Scar-Lead Salvation

When I see “Compile Heart,” I usually know what to expect. This company is best known for modestly-produced RPGs that pick a lane and stomp on the gas, recklessly driving a chosen gimmick like a car in oncoming traffic. There’s the silly parodies (Hyperdimension Neptunia), the irredeemably horny (Record of Agarest War), and my favorite, gnarly horror (Mary Skelter, Death end re;Quest). Scar-Lead Salvation, the latest from Idea Factory and Compile Heart, is nothing like any of that stuff; it’s a third-person shooter that combines bullet hell projectile-dancing with roguelike structure. Remember...

Returnal is still one of the best games available on the PS5, even if, deep down, I don’t like how it managed to steal the thunder from so many other roguelikes, just due to the fact it was the first high-budgeted roguelike to be made by a console manufacturer. It’s still a really fun time, and highly replayable, due to its exciting presentation, great controls, and arcade-like structure. But if you are a big fan of it, and would love to play something that blatantly copies its gameplay, ...

Scar-Lead Salvation is a roguelike third-person shooter that ultimately misses the mark. While mechanically competent, it lacks the ambition needed to elevate the experience. Its roguelike elements are too basic, causing each run to blur into the next with little variation. There are flashes of creativity, but they’re not enough to sustain momentum. In the end, the game fails to deliver that essential, just one more run thrill that defines the genre.

A bland, repetitive roguelike that had the potential to be something far greater. Scar-Lead Salvation is disappointing in almost every aspect.

Scar-Lead Salvation is a new action rogue-like that has entered the gaming space. It aims to provide players with a new experience akin to something like Returnal, where you’ll go through multiple runs to gain better perks and knowledge of your enemies while going deeper into the world the game has to offer. You have to fight your way through multiple floors as you learn more about Willow, her trusty AI companion and the facility that she's seemingly trapped within.

Scar-Lead Salvation can be succinctly summed up as PS5 classic Returnal with an Anime aesthetic. It’s a third-person action-adventure roguelike, then, and one that sees its heroine battle through waves of robots to recover her memory and escape the mysterious factory she finds herself trapped within. Unfortunately, there’s also another way to describe Scar-Lead Salvation: a torrid, unfinished mess.