Ade
;3
Scarlet Realm 1
Episode 1: Extermination
Areas: Forest 1, Forest 2
Special note: I did several runs on both One Person Mode and Multimode to get an adequate feel for the quest. All of my screenshots, however, were taken in One Person Mode so I could take my time.
Objective / Mission Bumper: "The SRC needs your help. Monsters are everywhere!"
Quest Description: "An investigation called The Scarlet Realm Case (SRC) has launched. The strange phenomenon it casts has attracted too many monsters for us to handle in the Forest. We need your help!"
Client: Sue
Reward: 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty
Author: Esther (frequent quest contributor)
History / Tidbits / Developer Commentary:
The Scarlet Realm (SR) series was released on September 18, 2022.
Source: Link to release thread
Esther has quickly grown from "up and coming quest developer" to a regular staple in the development of Ephinea's content. Starting his PSO development career with the famously challenging Twilight Sanctuary and following up with the beloved and often-played Penumbral Surge series, he initially focused 100% on developing content for Episode 2. The Scarlet Realm series, by contrast, is his first foray into Episode 1, and is a welcome addition to Sega's "Endless Nightmare" format.
Per Esther in a recent Discord conversation:
"Okay so. SR on a preface is designed to be a more modern style of the EN series. As EN was released WAY back when things were highly primitive. That's the preface level. As you read through the quest story, you see that there is something of an actual narrative behind it."
With the intended format in mind, this review will focus on the execution and growth of the Endless Nightmare concept. (Spoiler: It's really damn good.)
Enemy and Box Counts:
Source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Scarlet_Realm_1
Gimmick / Theme:
While searching the surface of Ragol during the initial investigation into the Scarlet Phenomenon, players will partake in good old fashioned "defeat all (or most) of the enemies" PSO style gameplay. As I always mention, a quest will never lose points for using "defeat enemies" as the core objective, as this is the essence of PSO.
SR1 incorporates classical PSO gameplay with interesting map / fence mechanics (more on this later). The quest also employs a unique aesthetic vibe in Forest 2 in which the area appears set ablaze by malevolent forces. The effect, while intense, can be toggled off in the Quest Board for those who prefer to focus on gameplay. This "best of both worlds" approach is fantastic.
(OMG, the Forest is on fire and we're all gonna die!!!)
(Simply toggle the effect off in the Quest Board to stop the chaos!)
I'm not sure story is a "gimmick," per se, but I wasn't sure where to put it. (To be fair, most HBR quests don't have much of a story.) Suffice to say, and without spoiling anything, the SR series appears to be a setup for a much larger story arc, and it's nice to see there are still more lore-friendly avenues to explore in this old game. First time players should not skip the mission briefing!
Section Score: 20 out of 20 possible points
Enemy Density / Placement / Pacing:
I'm going to forego my usual description of every single enemy type because Forest is historically the most overplayed area of PSO. It exists in literally every version of the game from Version 1 to the latest iterations of Blue Burst. Nearly every player knows the purpose and attack pattern of every Forest enemy.
Although every possible Forest enemy wave has probably been thought of over countless quests and multiple decades, Esther found ways to keep the spawn placement interesting and fun, and with the occasional surprise. (For example, a Hildelt spawning behind the player when they're already focusing on Bartles that just spawned a moment earlier!)
Specifically regarding Mothvists: Another phenomenal mechanic is that players almost never have to stand around and wait ten seconds for Mothvist's absurd death animation to play out for doors to open. This was immediately noticed and appreciated. The spawns in Mothvist rooms appear to be multi-threaded, and the door opening conditions are tied mostly to other enemies. (Namely, those which don't take forever to die.)
The pacing is also on point. While several areas in the game have multiple map layout choices for quest developers, Forest 1 and 2 both have ONE layout each. Any uniqueness in routing or pacing is therefore dependent on entry point, exit point, warps, fences, and barriers. SR1 starts in an unorthodox spot and regularly employs deliberate laser fences and barriers to guide the player along. Forest is one of the most challenging areas for creating a distinct feel, but Esther pulls it off with ingenuity.
(A very interesting room choice for the starting area!)
(The path is clear!)
(Ah, but the plot thickens later on!)
Enemy density is medium to medium-strong for most of the quest, but there are a few underwhelming spawns. Weaker spawns are not overused, but they are noticeable. The spawns pick up a good bit near the end, as is characteristic of the predecessor EN series. The final room of Forest 2 is appropriate, but the last room of Forest 1 needed to be a bit stronger. One or two more spawns would have been nice.
(A medium-sized spawn can still look cool!)
(Luckily, the chunky-boy spawns come through at the end!)
