Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood

About

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a single player puzzle game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Devespresso Games and was released on April 8, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood" is a hand-drawn pixel adventure game with puzzle elements. Players control Scarlet, a young girl who must navigate a magical forest to rescue her friends from a wicked witch. The game features a unique fairy tale-inspired story, challenging puzzles, and a variety of characters to interact with. With its charming art style and engaging gameplay, "Scarlet Hood" offers a fresh take on the classic adventure game formula.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood screenshot

+14

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

story15 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a beautiful hand-drawn art style and a whimsical soundtrack that enhances the fairy-tale atmosphere.
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood offers a unique time-loop mechanic that encourages experimentation and multiple playthroughs to explore different narrative paths and endings.
The puzzles are varied and engaging, requiring observation and logical thinking, which adds depth to the gameplay experience.

Some puzzles can be frustratingly vague or illogical, leading to confusion and requiring external guides to solve.
The pacing can feel uneven, with certain story segments dragging on and repetitive gameplay elements that may detract from the overall experience.
Technical issues such as crashes during loading screens and a lack of skippable cutscenes can disrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
"Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood" offers a whimsical, story-driven adventure that blends fairy-tale elements with time loops and branching narratives. Players guide Scarlet and her companions through a perilous journey in a visually stunning, hand-drawn world, though some find the pacing uneven and the deeper lore underwhelming. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging storytelling, charming characters, and puzzle mechanics, making it a delightful experience for fans of fantastical narratives.
- “Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a story-driven adventure that leans heavily into fairy-tale imagery while experimenting with time loops, branching narratives, and puzzle-focused progression.”
- “Wonderfully storybook-esque, with a surprisingly moving story, and full of great humor, Scarlet Hood is a unique experience.”
- “A delightful point-and-click adventure with unique visuals and an engaging story.”
- “To me, a bigger problem is that Scarlet Hood hints at some kind of a deep story and lore but fails to deliver something interesting.”
- “Too often it is unclear what to do or how to proceed in the story.”
- “Also, the entire story of the opening segment feels mostly unrelated to the rest of the game.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its strong, whimsical score that effectively blends upbeat jazz influences with darker undertones, enhancing the magical yet perilous atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its ability to complement the game's charming visuals and engaging puzzles, creating an overall delightful experience. The combination of well-chosen tracks and sound effects contributes significantly to the game's immersive storytelling and character development.
- “Complementing this is a strong musical score that blends whimsical melodies with darker undertones, reinforcing the sense that this is a magical world where danger is never far away, no matter how charming it may appear on the surface.”
- “The art and music in this game is absolutely gorgeous; it's a fantastic experience.”
- “The music is also very well chosen; the jazz influences suit this setting surprisingly well.”
- “I do wish there was a scaling review system on Steam instead of yes or no, because overall the music, art, story, and puzzles are pretty solid.”
- “Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a game about breaking into the music industry.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and occasional stealth or action elements, encouraging experimentation and decision-making. While some players may find the shifts in mechanics and tone jarring, others appreciate the narrative ambition and varied gameplay experiences, including random enemy encounters. Overall, the gameplay is solid but may feel mediocre to those expecting more tightly focused mechanics, with a classic point-and-click style that includes solving puzzles and avoiding enemies.
- “This mechanic transforms the story into an exercise in trial, error, and gradual mastery, encouraging players to experiment with different decisions and paths.”
- “Gameplay focuses primarily on exploration and puzzle solving, with occasional shifts into stealth-like sequences or light action.”
- “The gameplay is not quite different from what you expect from a classic point-and-click game: solving puzzles, searching for things in each level to help you solve those puzzles and sometimes chilling a gruesome monster.”
- “While that's not enough to recommend the game in its entirety, you'll soon enough be annoyed by the substandard gameplay.”
- “Gameplay itself is mediocre, focusing on choices and simple puzzles.”
- “Scarlet Hood might not be a masterpiece, and avoiding the enemies is more of a slight hassle than a necessary gameplay component, but overall the game is a really solid and worth your time.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
The game features a charming hand-drawn, storybook aesthetic that aligns well with its fairy-tale themes, showcasing beautiful 2D art and colorful animations. While many players appreciate the unique visuals and overall aesthetic appeal, some have noted that the graphics can occasionally obscure puzzle elements, leading to confusion. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
- “Visually, the game adopts a hand-drawn, storybook aesthetic that perfectly suits its fairy-tale inspirations.”
- “What really makes this game so much fun is the unique and beautiful 2D art style.”
- “The art has the well hand-drawn, colorful animated visuals with charming details to the background environments.”
