Featured Image Credit: Shan Yu Studio
Topics: Indie Games, Steam
There are a lot of horror games out there these days and it can be tough to find the absolute gems in the enormous heap of existing projects that fail to hit the mark, particularly on Steam where it remains one of the most popular genres.
Fortunately, that does mean we are quite likely to get at least some good, or even great, games based on sheer numbers alone, and a new one is on the horizon that looks to hit the same notes as some absolute horror behemoths.
Scarlet Idol (女吊), is an upcoming 3D Chinese folk horror puzzle game that comes complete with a co-op two-player mode a la Resident Evil 5 - we're getting a new one of those very soon - that incorporates various cultural elements from the region where it is based.
There's seemingly a lot to like about this effort from developer Shan Yu Studio, who are seemingly making their debut on Steam with the release of Scarlet Idol, so it might be one to take a gamble on when it does release.
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The plot sees previously abandoned infant Qi Ning return home to the village of their birth with the intention of rescuing their foster brother Qi Yu, who is being abused at the hands of the villagers he lives with.
It's clear that the developer is really pushing the co-op as a potential unique selling point for the game, and in all fairness it does sound like it's doing things differently. In their own words, Scarlet Idol follows a formula where, "Two players will experience spatially separated environments. They must piece together clues each can obtain, solve puzzles in their respective spaces, or cooperate with each other to advance the game progress and uncover more truths of the story. Meanwhile, many puzzles and horror elements are related to Zhejiang's folk culture."
They've really gone all in on the realism here as well, with the ancient stage scenes in the game based on direct field research conducted by the team on real-world equivalents.
That realism and authenticity extends out to the sound design as well, with Scarlet Idol rooting much of the game's audio in Taoist culture with a modern twist, bring a classic sound with fresh influences for a modern day audience.
The game doesn't have a release date just yet, but if it sounds like something you might enjoy, the developer has just dropped a brand-new free demo on Steam.
That should give you more than enough of a look at the gameplay to decide whether you want to take the leap on the full thing.