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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Istari\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/fef49e7fa7e1997310d705b2a6158ff8dc1cdfeb.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"This](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_review_counted.png\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsUp_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_upselected.png\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1.7 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(0.4 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBuy 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\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThank 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\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13650HX - RAM: 24 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU - VRAM: 8 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images//award_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Award\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t65 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Smart\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/33.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Tytonic\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/02154695adaa31d59b77227340e439bf3f53f8bb.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsDown_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_down_selected.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 23\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAs much as it pains me to say this, I haven't been enjoying this game. I love the embroidered art, I love the premise of the story, but it unfortunately feels like the actual gameplay was an afterthought.
Early in the game you'll find yourself in a sprawling underground ruin/cave system. This area is where the majority of your time is spent, and in my opinion it adds nothing of substance to the game whatsoever. It simply serves no purpose other than to pad the play time- it's the "inbetween" area that you go through before reaching the next spot for the story, and without it the story would be identical. Obviously games need space & time between cutscenes for gameplay because without that you'd just be watching a movie, but the gameplay in that time needs to be compelling. This is just walking through a cave, occasionally crouching for low passageways or jumping over a pit, and lighting torches as you go. That's truly it, and for large stretches of time too. There's no compelling reason to want to do any of this other than getting to the next story cutscene, and contextually it doesn't even make sense for a ruin this massive to exist where it is which is probably why is feels shoehorned in to give the game more playtime. It's made much worse by the complete and utter lack of music in this entire area (the great trailer music played a large role in my interest in the game).
I feel bad saying this because clearly a lot of love went into the art of this game, but I want to be honest and the truth is that the gameplay was neglected in favor of the art. On the bright side the performance is great- I got 45-60fps on my AYN Thor @ 1080p, which is an android based handheld that's notably weaker than the steam deck.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tEarly in the game you'll find yourself in a sprawling underground ruin/cave system. This area is where the majority of your time is spent, and in my opinion it adds nothing of substance to the game whatsoever. It simply serves no purpose other than to pad the play time- it's the "inbetween" area that you go through before reaching the next spot for the story, and without it the story would be identical. Obviously games need space & time between cutscenes for gameplay because without that you'd just be watching a movie, but the gameplay in that time needs to be compelling. This is just walking through a cave, occasionally crouching for low passageways or jumping over a pit, and lighting torches as you go. That's truly it, and for large stretches of time too. There's no compelling reason to want to do any of this other than getting to the next story cutscene, and contextually it doesn't even make sense for a ruin this massive to exist where it is which is probably why is feels shoehorned in to give the game more playtime. It's made much worse by the complete and utter lack of music in this entire area (the great trailer music played a large role in my interest in the game).
I feel bad saying this because clearly a lot of love went into the art of this game, but I want to be honest and the truth is that the gameplay was neglected in favor of the art. On the bright side the performance is great- I got 45-60fps on my AYN Thor @ 1080p, which is an android based handheld that's notably weaker than the steam deck.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t94 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Plus](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/32.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Sif\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/da54ddda23040ab3736ad2a6e7cdf3553ec4cda9.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(4.6 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: August 9\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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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:
THE ANIMALS ARE PETTABLE.
10/10. Just for that!
So yes, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Scarlet Deer Inn . 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.
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\n\n\t\t\t\tA bit of a love-hate relationship
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:
THE ANIMALS ARE PETTABLE.
10/10. Just for that!
So yes, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Scarlet Deer Inn . 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.
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t18 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"RileyWRussell\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/bb08a9a9e584abf94eb581c1531c2d247956d61d.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(0.3 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tFairly 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.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t27 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Samm\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/c6566d06992ee97cf7976584c75bfc39fb42b808.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 26\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBeautiful art and music carry a soft, low-friction adventure. Light platforming, easy puzzles, and after 3 hours I felt it ended way too soon. Enjoyable, but the gameplay could offer way more.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t18 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Pilkman\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/80d52be9261eb148637160febc8943a790d164da.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe game was great up until I encountered a softlock that has prevented me from progressing any further. After a scene in which a boulder falls and breaks through a bridge, separating you and the bad guy on opposite sides, you are supposed to proceed down a series of falls through weak floor boards. The game froze up, however, during one of these falls, forcing me to hard reset. When I reloaded my save, I was back on the original side of the bridge, only the collapse of the bridge had already occurred and an invisible wall prevented me from getting across the gap back to where I needed to go to progress.
