Release Date: May 15, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Toybox Inc, Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, PC (Steam)
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
SYNOPSIS
Just before summer vacation begins, college student Ichiko Hanamaki is invited by her childhood friend and classmate, Hino Kagutsuchi, to join him on a trip to Okunezato. It is the last place her missing brother was seen. Hino recently came across a website called The Okunezato Supernatural Club, where people discuss the town’s eerie legends and unsolved mysteries. An offline gathering of the club is set to take place in Okunezato, and Hino suggests they use the opportunity to investigate her brother’s disappearance. With his support and encouragement, Ichiko gathers her resolve and heads to the mysterious town, determined to uncover the truth.
ART AND MUSIC
When 7’scarlet was first announced, one thing that immediately caught fans’ attention was the involvement of renowned illustrator Chinatsu Kurahana, who was responsible for the character designs and overall illustrations of the title. Many gamers might recognize their work from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, where they also handled the character designs. If you’re an avid BL fan, you have probably seen their distinctive style from Nitro+CHiRAL games like Lamento: BEYOND THE VOID and Togainu no Chi. And of course, they’re a well-known name in the otome fandom as the artist behind the iconic character designs of our beloved idols in Uta no☆Prince-sama.
FUN FACT: The director and scenario writer, Tomio Kanazawa, also wrote the visual novel World End Syndrome, which basically adapts the same concept as 7’scarlet. The main difference is that the protagonist is male and the routes are female, so you could say World End Syndrome is technically the “galge” counterpart to 7’scarlet.🤭 The games were released two years apart, with 7’scarlet coming out first.
STORY TIME!
For those who aren’t new here, yes, this is going to be my second time reviewing the otome visual novel 7’Scarlet. You can read my first review here, written seven years ago.
My review, 7 years ago was also one of my baby articles btw, so please forgive the hatchling vibes!😂 I was a novice blogger back then and still pretty timid about going full-on critic mode (laughs). Now that I’m a little more *seasoned*, I’d like for this review, second time around, to be much more nuanced than the first!
Why am I reviewing this again? Well, it’s been seven years since I first picked up the game on the PS Vita, and truth be told, I’ve actually forgotten most of the story already. It’s truly been a while, so I’d like to re-experience the game with fresh eyes! I’m also rather curious to see if my thoughts and feelings about this title have changed. Before diving into the review though, let me indulge you with some fun little trivia about the game.
☪︎2018: Aksys’ Summer of Mystery Promo
So, seven years ago, Aksys Games picked up 7’Scarlet along with two other otome titles: Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, as part of their Summer of Mystery promo in 2018. These three mystery-themed otome games were released back to back, with Black Butterfly launching first in April, 7’Scarlet in May, and Ashen Hawk following in June. At the time, all three titles were only available on the PS Vita. If you ordered the physical copies, they came with cool, nifty character cards (similar to the character card sets we get with Aksys’s current Switch releases).
Part of what made the Summer of Mystery promo extra special was the bonus incentive. If you ordered all three titles and sent in proof of your purchases, you would receive an extra reward: a set of fancy pins themed around the three games. These rewards were exclusive to North America and available on a first come, first serve basis. Only 1,000 pin sets were made, which made them pretty rare, & a fun novelty prize for otome fans and collectors alike.
I remember these were the rage back in the day. Everyone in the otome space was buzzing about them, myself included.😅 “Whaat? Otome-themed merch? What a rare sight to behold!” 🤣🤣🤣 (laughs) and I’m pretty sure a lot in the community felt the same way. A lot of us also took to social media to spread the word about how to redeem the rewards, since the publishers hadn’t exactly made the process super clear. There were mixed reactions from fans outside the US when they found out the pins were North America exclusives only, while some people didn’t even know the rewards existed at all.
Looking back, it’s kind of funny how excited we all got over these enamel pins. I had to laugh thinking about how we were practically falling over ourselves for these teeny-tiny collectibles. It’s a reminder for me, of just how much the genre has grown from its early, humble beginnings. Now we get posters, art books, acrylic standees, keychains, and proper limited editions with all sorts of goodies. (I mean, still not up to par with Japan’s exclusive physical LEs but hey!)
