarajevo.[4] Prime Matter released it for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Windows on February 28, 2023.[5]
Reception
editScars Above received mixed reviews on Metacritic.[6][7][8] IGN said it "shows a lot of potential" but the overpowered weaponry and gadgets cause it to become boring.[2] NME praised its Soulslike combat but said the exploration and puzzles were at times confusing.[3] Hardcore Gamer called it "almost aggressively unoriginal" that "rarely, if ever, takes any sort of risks".[9] Push Square praised what they felt was a likeable protagonist and interesting premise, but they disliked the animations, combat, variation among enemies, and environmental design.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Awesome Unreal Engine-powered games of 2022". Unreal Engine. 2022-01-06. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ a b Bosso, Axel (2023-03-05). "Scars Above Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ a b Tucker, Jake (2023-02-28). "Scars Above review: B-movie schlock". NME. Archived from the original on 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Norrish, Tahlia (2023-04-20). "Marija Milivojevic, Mad Head Games talks about Scars Above and women in STEM". PowerUp!. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2022-12-08). "Scars Above launches February 28". Gematsu. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Scars Above (PC)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Scars Above (PS5)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Scars Above (Xbox Series X)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ LeClair, Kyle (2023-02-28). "Review: Scars Above". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Adam, Khayl (2023-02-28). "Scars Above (2023)". Push Square. Retrieved 2023-06-23.