Scarlet Hollow
Top Critic Average
Critic Reviews for Scarlet Hollow
Episode 2 continues on in much the same manner as Episode 1. It has consistently high-quality writing, which makes for an engaging experience all the way through. Barring occasional hiccups with some of the new cast members, Episode 2 manages to improve upon its predecessor in every way, from the expanded range of choices to the overall narrative structure of the unfolding plot. The months-long wait till Episode 3 will be a painful one, but if the quality continues in this manner, I’m more than happy to wait.
Overall, Scarlet Hollow is nothing short of a fantastic start to what will hopefully be a defining Western horror visual novel experience. In a short time frame of two hours, Abby Howard not only proves her merits in the qualities most important to visual novels but also manages to add her own flavors and spins to the genre with remarkable confidence. Needless to say, I’m more than eager to see what she has in store for Episode 2 and the subsequent story left to be told.
Scarlet Hollow is a short immersive debut for Abby Howard and Black Tabby Games, delivering chills with refreshing old-school mystery and special characters.
I feel like Scarlet Hollow is a demonstration of how the format for the visual novel is just a foundation on which so much greater can be built. While the screenshots may look like a standard VN, the game itself is vastly more, not just with its RPG-like systems and ridiculously complex balancing of choices, but the far greater sense of scale, time, and significance. I’ve been blown away by it all over again.