- “Unfortunately, the graphics aren't great and sometimes they don't make it clear what you're looking at while trying to solve the puzzles.”
- “If you've played the previous The Coma games, you'll be quite familiar with the art style and the game style.”
- “In terms of soundtrack and graphics, we are here with a topper.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its charming dialogue, funny character animations, and a whimsical take on classic themes, enhanced by upbeat jazz music and quirky accents. Players appreciate the lighthearted and colorful atmosphere, which combines engaging puzzles with a delightful narrative, making it an enjoyable and humorous adventure. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with a captivating story and appealing visuals, creating a unique and entertaining experience.
- “Beyond that, what we have here is a real, short, and sweet puzzle game with funny dialogue and cute characters.”
- “The game is very colorful with detailed environments and the characters have some funny animations that make the game feel like an enjoyable anime.”
- “Its a fun little adventure with charm and humor.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple endings—at least six main ones, along with various minor variations—encouraging players to explore different solutions and outcomes. Each area is designed to be completed in various ways, enhancing the overall replay value and making it worthwhile to revisit the game for different experiences.
- “As for replayability, there are actually at least 6 main endings for which there are achievements, and likely even more minor variations.”
- “Replayable since you have various different ways of solving things, leading to different endings.”
- “Because of there being multiple endings, there is some replayability in going through it again to progress through them all, facing the good ends and the bad ends.”
- “Each area is fairly short, but there are multiple ways to get through them, so the game actually has some replayability.”
- “With multiple endings offering plenty of replay value, there’s a lot to recommend for Scarlet Hood.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere in "Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood" is highly praised for its strong art direction, which effectively enhances world-building and emotional depth, even in quieter scenes. The game prioritizes atmosphere and storytelling, creating an engaging experience that complements its interesting puzzles. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a significant and enjoyable aspect of the game.
- “It was a really fun pick-me-up with interesting puzzles and a very nice atmosphere.”
- “The art direction does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to world-building, conveying emotion and atmosphere even during quieter moments.”
- “Ultimately, Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a game that prioritizes atmosphere, storytelling, and player curiosity over constant action.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's art and characters, but find the grinding for achievements to be a negative aspect, impacting their overall experience despite a compelling story. The game received a mixed score of 7/10.
- “Great art, great characters, but the grinding for achievements is frustrating.”
- “The story is good, but the excessive grinding really detracts from the overall experience.”
- “While the game has its strengths, the grinding aspect feels tedious and unbalanced.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences occasional freezing issues during scene loading, which can disrupt the overall stability of gameplay.
- “The game occasionally freezes when loading a new scene.”
- “I frequently experience crashes that disrupt my gameplay.”
- “There are moments when the game becomes unresponsive, forcing me to restart.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users noting noticeable performance issues, particularly in technical details, despite the excitement surrounding its potential. The decision to skip early access may have contributed to these rough patches, impacting the overall experience.
- “Though the choice to forego early access may come across in the game's technical details, some rough patches performance-wise are noticeable.”
- “Though the choice to forego early access may come across in the game's technical details, with some rough patches performance-wise being noticeable.”
- “As they approach with their van what could be the performance of their lifetime, and possibly grant them a contract, there is a risk of rain and cyclone.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its vibrant and visually appealing designs, highlighting the use of bright colors and lively themes that enhance the overall experience.
- “I love the bright colors, character designs, and the themes.”
- “The character design is gorgeous, colorful, and full of life.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a memorable and emotionally resonant experience, particularly for players who appreciate narrative-rich adventures and unique visual styles, despite its uneven pacing and challenging puzzles that may not suit all tastes.
- “While its uneven pacing and occasionally obtuse puzzles may not appeal to everyone, those drawn to narrative-rich adventures with a distinctive visual style and a willingness to take creative risks will find a memorable and emotionally resonant experience waiting within the wicked wood.”

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67%Critics’ scoreBased on 5 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a puzzle game with fantasy theme.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, PlayStation 4 and others.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood was released on April 8, 2021.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood was developed by Devespresso Games.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a single player game.

Similar games include Silence, Tales of the Neon Sea, BROK the InvestiGator, Little Briar Rose, The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav and others.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood

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