Scarlet Deer Inn: Demo Review

I don’t often get the chance to play a lot of 2D narrative platformers. So when I saw Scarlet Deer Inn on my Steam feed one day I was instantly hooked. It visually stunned me, and I just had to learn more. Then, when I found that it had a demo, I cleared out some time and got ready to devote an evening to exploring this Slavic fairy tale. And I want to take a brief moment to give you my review of the Scarlet Deer Inn demo.

A Breadth of Character in Every Stitch

First, I want to take a brief moment to tell you about the game. Scarlet Deer Inn is a 2D narrative platformer heavily inspired by Slavic folklore. The protagonist, Elise, is a mother of two who gets trapped exploring a mysterious dungeon beneath her village. But the dungeon is full of horrifying creatures, who are waiting inside the darkness. And the only thing you have to protect yourself is your torch.

The main thing that sets this game apart from others though, is that the character animations and sprites are all embroidered. Every frame has been stitched out, scanned into a computer, touched up, and added to the game. The amount of work and detail taken to craft these characters is commendable, and really pays off. Each character looks fantastic, and knowing the amount of effort it took made me appreciate them a little bit more.

Not only are the character animations gorgeous, but the artwork for the town and dungeons are vivid and bursting with charm. The developers really did make the environment feel like it pops right out of a story book. However, there were a few slight issues that I noticed while playing. Some textures do feel a bit out of place, and look a bit flat when contrasted with the backgrounds. There were also moments where Elise’s walking animation felt a bit jarring, but after a few moments it would pass. Overall nothing ruined the immersion or took away from the gameplay experience.

Exploring a World of Slavic Folklore

The main gameplay involves two parts: interacting with the townsfolk and exploring the dungeon under town. The townsfolk that you get to interact with are expressive, and have their own personalities. They have real problem, real issues, and feels like they have real drives and motivations. Some of those problems tie directly into the story, so I’ll try to avoid spoilers. I will say that it was a genuine treat talking to the villagers. It was interesting finding out their places in the village, and how they interconnect with us and the others.

The other half of the gameplay comes from exploring the sprawling dungeon under the town. After a certain point in the demo, you’ll become lost and stranded in this dungeon. Your only means of protection, is your torch, which is constantly needing to be refueled. There are all manner of creatures that inhabit the dungeon, some friendly, some tricksy, and some outright deadly. Dungeon gameplay revolves around refueling your torch, solving puzzles, platforming, and unlocking short cuts.

So far I found the puzzles to be relatively simple, but the exploration itself was exciting. The pacing between refuel stations was perfect, and there were times where I felt I would not make it. When your torch is about to extinguish, a heartbeat sound cue will beat louder and faster. There were some tense moments as I could see the darkness closing in.

While the dungeon exploration felt great, I couldn’t help but think that something was missing. I knew that my torch was relit I was safe, so the feeling of danger immediately subsided. Additionally, in the demo there were not too many creatures stalking you through the caves. More creature interactions or encounters would serve to keep the adrenaline pumping. This could just be a limitation of the demo though, and the final product may differ.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the Scarlet Deer Inn demo and I am still excited for its release. I think the potential for something incredible is there, but currently is just missing a little spark. The fairytale setting is perfect, the art design is phenomenal, it’s just missing a little ‘oomph’ to the gameplay. I’ve still got my eye on it, and will anxiously await more news in the days to come.

The demo for Scarlet Deer Inn is available to play on Steam, giving players the opportunity to play roughly the first hour of the game.