Scarlet Deer Inn

I really wanted to like this game. I love the animation and art style. The way the characters move feels great. That being said, as a game, it asks... a lot? The thing is, I think the things that are 'a lot' are also what make it kinda cool. It randomly switches between basically a point and click adventure game logic and a metroidvania. It also randomly switches between a relatively realistic pastoral setting to 'folk horror' to 'folktale logic' -- and then back to 'folk horror' -- and so this 'adventure game folktale' does break up the platforming of the middle of the game, but also means the tone sometimes feels all over the place. On the one hand I want to celebrate games like this, that you'd never see made anymore by a big studio. This entire game feels 'bespoke' and that is awesome. I don't hate this game. But it's also just undeniable that the game feels 'unpolished' in gameplay -- there's slightly more 'running back to where you died' in a way that makes it almost feel at times like a 'ragebait game' (it's not, it's just that the massive switches in tone and difficulty mean you go from mellow walk in the park to time trial platforming at the drop of a hat). And the final game's boss fight was just, frankly, not fun. It feels like you're 'save scumming' for the whole game and never get a good 'flow' or the chance to learn in real time. I do think that right now about 33% of the game is simply running back to the last thing you died at, and so as a result, I think the game actually would have improved if it was more of just a 2 hour semi-cinematic experience with slightly more checkpoints. I also think an actual 'choice' with the beekeeper in the penultimate phase of the game would have been good. I also think some other choices would have been a chance for humor -- the witch insists we not sell the [thing] for anything other than [thing] -- but no one else ever offers to buy [thing] so we never have like, a choice to make? I know the experience will still be primarily linear, but I would have appreciated some other humorous 'bad endings' just to get like, a sense of the stakes a bit more?

Buy the game, support developers, please! :) Thank you for this game, it is lovely! :) Pluses: + Nice and embroidered style of graphics + Great soundtrack + A lot of characters which are unique + Gamepad support + Czech languate support Minuses: (-) Underground is still a bit frustrating and you can not see almost anything QoL (Quality of Life improvements): - Settings: there is a strange dark shimmering, noise in graphics (šum in Czech language). I really apreciate if there is a possibility to turn it off! - Settings: add contrast and brightness - Settings: add lock FPS to 60 (you can do it in Nvidia app, but do not know about AMD and Intel graphic cards) - Would be nice to have a difficulty settings - Some quest list, notes for the active quest with small describtion

I got my copy from the devs~ For a husband & wife team this is a very impressive visual experience, it almost has that Forgotton Anne cinematic quality, possibly because they are Ghibli inspired. The game is roughly 4-5 hours if you playing very casually, but I missed a couple of optional interactions/side activities. That being said, with all the great visuals and enjoyable soundtrack, I definitely felt like gameplay segments were not playtested enough and I can point to a few objective issues, such as running into various checkpoint & 'trial and error' problems. To be clear, this is a narrative platformer, and I don't actually expect some complicated mechanics, the gameplay is there to get you to the next narrative segment and that is okay, but there were still some things that could have been done better. There was a curious argument in the forum in regards to "frustration", with the other side arguing the game was just meant to be that way, but I think they are both right and wrong at the same time. The game is actually extremely easy, but it's also very easy to die by accident which could have been avoided with more feedback for level design. It's very obvious that the devs wanted a narrative experience, but sometimes they overcooked on 1-hit deaths and awkward checkpoints. The gameplay itself is kinda strange, it's mostly walking toward a correct path, with the hardest puzzles being 2 or 3 steps at most, so honestly, regardless of how you feel about it, there was not that much substance behind it, go the correct way, and if you die, do it a little faster next time. For me personally, if you had more narrative during those cave sections, I would not mind it as much because it's a narrative game, but it felt like the gameplay was always a filler, not something that was visually compelling or challenging. I don't want to say too much about the narrative other than my general impressions of it. The world building wasn't bad in itself, and I was still invested in the first 75% of the game, however, I felt the game ended somewhat unceremoniously, there was mystery, but it's almost like you didn't do anything with it, very much a vanilla folklore. There was one important character that at first I thought would have some compelling backstory to him given his constant presence and a source of conflict for the main character, but in the end you didn't really do much with him, and I thought it was very odd, and honestly the worst part of the game for me. [h1]Pros: [/h1] (+) This is a visual and narrative experience first, and sure, I think the game was beautiful, and aside from the ending, I was enjoying the world building enough. Again, very high effort for what I assume is mostly 2 people, and the fabric animation gives the game that physical touch, making it a bit of a novelty. I saw a few people complain about the simple backgrounds, but I think they work for the settings, this game is showing landscapes/architecture from a simpler time, and I actually used to live in a place that still had a similar look. (obviously I wasn't born during the middle ages, but there are places on earth that still have a similar way of life) (+) There were some optional things you could do, such as a few optional "fetch quests", and some collectibles, I missed a couple, although honestly, I thought there would be a little more of that. (+) I didn't mind the dialogue and the narrative overall, I think I just felt like toward the end you didn't do anything with the mystery, felt very vanilla to me, not too different from any other folklore tale with a witch. (+) Enjoyed the music [h1]Feedback: [/h1] [u]A few bugs:[/u] - there was a large hole after you meet the ____ in the caves where you fall, with grass on both sides, if you backtrack there after loading, and go through the planks, the character will freeze - there was a place inside the caves, it kinda has a small body of water with a creature, I think it was a deer or something, but if you backtrack there after the first time, your controls interact with the light effects for some reason - if you can, make sure the damage visual effect does not linger while respawning, just looks odd when I take damage twice when I am already at the checkpoint [u] Maybe some QOL: [/u] - you could extend the first damage trigger in darkness 2 seconds further away, will make it less annoying, so it's not like, always be right on time - the 1-hit death during boss was an overkill, those spikes have awkward visuals, didn't feel good, even though the fight is easy otherwise - I am not sure if I missed a checkpoint between the 2 running sections, make sure the player can't miss it, or add one if it does not have it - you could make those hidden shortcuts a little more visible, sometimes I would not even attempt to swing at them because the visuals made it obvious that it was a rock - maybe a few more achievements, for petting the geese, cows, sheep and the cat [u] Some narrative nitpicks: [/u] - I only have one large issue with the story. I think the game implies that the "bad guy" will have some compelling motivation because he has a presence across the game, but you didn't do much with him, so that for me was probably the most disappointing part about the game. Maybe the game could have used some heart to heart moments between them, at least give him other traits so he isn't wasted after all that mystery. [b]Overall Thoughts: 7/10 [/b] Visually the game was very enjoyable, and I liked the narrative up to a certain point. With that said, I still feel like implementing gameplay is not something you have a lot of experience with, often feeling like I am playing on auto-pilot or running into repetitive segments, as mentioned there were some overcooked sections with 1-hit deaths, some awkward checkpoints, and somewhat touchy hitboxes in a few places. I do wish you would have done something more with that character that showed up across the game, I felt like there was mystery to him that didn't have a satisfying conclusion. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