Anyway, I did get my exclusive pins, and as tiny as they are, I still love them and think fondly of them just for the memories. Ha!
Also keep in mind that this was during a critical transition period for visual novels. Sony had announced they would be discontinuing production of the PS Vita, and visual novels were slowly migrating to the Switch (which was only a year-old console at the time). Not many people owned a PS Vita then, and even fewer were using it to play otome games. So it makes sense that only 1,000 pin sets were produced, considering how niche the community was (the console community used to be soooooo so small, believe it or not).
☪︎2019: Intragames Buggy PC Port
Fast forward a year later, 7’Scarlet along with the two Psychedelica games were ported to Steam by another publisher, Intragames. Unfortunately, the PC port release was plagued with bugs, so its current Steam page was flooded with negative reviews as a result. I’m not sure if those crashing issues were ever fixed, but this game really had it rough.
…Now here we are in the present with the Switch port, and I’m very happy to report that this version had no issues and was smooth sailing all the way through!
The game also had several improvements, like enhanced animations, talking sprites, rainfall effects, mist overlays, etc. This port was so glorious and very much deserving after what this title has gone through over these seven grueling years!
Voice Acting
Nobunaga Shimazaki as “Hino“ – Riku (Olympia Soiree), Yuki Soma (Fruits Basket), Kaedehara Kazuha (Genshin), Silver (TWTS), Napoleon (Ikevamp), Yamato (Storm Lover 2nd), Arjuna (Fate/Extella), Xeno (Angelique Lumernarise), Eugeo (Sword Art Online), Seishiro Nagi (BLUELOCK)
Tetsuya Kakihara as “Isora“ – Tifalet (Battlefield Waltz), Sena (9RIP), Keith Claes (Hamefura Pirates), Victor Frankenstein (Code Realize), Momotaro Onzai (B-PROJECT), Shin (Amnesia), Kiro (MLQC), Carmen (BUSTAFELLOWS), Clyde King (Iris School of Wizardry), Ish (Even if Tempest), Uguisumaru (Touken Ranbu)
Shotaro Morikubo as “Toa“ – Okita (Hakuoki), Impey (Code Realize), Reiji (UtaPri), Gilbert Redford (Piofiore), Jocus (Period Cube), Troy (BUSTAFELLOWS), Hikaru Osari (B-PROJECT)
Chiharu Sawashiro as “Sosuke“ – Minamoto no Yoshinaka (Birushana), Settsu Banri (A3!), Shila (Snow White and the Red hair), Ristu (Caligula Effect), Chiharu Sawashiro (World End Syndrome), Tsubaki (Side Kicks!) Cinderella (Another Prince), Kujo Soma (Stand My Heroes)
Shinichirou Miki as “Yuzuki“ – Hijikata (Hakuoki), Nesso Galland (Black Wolves Saga), Bucket-Sensei (Bad Apple Wars), Zamasu (Dragon Ball), Lina Jenkins (Tiny x Machinegun), Toshiyuki Sawada (ROBOTIC;NOTES), Tanjuro Kamado (Demon Slayer), Daihannya Nagamitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Hikaru Midorikawa as “Hanate” – Ayato (Diabolik Lovers), Goemon (Nightshade), Solitus (Cafe Enchante), Ootori (Utapri), Yutaka Nabari (Nil Admirari), Akihiko (P4), Ura Alice (ALICE=ALICE), Yusuke (CLANNAD), Masato (MoshiKami), Rantaro (Danganropa), Tenshouin Eichi (Ensemble Stars)
Sanae Kobayashi as “Yuki“ – Miharu (Winter’s Wish), Sara Nome (Macross Zero), Nagisa (Maid Sama), Omodaka (Pokemon Horizon), Tighnari (Genshin Impact)
Hiroki Yasumoto as “Mr. Karasuma“ – Jin Grandet (IkePri), Fujita (Butterfly Poison Bloodchain), Shogo Fujimoto (Kitty Love), Azrael (BlazBlue), Nidai Nekomaru (Danganropa V3), Hyuga (KLAP), Vlad (Princess Nightmare), Razel (Lamento BtV), Munenori Yagyu (Haruka 7) Klaus (Beastmaster and Prince)
Hiroki Takahashi as “Kagura Tsukuyomi“ – Sasanuki (Touken Ranbu), Victor (IkeVil), Rayne (Neo Angelique Abyss), Koujaku (DMMd), Bilal (Wand of Fortune), Otohiko (Kamisama Kiss), Koujaku (DRAMAtical Murder), Shido Kaname (Bad Medicine), Shu Itsuki (Ensemble Stars)
