The Indie Informer

First, I need to cheer the Black Tabby Games team for one very important decision. The ongoing, episodic title, Scarlet Hollow, offers players the chance at the start of every new chapter to watch a full recap of their gameplay so far. Thank goodness. This story’s release has stretched out over five years thus far — with the developer’s critically-acclaimed Slay The Princess dropping in the middle. So, keeping the increasingly twisting threads straight would be a Herculean task.

That very important thanks said, I’m beyond all hope consumed by Scarlet Hollow.

Its latest episode, the fifth out of seven total chapters, places me at the apex of a roller coaster. Up until this point, I’ve made a myriad of choices about figures and situations that were largely unconnected to me. I’m a stranger from out of town and only visiting for the funeral of an estranged relative after all. It’s really in this latest adventure that I began to think of the characters as friends and realized my bond with the town.

Now, I begin to reap what I’ve sown. The decisions I made when my friends were just acquaintances, and the city’s woes didn’t concern me, have set me on a precarious path. I’m desperate to save everything that’s become important to me, but every new turn of fate makes that seem less possible.

Gaining a deeper relationship with those around me also breeds suspicion. I’m keenly aware of how vulnerable I am to being betrayed and, now that I’m paying attention, I see subtle red flags everywhere. But some of my efforts are richly rewarded. Though I have not yet indulged in any of the many romantic options, I poured significant emotional investment into a missable fuzzy companion. None of my love was ever reflected until this episode. The moment is memorialized in my notebook with an erratically scribbled: “WE ARE FRIENDS!”

The first part of episode five releases today, fittingly, Friday the thirteenth, with the second half dropping next week. The episodic nature of Scarlet Hollow is such a struggle for me. I want so much to share the story so far with everyone, but I relish the idea of streaming the whole game with my community once the full narrative adventure launches.