Upcoming Game: Scarlet Deer Inn
Scarlet Deer Inn is an upcoming game created by the husband and wife dev duo, Attu Games. In it, you play as Elise, a devoted mother of two. Due to special circumstances, she has to explore a treacherous dungeon hidden deep beneath her village. In the dungeon, all manner of horrible creatures lurk in the darkness waiting to cut your adventure short. The only thing you have to protect yourself, is your trusty torch.
The main gameplay loop involves you navigating through the aforementioned dungeon. During these platforming segments, you’ll have to carefully manage your light resource. If your torch goes out, it’s lights out for Elise. The demo does a good job with the pacing during the dungeon segments, shifting from easy platforming to small scale puzzles fairly well. The torch refueling resources are spread out perfectly, creating some tense moments where you just barely make it in the nick of time. As your light dwindles, you’ll hear this deep pulsing heartbeat sound cue. Hearing that had me frantically looking for my next light source. Solve puzzles, unlock shortcuts, and explore even further into the depths of the dungeon to unravel the mystery.
When you aren’t knee deep in the dungeon, you can explore Elise’s village. Talk to the townspeople to discover their stories, and learn how they intertwine with your own. Complete quests, help them with their daily chores, and don’t forget to honk at the geese in his narrative platformer heavily inspired by Slavic folklore.
Unique Character Designs
Scarlet Deer Inn takes inspiration from Slavic tales and folklore, which is evident in its character designs and atmosphere. The dev duo even perform the background music to the game on traditional instruments. Playing through the demo, it really did feel like I was playing a fairy tale from the middle ages. However I want to take a moment to specifically highlight the game’s character designs and animations.
All of the characters – human, animal, and fairy tale – have their sprites created by embroidery. The end result looks and feels like an interactive story book, which feels absolutely incredible to play. It’s evident how much care and detail went into these characters, and it’s honestly a joy to see the animations in practice. They posted a brief video on their YouTube channel, demonstrating the process. Seeing something like this serves as a reminder to me why I love the indie gaming scene. People are creating some very unique games, and I can’t wait for this one to come out.
Conclusion
Scarlet Deer Inn is looking like one unique gem of a game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen animation and character quite like this, and I am hooked on the aesthetic. Unfortunately, there is no release date for the game, but there is a playable demo on Steam now. If you are a fan of narrative platformers, and heavily story driven games, Scarlet Deer Inn deserves a spot on your wish list.
If you want more information on Scarlet Deer Inn, you can subscribe to the Attu Games YouTube channel or watch my Planning Phase video:
How do you feel about Scarlet Deer Inn? Have you tried the demo yet? What do you think about the character designs and the musical accompaniment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.