Sanator: Scarlet Scarf

Sanator: Scarlet Scarf
N/A
Metacritic
90
Steam
79.34
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$3.99
Release date
6 June 2019
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
90 (389 votes)

Scarlet Scarf is a visual novel inspired by the legend of Plague Maiden. Dive into the dark mysteries of a dying city with the fate of Sanator Richard Murdock in your hands. Perhaps it's not too late to stop the on-going calamity...

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Sanator: Scarlet Scarf system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP
  • Processor: 1.66 Ghz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: DirectX compatible card
  • Storage: 700 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX® 9.0c compatible
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Arthor
Arthor

"Sanator: Scarlet Scarf" is mediocre. Pretentious, yet unbelievably boring at the same time. I was somewhat intrigued by its grimdark premise and "horror" tag, but the writing eventually proved to be more than I could handle.

You're a plague doctor commissioned to investigate the circumstances around this medieval-looking town. The plague outbreak is inevitable, so as a player you might expect to see different sides of human nature being put to the test, and make some tough yet necessary choices to save innocent lives.
It does sound promising, but... but the story itself and the world it takes place in are just so bland and uninspired, relying more on piling up names and concepts than on proper narrative practice. Good god, the "hints" menu explicitly tells you to check the encyclopedia if you ever wish to grasp the meaning of what's going on here in the game! The authors love their creation very much, fair enough, but in desperate attempts to present it as something unique they just assault you with unnecessary terminology, info dumps and flowery writing.

The writing truly is the bane of this novel. Poor English is only a half of it, the lesser half to boot (I'm pretty used to it now, having read plenty of VNs translated from Russian). Yet pure, unadulterated pathos and purple prose make it hard to embrace the world and its characters.
What a shame. At least it's not long, 1-2 hours of reading tops.
The art is a bit too cartoonish for my taste, oftentimes clashing wildly with the tone of the story. The characters may look weird at certain angles, but I guess that's not the focal point anyway. Some UI choices are baffling, to say the least, especially the ravens. I had to stumble my way through several screens and reloads to finally pick English after a missclick.
The music is perfect though.

Overall:
+ decent pricing
+ great soundtrack

- unconvincing script
- poor translation
- inconsistent art/ui direction
Final word: amateurish and tiresome story taking place in yet another "original fantasy world", further let down by atrocious writing. Not recommended.

Fruits
Fruits

Mediocre game. The art is great, the music is okay and the premise is intriguing. But the translation is not great, and the story itself isn't interesting enough to keep you curious. It feels more like a set up for a larger scale story, rather than its own game. And that's a shame.

I would've recommended it if it was cheaper, but for its price it isn't really worth it unfortunately.

5.5/10

Saikono
Saikono

This is a short but truly outstanding visual novel. While the story itself is kinda simple, the setting feels really unique. I would say it's a crossover between Sapkowski and Lovecraft. It may not be for everyone, but I would definitely recommend trying it to everyone who's interested in grimdark atmosphere.

@AI
@AI

Good read, albeit short.

The Good:
+ The story is exciting and keeps you interested. The English translation is pretty bad at the beginning but gets better after a few scenes. Even at the beginning - though it's not great - really, I've seen much worse even in big Japanese titles translated by professional studios.
+ The art is just gorgeous.
+ Music is not to my taste but does the job setting the mood.

The Bad:
+ Ingame UI is not obvious and in some scenes it blends with the background to the point you don't see it anymore.
+ The secret ending was kinda hard to find after I unlocked it, so hint to those that can't find it too - it appears as an arrow under the Extra button after you complete all the normal endings.

The Ugly:
+ Those freaking birds that appear when you launch the game for the first time and need to select a language - devs should really do something about them. I stared at those for at least half a minute before I've figured out that those are actually buttons and not a very slow cutscene of some kind.

If you search for compelling and fresh VN set in an interesting universe, Scarlet Scarf is worth the money. Would totally recommend and hope there's going to be a continuation like the secret ending teases.

doroboarashi
doroboarashi

It's wonderful! A perfect mixture of visuals, sounds, texts.

It might be a short experience, but it is top quality experience. 2 hours of this game is much better, than 2 hours of any marvel's movie. Strongly recommend.

Launch demo first - it is the beginning of the story.

Kuzu P
Kuzu P

It's... niche. Yeah, pretty much it. The game isn't long and prose a bit cluttery. But it has that rare intriguing impression.

Abattleborn
Abattleborn

it was pretty hard to follow with the story in the beginning imo.
even though it is extremely short for vn i ended up liking the story.
imo a good purchase

Pumparum
Pumparum

A visual novel that fits my likings ridiculously well. Plague doctors, occult, beautiful artwork and music all combined with great world building make Sanator worth playing.

