Review of Scarlet Hollow
| Subject | Scarlet Hollow Scarlet Hollow - Early Access |
| By | Helpfulness: 2 Vote: 9boneskull on 2021-12-12 |
| Review | As of writing this, I’ve played 2 of 7 episodes of Scarlet Hollow (the game is currently scheduled for completion in late 2023). The best way I can describe it is playing as a self-insert character in a Southern Gothic horror (takes place in the American South--North Carolina specifically--, has a toxic family, economic hardship, things that go bump in the attic and howling in the night…all that good stuff). I am having a bad time in the BEST way. You start by picking two out of seven “perks'' that determine your strengths and how you can react to situations. Being able to pick two instead of one makes each playthrough feel more custom to your own personality and helps with immersion. Some perk pairs make more sense than others (i.e. Powerful Build + Street Smart is a sensible combo, versus Powerful Build + Mystical, which often conflict each other), but I don’t imagine this will be an issue for most players unless they, like me, insist on choosing the most baffling pairs possible. I enjoyed my first perk pair so much that I made two more files to try other perks. From this, I learned each perk feels unique to one another--they are balanced in such a way that no two perks feel like their functions overlap. The art is spectacular. The backgrounds are extremely detailed, and there are an abundance of sprites for various emotions that allow the player to interpret whether the characters are truly feeling as they say they are. Very important when dealing with cagey cousins and townsfolk who may not have your best interests at heart! This VN also stands out by having background-exclusive sprites, such as sitting across from you at a diner and tiptoeing towards a bush. I also personally appreciate how the art style stays consistent across the ordinary scenes and gruesome ones. It makes it feel like the horror is never far away. The writing/gameplay is also unlike any other game I’ve come across. There is no clear “good/bad” route so far--unless you count the options to be an insensitive jerk, and even then, who knows? There are just a spread of dialogue options to allow you to react with whatever nuance best represents you, and you benefit/suffer accordingly. Even if you don’t choose the utterly insane dialogue options, there’s fun in laughing at how ridiculous they are. Being a horror game, I doubt there will be a way to “win” at the end--and if you can’t win, the only rule truly is to have fun(?) and be yourself. The auto-save after every decision makes it convenient to reload when a dialogue option isn’t what you expected, but that has rarely been the case. The soundtrack and sound effects are also excellent. The music is memorable yet not intrusive. The sound effects pull a lot of weight in adding to the atmosphere. I am reluctant to list weaknesses of the game since most of them are a consequence of being in Early Access. For example, the game is currently only available in English. It also only has 2 episodes out, so the story has not yet had much time to branch based on your choices. Despite this, the variety in playstyles thanks to the Perk system and extensive dialogue options results in a lot of content to dig into and explore, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next step in this misadventure in episode 3. |
| 2 points |