Scars Above on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
Scars Above is a challenging sci-fi third-person action adventure shooter combining the rewarding feel of overcoming difficulty with a compelling and intricate story, set in a mysterious alien world to explore.
Scars Above is a action, adventure and female protagonist game
developed by Mad Head Games
and published by Prime Matter.
Released on February 28th 2023 is available only on Windows
in 12 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 2,681 reviews of which 2,070 were positive and 611 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.5 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 5.99€ on Steam with a 80% discount, but you can find it for 2.50€ on Instant Gaming.
The Steam community has classified Scars Above into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4440 or equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 670 / GeForce GTX 1050 / AMD Radeon HD 7870
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 18 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this indie game. Considering it's the first major launch from this studio, I think they did a fantastic job overall. However, I can't help but feel that the game had the potential to be something even greater. Story If I had to pick the weakest aspect of the game, it would be the story. It feels like a mix of Mass Effect, Independence Day: Resurgence, and Returnal—those familiar with these titles will likely recognize the similarities. While the narrative is engaging, it can be quite predictable, lacking major twists or player-driven choices. The occasional Dead Space vibes with hallucinations add an intriguing layer, but unfortunately, this idea isn't fully explored. While I don’t mind a linear experience, a game with souls-like elements should ideally offer the player choices that impact the journey. We are not just playing as Kate; she should reflect our decisions rather than simply guiding us through a predetermined path. That being said, despite the predictable nature of the story, it still holds up better than Mass Effect: Andromeda, even if it leans toward the cheesy side. Voice Acting The voice acting was impressive, especially considering the scale of the game. The main actress delivered a fantastic performance, bringing depth and emotion to the character. She has great potential in voice acting, and I’d love to see her take on more roles in the future. Music The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal. It carries a distinct Mass Effect and Blade Runner synth vibe, which complements the atmosphere perfectly. And that final song by The Doo—just wow. Gameplay The gameplay is fun, but it could benefit from more variety. The elemental combo mechanics—such as toxic combos, melting effects, and freeze status—are fantastic, with breaking ice standing out as one of the best mechanics in the game. However, the talent tree feels underdeveloped, as if it was designed quickly without much depth. If the next game features a similar system, I would prefer either a more fleshed-out progression system or for it to be removed entirely. Leveling via purple cubes forces exploration, which is interesting, but it feels a bit unnecessary given the game’s linear nature. Utility spells are present, but only the freeze field stands out as particularly useful, especially when upgraded. The difficulty balance is another aspect that could use improvement—playing on Commander difficulty still felt very much like a Story Mode experience. The inventory and itemization elements give off a nice Resident Evil vibe, which I loved. However, they could have been utilized more effectively. Puzzles, while serviceable, are another missed opportunity; something along the lines of Remnant 2’s puzzle design could have added more depth. Melee combat is rather ineffective, primarily serving as a way to finish off enemies for a health regeneration perk. Movement and dodging can feel slightly clunky, sometimes causing the player to get stuck in mobs, but it's still manageable. Monsters & Bosses The enemy design is decent but lacks diversity and strong AI. They are highly predictable, often spamming abilities in random directions. The encounters mostly revolve around exploiting weak points—on the back, in water with electricity, or with fire on ice—which becomes repetitive over time. Since enemies respawn after resting but don’t grant XP, this mechanic feels somewhat redundant. The Constructor boss fight is a highlight, but even that battle suffers from repetition. It follows a single pattern with only a few attack variations. While I wasn’t expecting FromSoftware-level boss fights, Remnant 2—also an indie title—managed to create some incredible souls-like encounters that this game could take inspiration from. Level Design The game’s level design is quite linear, often presenting two paths—one for the main quest and another leading to upgrades or collectibles. Given its linearity, what stands out most is the atmosphere. From the vast plains to alien artifacts, the depths of gluttony, and icy landscapes reminiscent of Hoth, the environments are beautifully crafted and immersive. Characters The protagonist is well-developed and likable, but unfortunately, the supporting cast lacks depth. The game needed more moments to establish emotional connections—perhaps through additional interactions, heroic sacrifices, or surprising betrayals. As it stands, I found myself indifferent to their fate, and even tempted to side with the antagonists just to bring an end to their struggles. A stronger emotional connection with the characters would have given their presence more weight. As it is, they feel less important than the creatures emerging from the water, only to be promptly vaporized. Final Thoughts Despite its flaws, I truly enjoyed the game and would love to see a sequel. The ending leaves room for another adventure, and I hope the developers expand on the mechanics, story depth, and character development in the next installment. Also, a post-credits scene would have been a fantastic touch! Overall, this was a strong first major release for the studio, and I’m excited to see where they go from here!
