Scarlet Hollow
- June 11, 2021
- Black Tabby Games
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Scarlet Hollow" is a narrative-driven folklore horror visual novel. You play as a protagonist who travels to a remote Appalachian town for a funeral, only to become entangled in supernatural events. The game features branching storylines, multiple endings, and character customization.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Engaging and immersive story with well-developed characters.
- Choices genuinely matter, leading to different outcomes and replayability.
- Beautiful art style and atmospheric music enhance the overall experience.
- Currently unfinished, with only 4 out of 7 episodes released.
- Some players may find the pacing slow at the beginning.
- Limited voice acting may detract from the experience for some.
- story1,682 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The story of "Scarlet Hollow" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, rich character development, and meaningful player choices that significantly impact the plot. Reviewers highlight the game's intricate branching paths, immersive atmosphere, and the blend of horror and humor, making it a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs. While the game is still in early access and not yet complete, players express excitement for future episodes and the potential for deeper storytelling.
“Incredibly engrossing game - excellent plot and dialogue, interesting characters, and choices that really feel like waltzing on razor blades at times.”
“The story was built so well and the characters are so intriguing and there is so much player choice allotted that makes it replayable and never boring.”
“I'm obsessed with the story, and I love the depth of the mystery.”
“But man, the story is boring and slow for a long time.”
“Overall, the story feels juvenile and boring.”
“Unoriginal story with very unlikable and odd characters.”
- graphics388 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Scarlet Hollow" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which effectively enhances the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Reviewers highlight the unique and captivating visuals, noting how they contribute to the emotional depth and immersive experience of the narrative. The combination of beautiful artwork, detailed character designs, and a fitting soundtrack creates a visually striking and engaging environment that resonates with players.
“The artwork is beautiful and truly brings the story and settings to life.”
“The art style is haunting and lovely.”
“The visuals are so beautiful and you can tell everything is hand drawn with care.”
“My own laptop has issues with the cut-scenes due to my own out of date graphics drive.”
“Normally I don't like it when games try to utilize hyper realism, because it feels so out of place if the art style doesn't match.”
“It is simple in terms of graphics and gameplay, but that allows ample room for a high quality story.”
- music320 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Composed by Brandon Boone, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from haunting to soothing, and is perfectly aligned with the game's narrative and art style. Players have expressed a strong desire to revisit the soundtrack, highlighting its integral role in creating a captivating and engaging atmosphere throughout the game.
“The music, audio, and art are all amazing!”
“The soundtrack does a fantastic job of selling the atmosphere as well, and there's a lot of great tracks that ratchet the tension up to eleven.”
“The music is atmospheric and immersive, and the art rewards attention to detail.”
“The characters are serviceable, the art is intentionally subdued to emphasize the spooky elements, with the highlight being the ghost world, clearly influenced by Madoka, and the music is alright.”
“Music, there are tracks that melt my ears.”
“The music making me feel as I really am in the moment, filling me with anxiety, not sure what my next move will be.”
- replayability292 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, largely due to its intricate trait system and branching narrative paths that allow players to experience vastly different outcomes based on their choices. Many users report multiple playthroughs, highlighting how character traits significantly impact interactions and storylines, making each run feel fresh and engaging. Overall, the combination of compelling storytelling, dynamic character development, and meaningful choices contributes to a high replay value that keeps players returning for more.
“The traits you get to choose make the game replayable and enjoyable pretty much ad infinitum, and (I can't express this enough) your choices actually really matter.”
“The unique traits system makes the game replayable, so I look forward to experimenting once the full game is out.”
“The choices genuinely matter and the traits system gives an impressive amount of replayability to everything (on my fourth playthrough now!).”
“Its trait system and extensive branching choices provide massive replayability, yet I'm horrifically conflicted as to whether I should replay it - I worry it will cheapen the impact of the choices I've made thus far, reducing immersion and emotional weight; but that remains to be seen.”
“This isn't just a game with a lot of replayability, it's a game that demands to be replayed to get a full view of what's going on.”
“The nuances and detail that go into the different story pathways give this so much replay value.”
- atmosphere224 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Scarlet Hollow" is widely praised for its stunning art, immersive sound design, and a perfect blend of cozy and creepy elements that enhance the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke genuine tension and unease, with a rich, atmospheric world that draws players in and keeps them engaged through meaningful choices and character interactions. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as captivating, beautifully crafted, and integral to its success as a horror visual novel.
“Scarlet Hollow is an absolute must-play for anyone who appreciates a captivating narrative, rich characters, and an unsettling atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere of the horror is amazing and I can't remember the last time I was actually scared by a visual novel.”