I hope the developer sees this review and patches the game to fix this, as it has completely ruined my experience with what otherwise would be an enjoyable game.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI hope the developer sees this review and patches the game to fix this, as it has completely ruined my experience with what otherwise would be an enjoyable game.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t33 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t3 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Helpful\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/loyalty/reactions/still/26.png?v=5\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\tA developer has responded on Jul 22 @ 4:23am
(view response)
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Bwahahahahaha!!!!\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/1739ad6494bd5bdb26d274f4064e7a5546ab5ce2.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 22\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tMy review of Scarlet Deer Inn after finishing the game.
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 protagonist is actually a quite likeable individual, and her interactions with other townsfolk are, in most cases, very interesting to watch.
- It has the right length for the amount of content it offers. We need more games that don't overstay their welcome with repetitive grinding and side activities.
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. Also, the hit combat detection in the game definitely needs to improve.
- Lack of enemy variety. There are only two types of enemy you can fight against using the torch, plus another one you have to sneak through.
- The Final boss fight is very underwhelming, largely because combat itself is underwhelming.
Overall, it's a very solid game, and an impressive work by a team of two people. Congratulations to Attu Games.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThe 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 protagonist is actually a quite likeable individual, and her interactions with other townsfolk are, in most cases, very interesting to watch.
- It has the right length for the amount of content it offers. We need more games that don't overstay their welcome with repetitive grinding and side activities.
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. Also, the hit combat detection in the game definitely needs to improve.
- Lack of enemy variety. There are only two types of enemy you can fight against using the torch, plus another one you have to sneak through.
- The Final boss fight is very underwhelming, largely because combat itself is underwhelming.
Overall, it's a very solid game, and an impressive work by a team of two people. Congratulations to Attu Games.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t21 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Nell\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/306bbff8746d372309cce3597674fd9c3c1b7dbf.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.3 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 25\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA short but beautiful adventure. I really enjoyed this, the embroidered art is very pretty and the atmosphere perfect. The music is really nice too. We really could use more games based on folklore too, the Czech folklore inspiration here is perfect for this. I am also really glad to see a game where the main character is a mother.
I did run into a bug late in the game. The final boss fight would last forever somehow, repeating the boss sequence without progressing to the next phase. Restarting fixed it. I did also find this boss fight to be frustrating with how the spike pattern worked.
Runs great on Steam Machine. I ended up playing this in a single sitting.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI did run into a bug late in the game. The final boss fight would last forever somehow, repeating the boss sequence without progressing to the next phase. Restarting fixed it. I did also find this boss fight to be frustrating with how the spike pattern worked.
Runs great on Steam Machine. I ended up playing this in a single sitting.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSteam Machine
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSteamOS Holo
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Custom CPU 1772 - RAM: 15 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD AMD Radeon Graphics (radeonsi, navi33, LLVM 20.1.8, DRM 3.64, 6.16.12-valve24.5-1-neptune-616-gb2f7cfe85e45) - VRAM: 8 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"S1av0\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/f76dacf01923181e90673ba58c20aee8e5f5d168.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t10.3 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(10.2 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 24\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAn 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.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNobara Linux 43 (KDE Plasma Desktop Edition)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor - RAM: 60 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (radeonsi, navi31, ACO, DRM 3.64, 6.19.10-201.nobara.fc43.x86_64) - VRAM: 20 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"major0celot\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/f1c85783d880897670dea408986518dae080e9a5.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.1 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tScarlet Deer Inn can best be described as an interactive dark fairy tale. You'll spend roughly 50% of the game walking about and talking with the various townsfolk in your village, and the other half engaging with some very rudimentary platforming and combat, with the odd basic puzzle and stealth section thrown in for good measure. The game's most obvious strength lies in its lovely art style, apparently not based on frames that were simply drawn but actually embroidered. I'm not sure this information impacts the player experience, I imagine all this style could have been achieved without that, but it's a cool detail about the development process and the results are very pleasing.