Daisuke Kishio as “Yasu“ – Kokuto Neji (Jack Jeanne), Sariel (Light and Night), Kaname (Vampire Knight), Kurama (Kamisama Kiss), Azusa Mukami (Diabolik Lovers), Makoto (Sweet Pool), Azuma (Kiniro no Corda), Crius (Xenoblade Chronicles 3), Elza (Black Wolves Saga), Hayato (Spiral Memoria)
Chiwa Saito as “Yua“ – Aoi Asahina (Danganropa V3), Taokaka (BlazBlue), Domina (Period Cube), Fate (Caster), Yoko Hiromine (SMT5), Changli (Wuthering Waves), Kakania (Reverse: 1999)
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
There’s a specific route order that the game strictly enforces. When you first start, you can only play through either Hino’s or Isora’s routes. After completing one of the starter routes, Toa’s route unlocks. Once you achieve Toa’s Happy Ending, Sosuke’s route becomes available. Then, after getting Sosuke’s Happy Ending, you’ll gain access to Yuzuki’s route.
You think that ends there right? Nope! there’s more! After completing Yuzuki’s Happy Ending, the true route becomes playable. And once you clear the true route, the finale route unlocks wrapping up the game’s complete story. TL;DR: The recommended route order is Hino → Isora → Toa → Sosuke → Yuzuki → True Route → Secret Route. I placed Hino first because his route has the least spoilers in the entire game, which basically makes it a great starting point.
Walkthroughs:
HINO KAGUTSUCHI
- himbo
Hino is Ichiko’s childhood friend who attends the same college. He’s always optimistic and hates to lose. He has excellent reflexes and leads the college’s futsal club. He has many secret admirers at school, and although several girls have confessed their love to him, he always turns them down.
Hino is one of those great NPCs who ended up in a pretty bland route. His story was just an ultimate bore, and I feel bad saying this because he was genuinely a good guy. I wish the game would’ve played up more of his himbo shtick y’know, like him being the biggest nerd with his kawaii hobbies, etc. I think that would’ve added more depth to his character, perhaps? It’s unfortunate that the romance here was completely overshadowed by the game’s plot events, so the ending felt kind of ….awkward, abrupt, ham-fisted! 😅My impression of him improved though, after finishing the entire game, so maybe that’s promising? (cackles)
⬇️ Spoilers
I think Hino was the most copped-out character in the romance department. Their supposed date scene during the summer festival at the beginning of his route was almost completely overtaken by the strung-out plot twist about his trauma on guns. Compared to the other routes, he was the only one who didn’t get to actually spend a *meaningful* time with Ichiko during the festival. Poor guy! It’s funny and sad at the same time.
There was very little build up to their relationship, honestly. So needless to say, the big “I love you” confession at the end felt way too off and awkward for both Hino and Ichiko. It was a little cringe, considering how sudden it was. lol
ISORA AMARI
- young & yabai
Fuurin Cafe’s temporary chef, he’s in his second year of high school and a patissier-in-training. Although he’s already earned his chef’s license, he remains ambitious, and continues his studies, refining his skills in international culinary techniques.
Isora’s route, I actually quite enjoyed the second time around. Even though I already know what goes down here, I think I’ve just appreciated this character more due to all the whiplashes of his energy. The dude literally pivots from golden retriever “let-me-get-you-anything-you-want” persona to his snappish, bad-tempered creepiness, and Idk why, but I found myself cackling a bunch of time whenever Isora gets on his “mood swings.” What a freak of nature!🤣 LOL Unfortunately, the romance here suffers from the same abruptness that pervaded Hino’s route. The overarching plot just completely overshadows any kind of attempted buildup to his relationship with Ichiko, which was a shame.
