7’scarlet is the newest game developed by Idea Factory and published by Intragames, who full disclosure tossed me a copy to review. I am also kinda glad they did because I truly never would have bought this type of game in a million years. I would have seen it, thought it looked interesting but never got around to it. Why you may ask, well it plays out like a visual novel. I have no issue with visual novels, by the way, they just aren’t my thing. This game may have changed that tho.
The story starts off explaining what is going on, which is you are laying the role of a young woman searching for her brother with her friend from when she was a child. This will lead you to the town of Okunezato which is surrounded by all kinds of mystery and intrigue. From the political atmosphere to the odd relationship between the owner of the hotel and the police officer. I know this all seems pretty vague, but it has too. The entire point of this is the story itself, and it would be wrong of me to spoil that and it is worth the experience. In fact, it is designed to be played multiple times as there are multiple paths to take with various characters. This will allow you to see the entire story and adds plenty of replay value.
The game is also quite beautiful to look at which I feel is pretty important for this style of game since you wouldn’t want to feel like you were reading a book instead of playing a game. That, however, is my only complaint. As aesthetically pleasing as the game is to look at, and as enjoyable as the story is, it is still a lot of reading and kinda felt like one massive cut scene even tho I did have to make choices at times. If you like to read books or visual novels this is a great game, it also was nice to relax with. It just wasn’t very exciting, and if you are used to shooters or action games this may not be for you.
As always tho I judge the games I play based off what the designers were creating and the functionality of it, and with a great story, no serious technical faults that I ran into and nice visuals I feel comfortable giving this one an 8/10, but pointing out it is not for everyone. Enjoy the trailer below that I added because honestly, I love the music. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