The other thing the game does very well is characterisation, you very quickly get a distinct impression of each person you meet. None of them feel like throwaway NPCs. The writing is very good too and the story is intriguing and deliciously macabre without being especially complex. It's a short game, not difficult at all, and the low level of mechanical depth is just enough to support its roughly 3-4 hour runtime without becoming stale. There's a few collectables to find throughout but they won't extend the runtime much.
In summary, I enjoyed the short time I spent in this world (the ending wasn't that satisfying for me though). Some will not find it a good value proposition at the price but that really depends on what you are looking to get out of it.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThe other thing the game does very well is characterisation, you very quickly get a distinct impression of each person you meet. None of them feel like throwaway NPCs. The writing is very good too and the story is intriguing and deliciously macabre without being especially complex. It's a short game, not difficult at all, and the low level of mechanical depth is just enough to support its roughly 3-4 hour runtime without becoming stale. There's a few collectables to find throughout but they won't extend the runtime much.
In summary, I enjoyed the short time I spent in this world (the ending wasn't that satisfying for me though). Some will not find it a good value proposition at the price but that really depends on what you are looking to get out of it.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core Processor - RAM: 32 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 - VRAM: 16 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t11 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Ashe](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/3c1cf8acf68d8811e0d8aee869b08d964f40a942.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(4.3 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 25\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI 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?\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThat 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?\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t52 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"PΛRΔDΘX\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/9ab90a40cd736262a94443f886cc6258f4bdce45.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(4.2 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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I first discovered this game through its demo, which immediately caught my attention with its distinctive atmosphere, visual presentation, and, above all, its music. From that moment on, I followed the project closely and hoped the developers would be able to bring it to completion.
The result is a small indie gem <3 that proves a powerful experience does not require a massive budget or a team of hundreds. Sometimes, all it takes is a clear creative vision, attention to detail, and a sincere desire to create something original.
The player takes on the role of Eliška, a mother whose life is turned upside down in a single moment. The story handles parental fear, uncertainty, and the feeling of not being believed remarkably well, even when you know that something is terribly wrong. Gradually, the game reveals a mystery connected to Slavic mythology, family bonds, love, sacrifice, and betrayal.
The game does not rely on complex mechanics or constant action. Its greatest strength lies in its atmosphere. The slower pace gives the environments, visual storytelling, and individual moments enough room to make a lasting impression. Because of this, the game can feel tense, melancholic, and deeply emotional without constantly demanding the player’s attention through spectacle.
The embroidered visual style deserves particular praise. It is not merely an aesthetic gimmick, but an essential part of the game’s identity. The visuals feel handcrafted and fairy-tale-like, at times evoking the work of Studio Ghibli while still maintaining a distinct Slavic soul of their own.
The strongest aspect of the game, however, is undoubtedly its music. The soundtrack is not simply background accompaniment, but a fully integrated part of the storytelling. Period instruments, folk-inspired motifs, and carefully composed melodies elevate many of the game’s most important scenes. Every time the music began to play, it sent chills through my entire body and that feeling returned with every single musical passage.
The game is not without its shortcomings. Ultrawide support is missing, which is especially disappointing in such a visually striking title. Navigation through some of the underground areas can also feel confusing, and even a simple map would have helped. The overall playtime is relatively short, which benefits the pacing, but after finishing the game, I was left wanting to spend several more hours in its world.
Pros
Cons
This is a beautiful example of what a small indie studio can achieve when it has a strong idea and the courage to present it in its own unique way. The game feels personal, original, and sincere.
This project deserves support. By purchasing the game, you are not only supporting a single release, but also the developers who invested an enormous amount of time, effort, and passion into creating it. Its success could allow them to continue expanding this world and perhaps one day create a sequel.
It would be a genuine shame if such an original project never received a continuation.
Thank you to the developers for this beautiful experience <3. Now, all that remains is to listen to the soundtrack once and once again and hope that this was not Eliška’s final journey.
And one more thing, my dears: no lie can remain hidden from the golden spinning wheel and its thread of truth. Sibling jealousy never pays off.