Looking forward to the sequel!

G̶l̶a̶z̶k̶o̶r̶
G̶l̶a̶z̶k̶o̶r̶

This game, as none other, gives me the objective of treating and gettin a waif-U. This so called "waif-U" is a being no sane human can figure out which kills butchers with a smiling, blood-smeared smile on its' face. But the problem is that this is not your only woman, as you have another one which is scarier and has more hobbies than the waif. In one ending your woman imprisons your furious wife and as I only can assume dissects and tortures her with IKEA tourings. Heartfelt and dark, sad to see so much scum "PLAYING CS THE WHOLE DAY AND YES, I MEAN YOU, S.... , YOU HOLY FLAMING C*CKMUFFIN" instead of buying this little game with less than a key and enjoying it. The soundtrack sounds, like you would expect, great. It sounds like an experienced woman at work in the kitchen. I recommend it for everyone who has 99 Rubel or in Euros maybe third a bottle of cheap liquor. The immersion is beautiful and the worldbuilding is great. Read the codex first for maximal VR-ing for poor people. I will buy any new part of the series which releases in the next 100 years, so great was the experience. I give it a final score of 10 out of 10 filthy peasants you hit to death for trying to touch your clean, fresh plague doctor coat.

F_R_O_G_4unme
F_R_O_G_4unme

I've just got done one ending, looks like there is six. This gets real dark with a gruesome situation with the ending i got so far, i'm definitely reading the rest of this!

Diodra
Diodra

Interesting VN, dark themed and atmospheric.

* Beautiful art and fitting music.
* Features 4 different endings.
* After game completion, a short story -teaser for the sequel VN- will unlock.
* You can find more lore in the codex entries.
* It is short.

Синдзи
Синдзи

The game is extremely interesting, in terms of thought. The game, despite the exciting idea, runs extremely fast, even if you open all the endings. It took me 2 hours to complete 100% of the game. For me, this is very small, I hope the second part will make the game longer. One of the main drawbacks for me is a very long prologue, but if you slightly endure get an interesting story in which the message on the surface, you will see it ri full passage(opening all endings)

Mariconsaurio
Mariconsaurio

Maybe my review is going to be a little biased since I like the plague doctors... The game is short and enjoyable, the story is good, I liked the characters and their designs, I loved the artwork, I can't wait for the next one.

barca1au
barca1au

I originally downloaded the demo in its early days, and it was not a great start as the dialogue was wordy, too clever for its own good, and nonsensical in places. Its great to see how it has improved, as this was always a story to arouse one's curiosity! The music and artwork set up the atmosphere for what, as others have said, is a world that could appear in further episodes. There is replayability in this VN, as its the only way to get some of the achievements, and it gives the opportunity to learn more about this medieval fantasy and the myths behind it. There are several different endings and so far I have found 3.
My play time might appear long, but having impaired vision its taken me longer to read the novel - I didn't know I could get it read out (press v) as if you can't see too well, you never learn these things - so it was obviously good enough for me to persist using a magnifying glass!
If you can get this on special, grab it. Although some of the topics in this story are pretty gruesome they are handled quite well and are necessary to develop the story of trust, betrayal, fanaticism, vengeance, and innocence.

ZeroExe
ZeroExe

Love the game! Never actually played a visual novel before this one. At first I looked into purely due to the badass looking plague doctor on the cover but quickly got interested in the story. Keep in mind that this game is fairly dark and has dark moments. All of which makes the story as good as it is.

Nameless
Nameless

i rather liked the dark nature of this novel. i thoroughly enjoyed reading through its codex and browsing the artbook. the soundtrack was exceptional in my opinion, as each piece fit perfectly with the scene that it accompanied. My only dislike is honestly how short this novel is. I'm looking forward to the sequel they teased

Akrolein
Akrolein

Brilliant. It reminds me of the Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. He is one of my favorite, next to Lovecraft. Plus there is this Corona stuff going on sooo It feels way closer right now.

Definitely a buy.

Vilmaris
Vilmaris

When I first got this game, I thought it wouldn't be as good as I thought it would be. But in reality, this Visual novel has gotten me hooked. There is a secret ending when you finish all of the story endings. I mean, for like $15, this is definitely worth the money. Plus this gives me some SCP-049 vibes since they talk about curing the pestilence and they're wearing 17th-19th Century plague masks.

Maplefuck
Maplefuck

The game is pretty good but has its problems.