[h1]A bit of a love-hate relationship[/h1] As a Czech player, I was excited to support a small Czech studio, and the visual style immediately caught my attention. The embroidered art is absolutely gorgeous, the music fits the atmosphere perfectly, and I really enjoyed the dark, morbid story. That being said… I expected much more of an adventure game. Instead, a surprisingly large part of it is a platformer, in the dark cave and unfortunately, it can be pretty unforgiving. There were definitely a few moments when I just thought, "Oh, come on, not again." Despite that, there is so much I genuinely loved and I couldn't stop playing until the end. And obviously, I have to mention the most important feature: [b] THE ANIMALS ARE PETTABLE. [/b] 10/10. Just for that! So yes, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with [u]Scarlet Deer Inn [/u]. It wasn't quite the game I expected, but I'm still glad I played it. It's beautiful, unusual and very distinctly Czech, and I really hope the developers keep making games like this.

I really, really wanted to like this game! The graphics are beautiful and the setting is interesting and the music is great. The main character is a mom, which is rare! The overworld is pretty and whenever I'm in the overworld I mostly enjoy the game, even if it's a bit fetch quest heavy. Unfortunately 85% of the game takes place in a platforming cave that is straight up not fun at all. The torch mechanic is tedious, the platforming is a bit janky, the combat is clunky and the chase sequences are extremely unforgiving. I'm not sure why this game is a platformer in the first place when it could have been some kind of folklore slice of life more focused on the villagers. If the chase sequences and final boss had some kind of checkpoints the game would be tolerable but as it is now, it is simply rage inducing. Personally I would have stripped off the combat, reduced the chases to maybe 3 max with checkpoints, focused on puzzles in the cave instead of platforming, and built most of the gameplay in the outside world that is so beautifully built. Feels like such a waste of an interesting idea and beautiful graphics!

Fairly strong Pentiment vibes here, so if you enjoyed that game pick this up. The art style is extremely cool. The fact it's entirely done with embroidery is bonkers. Music is very good so far as well. If you enjoy funding cool little games that actually try something different, give this a try.

An incredibly beautiful style of game, a very good story, audio and game optimisation. I’ve been following this game for a very long time and I was delighted that it’s finally been released; it’s definitely worth buying and playing. It’s a shorter game, but that’s part of its charm. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something to relax and have fun with.

My review-in-progress of Scarlet Deer Inn The Pros: - The visuals, for the most part, are gorgeous. It's one of the prettiest indie games I've played in years. - The soundtrack is superb. - The controls are very responsive, and the platforming parts of the game are very fun to play - The level design is mostly solid and very well executed. - The game also has some simple stealth mechanics, but they work fine. The Cons: - The torch mechanic is a bit counterintuitive. The dungeons in the game have secret areas that reward player exploration, but your torch needs to be always lit when you're in a dungeon, otherwise, you get damage and die. But the torch exinguishes too fast, meaning you actually get punished for exploring off the beaten path. In my opinion, The torch should last longer. - The combat mechanics are a bit underwhelming. The enemy feedback when being hit by the player could use some improvements. Overall, it's a very solid game, and an impressive work by a team of two people. Congratulations to Attu Games.

[b]首先需要说明，很多人（包括我）从美术风格和演出表现上体验到第一印象会觉得这是个类《Pentiment》的游戏，但实际上玩法类型完全不同，本作是一个平台跳跃为主、探索和微解谜为辅的游戏（或许可以说是类[spoiler]《Forgotten Anne》，两者玩法比较相似还都是类吉卜力画风，甚至女主造型都颇具共同点[/spoiler]）。流程时长4h左右。[/b] [b]+亮点：[/b] 固定女主角，优秀的美术与音乐表现，开头的展开与地牢探索挺吸引人。 [b]-诟病：[/b] 剧情方面：叙事太空泛，NPC缺乏塑造，故事也完全没有深入挖掘，给人后劲不足、草草收尾的感觉。流程中有一段必经但与主线完全无关的虐女剧情，不懂设计这段想表达什么（大概就是为了强行缝一个金纺车的民间传说进去吧），猎奇而令人不适。反派BOSS是一个纯邪恶的女巫。 玩法方面：地牢探索中过少的保存点给你365里路的体验。后期的超长追逐战关卡充满各种初见杀陷阱又完全没有中继点，一旦失误就是完全从头来过，重复几次会很败兴致。 综上，给出不推荐。