Enjoy this masterpiece, everyone.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t Hidden Slavic Gem
I first discovered this game through its demo, which immediately caught my attention with its distinctive atmosphere, visual presentation, and, above all, its music. From that moment on, I followed the project closely and hoped the developers would be able to bring it to completion.
The result is a small indie gem <3 that proves a powerful experience does not require a massive budget or a team of hundreds. Sometimes, all it takes is a clear creative vision, attention to detail, and a sincere desire to create something original.
The player takes on the role of Eliška, a mother whose life is turned upside down in a single moment. The story handles parental fear, uncertainty, and the feeling of not being believed remarkably well, even when you know that something is terribly wrong. Gradually, the game reveals a mystery connected to Slavic mythology, family bonds, love, sacrifice, and betrayal.
The game does not rely on complex mechanics or constant action. Its greatest strength lies in its atmosphere. The slower pace gives the environments, visual storytelling, and individual moments enough room to make a lasting impression. Because of this, the game can feel tense, melancholic, and deeply emotional without constantly demanding the player’s attention through spectacle.
The embroidered visual style deserves particular praise. It is not merely an aesthetic gimmick, but an essential part of the game’s identity. The visuals feel handcrafted and fairy-tale-like, at times evoking the work of Studio Ghibli while still maintaining a distinct Slavic soul of their own.
The strongest aspect of the game, however, is undoubtedly its music. The soundtrack is not simply background accompaniment, but a fully integrated part of the storytelling. Period instruments, folk-inspired motifs, and carefully composed melodies elevate many of the game’s most important scenes. Every time the music began to play, it sent chills through my entire body and that feeling returned with every single musical passage.
The game is not without its shortcomings. Ultrawide support is missing, which is especially disappointing in such a visually striking title. Navigation through some of the underground areas can also feel confusing, and even a simple map would have helped. The overall playtime is relatively short, which benefits the pacing, but after finishing the game, I was left wanting to spend several more hours in its world.
Pros
- czech localization
- exceptional soundtrack
- strong and mysterious atmosphere
- emotional story built around parental fear
- original embroidered visual style
- effective visual storytelling
- thoughtful use of Slavic mythology
- a clear creative vision and an enormous amount of heart
Cons
- no ultrawide support
- occasionally confusing underground navigation
- relatively short playtime
This is a beautiful example of what a small indie studio can achieve when it has a strong idea and the courage to present it in its own unique way. The game feels personal, original, and sincere.
This project deserves support. By purchasing the game, you are not only supporting a single release, but also the developers who invested an enormous amount of time, effort, and passion into creating it. Its success could allow them to continue expanding this world and perhaps one day create a sequel.
It would be a genuine shame if such an original project never received a continuation.
Thank you to the developers for this beautiful experience <3. Now, all that remains is to listen to the soundtrack once and once again and hope that this was not Eliška’s final journey.
And one more thing, my dears: no lie can remain hidden from the golden spinning wheel and its thread of truth. Sibling jealousy never pays off.
Enjoy this masterpiece, everyone.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 8-Core Processor - RAM: 32 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 - VRAM: 16 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t15 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t1 person found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Imp\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/8639c7ec1d13dbc2a4ca25bc433e47cf937c04bc.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(3 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 26\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA niche game with dark medieval world setting. I actually followed the work progress back when the studio showed their sprites were made from embroidery. You can tell they put in a lot of effort into the art like the characters, background, and visually overall, stunning.
I was not expecting some bits and pieces of horror in this game, but don't worry the overall game is not scary. There were simple puzzles and platforming which were fun, and the story was interesting. There was one part in the middle of it all which involved going back and forth to get certain few items to complete the quest, and the small story for it had me invested. I also liked the stealth sections.
My only complaint was how short the game was and how the finale felt underwhelming. Not sure if DLC will be a thing for this game, but I think it should've gone a bit more into certain NPCs, such as quest and small side stories here and there, maybe more on about the "antagonist."
But, overall, I liked it. If you like a small game with some medieval and folklore stuff, and drama, this one's for ya.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tI was not expecting some bits and pieces of horror in this game, but don't worry the overall game is not scary. There were simple puzzles and platforming which were fun, and the story was interesting. There was one part in the middle of it all which involved going back and forth to get certain few items to complete the quest, and the small story for it had me invested. I also liked the stealth sections.