⬇️ Spoilers
When I say I enjoyed Isora’s route, I mean it in the same way I enjoyed Futami’s route in Charade Maniacs. It was more like, “I couldn’t take this seriously, but I’m having a lot of fun,” type of enjoyment!🤣
To be fair, Isora’s route wasn’t bad at all. If anything, it actually contributed a lot to the bigger plot. I liked the foreshadowing that was seemingly packed in here, especially since so much of it tied back in the other routes, particularly the finale. I didn’t really notice this the first time I played, but I totally forgot that it was Isora’s dad whom Sosuke’s father, Shinryu Tatehira, killed for being a revenant. The final route even made reference to that detail, which I found really satisfying, story-wise.
That said, the romance took a big hit here too, just like in Hino’s route. The whole ILY-kiss-kiss-mwah-mwah at the end felt like the writers suddenly remembered they were making an otome game and had to squeeze that part in. LMAO 😂 Well, at least we got a good kiss CG out of it!
TOA KUSHINADA
- deserves better (after all these years) 🤧
A nerdy looking young man who’s very fond of cats. He has difficulty interacting with people, so he tends to speak politely and avoid making eye contact. He’s also nearsighted, colorblind, and very clumsy that he often trips over thin air. Despite the weather, he insists on wearing his favorite padded dotera kimono, even in the summer.
If there’s one thing that really stuck with me from playing this game seven years ago, it was definitely this character. Toa!! 🤧 Look here, youngins, before Lucas Proust, we had TOA KUSHINADA!! Okay? Enough said. (Or rather, that’s all I *can* say.)
⬇️ Spoilers
Wow, seven years later and I’m still crying!😭😭😭 Toa, the tragic man that you are! Unfortunately, you won’t really appreciate his character to the fullest unless you actually finish the entire game. So, I seriously beg, please push through to the very end, it’s totally worth it esp. if you like inklings of tragedies that are slowly woven into the story. Toa’s route by itself doesn’t make him stand out, but the True route is where the real depth hits!
Anyway, I wasn’t paying much attention to some plot points years ago (or maybe I just forgot these details), but after replaying, I realized a few things: (BIG SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE BE WARNED)
I think Toa still stands as my favorite character in the game. How could I ever replace this sweet, sweet boy? He really deserves so much better.😭 Also, I have to confess: when I first played this, even though the game literally made it SOOO OBVIOUS, I was completely BLINDSIDED & OBLIVIOUS and did not realize TOA was A-TO! LMFAO.😂 I had to laugh because I was honestly shook at the reveal, and I kept it a secret because all my friends and the otome group I was discussing the game at that time, all caught on it right away and I was the only one who was like… 🧍♀️🧍♀️🧍♀️ WELL, OK NOW YOU KNOW! 😂🤣
SOSUKE TATEHIRA
- megane
- deadpan dad jokes
Sosuke is a medical student with a taciturn personality who approaches life in an exceedingly logical manner. He’s also surprisingly outdoorsy and confident in his athletic abilities.
I literally couldn’t remember much about Sosuke’s route when I first played this on the vita, except recalling that I’d apparently liked his stoic quirkiness. Replaying this now though, made me realize how enjoyable this route is, not just because it had chockfull of satisfying plot-reveals (like the overarching mystery is finally coming together), but also because of how fun and cute his dynamic with Ichiko is. They actually get ample time together in this route, which makes the romance feel more naturally developed. Ichiko was also surprisingly a little rambunctious here, especially when dealing with Sosuke’s overly logical stoicism, and that made their back-and-forth really entertaining to me.
⬇️ Spoilers
Maybe this is where the mystery peaked in terms of finally discovering who the culprit is. I loved their mafia/werewolf session here and enjoyed the characters’ dynamic interplay as they throw around deductions and counter arguments to each other as well as confirming each others alibis. The scene was really fun!
Kagura as the villain, though, felt a little obvious since he’s the only real creepshow around. But I’ll be honest with you, I actually thought it was Yua.😅 I was so sure the game would flip her into a Monika (DDLC), lol. Turns out I was right that she was also the culprit, but in a very different light and definitely not in Monika-esque direction! ha!
YUZUKI MURakumo
- grumpy muffin 🥹
The owner of the Fuurinkan Hotel and heir of the Murakumo family. His father, has put him through rigorous training ever since he was a kid, which has made him rather prideful. He lives in a separate residence located somewhere on the hotel premises.
