Scar-Lead Salvation Review

By Justin D Williams

Scar-Lead Salvation is a fresh third-person shooter video game by Compile Heart and Neilo. It was released in May 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC and features its anime-beautiful appearance and fast action. It looks so thrilling to the eye. But after playing it for some time, I thought that it could not reach its potential. Although it has some good concepts, the game turns out to be dry, confusing, and all-around frustrating.

The game takes place in the life of a character named Willow Martin, who wakes up on some sort of random military base with no clue who she is or where she comes from. As she battles her enemies and travels internationally, she's being advised by this cryptic AI that attempts to assist her in remembering stuff. Sounds good, but the game's narrative isn't good. Most of the story is presented in short voice clips by themselves or via items you discover while battling, so it is work to keep track of or even be concerned about what is actually happening. I was skimming some of it because it’t appear to have any effect on the gameplay.

One of the game's standout features is its combat system. You block, dodge, and attack with whatever weapon you've selected, and there's an "Onslaught Mode" where you have a one-time power surge. It's great at first, all intense and exciting. But soon enough, the thrill fades. The monsters become generic, and the levels become repetitive. Because this game is a roguelike, each run should be unique. Instead, it just feels like you're doing the same thing over and over again.

Visually, the game has a strong anime look with detailed character designs. Willow’s armor breaks apart during fights, which is a cool idea, but it’s clearly added for fan service and doesn’t really add anything important. The game environments—hallways, rooms, and corridors—are very repetitive. After an hour of playing, it starts to feel like you’ve already seen everything the game has to offer.

The sound and music are also not so great. Voice acting is not terrible, but all the characters don't sound special or unique. The music is fine, but it's boring and forgettable. Whenever the game attempts to be emotional and deep, the music needs to be greatly enhanced.

Ultimately, *Scar-Lead Salvation* is a title that had a few things correct but failed to follow them through. The combat feels great at first, but peters off. The narrative is not something you can become involved in, and the visuals, though fashionable, do not alter much. If you are searching for a good and fun roguelike shooter, this one isn't worth your time or cash.

Final Rating

Even though it's stylish-looking and has a bit of lightning-fast action, *Scar-Lead Salvation* is repetitive and quickly forgettable. It's not a game I'd suggest.