Hello everyone,
Tomorrow marks the official release of Scarlet Idol. To be honest, right now we’re feeling more nervous than excited.
Scarlet Idol is the first game from our ShanYu Studio. After releasing the demo last October, due to our lack of experience and technical shortcomings, the online co-op experience and optimization were pretty rough. We felt both anxious and guilty. But despite that, many of you didn’t turn away, you gave us so much comfort, encouragement, and support. That’s what helped us get to where we are today. Thank you all so much, and we once again want to apologize for the poor experience during the demo.
Enough with the sentimental stuff. Now, let me address the six questions you may care about most, so everyone can make an informed purchase with no doubts left.
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1. How’s the Online Co‑op in the Full Version?
First of all, we want to sincerely apologize to players outside Greater China.
Due to resource limitations, the full release currently only supports Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Overseas players will not be able to access the game for now.
During the demo, we used Steam’s built-in networking solution. While it’s mature and free, it performed better in overseas regions than in mainland China.
Our principle is simple: we don’t cut corners on anything that affects player experience.
So for the full release, we switched to a Tencent Cloud-based networking solution and completed the necessary technical integration. Based on our tests, the connection is now much more stable.
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2. Game Suitability (Please read carefully before buying)
Not every game is for everyone—what people call a “vibe game” these days. That’s exactly why the demo received very polarized feedback.
First, while Scarlet Idol is a folk horror game, it leans toward light horror. If you’re looking for constant jump scares or intense terror, this might not feel strong enough.
Second, the game offers minimal guidance. We intentionally designed it this way to encourage players to communicate, share information, and solve puzzles together. The downside is that you may occasionally feel unsure about what to do next. If that happens—talk to your partner. The answer might be right in front of you.
Lastly, the narrative uses a fragmented storytelling approach. Many details are hidden in environments, items, and character dialogue. You piece together the story through observation and communication.
To be honest, part of this approach comes from budget and time limitations—but we still wanted to create a sense of immersion, where you’re both observing the story and actively participating in it. Ideally, you and your partner can “perform” your own version of the story through your experience.
One more thing: the game may not be friendly for players prone to motion sickness. It features many indoor environments with relatively dark visuals, and extended play sessions may cause eye strain or dizziness. Please take breaks when needed—your health matters more than anything else.
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3. Hardware Requirements
We’ve achieved a stable 60 FPS on NVIDIA 1660‑series GPUs at low graphics settings, but that’s with a dedicated graphics card.
From the demo, we observed that many thin‑and‑light laptops and other integrated‑graphics devices had a high chance of running poorly.
If you have a thin‑and‑light laptop or integrated graphics, you may want to reconsider buying (or you can test the performance first—remember, you can refund within 2 hours! Nobody wants to waste money. Please don’t!).
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4. Total Playtime
Based on multiple playtests, most players take about “6–8 hours” to finish the game for the first time.
Of course, if you and your partner are both very experienced puzzlers and work well together, you might finish in as little as 4–5 hours.
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5. Price
We’ve already been thrilled to receive so much support during development. So our goal for Scarlet Idol has always been clear: don’t put too much burden on your wallets, and hopefully just break even.
We looked at the pricing of various games on the market and settled on this price. It’s not rock‑bottom, but it’s truly at the edge of viability for us. （Please don’t hate us）
Also, we promise “no backstabbing our players!” The launch discount price will be the lowest price for the next two years.
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6. Device Compatibility
The full version does not support controller play, because some level mechanics and interactions are not compatible with controllers. The game also does not support Steam Deck or Mac computers.
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That’s all for now. See you tomorrow! If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks again for all your support!