“Easily the best atmosphere I've ever experienced while playing a game-- not only does the setting feel real, and real unsettling, but so do the characters.”
“The writing and general atmosphere keeps you tense while also tricking you into letting your guard down, allowing horror to resurge and scare you when you least expect it.”
“The setting also really captures the atmosphere of a small town in coal country, and is both beautiful and unsettling.”
“The dialogue balances seriously spooky stuff and humor so well, it never gets too comedic to reduce the uneasy atmosphere but neither does it stay deadly serious to the point of being a slog.”
- humor198 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and ability to balance dark themes with lighthearted moments, creating a unique blend of comedy and horror. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, engaging character interactions, and the incorporation of running jokes that enhance replayability. Overall, the humor is described as both endearing and unsettling, effectively humanizing characters and breaking tension without undermining the game's eerie atmosphere.
“The game is cute, witty, hilarious, endearing, and at times very unsettling and spooky in all the best ways.”
“Even though the plot can have heavy themes, I found myself laughing most of the time because some interactions are hilarious.”
“The dialogue balances seriously spooky stuff and humor so well; it never gets too comedic to reduce the uneasy atmosphere but neither does it stay deadly serious to the point of being a slog.”
- gameplay126 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this visual novel is characterized by a simple yet engaging choice-based system, where players select two traits that significantly influence their experience and replayability. While the mechanics are not overly complex, they effectively enhance the storytelling and character interactions, creating a rich atmosphere filled with moral weight and consequences. Overall, the game offers a compelling narrative experience with beautiful art and music, making it a worthwhile investment for fans of the genre.
“The traits mechanic is an amazing addition that really opens up the amount of possibilities that there are in replays in a way that gets me, a person notorious for making the same decisions because I usually default to doing what is 'right', to continuously replay the game with new trait combinations just to experience the core story itself in a different light.”
“The gameplay feature of the traits really makes for each new take on a chapter to be super interesting.”
“Beautiful art, compelling characters, and engaging gameplay.”
“The gameplay is fairly simple, like most visual novels.”
“It doesn't do anything innovative with the mechanics, but for a visual novel, it's almost impossible to do something different with the mechanics.”
“Gameplay is a bit basic, but that is to be expected and it works well for what it is meant to be.”
- emotional62 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised for its ability to create deep connections between players and characters through a captivating, heartfelt story that balances horror with warmth. Players appreciate the well-written, relatable characters and the impactful choices that evoke genuine feelings, making the narrative both immersive and memorable. The unique art style and poignant soundtrack further enhance the emotional experience, resulting in a game that resonates on multiple levels.
“By showing you that your every action matters, truly matters, the game does exceptionally well in building a special connection with you, a connection that will only be strengthened by live, palpable, lovable, goofy, mysterious, and sometimes even terrifying characters; a sweet, touching, at times ruthlessly raw, at times horrifying story; a unique, atmospheric art style that brings the world of Scarlet Hollow to life; and a poignant, fitting, captivating soundtrack that intensifies the bittersweet, the scary, the beautiful, and the ugly.”
“The characters are incredibly well-written and deeply, fundamentally human in a way that gets you invested in the story and makes the difficult choices you have to make all the more heartbreaking.”
“There is even a moment that hit me so hard in the second episode that I had to pause to process the heart-wrenching decision I'd made in the game.”
- character development38 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly praised for its depth and organic progression, with players noting that initial introductions may feel awkward but quickly evolve into relatable and engaging portrayals. The character designs are intricately detailed, reflecting personalities and social dynamics, while player choices significantly impact relationships and narrative outcomes. Overall, the combination of strong writing, immersive art, and thoughtful character arcs contributes to a compelling and memorable experience.
“Your choices really matter, not only for the plot but also for character development and relationships.”
“The depth of the writing, the imagination, the beautiful art style, and the character development are just mind-blowingly good.”
“To the devs' credit though, I stuck with the game after episode 1 despite gently cringing at some of the early character introductions, and I'm very glad I did; the character development kicks into gear pretty much immediately thereafter and they end up feeling a lot more organic and personable -- really the highlight of the story -- which solidifies both my immersion in the setting and the consequence of the narrative.”
“It sets the stage well for a gloomy mining town, upsets your brain when the horrors lurk into view, then brings you back down gently for character development moments.”
“Dialogue has become more natural, character development has blossomed, music and sound effects have been changed in order to really set the mood; I seriously cannot rave enough.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Players consistently express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it feels like one would need a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy is heavily criticized due to misleading advertising that emphasizes horror elements, which are only a minor aspect of the gameplay. This disconnect between marketing and actual content has led to negative perceptions among players.