I thought this route was rather different, and felt separated from the other four, in terms of deviating the plot from its ‘whodunit’ angle, but it was so good that I felt like it deepened the mysteries surrounding Okunezato even further. You start connecting the dots you didn’t notice before. Yuzuki’s route picks up perfectly after Sosuke’s too, and I just loved how satisfying it all felt especially the way it cleverly revisits scenes from the common route in his early chapters.
What I wanted to gush about, though, was how actually fluffy this route is. Yuzuki was such a charming, grouchy tsundere! The heroine, Ichiko, also seems to have this ultimate thirst for him, which gave me secondhand embarrassment, but in a good way, if that makes sense.🤣 Every time she’s around him, she just wants to throw herself into his arms. Like, girl calm down, it’s literally been three days (cackles). 🤣 Jokes aside, I do think Yuzuki’s route was a strong contender in the romance department, and I can totally understand why he ranked 3rd place in Japan’s popularity poll. Checking my thoughts about him on my review 7 years ago, it looks like I felt the same way about his character! Heh.
⬇️ Spoilers
I wanted to add that part of my enjoyment was also hearing Shinichiro Miki yell at you! I mean, hello? I finally understood why Ichiko just couldn’t leave him alone! (cackles). I think this route also had the most fluffy banters, and my stomach hurt from laughing every time Ichiko kept thirsting over Yuzuki. Like damn, girl, simmer down! 🤣 Ichiko practically called Yuzuki’s father “otousama” while in the middle of a heated conversation. LMAO it was so outrageous! I love it! 😂
SECRET ROUTE
⬇️ Spoilers
HANATE
So I was reading my notes/review from seven years ago and noticed how much I disliked this route, and that’s mostly because it featured a trope I absolutely detested (brocon). But surprisingly, this time around I didn’t think it was that bad, and to be honest with you, I think I even liked this finale. LOL WHAT A SURPRISE!
I think my strong aversion to the brocon trope probably caused me to emotionally check out when I finished this game the first time, and maybe that was also the reason why this final route left a sour taste in my mouth back then. But playing this the second time around was a rather refreshing experience! And I am happy to say I have seemingly enjoyed Hanate’s route! No joke. Ha ha! (the jokes on me)🙂↕️
Maybe it’s because I recently went through the trainwreck of both Iroha’s volume in Hana Awase and the True Route in Desperadrops that I’ve learned to appreciate Hanate’s info dump more. 😅 Like, I dont hate either of those games/routes, I just felt like the exposition dumps there were all over the place. In Hanate’s route though, the exposition wasn’t as bad as I remembered from my first playthrough in 2018. In fact, I’d argue it was SOOO MUCH better than the former two. It effectively paid off all the foreshadowing from the previous routes, and the connecting threads were so satisfying to knot:
And so much more! You know, when I play a mystery VN, my OC brain always drives me to meticulously take down notes on all the questions I’m confused about while I trudge through a game. Surprisingly with 7Scarlet, almost all the questions I wrote down in my notepad were answered. Sure, Hanate’s route was a large stretched-out monologue explaining everything, but for some reason it didn’t feel too heavy-handed because it connected a lot of things that were previously hinted at before. I didn’t even mind that the reveals were stacked because they made sense and fit the puzzle pieces together. The way everything interlocked in the end gave me that rare satisfying sense of narrative completion (if y’know what I mean).
Of course, that isn’t to say this route didn’t have its shortcomings, because oh boy, let me tell you… the romance here felt heavily forced and just really odd in how exaggerated it was. Especially on Ichiko’s part. I can understand Hanate having feelings for her, but Ichiko’s do-or-die devotion to Hanate was just strange??? (to me, anyway.) Could it be that her feelings for him also stem from Hanate’s unique gift to manipulate memories?
