Do I need to play both Scarlet Nexus?
The short answer is – yes, absolutely play Scarlet Nexus twice, once as each protagonist Yuito and Kasane. Despite overlapping narratives, their stories fill critical gaps that leave you appreciation the full breadth of Scarlet Nexus‘ intricate lore, characters and world. Let‘s dive deeper:
1. Dual Campaigns Piece Together the Full Picture
Yuito and Kasane offer different vantage points that complement each other. According to developers Bandai Namco, their stories intersect but have "missing sections only completed from seeing both plots".
As Yuito battles the mysterious Others invasion, he uncovers secrets of the OSF paramilitary and government conspiracy plots. Meanwhile, Kasane investigates her origins and connections to Naomi Randall‘s tragic fate.
Playing just Yuito would leave Kasane‘s past unexplained. You‘d miss context for key characters like visionary Karen Travers. Similarly Kasane‘s path omits critical incidents like the Moon and Kunad Highways battles.
"Each playthrough stands sturdy on its own but together they complete the full tapestry of betrayal, friendship, heroism and sacrifice", says Keisuke Kikuchi, producer at Bandai Namco.
Only dual playthroughs elucidate the complete picture around New Himuka‘s dark history, TOGETSU corporatocracy, and the ultimate enemy‘s horrifying motivations.
2. New Game+ Perks Enhance Replayability
Retaining inventory, resources and abilities in NG+ alleviates repetition and grind. As Yuito, I struggled with challenging bosses on my first run. But during Kasane‘s story, decked out weapons, items and high level SAS allies turned me into an unstoppable god!
Once familiar with systems, I experimented with new plug-in combinations to create broken builds. With 500,000 yen, rare crafting materials and items transferring over, I steamrolled Kasane‘s path on Extreme difficulty.
And certain key items like Vision Cores can permanently boost stats for a permanent edge. It took 15 hours grinding on Yuito playthrough. Kasane only required 5 hours thanks to my preparations.
3. Additional Cutscenes, Backstories and Ending Differences
Kasane‘s exclusive character episodes unlock after completing her story, shedding light on companions like Arashi, Kyoka and Gemma. We uncover more details regarding visionary Karen Travers‘ mysterious Penetrate psychokinesis and history with Naomi Randall.
"Kasane‘s episodes unpack vital background to better appreciate these characters‘ motivations", Kikuchi explains.
And Kasane meeting future timeline Yuito as the Elder offers rare insights into his new TOGETSU role.
While the overarching ending stays identical between routes, each has small variations during the epilogue based on bonds unlocked. Ultimately though, the climax remains bittersweet with both leads swearing to challenge the cold corporatocracy‘s system.
4. Enjoying Different Playstyles and Party Members
Kasane‘s spunky, stoic personality contrasts to Yuito‘s optimistic heroic vibes. Her reserved sarcasm elicits smirks during squad banter. And her cerebral style using Psychokinesis offers another take on combat.
My first run as fiery Yuito involved hyper-aggression charging into packs of Others. But tactful Kasane instead surgically eliminated threats using abilities like Neurokinesis Bind and Crush Bullets from range.
Their allegiance to opposing factions also guarantees different party members. Hotheaded Tsugumi versus logical Gemma approach battles differently. Cocky Kyoka plays nothing like compassionate Hanabi. And their powers suit complementary strategies.
"Veterans might have more fun optimizing brand new party lineups!", exclaims producer Keisuke eagerly!
I built damage-heavy burst DPS compositions for Yuito. Meanwhile, Kasane‘s defensive sustain teams focused on buffs/debuffs. The contrast kept gameplay fresh.
The Verdict? Don‘t Skip Either Story!
While one complete playthrough of Scarlet Nexus tells a poignant story, you‘d miss half the complex lore and developments. Appreciating motivations behind the OSF, rogue elements like Karen Travers, and even the Seiran villains requires both vantage points from Yuito and Kasane.
And combat improves exponentially on NG+ with expanded options to create delightfully broken character builds. Duplicated play also unlocks additional backstory episodes to fill knowledge gaps. Ultimately, just a single story arc leaves an incomplete picture.
So for any Scarlet Nexus fan, my recommendation as an experienced JRPG expert guide writer is very clearly – participate in both Yuito AND Kasane‘s journeys. Piece together their fragmented narratives for maximum emotional payoff and perspective into Scarlet Nexus‘ ambitious sci-fi universe!
