Scarlet Hollow
While the PC has always been the natural home of adventure games, more recently its attention has been turned to visual novels. In Scarlet Hollow, the two meet in near-perfect harmony, with a VN that takes dramatically different branching paths depending upon the choices you make.
Visiting the rural town of Scarlet Hollow in South Carolina, following the death of your aunt, you stay in the creepy old house of your cousin Tabitha. Tabitha is very cold toward you, but you quickly make friends with some of the areas more friendly inhabitants, and get dragged into a very peculiar story of missing animals, strange creatures in the woods, and a collapsing mine.
Beyond the game’s stunning writing, and beautiful hand-drawn art, the way you experience the story is not only defined by how you respond to people and situations, but also on the character traits you pick from the start. You can make yourself oddly attractive to others, or especially smart, or even be able to communicate with animals, and each has a big impact on how the tale is told.
Three chapters of a planned seven are already out, with a fourth coming soon. Now’s a great time to jump in, especially as the first chapter is free.
A Good Match For: People who want to really sink into a fascinating narrative.
Not A Good Match For: Those who can’t cope not knowing how the story is going to end.
Purchase from: Steam
