As the gap between independent games made by tiny, passionate teams and multimillion-dollar behemoths cranked out by the AAA machine and its literal armies of developers continues to widen, I can’t help but feel that we’re witnessing the slow death of an important sector of the video game market – the weekend game.
Whether you want to call them “budget” or “AA” or “bargain bin” titles, it’s those games that occupy the space between indie and blockbuster, usually made by mid-sized studios and attached to a broad, global publishing label. They’re the kinds of games that you won’t see splashed on billboards or going viral on Steam, but you might have a friend who’s played it and says its an underrated gem or glanced at it on the shelf at your local video game retailer, some creative cover art giving it a distinct presence amongst the dozens of buzzcut bros with guns or sword-wielding warriors staring into the middle distance.
Scars Above is one of those games – unique, budget-priced and succinct as it is. While it’s evident from playing that the ambition of the team at Mad Head Games outweighed its humble production, there’s no denying that Scars Above is the perfect weekend game.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCARS ABOVE HERE.
Having nabbed a copy of the game on launch, I’ve spent the last couple of nights plugging through its brisk, 6-8 hour campaign (and picking up plenty of easy Trophies along the way) and genuinely had a pretty good time. It’s got flaws – some shockingly bad animations, awkward writing and half-baked mechanics don’t do it any favours – but it asks so little of players other than to experiment with its inventive elemental combat and surmount its challenging alien encounters that the result is a mostly-mindless and satisfying romp that you can comfortably knock over in a couple of play sessions.
It’s also not going to break the bank, at $50-55 as a new release title it barely broaches the price of entry of some indie releases and undercuts many of the console megahits that it shares shelf space with by more than half. To me, that’s a very fair asking price for a lazy couple of days’ entertainment.
We had Steven cover the game for us here at Press Start, and if his 7/10 review is any indication he had about the same experience as me, saying “Scars Above’s exploration gameplay is rewarding, if a little trite and it’s characters mostly forgettable – but some inventive combat saves it from mediocrity. A decently fun, if not overly groundbreaking, sci-fi action adventure.”
Even is Scars Above doesn’t set the world on fire, it’s exactly the kind of B-grade romp that the video game market desperately needs more of to diversify the range, scope and scale of the experiences on offer. If you’ve got time to kill and an inkling for tough, weird cosmic horror adventures then this might just be the perfect little title to smash out this weekend.
Scars Above is out now on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. You can learn more and buy the game here, or check out our guide on surviving against its harsh world and alien enemies.
