Scars Aboveis many genres of movies and games thrown into one sci-fi epic. Players assume the role of Kate, one of several scientists aboard a spaceship. They are tasked with studying a mysterious pyramid that appears above Earth. When the team tries to make contact, there is a bright flash and then Kate finds herself lost on a foreign planet.
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She starts to see aliens and begins to hear things as well. Where is she? Where is her crew? Can Kate ever get home? These questions make up the plot ofScars Above, but beyond the story, there is so much more to learn beyond.Fans of shootersmay need a few pointers before they jump into this new entry in the sci-fi shooter genre.
6Three Difficulties, But A Hard Start No Matter What
Players can choose between Rookie, Specialist, and Commander at the start of their journey. Thankfully, these difficulty modes can be changed at any time if players are feeling like the game is too hard or easy. It’s best to start on Rookie because the game reachesDark Soulslevelsof a challenge early on.
Players don’t have a lot of healing options, or weaponry to tackle the mass amount of aliens swarming them. After a good arsenal is acquired by the time players hit the first boss, it might be worth trying Specialist to rebalance the difficulty.
5Playing With Elements
One of the coolest parts ofScars Aboveis its weapons. Players can combine elements to create combos that will deal more damage. Players will acquire electric, fire, and ice-based bullets early on, and eventually, an acid mod will be added. Shooting enemies in water with the electric rounds will deal more damage, as one example.
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Water will be often the player’s best friend in other ways too. They can shoot a hole in ice water with the fire mod, thus freezing enemies instantly once they fall in. It’s a cool combo system fora sci-fi gamethat players should experiment with.
4How To Heal
This question is often asked ofaction gamesright away as it can be frustrating when players can’t heal. Players will begin with one, limited way to heal. They will find a Healing Stimulant, which can be replenished at the pillar checkpoints along with ammo. More Healing Stimulants can be found inScars Above, thus increasing the player’s inventory for them permanently. They will eventually find a Fiber-based healing aid as well.
Fiber is a material that players collect in the world, and it is part of the Consumables wheel in their inventory. Using a healing salve or the anti-toxin shot will consume Fiber. Fiber will not be replenished at checkpoints, so it shouldn’t be used as wildly unlike ammo and Healing Stimulants.
3Tinkering With Gadgets
The other part of the non-weapon wheel, aside from Consumables, is the Gadgets. Players will first unlock the Protective Barrier, which increases Kate’s defenses for a short period. Gadgets run on battery power that can be recharged at checkpoints.
For early encounters, it is best to switch that Protective Barrier on until players can heal more frequently. Another great Gadget can be unlocked later that will act as a hologram decoy. Players can lure aliens to destructible things in the environment to finish them off quickly. Again,as a shooter, this game keeps the experimentation with combat interesting.
2Explore THOROUGHLY
This game hasRPG elementssuch as leveling up to get ability points that players can then spend on Kate to get new skills. How players level up is different from most RPGs. Defeating aliens will not net players with experience points. Levels are instead gained through Knowledge that is earned by scanning things in the environment as well as new alien discoveries.
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There is a set amount of Knowledge in the game, meaning that if players miss a single scan, it could be detrimental. The same is true for unlocking new gear as backtracking isn’t that big in the game. So, explore every nook and cranny like your life depended on it because, in Scars Above, it kind of does.
1Good Immediate Upgrades
There are 22 abilities players can access inScars Above. These are spread across four tiers, and reaching each one requires players to spend a certain amount in each tier before they can move on. Ability costs also increase the higher players go.
Now, a good early build should focus on health and energy. Load Management, for example, will increase stamina for running; meanwhile, Constitution increases Kate’s health. Another specific ability to call out is the second tier’s Recon. This will highlight all interactive things in the environment, making it harder for players to pass up chests or Knowledge points.
Scars Abovewas released on June 17, 2025 and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
