7'scarlet: Better by the route

 

Of the three 'Summer of Mystery' VNs, 7'scarlet is the one that lives up the most to the name: not only does it take place during the summer, with natsu matsuri, warm starry nights and other summery staples, but it also oozes mystery and suspense through every still. 

 

7'S is very much a slow burner of a VN. It doesn't seem to hold much promise at first: the country town setting feels tame and prosaic, the revenant premise sounds overused and cliché, and the art is really not that stellar. And yet, as time and routes fly by, 7'S slowly but surely grows into a fantastic gem of a story. Not only does it manages to craft an enrapturing atmosphere out of its pedestrian settings, but it also spins its mundane story into fascinating and unexpected directions. 

 

Storytelling is definitely the game's strongest suit. This is the first time I play a VN that not only holds my interest all the way through, but also makes me more enthralled by the route. All too often, VNs don't live up to expectations and squander their potential, leaving the reader with a serious case of route fatigue; 7'S, on the other hand, only cranks up the suspense and becomes more riveting as routes go on. It distills its lore and explanations in a seamless and organic fashion, leaving you craving for more until the ultimate route that wraps up the whole mystery. 

 

7'S offers a deeply fulfilling resolution that ties up all loose ends while still leaving some of the story's mysteries intact. (Spoilers!) Not providing a definitive explanation for the existence of revenants and their ties to the Violacea was a risky bet that could have left the reader insanely frustrated; yet the game manages to pull it off by injecting a modicum of metaphysics into the narrative. Guided by the characters' musings about all things unexplained and unexplainable and the tiny scope of human knowledge, we warm up to the idea that some events are beyond our understanding and must simply be accepted as they are; and as the story comes to an end, we take in the whole revenant lore gladly and make peace with the story's uncanny events. I love the bittersweet yet open nature of the ending: Ichiko loses her beloved 'brother' for good, yet the remaining Violacea in her garden leaves us with a glimmer of hope: maybe, just maybe, he could eventually come back to her. (End of spoilers.)

 

One thing I really like about 7'S is the way our experience as readers completly mirrors Ichiko's experience: we discover things as she does, and we naturally come to the exact same conclusions. Or at least, we do as far as all things thriller and mystery are concerned; because indeed, when it comes to l'amour, 7'S fails to deliver. There is some active romancing this time around, with romantic routes, affection markers and character endings; but alas, that romance lacks a bit. Not only does it feel a tad rushed, but we also don't get to know the beaus all that much, neither before nor after wooing them. As a result, the love stories feel wooden and forced, and pale when compared to the rest of the story: ending up with any given bachelor feels like a mere side dish, while the overarching story remains the juicy main course that keeps us salivating. It becomes then all the more unbelievable and frustrating to see Ichiko put her search for her brother on the back burner to focus on her beau du jour. It's a pity, really: with better love stories, 7'S could have become a true otome gem, instead of being merely a excellent VN with lacklustre romancing. 

 

Since the romance is so underwhelming and the beaus so underdeveloped, I'll skip the route report this time as well. I'll thus see you soon with my thoughts about the ultimate 'Summer of Mystery' offering, dear fellow gamers. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!