Expand the review
It is a AA-tier soft "souls-like" third person shooter with linear level structure and not much customisation options. Gameplay elements are okay and shooting has been done decently, although there's isn't much more to it than "Shoot ice monster with fire bullets, then fire monster with ice bullets". I found the setting and story to be generic and forgettable, but at least the game looks quite nice graphic-wise and having purchased it for £6 on sale, I can't complain too much about it. As of time of this review the game is a bit pricey for how short it is (you can complete it on 100% in ~5 hours), therefore I suggest waiting for a sale.
Expand the review
I would describe this game as very middle of the road in terms of quality. The Janky cutscene animation and lack of enemy variety definitely lost it a few points from me but I found the story intriguing enough and the gameplay entertaining enough to see the game through to its end. To which I think the game has pretty nice length in which you get enough time to really play around with your tools whilst also being short enough to not over stay its welcome with the player. Overall I would give this game a score of 3 out of 5.
Expand the review
Man! When you consider how small the studio is compared to other giants in this industry and how beautifully story-driven an experience they managed to develop without any glitches, hats off to them. Yeah, it is easy; yeah, it is linear, so what? We have other full-time jobs and can't spend our entire day grinding through a single boss battle. If you are looking for a game at a discounted price, short, quick, easy to play and end. This is the game. I can't wait for Part 2 and what they can do with it. Full support to development studio.
Expand the review
I've played this game a few times now, never completing it, but still played several times. I REALLY WANT to LOVE it...but I just can't quite get there. The game is beautiful. It is simple, which I like, sometimes games can be wildly overly complex (and sometimes I like that too, but SCARS Above seems to have found its niche.) The story seems very very interesting, at least for as far as I've reached. The key drawback is the save system and combat. I'm not a real fan of repetition, but the way this game is designed, you repeat, a TON, if you fail to survive a boss (or any other creature). Your resources are very limited, your health is very limted, so you have to approach every single fight with extreme care. You need to be precise, accurate and quick. I don't mind that aspect of the game in general. The problem is, the combat system frequently puts you in situations where you didn't hit EXACTLY the 5 pixel square region you HAD to hit, and therefor your shot had zero effect. Small mobs, big bosses, it doesn't really matter much...if you miss your critical shots, your gonna PAY for it, and if you miss just a few.... Well, this is where it really gets frustrating. You restart, way back wherever it was you last had an OPPORTUNITY to save. For the most part, I can get through all the various mobs and little bosses without issue (unless I make a careless mistake with one of the bigger guys). So I'll make it to a final boss in some area, or maybe a group if really fast monsters...make that one fatal mistake... And bam, I'm way back where I started, 20 minutes ago. Every time you respawn, AND every time you choose to save AT a respawn point, ALL the enemies respawn as well. This prevents you from going backwards in the game to a save spot to save, and it can completely screw you if you get to the end of a segment of the game and die for any reason. You then have to repeat not just the mob you died at...you have to repeat that entire segment of the game. Incredibly frustrating. I thin the problem is primarily the save system. You have VERY FEW monoliths where you even can save. The farther into a section of the game you get, the more risk you take on at every turn, every mob, every boss. One mistake costs you more and more and more the farther you get from your last spawn point, and it seems they get less and less frequent as the game progresses. I'm not really a fan of repetition at all in general, but a little bit here or there to master a boss is generally ok for me. But having to repeat entire segments of the game, sometimes over and over and over, just to master a boss, or even just some big baddie? It makes the game extremely difficult to play for very long, when you aren't a big fan of hyper-repetition (there are numerous games that try this, few ever seem to get high ratings from any game rating agency, organization or players in general, as it is rarely done in a way that works. Elden Scroll's bosses may be one of the few cases where it works.) I think the core of the problem is the extremely scarce spawn points, which make progressing difficult, and their scarcity (perhaps increasing scarcity as you move through the game) forces you to repeat THE GAME over, and over, and over. It gets really tedious. If you really love repetition, then SCARS Above is probably just for you. If there was more of an aspect of mastery to the game, vs. just survival and wits, then the repetition might have more of a purpose, and I might be able to swallow it better. As it is, the repetition is rather mindless, excessive, without any real mastery. The bigger monsters and bosses are all rather simple...in line with the overall simple nature of the game. There isn't much depth to them. You just have to be able to survive, use a little bit of wit to nail each one in JUST the right place at JUST the right time, while concurrently avoiding death, to take them down. There isn't much mastery to it, there is just timing and precision. Over and over and over. If the save system was a bit more plentifully populated with save/spawn points, I