Ludography
70/100
Players2 ratings
More scores
Metacritic usersuser score
86/100
GameFAQsSimple/Easy
2.8/5
Player reviews
74% positive799 reviews
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$29.99

Where to get it

7'scarlet cover

2016 · Idea Factory · Adventure · Otome

7'scarlet

Timed PlayStation exclusive

The remote town of Okunezato is shaped like a crescent moon and shrouded in dark myths and legends. Take on the role of a brave young woman journeying into the unknown to uncover dangerous truths and locate her missing brother with her childhood friend.

Released
21 July 2016
Platforms
Nintendo SwitchPlayStation VitaWindows
Genres
AdventureOtomeVisual novel
Developers
Idea FactoryToybox Inc.
Publishers
Idea FactoryAksys Games
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Text
Themes
DramaRomance
Country
Japan
Age ratings
PEGI 12CERO BESRB T
Languages
Chinese (Traditional), English, Japanese, Korean
Time to beat
6.5hmain story23hcompletionist

About

7'scarlet is an otome visual novel video game developed by Otomate and Toybox Inc. It was released for the PlayStation Vita by Idea Factory in 2016 in Japan and by Aksys Games in 2018 in North America and Europe. The player reads through the story, making choices that determine its direction, and takes the role of college student Ichiko Hanamaki, who goes to the town of Okunezato to investigate the disappearance of her brother together with her friend Hino Kagutsuchi.

The game was directed and written by Tomio Kanazawa, with character designs by Chinatsu Kurahana and music by Yuki Sugiura. Although Kanazawa initially wanted to set the game in the real-life town Karuizawa, he ended up creating a fictional, crescent-shaped town based on it instead, with some features such as the main street remaining largely unaltered compared to their real-life counterparts. The game was well received by critics.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

7'scarlet is a visual novel in which the player reads through the story, and makes choices that affect the direction of the story; they need to replay the game multiple times and take different paths to uncover the whole story. The player character has a default name, but the player may change it if they wish; if they use the default name, dialogue mentioning the player character by name will be voiced. Throughout the game, items are added to the player's "TIPS" glossary, including explanations of terms and background stories for characters and locations.

Story

The game follows Ichiko Hanamaki, a college student whose brother has disappeared in the town of Okunezato a year prior to the start of the game. She and her childhood friend Hino Kagutsuchi find a website discussing mysteries surrounding the town, which will host an offline meetup in the town during the summer; Ichiko and Hino go there to investigate Ichiko's brother's disappearance.

Development

7'scarlet was developed by Otomate and Toybox Inc., and was directed and written by Deadly Premonition producer Tomio Kanazawa, with character designs by Chinatsu Kurahana, and music by Yuki Sugiura. The opening theme, "World's End Syndrome", was performed by Kaori Oda and composed by Myu; the ending themes "Me no Mae no Hohoemi", "Koboresou na Tsuki" and "Itoshisa o Daita Hana" were performed by Mao, Oda, and Haruka Shimotsuki, respectively; and the insert song "Lovesick" was performed by A-TO and Auk Zero.

The town of Okunezato was based on the real-life town Karuizawa; Kanazawa had wanted to set a game in the actual Karuizawa, but was asked to make it a fictitious place, so he took artistic liberties with the location and changed it to a crescent-shaped town surrounded by forests and rivers; some specific areas remained largely unchanged, such as Okunezato's main street, based on the Old Karuizawa Ginza Avenue.

Reception

Famitsu gave the game their Gold Hall of Fame award, saying that they enjoyed its mystery theme and how it was well integrated with the otome format despite how it was unusual to see the two elements combined. They also enjoyed learning more of the mystery on each new route they played through. 4Gamer.net enjoyed the music, saying that they liked the sense of mystery, and that the song "Through the Woods" in particular gave them goose bumps.

7'scarlet was the 16th best selling game in Japan during its debut week, selling 3,128 copies.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation Vita21 July 2016Japan · North America 25 May 2018 · Europe 25 May 2018
Windows19 March 2019Worldwide
Nintendo Switch11 July 2024Japan · Worldwide 15 May 2025

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Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.