Scarlett's Dungeon: Retro Action RPG Roguelite
- September 21, 2017
- Hard Shark Games
Get on SteamIn "Scarlett's Dungeon," a 10-year-old girl named Scarlett embarks on a mission to rescue her family from a monster who has kidnapped them. The game is a tribute to the 8-bit/16-bit era, featuring pixel art visuals, retro soundtracks, and randomly generated dungeons. Gameplay consists of exploring 15 floors, fighting enemies, and finding your way to the final showdown with the God Lord.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Scarlett's Dungeon features charming pixel art visuals and a nostalgic retro soundtrack that appeals to fans of classic RPGs.
- The gameplay offers a fun blend of action and RPG elements, with engaging combat mechanics and a variety of enemies that keep the experience fresh.
- The game has a compelling narrative centered around Scarlett's quest, which adds emotional depth and motivation for players to progress.
- The game lacks essential features such as audio controls and customizable controls, which can hinder the experience for some players.
- Scarlett's Dungeon suffers from repetitive procedural generation, leading to a lack of meaningful content and level design.
- The overall quality of the game is undermined by its short length, limited upgrades, and the developer's questionable history with asset flipping.
- graphics50 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Scarlett's Dungeon" are characterized by a nostalgic retro pixel art style that appeals to fans of classic RPGs, delivering a charming and visually satisfying experience. While some players appreciate the authentic 8-bit/16-bit aesthetics and the immersive atmosphere it creates, others criticize the lack of modern graphical enhancements, noting that the simplistic visuals can feel outdated. Overall, the game's graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia, making it a delightful tribute to the golden age of gaming.
“With its compelling storyline, deep characters, and stunning graphics, it immerses you in its richly crafted world.”
“One of the standout features of 'scarlett's dungeon' is its stunning pixel art visuals.”
“The pixel art graphics capture the essence of classic gaming, immersing players in a world that feels like a blast from the past.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
- music32 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in "Scarlett's Dungeon" features a nostalgic chiptune soundtrack that many players find charming and emotionally resonant, enhancing the overall experience with its retro vibe. However, some users report that the repetitive nature of the music can become grating after extended play, compounded by the lack of audio controls to adjust or mute it. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its nostalgic quality, it may not suit everyone's taste for long gaming sessions.
“Its stunning pixel art visuals, retro soundtracks, and emotionally resonant narrative make it a game worth experiencing.”
“The retro soundtracks in Scarlett's Dungeon are an absolute treat for the ears.”
“The music has a nostalgic quality that makes you want to hum along, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to the overall experience.”
“The music is driving me crazy after 30 minutes.”
“Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying sound/background music; you'll need to alt+tab out and stop it using the Windows sound mixer.”
“The chiptune music will drive me bonkers long before the grind will.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Scarlett's Dungeon" is a mixed bag; while it offers engaging action and RPG elements with responsive combat and a satisfying learning curve, some players criticize the repetitive procedural generation and lack of proper level design. Despite these shortcomings, many appreciate the nostalgic feel and the balance between challenge and accessibility, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players. Overall, opinions vary, with some praising the experience and others finding it overly simplistic.
“This game offers a delightful blend of nostalgia, challenging gameplay, and a compelling narrative that captivates players from start to finish.”
“Scarlett's dungeon offers a gameplay experience that balances challenge and enjoyment.”
“The combat mechanics are responsive, and the learning curve strikes a satisfying balance between accessibility and challenge.”
“The game features no proper level design, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design and gameplay flow.”
“I find that the game is far too simple when it comes to the gameplay and both level and character designs, including bosses and every other enemy in the game.”
“The game features no proper level design, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design and gameplay flow.”
- story18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its compelling narrative and deep character development, particularly focusing on Scarlett's emotionally resonant quest to rescue her kidnapped family from the god lord. Players appreciate the immersive world and the abundance of side quests that enhance the experience, though some feel the story could have been longer. Overall, the narrative effectively keeps players engaged and motivated throughout their journey.
“With its compelling storyline, deep characters, and stunning graphics, it immerses you in its richly crafted world.”
“Maybe the story could have been longer, but considering it was developed by one person, it's very surprising!”
“The game's premise, revolving around Scarlett's quest to rescue her kidnapped family from the God Lord, is emotionally resonant.”
“The unfolding story keeps players invested in Scarlett's journey, motivating them to push forward through the challenging dungeons and enemies.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Scarlett's Dungeon is praised for its emotionally resonant narrative, centered on a young girl's brave quest to rescue her kidnapped family. The game's heartwarming story, combined with stunning pixel art and retro soundtracks, creates a compelling and immersive experience that stands out in the indie gaming scene.
“Scarlett's dungeon is a pixelated adventure that immerses you in the heartwarming tale of a young girl's bravery and determination.”
“Its stunning pixel art visuals, retro soundtracks, and emotionally resonant narrative make it a game worth experiencing.”
“The game's premise, revolving around Scarlett's quest to rescue her kidnapped family from the god lord, is emotionally resonant.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The procedural generation of dungeon floors significantly enhances replayability by introducing an element of surprise and keeping each playthrough fresh. However, reviewers note that there is potential for further creativity to create more diverse and complex layouts, which could elevate the replay value even more.
“While the procedural generation of dungeon floors adds replay value, there's room for further creativity in this aspect.”
“While this feature enhances replayability, it could have been taken further to create more diverse and complex dungeon layouts.”
“This feature adds an element of surprise and replayability to each playthrough, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its meticulous attention to detail in character design and environment, which enhances immersion. The music complements the pixelated visuals, creating a cohesive and engaging experience that effectively captures the game's world. Overall, the character designs and world-building contribute significantly to the game's atmospheric depth.
“The attention to detail in the character design and environment adds depth to the game's immersive atmosphere.”
“The tunes create an atmosphere that seamlessly blends with the pixelated visuals, immersing you further into the game's world.”
“Character designs and world-building have been executed well to capture the game's atmosphere.”
- character development6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its attention to detail in design and world-building, which enhances the immersive atmosphere. However, some users feel that the overall simplicity of gameplay and character designs, including enemies and bosses, detracts from the depth of character development.
“I find that the game is far too simple when it comes to the gameplay and both level and character designs (this, including bosses and every other enemy in the game).”
“The attention to detail in the character design and environment adds depth to the game's immersive atmosphere.”
“Character designs and world-building have been executed well to capture the game's atmosphere.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that Gamemaker Studio is often associated with the creation of low-effort, retro-style games that prioritize profit over quality, leading to a perception of it being a platform for "shovelware" and cash grabs.
“Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a stable experience with minimal glitches, noting only a rare issue involving an enemy spawning in an inaccessible area.
