Occasionally I will see a game that opts for an artstyle so complex and involved that will clearly take years to make, leaving me with an unbridled fear of the gamey part being not very good. I’m talking about games like Harold Halibut, where the entire thing is stop-motion. Do you know how long stop-motion takes! A while, I’ve heard. I feel similarly about Scarlet Deer Inn, a Slavic-folklore inspired platformer where every single sprite is made from embroidery that’s out today.
Now, in case you didn’t know, embroidery also takes a seriously long time. The dev time on Scarlet Deer Inn apparently took five years, and I can only assume that that’s because all of the backgrounds are simply (“simply,” they say) hand-painted. It’s only the characters and various animals that have received the embroidery treatment, and from what I can tell finer details like facial animations have been added digitally.
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The result is quite a stunner though. There’s an immediate tactile quality to it all, as if a tapestry is unfurling itself in front of you frame by frame, supported by some lush and expansive backgrounds. And, thankfully, the choice to make all of the sprites embroidered isn’t a hindrance on the platforming. I’ve had a go at the demo and it’s all tightly responsive, even if what’s there isn’t necessarily revolutionary platforming. There is a puzzle element I like though, in that you have a torch that slowly goes out unless you find a place to top it up, a heartbeat creeping up on you as it’s about to go out. Genuinely a bit nervewracking!
What ties the whole thing together for me is its dark underbelly. Taking on the role of a mother of two that recently moved to a medieval village, having taken over the titular local inn, you start out going around said village doing some chores that are both annoying conceptually in the real world, and annoying to do in playing the game as they’re a bit fetch questy. This is just the setup, however, as upon being tasked with providing the local beekeeper with something, you discover that he’s been killing children.
This leads you to a strange underground land complete with strange beasties, one of which is a giant skeleton on legs only seen in the trailer. It’s much darker than its sweet, colourful demeanor presents at first, and makes for a compelling introduction. I was annoyed when the demo ended because I wanted more! That’s as good a sign as any, if you ask me.
Scarlet Deer Inn is out on Steam now.