Anyway, I can’t cry over spilled milk. And while I do have gripes about this route as a whole, I can honestly say I don’t hate it, and I actually had a change of heart by the time the finale rolled around. Lastly, it was kind of a shock to see Hanate win first place (tied with Toa) in the game’s popularity poll in Japan, but now I’m actually starting to see why! 😆
ICHIKO HANAMAKI
I’m going to agree with my initial review and say that Ichiko literally, has no sense of danger. It’s practically funny how she just flies off on her own to the most dangerous places in town, despite knowing that, one, there are unresolved murder cases in the area, and two, a killer is on the loose. Hino has repeatedly offered to come with her too, because dang, he can actually protect the heroine (as proven in his route, as well as throughout the game). But of course, the narrative always denies that, and she ends up needing to be saved most of the time🤣 (laughs). I guess her reckless abandonment served as some sort of plot device to move the story forward?
Anyway, despite all her deer-in-the-headlights moments, I don’t think Ichiko was that bad. I mean, at the very least, she was aware of her shortcomings. There were times in the game where she’d be like, “Yikes! I messed up!”. 😂 She also admits that Hino constantly reminds her not to answer scammy phone calls or talk to shady traveling salesmen. Yuzuki also calls her out so many times for being a “no thoughts, head empty” kind of gal (cackles). What I love about Ichiko though, is that she takes all this like a pro! LOL She’s quite the funny bean, and makes for great comic relief sometimes! So I’ll give her a pass!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
This is probably one of the most beautiful Nintendo Switch otome game ports I have ever played, and I don’t exactly mean the UI. The UI is actually very simplistic, but the game’s production quality was truly its strongest asset. There are a lot of improvements and enhancements in 7’scarlet‘s Switch version too! For one, the base game already had animations during its Vita era, but playing these animations on the Switch was a complete game changer! I made sure to play it docked on TV for full effect, and honestly, it was amazing!
Second, the game enhanced its movie effects and animations even further. They added rainfall effects, hot spring steam animations, forest mist, and even mouth movements and blinking eyes for the game’s sprites (including the heroine’s).
PROS:
- Animation cut scenes, movie effects
- Animated Background illustrations
- Camera BG movement – the camera on the background sometimes zooms in and out and pans left to right.
- Mouth movement, blinking sprites
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Heroine’s side image sprite
- Scenario Select
- TIPS – the game’s dictionary
- Love Catch system
- Auto Save
- Skip READ function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Library
- Backlog and Rewind function
CONS:
- Unvoiced Heroine
- No Skip to Next Choice function
- No Sound Library
Localization
The localization was also terrific. Though I wouldn’t say it was completely revamped (they still kept some stilted lines), but I believe Aksys Games spot-checked the typos and errors from the previous Vita release, as I didn’t see any glaring mistakes during my recent playthrough.
TRAILER
OVERALL THOUGHTS
It took me a nice, solid 30 hours to complete the game this time. I had to use my walkthrough from seven years ago, so I didn’t have to fumble through all the bits and bobs again. It feels great! (laughs)😂 The events from August 1st, when you arrive in Okunezato, to the evening of August 3rd follow the common route. It branches off after that into the main cast’s individual routes. Basically, the turning point is the choice you make on who to go with to the summer festival. The game is on the shorter side, and I believe you can finish one route in around 4 to 5 hours or less.
An Underrated Otome Game
Isn’t it funny and also kind of eerie that the EN 7’Scarlet Switch port released exactly 7 years after the original Vita release? Same month, same timing! All the sevens uncannily lining up a little strangely. Maybe we are onto something here… just kidding! (Or am I?)🤔
That aside, I still feel like 7’Scarlet is such an underrated otome title. Back in 2018, it kind of slipped under people’s radar, probably because it was released in between the two Psychedelica games. Understandably, at the time, Psychedelica was collecting all the hype and attention, while 7’Scarlet just… quietly existed. It felt downright lonely being the only one in the 7’Scarlet camp. 🥲 (Okay, there were a few others, but the ratio difference was massive.) 😂
That made me realize that I might have played this more as a mystery-themed VN that happened to be an otome game, rather than an otome game with a mystery-themed plot. Does that make sense?😅 What I’m trying to say is, if you come into this expecting a full-blown otome game with proper lovey-dovey date sequences, this is where the game might let you down. The romance in 7’Scarlet feels more like an afterthought, with the plot taking clear priority instead. So I guess, if you’re the type who exclusively plays otome games for the romance, the structure of this title, in terms of its overarching story narrative, plays out much closer to a standard mystery VN, where romance is more of a side element rather than the main focus. And thus, perhaps that’ll be less appealing to you (so just keep that in mind).