My only complaint was how short the game was and how the finale felt underwhelming. Not sure if DLC will be a thing for this game, but I think it should've gone a bit more into certain NPCs, such as quest and small side stories here and there, maybe more on about the "antagonist."
But, overall, I liked it. If you like a small game with some medieval and folklore stuff, and drama, this one's for ya.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t7 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Pizza](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/1d0a9688ab72496140df5e70813c8c751300954e.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.5 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis is a short but very fun folk horror game! The animation in particular is very impressive and I've never seen anything quite like it. The music is fantastic and the puzzling in the dungeon sections is pretty fun, though not particularly challenging. I had a lot of fun with this and 100% recommend it!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t13 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"tG.LITTLEHEAD\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/ab22059bbe5eb3a7577f66440e27a5d1cc1055e5.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 23\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA pretty short game, mostly walking & very-light platforming...but the Slavic folklore, music, and embroidered art make for some unique vibes.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t9 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t(I am a native Czech, but this review is in English for multiple people to easily read.)
Tl;dr: good, but too expensive for what it is, 4 hours for a pretty much full experience, "7/10" vibes, overall I recommend, but wait for a sale.
What is this game? A linear adventure platformer, with veeeery light puzzles. Gameplay-wise, it is very simple, you jump around, interact with interactibles when you're stuck and then jump around again. Sometimes you may whack things with your torch, but that's about it.
What is this game about? Well, the description pretty much says it. However I'd liken it to a fairy tale told through a videogame (with a reference to a famous... poem? ballad? not sure, from "Kytice" by "Karel Jaromír Erben" - very fun sequence to see). I won't spoil further. How this translates to gameplay is what I've written above. In terms of an objective, it feels like a series of fetch quests and unlocking doors. Very simple.
Visuals: I'm grouping these two together. Visuals for characters are very charming, the embroidered spritework is very stylistic. The whole game is NOT like that, it is just the characters and creatures. But the game does look very pretty and stylistically sound, so that's very NICE :)
Sound: SFX are alright, nothing crazy. Soundtrack however is beautiful, utilizing flutes, strings and well-sung vocals at times by very talented artists. Characters aren't voiced, which is a bit of a shame, but it might ruin the atmosphere of feeling alone.
Writing: I was very charmed by the Czech dialogue, especially for that old hag Dorothy (I assume that's her English name, I played fully in Czech though), who I did feel incredibly annoyed by, as was obviously intended. I adored the way some characters expressed themselves using different "styles" of the language, e.g. the miller.
Feels-wise, I feel like this was the team's (or rather, couple's) first game, it sometimes felt like a Flash game, which is good, because those I feel were usually very good at expressing author's intent, which this game does too; but it is also because they were many times obviously very simple or amateurish in structure, which this game did remind me of at times. It feels good, but simplistic and too short. I'm sure I was supposed to help the archer girl of the shoemaker get revenge on the slug-boys, but that didn't happen. I was hoping there'd be a little bit more to chew on in terms of story basically. On the other hand, one could push the simple gameplay only so far until it felt reductive and boring.
So, this game is...alright. Not really anything insane or spectacular, definitely not a Hollow Knight Silksong, but it's fine if you want a short classic fairy tale-like experience. I think Czech/Slovak (maybe Slavic in general) people will enjoy it more than others, because it touches on familiar concepts of our folklore and known literature.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tTl;dr: good, but too expensive for what it is, 4 hours for a pretty much full experience, "7/10" vibes, overall I recommend, but wait for a sale.
What is this game? A linear adventure platformer, with veeeery light puzzles. Gameplay-wise, it is very simple, you jump around, interact with interactibles when you're stuck and then jump around again. Sometimes you may whack things with your torch, but that's about it.
What is this game about? Well, the description pretty much says it. However I'd liken it to a fairy tale told through a videogame (with a reference to a famous... poem? ballad? not sure, from "Kytice" by "Karel Jaromír Erben" - very fun sequence to see). I won't spoil further. How this translates to gameplay is what I've written above. In terms of an objective, it feels like a series of fetch quests and unlocking doors. Very simple.