think that would have mitigated the vast majority of what irks me so much about this game. Its beautiful, the story is interesting, its generally fun in the moment...but the RE-PE-TI-TION. The repetition is insane. I don't want to repeat large swaths of the game over and over and over, just so I can manage my timing and precision a little bit better. There is no real reward for the repetition aspect. None. You just repeat. It puts massive onus on not dying, which itself increases your angst over not dying, which means your gonna die. And repeat. Reducing the amount of repetition would have really helped here. Especially if spawn points were placed more strategically near notably difficult points in the game. Repeating a single fight, eh, ok. Repeating 15 minutes of gameplay over and over BECAUSE of a SINGLE fight, gets extremely old, extremely quickly. So much potential here, so much potential...and I want to just love this game... Its ALMOST there. The save infrequency, the excessive weight put on being hyper accurate and precise in every combat situation, and the constant angst over having to repeat some large swath of the game, takes a lot of the fun out of it. It would be nice to play through the story of the game, without the constant intensity of failing and having to repeat. I think additionally, perhaps a little bit more to winning a fight, perhaps slightly more complexity to the bigger monsters and bosses, would have added something to combat to make it more interesting and fun. There is this fundamental concept in games: The 30 second gameplay loop. SCARS Above doesn't quite get it, I don't think...and the repetition scale, scope and frequency really hurts this games loop. This was one of the same mistakes Anthem made (although, they made others as well)...the 30 second gameplay loop was utterly mindless and insanely boring, with little to no reward for your repetitive efforts. Hopefully Mad Head Games will figure out how to rectify their mistakes here, and the next game will be better. I am going to "recommend" the game, as I am probably more averse to excessive and boring repetition than many others, and there ARE great aspects to this game. I really wish Steam would provide a third option, "On the Fence" or something like that, as that's really where I'm at. I don't really want to overtly recommend the game, but, I don't want to NOT recommend it...the game definitely has its attractive factors!
Expand the review
Similar games
View all
Mars: War Logs
An Intense Cyberpunk Rpg On the Red Planet! Mars War Logs takes you to Mars, nearly a century after the cataclysm that threw the planet and its colonists into chaos. Water has become the most precious resource on the arid red planet, with a few companies fighting a perpetual war for its control.
Star Wars Outlaws
Experience the first-ever open world Star Warsâ„¢ game and explore distinct locations across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as scoundrel Kay Vess, seeking freedom and the means to start a new life.
Control Ultimate Edition
Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Blast your way through an interdimensional adventure with Ratchet and Clank – now on PC! Help them take on an evil emperor from another reality as you jump between action-packed worlds and beyond at hyper-speed!
Spirits of Xanadu
At the farthest edge of the explored universe, the research ship Xanadu slumbers in orbit around a mysterious planet. Her systems remain active but there has been no message from her crew for months. Now a lone operative has been sent to wake the Xanadu and bring her home to Earth.
Galaxy on Fire 2â„¢ Full HD
A hyperdrive malfunction sends Keith T. Maxwell tumbling through space and time to fight for his life against a mysterious alien armada that is wreaking havoc.
Dead Space
The sci-fi survival-horror classic returns, completely rebuilt to offer an even more immersive experience — including visual, audio, and gameplay improvements — while staying faithful to the original game’s thrilling vision.
Tomb Raider III (1998)
Thousands of years ago a meteor crashed into Antarctica and the shockwaves of its impact are being felt in the modern age. Lara Croft will follow clues leading to a deadly secret, boldly leaping chasms and blasting monsters that no one has leaped or blasted before. This time she faces a mystery that's from way out of this world.
Tomb Raider II (1997)
The second instalment in the Tomb Raider series invites you to join Lara as she travels around the globe to retrieve a precious artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. The legendary artefact, the Dagger of Xian, is said to give its possessor the power of a fire breathing dragon.
The Callisto Protocolâ„¢
Survive to escape the horrors of Callisto and uncover the dark secrets of Jupiter’s dead moon.
EVERSPACEâ„¢ 2
EVERSPACE 2 is a fast-paced single-player spaceship shooter with exploration in space and on planets, tons of loot, RPG elements, mining, and crafting. Experience an exciting sci-fi story set in a vivid, handcrafted open world full of secrets, puzzles, and perils.Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 08 April 2025 19:07 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 12 April 2025 01:21 |
| Steam price | 13 April 2025 20:47 |
| Steam reviews | 12 April 2025 07:57 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Scars Above, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Scars Above
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Scars Above concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Scars Above compatibility
Online players
20
Developer
Mad Head Games
Publisher
Prime Matter
Release
28 Feb 2023
Platforms
By clicking on any of the links on this page and making a purchase,
you may help us earn a commission that supports the maintenance of our services.