On the flip side, if you love playing mystery VNs in general, I think you’ll have a really good time with this game. First of all, the production quality for 7’scarlet is pretty insane. I was looking at the credits and noticed that Kouya Takahashi was listed as the chief designer for the game’s backgrounds and movie cutscenes. Their portfolio is rather shiny, having worked with Hideo Kojima on the Metal Gear Solid games and Death Stranding, as well as on major AAA titles like Resident Evil, Tekken, and many others. So that was quite a surprise!
The picturesque movie effects in 7’Scarlet do a really great job of capturing that eerie, rural town vibe. Everything from the visual design to the story premise fits aptly into that quiet, remote & uncanny countryside atmosphere. And I really enjoyed that part a lot!
I think the “mystery plot” was also well thought out, particularly in how the common route plants just enough curiosity to hook you into the storyline. Then, each route after that slowly unpacks a new piece of the larger puzzle. By the time you reach the finale, everything ties together rather cohesively (or at least, in my standards lol). Albeit, the execution might leave something to be desired. For example, the info dump at the end wasn’t particularly flavorful, and I wish the final route had been a bit longer. However, in my honest opinion, I don’t think this shortcoming detracted from the satisfaction of seeing all the loose ends tied up, even if not perfectly. Perhaps I was just not in the mood to nitpick on it, so I guess I was just happy to finish the game with very few lingering questions, which, for a mystery VN, is no small achievement.
It’s no surprise, since Toybox had their hands in this. Given their track record in the mystery genre space, these devs sure know how to craft a really atmospheric premise in their games. On the other hand, romance might not exactly be their strongest suit. (laughs)😅
Falling Short on Romance
This brings me to my next train of thought: the romance. I feel like one of the most common complaints about this game was that it fell short in the romance department, and this is true. As I mentioned, this is definitely a plot-over-romance type of title. The little date scenes and bonding moments between the heroine and her LIs just weren’t enough to solidify a *convincing* romantic route. Thus, some of the confession scenes at the end feel rather ham-fisted. This was painfully obvious in the starter routes in particular. Hino and Isora’s routes really took a nose-dive in that department.😭 Toa’s route, thankfully, managed to salvage things at the end (especially after you complete the entire game), while Sosuke and Yuzuki at the least gave me enough dokis to catch myself giggling and grinning.😆 I will say, the game does deliver some satisfying kiss CGs per route, but that’s about as much credit as I can give the romance here.
💖LI RANKING: Toa >>> Sosuke = Yuzuki > Hino > Isora > ???
📝ROUTE RANKING: Toa > Yuzuki > Sosuke > Isora > ??? > Hino
Toa was definitely my favorite. After all these years, he’s still the one! What a precious bean! The entire game was totally worth it just for him! 🤧 Bonus points if you’re also a Morikubo fan!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
7’Scarlet is a beautiful game and I honestly can’t recommend it enough. All these years I’ve actually been yammering how underrated this title is, the production quality is just pretty dang good! So I’m super happy that Aksys picked up this port, as this game was basically made for the Switch!
I’ve stuck by this for the past seven years, and I’ll say it again: this game deserves way more recognition than it gets. With all the points I’ve mentioned above, it’s clear the pros far outweigh the cons. Playing through it again made me more forgiving of its flaws, and the experience was both cathartic and nostalgic.🥹 So yeah, it’s not a ten-outa-ten, but my overall enjoyment speaks to how my time wasn’t wasted on this replay! I’d definitely recommend it to both new and seasoned otome players alike!
Otome Kitten 
I was pretty hyped for this one back then on the Vita, but can say it’s one of the worst ones I played in a long while. The characters are super vanilla and the story beats were drab; I was surprised that I enjoyed World End Syndrome waaay more. Maybe Toybox felt limited when writing an otome?? I felt they really nailed themselves in a box with this one. I did enjoy the final route the best, though, and the conclusion was smooth as well. Such a shame because the game is beautiful and was pretty experimental visually.
