scarlet hollow is a VN / horror text adventure with some disco-lite role-playing elements (you choose 2 of 6 traits at the start that confer unique dialogue options and can combine with each other [for example one dialogue option or course of action may only be possible with both 'booksmart' and 'mystical' traits]). s'made by the people who did slay the princess, which i havent played, but understand it has an element of aesthetic / tonal contrast- or using those signifiers as red herrings- the most famous example of this idea being doki doki literature club, which ive seen some people relate to STP. this game has a similar thing going where it has this kind of cloying sappy twee woke aesthetic and tone lol. its hard to tell the extent to which its wielded cynically to juxtapose the real horror and darkness in the plot and writing, and the extent to which it reflects the genuine aesthetic/tonal interests and preferences of the developers. it feels like both somehow, unpredictably shifting between a wholesome horror-lite smalltown life-is-strange esque cringey adventure, and a horror story with some real darkness to it that seeps out in unpredictable ways, something that's been reminding me a bit of modern transgressive horror like br yeager or maggie siebert. it adds an interesting vibe, like the interface through which you play the game itself isnt what it seems, like theres an underlying darkness behind the game itself. not in the sense of a gimmicky cursed app (there's nothing like that in the story) but in a natural way, using subtle emotional cues and textual information that speaks more to the person playing the game than the protagonist you are playing as. it's hard thing to put into words, but like you're engaging with something separate from the plot of the game itself. in a way, I might just be describing good writing, and the bidirectional mental and emotional interfacing that comes as a consequence of good writing- and I am simply just shocked that something that can be so silly and embarrassing at times can also be really well-written and really well-designed at others. but their history with STP makes me feel like there's a deeper conscious intent there that ties into the philosophy of the design and the game itself. either way, I recommend it, even though all the characters look like they came from a really bad LGBT+ dating simulator (there's this librarian dad character who is like, built like an archetypeal bear, hand on back of head pose, protruding belly so he looks pregnant. its really fucking funny). the way the characters are written and how they interact has been shockingly good in contrast to that vibe. also the amount of choice they give in dialogue options and the way its been recorded and referenced later has impressed me. there can sometimes be 10 different dialogue options, and while many are the same thing worded differently or with different emotional tone (sad vs angry etc), it gives you a good degree of immersion and control in having the scene play out how you'd like, or how you (or your imagined protag) would do it. even more impressive, some of these choices which I assumed to be throwaway flavor text were recorded and referenced later. between the good writing and RPG / choice elements, I'd strongly recommend it for ~$20 ifyoure into these games. and if you like twee woke stuff you'll probably like it even more lol.. but imo its so good that it rly works even if u cant stand that vibe.
annaxmalina
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