One of the subgenres out there that I’ve continued to struggle with the most in the eShop is visual novels. As someone who grew up way back in the day watching film strips in class, the notion of a story being narrated to me while periodically showing different images is familiar, but when you put these experiences next to legitimate games and try to see them as being similar I start to have struggles. Granted, there have been a number that I’ve encountered over the last generation that have included just enough room for player decision-making to help better justify the inclusion, but they’ve been few and far between.

In the case of Scarlet Wolf, I’ll at least give the story credit for breaking away from what usually ends up being pretty dull fare, introducing some tension and light horror beats to the mix. I’ll also admit that I didn’t see the nature of your primary companion on this journey coming, and I won’t spoil it in the review, but it was an odd choice that’s at least amusing, and their personality helps moderate the tone of this journey.

All that said, for the most part this is a ride you’ll simply get on to move through without much in the way of control. Yes, you will get to make a few decisions, but for the most part bad choices seem to simply be terminal in some way, the core story thread remains what it is till the end. If you enjoy a decent story with some psychological elements and creepy vibes, this may well work for you, but if you were hoping for something to engage with a little more directly, it will likely come up short.