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i really Loved it on my PS Vita and enjoyed it more than the psychedelica Games! 😀 i think i will wait for a Sale to get it again on Switch! 😀
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I like that you add story times in your reviews. I only started playing otome games during the pandemic, so I missed all the things happening in the fandom before. Those pins look ordinary, haha ;P but I understand your point because when there was no merchandise before, even small things made people really excited. Thank you for this review I didnt get this game on PC since I heard about the bugs so Im getting this on the switch next month!
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Hello!
Thank you so much for your review! Your reviews are always so thorough and a delight to read! I was just wondering if there was a huge difference between 7’scarlet on switch vs. PC or ps vita besdies updated effects? I have it on my pc but wasn’t sure if there was much of a difference on switch to justify getting it.
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Hello! Thank you! The only difference is the enhanced movie effects and the animated sprites (blinking, mouth movements, etc.). As far as stories or extra content, it’s the same as the PS vita and PC version.
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Great, thank you so much for the info!
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If it helps, I played it on PC and didn’t have many issues. If I remember correctly, just be sure to save often in case the game glitches, but the issues I encountered didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the game. Personally, I probably won’t be getting the switch version unless it’s on a really good sale.
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The summer of mystery, that brings back memories. I remember following your guides even back then. Love all the hard work over the years! These reviews really help when decided to pick up an upcomming release especially now that games have gotten so pricey.
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Thank you!!🥺
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Well you just took me down memory lane lol. I got this one when it came out in PC and devoured it! (I don’t remember it being buggy at all, though to be fair what stick with me from the game after all these years was shinichirou miki’s voice 🫶🏻, the yandere dude and the brocon route 😂). Now I kinda want to get the switch port too
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I’ll never get over Toa, man…………. 😭
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Me neither!😭😭😭
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When I first saw the news that 7’scarlet was being ported to the switch I was like uh.. okay? It’s not a bad VN by any means, but I do believe there are other otome games that would benefit more for a switch port than this.
From reading this review, it seems like there’s not enough additional content/updates to warrant paying $75aud for the switch version when the steam version goes on sale for $10aud frequently. 😓
But I absolutely loved Toa’s route, and everyone else’s was a bit of a bruh moment from memory 😅
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I still can’t believe Toa and Impey have the same voice actor. 😂 Gotta replay this one at least for Toa and the atmosphere!
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Given that you’ve re-reviewed 7’scarlet due to the amount of time between the original release and the Switch port, are you planning to do the same for Hakuoki?
I was a bit disappointed to see that your review for the Switch version of Hakuoki just redirects to your 2018 review of the game, because I was really keen to see your thoughts on the new, more appropriate translation.
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Also I 10000% agree about how much this game flew under the community’s radar. Out of all of my friends that play otome games, I’m the only one that’s heard of/played 7’scarlet and it’s such a shame because the mystery plot is just… [chef’s kiss]!!
I’m really hoping it’ll reach a new audience with the Switch release because the game felt on par, if not better than, some of the more recent otome games.
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Maybe this will be the time I’ll finally finish the game? I got Steam version for 50% sale & got scared at the eyes peeked around the bush at prologue! ヽ(*。>Д<)o゜Then I looked behind my back just to make sure 😅 It’s scary & I know I’m scaredy cat! Switch port will make me playing in hand-held mode w/ my back pressed to the wall 😂
I’m never into tsundere so I never read Yuzuki’s route but only in the beginning then stopped myself from continuing. I’m bored w/ Morikubo’s voice bc he’s same everywhere! Naruto’s Shikamaru, Quartet Night’s Reiji, Hakuoki’s Souji, I even feel reluctant starting Code: Realize bc Impey is your recommended 1st route. I know it’s only your recommendation and more often than not I’m not following through, heheh 😏
Should I just silence it? I want to know what happened to our onii-chan? Should I read the spoiler tag instead? Why everyone pitied Toa? Why is he there before Lucas? Is it Nadia? Why щ(ﾟДﾟщ) And I can’t agree more w/ those beautiful & mesmerizing backgrounds. Before charas popped up & saying their lines, I always hid my dialogue just to look & appreciate it while listening to cicadas singing. I felt I was in Okunezato & I’m Ichiko, what an experience just from background ≧(´▽｀)≦
Thank you for your honest review & your baby review XD It piqued my interest & makes me want to really finish the game ^^
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