PROS:
-extremely beautiful, I just love the artstyle and aesthetic
-good story
-nice lore
-amazing soundtrack
-a gallery

CONS:
-there is usually a lot of unnecessary text
-really short, you get all the endings and extra story in about 2hrs
-in my opinion not enough choices

Simple Sight
Simple Sight

mid indie vn with plague doctors and 0 time spent exploring any characters meaningfully

I consider Scarlet Scarf a weak 5 out of 10.

Shanrocks94
Shanrocks94

I would recommend if it’s on sale, it’s a good story but a bit short. I mostly played because I like plague doctors and have one tattooed on me.

L0lIi
L0lIi

This visual novel tells a beautifully illustrated dark story. Depending on the choices you make there are even different endings. It took me a bit more than 2 hours to play it all trough. So it's quit short, but I like the quality of the game. There is even a gallery and a codex with explanations in the main menu under extras. My only critique is, that the frequency of choices is quite limited and parts of the world are not explained while you play the story , but are only found in the extra menu. All in all, it is a good short visual novel with a good story, beautiful and fitting music and art, that generate a dark and catching atmosphere. I liked it and do not regret picking it up, when it was on sale.

Mortis
Mortis

Currently playing this at the moment. I have yet to finish it, but I am currently enjoying it so far. Really good visual novel. Game was originally meant to be in Russian but the English translations are very good. 10/10 would recommend.

mockingbird64
mockingbird64

It is not necessarily bad, but to see all the branches you have to skip through what you already read. It was annoying.

MrDeath
MrDeath

Nice good little game. Good story that will make you wanna know what's going on. Only downside is that the world lore is "hidden" in a separate place, it would be better if it was shown organically in the story. If you like visual novels buy it, you'll like this.

ShakurasEnder
ShakurasEnder

Oddly prescient in its subject matter, Sanator: Scarlet Scarf places you in the shoes of a member of the Sanators of the Brotherhood of Saint Elmo, an order of plague doctors now tasked with stopping the spread of an unknown virus that cuts through young and old alike. With excellent music and amazing art, it is a brief, roughly 3-hour story that allows you to play through it multiple times to choose different outcomes for your story,

Should you 100% this game?:

Yes. 100%ing the game will take you through every path the game has to offer. There aren't any "difficult" achievements, but the reward of completion comes from the story and art each choice has to offer, rather than the challenge.

Jamwill
Jamwill

One of Steams hidden gems. If you like plague doctors, and medieval legends, this is truly a great interactive story for you. If you are going through all the content at a "normal" pace, you will most likely have around 2.5 of great content. I really enjoyed the different endings, and the secret at the end. If you are planing to get this, try getting it on sale if you are looking short on money. If you still want it without the sale, that is also worth it in my honest opinion, because I think it was a great interactive story to read.

FIARHEL
FIARHEL

The story is compelling, recently I've been looking into plague motives in horror stories and this one is definitely worth checking out, despite not being very complicated or original. It's inspired by of the popular themes, but it's made well, and the artwork and music make it a worth-recommending experience. I would definitely look into sequels. I'm happy to start the game even to just listen to the soundtrack, so I'll be probably purchasing the OST DLC.

wolfblood2022
wolfblood2022

Amazing game great writing some of the best i have seen a long time. Characters had such a good feeling to them and just an amazing feeling of forbidding. In all the people or person who made these should be proud very impressive please continue with your work its good.

Yarusenai
Yarusenai

A very ambitious visual novel that doesn't quite hit the mark. The game took me less than an hour to finish even with multiple endings. It's ambitious, but the complex establishing of background information didn't fit the small scope of the game and feels rather pointless by the end, especially for a short game that mostly just plays in one town and has only very few characters. The music is fitting and the art was pretty enough, but there is not a lot of content for the price and the way the novel is written might turn some people off, with many sentences being unnecessarily wordy and strangely constructed. It was hard to get attached.

If you absolutely love visual novels, it might still be worth checking out on sale. The game also has a new prequel that I may check out at some point, as I liked the general universe - I just wish it would've been used in a better way in this game.

Plague Doctor
Plague Doctor

Not gonna lie for a short a game it wasnt that bad though i would say overprissed 8 euros a bit too much but with a dicount this is defently worth getting very nice visuals and story and damn the music was very nice really liked it

Ifrit
Ifrit

Man, it is difficult for me to even begin to critique this game. I absolutely loved every moment of it. From the soundtrack to the beautiful art style to the engaging story. I honestly can't wait for more. It stuck in my head long enough to go and pick up their other installment "The Jewel of the Monostructure" the very next day. The only possible critique I could have is that it's rather short. Not that it's a bad thing considering it was left on a note where I want more but still completed all endings of the game somewhat quickly.

