Scarlet Hollow- Echoing Past

Going to a small town where no one knows you is what I think everyone dreams about while sitting in traffic on the way home from work. It’s something I’ve thought about after an embarrassing moment at work; it could be a clean slate. I picture it in a Hallmark sort of way, where you kind of become the talk of the town as you start to make a big splash as the big city girl. You are the talk of the town in Scarlet Hollow, but it’s cold whispers that fill the air before you step into rooms plagued by heavy silence. Everyone already knows you and why you’re there, and it feels lonely. It’s chilling to not belong in a place you’ve never even been to. Still, it seems like Scarlet Hollow has always known you, and now that you’ve set foot on its soil, an old evil has awoken. I wonder if it’s too late to call that bus?

I picked up Scarlet Hollow because of Wayne, the masked, possibly dangerous harbinger of the end time. He gives part two Jason vibes, and I knew this game was going to be good from that vibe alone. The trailer also ominously lets the player know they can’t save everyone, maybe not even themselves. I enjoy a game with real stakes even though I know they’ll break my heart. I also knew it was going to be good because Black Tabby Games made Slay the Princess, and that game was so fun and had me glued to my seat. I expected the same from Scarlet Hollow, and all the mystery reeled me in.

Going to our estranged aunt’s funeral, we meet up with our equally as estranged cousin Tabitha, who surprisingly invited us. This visual novel lets you make your first character choice before you even make it to Scarlet Hollow. Will you decide to be allergic to peanuts—yes or no? My favorite thing about this visual novel is how it lets you shape your stand-in character to be completely unique every playthrough. At the start of the game, you can choose two character traits, which open certain dialogue options. I chose Street Smarts, which helped me get away with some fibs and be a bit of a smart ass at times. It also helped me break into a shed to find a goat. The second trait I picked was talking to animals, which I couldn’t imagine playing the game without. I think it is the trait to play Scarlet Hollow with, as being able to talk to Gretchen the pug adds so much to the story. Your character can find out extra information about the other characters that they wouldn’t just tell you. Gretchen has seen things. I am so glad she wasn’t eaten in act one, which is something I found out could happen.

The game is episodic, with each chapter being a day leading up to your aunt’s funeral. There are four chapters in total, with five coming out in the very near future (if it’s out, make sure to play it). I’ve played up to chapter three, which was horrifying, and started four. I thought the start of the first chapter was awkward; no matter how nice you are to Tabitha, she’s cold and makes you wonder why you came all the way out there for a family you didn’t know. My character sacrificed years of her own life for Tabitha, and I still feel like she doesn’t like me. I think I did it to make Tabitha feel any sort of connection to me. She might slowly be respecting me more, but she’s still keeping my character at arm’s length, and I’m starting to wonder if I was colder to her if she’d start to reach out to me. She seems like that kind of person. I felt like when it came to dialogue options, our character was meant to be played as a colder skeptic, as there were more choices that went that way versus what I would consider nice or neutral options. I felt like when I tried to play my character as rude and mysterious, the characters who did like me stopped quickly. Which is crazy because Stella dated Tabitha.

Stella is the first character who makes you feel welcome to Scarlet Hollow, a cryptozoologist who films all her adventures for YouTube. She’s the first one to be nice to you, and I’m not sure if that just threw me off, but I wasn’t a fan of her during the first chapter. I’m all for a quirky YouTuber character, but I wasn’t up for her initial idea of romping through the woods. Stella starts the supernatural adventure, and her knowledge of all things spooky comes in handy; she’s a well-written character and the beacon of light in a dreary situation. After the cave-in where I saved Rosalina, leaving her friends behind because I was genuinely worried going back would get everyone killed, Stella changes. She attempts to hide her feelings behind a fake grin, but Gretchen lets us in on the obvious secret that Stella can’t deal with the thought of people dying because of her meddling with the supernatural. The monsters that fascinated Stella now scare her. It felt like I was watching Scarlett Hollow swallow Stella’s spirit, like it seems to do with all the other residents. She was losing her passion, but the player needs her to be strong. I don’t think we’d survive all these monster encounters without her. I thought ghost hunting would cheer her up, but it kind of makes everything worse.

Each chapter has its own spooky scenario, all started after Stella and the player discover Ditchling in the forest. They’re said to start showing up before a great calamity. The night we encounter them, the local farmer dies in front of us, and we can’t tell anyone to avoid being a suspect. From there we become more in tune with the spirits of the Hollow, and they start to reach out to us in visions. Only at terrible times, like when we’re about to be trapped in a mine. If the ghosts are to be believed, everything seems like it’s pointing to another devastating mine collapse like the one decades prior. The town never got over how betrayed it felt by the owners of the mine. The town held onto a grudge, leaving a strained feeling between the people that was buried under time, until now. The third chapter is my favorite, as we meet the elusive Reese, who we’ve heard repeatedly about from Stella. He has a mysterious illness that keeps him trapped inside, but an amazing friend who tries to keep him hopeful regardless of his grim diagnosis. Reese’s mom doesn’t let him hold onto much hope, though. There’s another mystery here, as she knows more than she’s telling anyone about Reese’s illness. The third chapter ends horrifically with incredible sound design that made my skin crawl. One fun ghost hunt turns into another life-threatening ordeal. Being forced to see the wrongs your family had done in the past and lied about using your friends as puppets. With zero control over their bodies, their joints creak with every forced movement. The design for this part of this story felt a lot like the witch domains in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I was sweating, flinching at every scene until the ghost was appeased and everyone was freed. I was uncomfortable throughout the whole ordeal; it was perfect horror.  Wayne was there. I feel like maybe he wanted to save us.

I know what you’ve been asking all this time; it’s the most important question in any visual novel. Is there romance? The answer is yes! You can romance Stella, Reese, or Kaneeka. Kaneeka is Stella’s friend and the resident skeptic with an amazing fashion sense. She brings Stella back to reality when she gets herself too wrapped up in the occult. I started a romance with Stella. She’s adventurous and inquisitive. She starts off as a friendly, open book who extends her hand out to you to make you feel welcome. I was charmed quickly by her outgoing personality and interest in the supernatural.  Reese became a strong contender quickly, though. Reese has a sweet scene where you’re trapped next to him in a closet, and for a moment, he just gets to be a person. He’s not defined by his illness; he’s getting the chance to make mischief. It’s not something he gets to do anymore. It tugged at my heart a bit.  I’m not sure; in one chapter, you’re locked in on a romance option. It’s going to be a hard choice for my first playthrough. Unless I can romance Wayne, then that’s the obvious choice.

I’ve talked about how good the sound design is, and the art is just as fantasti,c with a creepy sepia-tone feel. I thought all of the characters had a good range of facial expressions for different emotions. Some characters had multiple expressions for the same emotion, giving them real depth. Tabitha has a smile illustration that’s sort of terrifying, but she’s not used to the feeling. The monster designs are horrifying, especially in the third chapter. The sight of the cast’s distorted bodies made me want to go back to before the haunting, honestly. It took a while to shake the images from my head even when our character appeases the ghosts and goes back to the manor. Wayne’s visuals are always very menacing and creepy. The bag over his head is made to look ethereal.

Scarlet Hollow slowly wraps you in a century-old mystery like a frog in a boiling pot. You don’t realize how steeped in the horror you’ve become until it’s too late to pack your bags and go home. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw our dead aunt start haunting the halls of the old family estate, expecting the player to break an ancient curse. Thanks to picking the talking to animals trait, I get some comedic relief from Gretchen and the possum that I’ve let live in my drawer. Enduring the horrors of the supernatural for a week, I wonder if we’ll be able to return home the same.