Visuals: I'm grouping these two together. Visuals for characters are very charming, the embroidered spritework is very stylistic. The whole game is NOT like that, it is just the characters and creatures. But the game does look very pretty and stylistically sound, so that's very NICE :)
Sound: SFX are alright, nothing crazy. Soundtrack however is beautiful, utilizing flutes, strings and well-sung vocals at times by very talented artists. Characters aren't voiced, which is a bit of a shame, but it might ruin the atmosphere of feeling alone.
Writing: I was very charmed by the Czech dialogue, especially for that old hag Dorothy (I assume that's her English name, I played fully in Czech though), who I did feel incredibly annoyed by, as was obviously intended. I adored the way some characters expressed themselves using different "styles" of the language, e.g. the miller.
Feels-wise, I feel like this was the team's (or rather, couple's) first game, it sometimes felt like a Flash game, which is good, because those I feel were usually very good at expressing author's intent, which this game does too; but it is also because they were many times obviously very simple or amateurish in structure, which this game did remind me of at times. It feels good, but simplistic and too short. I'm sure I was supposed to help the archer girl of the shoemaker get revenge on the slug-boys, but that didn't happen. I was hoping there'd be a little bit more to chew on in terms of story basically. On the other hand, one could push the simple gameplay only so far until it felt reductive and boring.
So, this game is...alright. Not really anything insane or spectacular, definitely not a Hollow Knight Silksong, but it's fine if you want a short classic fairy tale-like experience. I think Czech/Slovak (maybe Slavic in general) people will enjoy it more than others, because it touches on familiar concepts of our folklore and known literature.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"papa](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/fcb33ff28352f95d01ae2064a84e0b70f7207f0a.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThis looks like a search action game. It is not. However, it is an entertaining story, if a little short. The entire game can be completed in under 2 hours, but it shouldn't be. Take a little time, enjoy the presentation and mystique. This is a game about enjoying a slavic tale and pushing through gameplay mechanics that never overstay their welcome.
This game is not for people looking for hardcore action oriented mechanics. This is a great introduction to side scroll platform narrative adventures in possibly the best way.
I played through half this game on a Steam Machine with zero issues.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThis game is not for people looking for hardcore action oriented mechanics. This is a great introduction to side scroll platform narrative adventures in possibly the best way.
I played through half this game on a Steam Machine with zero issues.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIntel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 7 265F - RAM: 64 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 - VRAM: 16 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t8 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Arnborn\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/25e46c77d960a1771b1e83e2ce936f27674107db.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA good game with an excellent, even unique, art design. It's short, and honestly could've been even shorter, but the developers decided to add a bit of filler to stretch the playtime. I get why they did it — the playthrough would've been around 2 hours, and that would've led to bad-faith players refunding it. Still, I think it could've been handled more elegantly — for example, by trying to reveal who this "witch" actually is, sort of deepening the lore.
Gameplay is probably the weakest part of the game — it's not a walking simulator, sure, but it doesn't quite reach modern platformer standards either. The short runtime saves it here, though — at 3 hours, it doesn't really overstay its welcome.
The music is great, the story is simple but engaging enough.
It's a shame the game seems to be selling poorly. I wasn't planning to buy it because of my huge backlog, but I decided to support the developers anyway. I'd like to see more games with some kind of unique element, instead of the constant Unreal Engine 5 neuroslop.
Hope it still turns a profit somehow.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tGameplay is probably the weakest part of the game — it's not a walking simulator, sure, but it doesn't quite reach modern platformer standards either. The short runtime saves it here, though — at 3 hours, it doesn't really overstay its welcome.
The music is great, the story is simple but engaging enough.
It's a shame the game seems to be selling poorly. I wasn't planning to buy it because of my huge backlog, but I decided to support the developers anyway. I'd like to see more games with some kind of unique element, instead of the constant Unreal Engine 5 neuroslop.