MisterCensor
MisterCensor

2 Hours is too short for the price you pay for this game, and while the lore behind it is compelling, it's like paying for an ad for a more brilliant game, give us justice, make this game complete!

AngelicCy
AngelicCy

This game is fun and satisfying. Great art, music, writing, and story. I've never felt this satisfied with the endings of games as I have with this one.
10/10.
Wouldn't change a thing about it!
Reminds of me of Demonheart and the sequel which is also fun but the endings are more open-ended.

Muriialiis ✦
Muriialiis ✦

The storyline is well written, and keeps you entertained. The ability of different outcomes depending on what you choose also helps keep you into the game. Although it is short (I was able to complete this game in less than 2 hours, and get all the endings), I believe it is worth the money. The art and music is beautiful, and it really is a good game if you like plague doctors and fantasy visual novels.

†Cordsaine†
†Cordsaine†

Sanator: Scarlet Scarf is a Visual Novela game with choice matter, but the number of them is negligible. Mainly we will read the text by browsing through various artworks, inspired by the Slavic myth about the Plague Virgin. To complete the game and get to know its entire plot, we need about 2 hours, all available achievements are relate to the plot, except for one exception which should also be piece of cake.

Skilo25
Skilo25

Scarlet Scarf - the wholesome horror visual novel with the best artworks out there

This game has a rating of 8.5/10 - can definitely recommend
-- target audience: --
☐ for the whole family appropriate
☐ children
☒ teens
☒ young adults
☒ adults (horror/18+)
☐ tryhards
☐ pro-gamer
☒ newbies/noobs

-- Difficulty: --
☐ variable
-
☒ It's a visual novel (can you left-click?)
☐ You can handle it
☐ Put your heart and soul into it and you'll win
☐ If you have a PHD in Gaming you might survive

-- Grind: --
☐ No grind
☒ If you want achievements, Leaderboards or 100% there is some grind
☐ Only if you dedicate your life to the game
☐ You need 48h, each day

-- Music: -- 7/10
1
☐ Your ears will marry you afterwards
☒ Godayum
☐ Its fine
☐ pleas stop
☐ My ears are bleeding
.
☐ Wait, you guys have music?

2
☐ You can decide which songs will play ingame
☐ You can enable "copyright free songs only"
☐ multiple songs to choose from
☐ full audio-control (music, sfx, HUD, etc.)
☐ limited audio-control (only few aspects changable)
☒ little to no audio-control (basic adjustments or none)

-- Visuals: -- 9.5/10
☒ It's main purpose is its visuals
☒ It's beautiful, I've looked at it for 10h
☐ Good for what it is, nothing more
☐ meh
☐ Get this out of here, I don't want to watch this anymore

-- Game-design: -- 7/10
☒ clean design
☐ Many languages supported
☐ Easy to use interface
☐ many game modes to choose from
☒ rl-purchases not needed
☒ rl-purchases possible (Soundtracks etc.)
☒ good personalization available
☐ interesting challenges

-- Personal opinion: --

This is a fairly short visual novel with beautiful ... visuals and a nice soundtrack. Definitely worth every single penny!!
I mean, I like the artworks that much that I changed my pfp to the MC.
I have to say that I got confused by the interface at first and accidentally chose Russian as my language of choice (English is the only other option) but else its really well made!
I saw many complaints that the translation is off, but I'd even say it's better than most other VNs I've seen/read. You can spot some mistakes and interesting choices for German names but other than that its quite perfect.
I really wish that we'll see an anime adaptation about this!

eDn
eDn

Plague doctors are cool init?
Bit on the short side, but has heart put into it.
Get it on sale, now we wait for the wedding.

Hel1mutt
Hel1mutt

A good visual novel with wonderful music and interesting lore.

Translation is a little rough in places but is good enough, and sometimes great. The music and art are worth the price of admission and really draws you in. Optional lore bits and a gallery showing off the strong aesthetic art made me appreciate all the work that into this. Highly recommend if you like dark fantasy and visual novels.

Gamzy
Gamzy

I like the story and the characters, nice game.

Mommy Da'Milkers
Mommy Da'Milkers

1. whoever said this takes 2 hours tops is a fuckin LIAR.
2. It's not the worst, it's just an overly ambitious word soup. Good fun to read with a friend, a lot of wasted potential imo but decent.
3. Art is really nice albeit a bit too animuwu for this sort of story

Frost07
Frost07

A nice visual novel with some great art. The story is well-written, tooand seems to take some inspiration from the red death. A bit short though, if I may say so myself.