Hope it still turns a profit somehow.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWindows 11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 8-Core Processor - RAM: 32 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - VRAM: 16 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Zill\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/6807f448de8706eacad87c167fe5c146f9a9462d.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 27\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe most surprising part of this game is that it turns out to be an honest-to-Triglav horror story. The protagonist is a single mother who has to face unspeakable, well, horrors that she's absolutely not equipped to handle. In many other games there would be high-pitched strings, heavy breathing, echoes in the dark, fevered internal monologue, and all that stuff. Here you get cute, somewhat anime-inspired visuals, and when something bad happens to the heroine the game just fades to black. But it is a horror story! You just don't realise it until it's well underway.
Whether by accident or deliberately, this ends up being a refreshing experience where the player's character is not a warrior or a superhero, but just a regular person who can maybe give you a smack on the head with a stick, if she has to, but wouldn't know how to wield a sword, for example.
The part that did not surprise me but may surprise you is the general darkness of the events, the cruel undertone to many characters (even the protagonist can be a little mean at times), and the way in-game magic works. But that's because I'm Polish and the authors are Czech; we grew up reading "bajki" forged in the same furnace of history. If you're familiar with the Grimm brothers' anthology, then this is something a bit like that, but not quite; Central Europe is a fairly large region, so its folklore spans more than just one book. You can think of this game as an introduction to the genre.
"Scarlet Deer Inn" is also a lightweight metroidvania, and as such it's vastly improved compared to the previous title from the same authors. There's only so much a team of two can accomplish in a reasonable time, and in this case the scope was - rightly - sacrificed in favour of consistency. The game isn't very long, and the mechanics aren't very deep, but they are distinct, and there's enough variety to keep things interesting for a few hours. This is what mature game design looks like: a game's is not a feature set, but an experience. Add to this a few bold but ultimately right decisions, such as not giving the player a map. As a result, you sometimes get lost but you don't get stuck, which is good and not that common, particularly in the AAA segment, which suffers from an intense fear of gameplay friction.
As a bonus there's some really good music, and the game (again, surprisingly) sometimes feels like a music video featuring a folk-pop band (they're called Strigôň, they're real, and I wish I could buy their album here on Steam).\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tWhether by accident or deliberately, this ends up being a refreshing experience where the player's character is not a warrior or a superhero, but just a regular person who can maybe give you a smack on the head with a stick, if she has to, but wouldn't know how to wield a sword, for example.
The part that did not surprise me but may surprise you is the general darkness of the events, the cruel undertone to many characters (even the protagonist can be a little mean at times), and the way in-game magic works. But that's because I'm Polish and the authors are Czech; we grew up reading "bajki" forged in the same furnace of history. If you're familiar with the Grimm brothers' anthology, then this is something a bit like that, but not quite; Central Europe is a fairly large region, so its folklore spans more than just one book. You can think of this game as an introduction to the genre.
"Scarlet Deer Inn" is also a lightweight metroidvania, and as such it's vastly improved compared to the previous title from the same authors. There's only so much a team of two can accomplish in a reasonable time, and in this case the scope was - rightly - sacrificed in favour of consistency. The game isn't very long, and the mechanics aren't very deep, but they are distinct, and there's enough variety to keep things interesting for a few hours. This is what mature game design looks like: a game's is not a feature set, but an experience. Add to this a few bold but ultimately right decisions, such as not giving the player a map. As a result, you sometimes get lost but you don't get stuck, which is good and not that common, particularly in the AAA segment, which suffers from an intense fear of gameplay friction.
As a bonus there's some really good music, and the game (again, surprisingly) sometimes feels like a music video featuring a folk-pop band (they're called Strigôň, they're real, and I wish I could buy their album here on Steam).\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.2 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(3.9 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: July 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI was enjoying this game for most of my playtime. Currently, I'm on a chase sequence where I chase a red hat bug which leads to a blue hat bug. During the blue hat chase part, I pull a lever that causes me fall in a pit which is game over. Every time you fail the chase sequence you have to start from the beginning. I failed the blue hat part several times now so I'm giving up. Overall, I was having a good time up until this long chase sequence that seems unfair or possibly bugged-maybe skill issue-but having to start the chase from the beginning is way too tedious.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t13 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
5 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t5 people found this review funny\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\tA developer has responded on Jul 22 @ 5:01am
(view response)
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