Section Score: 26 out of 30 possible points
Challenge / Fairness:
Because this is Forest, it wouldn't be fair to score harshly due to lack of combat challenge. Save for the occasional Hildetorr spawn, there is nothing dangerous about Forest for even a remotely experienced player or party. (Well, there is that one trap in Lost Heat Sword that does a crap-ton of damage, but I digress.) The extremely minor point loss in this section is more due to the limitations of Forest itself rather than lack of developer effort.
Fortunately, the quest provides the player with a challenging and fair introduction to a key mechanic in the Scarlet Realm series: The hidden box rooms and Easter Eggs!
Per Esther, three of the SR series quests have a hidden box room, and all four of them have a hidden Easter Egg. (Note: the usage of the term "Easter Egg" here is in reference to the general gaming colloquialism, not Event Eggs!)
The manner in which SR1 introduces this mechanic is brilliant. However, it will be hidden behind a spoiler as to not deprive those who wish to discover these secrets themselves. For anyone who skips the spoiler, just know the mechanic is really good and the score is deserved. Trust me!
Section Score: 29 out of 30 possible points
Reward for Effort:
While 8,000 Meseta for clearing a relatively short quest is decent, it still isn't much. Ephinea developers (this includes Ender, Matt, Esther, and even Tofuman) are notorious for being too cautious with Meseta rewards as to not power-creep the system. Whether this was mandated by the Ephinea staff for the SR series or chosen deliberately by Esther (as to not disturb the status quo), I disagree with it on a categorical level. Charge Weapons and Vjaya are regularly used throughout the game, and too few of the quests allow players to turn a profit for playing normally; SR1 is no exception. This entire notion of low Meseta rewards needs to be revisited and reworked. Yes, players could farm Phantasmal World 3 box runs all day and generate millions of Meseta, but that isn't fun.
The quest isn't terribly long, and 8,000 Meseta isn't the most egregious example of this, but I think closer to 12,000 would have been more appropriate.
***Edit on 11/08/2022***
I was working on this review late last night and forgot to mention how awesome the Pioneer 2 shop warps are. To explain briefly, there's a green warp by the main Ragol teleporter that instantly warps players to the shops / bank area and back. This applies to all four SR quests. Gone are the days of running through the big, empty Pioneer 2 main plaza. Points were re-added to the score because this is respectful of the player's time and effort. More of this, please!
Section Score: 17 out of 20 possible points (previously this was 15 out of 20, but restored two points due to edit)
Overall:
Specific to SR1 versus EN1, I think the final waves of Forest 1 are better in EN1, but SR1 wins in most other comparisons. The map is unique, it flows well, the aesthetics are top-notch (and optional); the list goes on. Esther hasn't been developing content for as long as some other Ephinea developers, but has already exceeded most Sega content in terms of quality, and has caught on fast.
The Scarlet Realm series is superior to the Endless Nightmare series in most ways, so the growth and evolution of the established formula has been successful, in my opinion. The story arc that could potentially unfold has me intrigued. I'm one of those weird people who went out of their way to experience every possible aspect of the PSO story back when I played it on GameCube. I know that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I am hopeful it will be appreciated.
If you see Esther, be sure to thank him for his significant contributions to our community. He worked tirelessly on this quest. (I know because I'm on his Team, and he frequently had to forego playing and enjoying the game to craft this fine series!)
Overall Score: 92 out of 100 possible points
9.2 / 10
Explanation of review / why I am I doing this: Every month I want to review one quest from HBR. I really enjoy being creative. I used to like drawing and writing, but my current profession does not provide a lot of creative outlet. I hope these reviews are enjoyable and create discussion.
All reviews are going to be done on Ultimate difficulty since the vast majority of the game takes place there.
Thanks for reading!
Episode 1: Extermination
Areas: Forest 1, Forest 2
Special note: I did several runs on both One Person Mode and Multimode to get an adequate feel for the quest. All of my screenshots, however, were taken in One Person Mode so I could take my time.
Objective / Mission Bumper: "The SRC needs your help. Monsters are everywhere!"
Quest Description: "An investigation called The Scarlet Realm Case (SRC) has launched. The strange phenomenon it casts has attracted too many monsters for us to handle in the Forest. We need your help!"
Client: Sue
Reward: 8,000 Meseta on Ultimate difficulty
Author: Esther (frequent quest contributor)
History / Tidbits / Developer Commentary:
The Scarlet Realm (SR) series was released on September 18, 2022.
Source: Link to release thread
Esther has quickly grown from "up and coming quest developer" to a regular staple in the development of Ephinea's content. Starting his PSO development career with the famously challenging Twilight Sanctuary and following up with the beloved and often-played Penumbral Surge series, he initially focused 100% on developing content for Episode 2. The Scarlet Realm series, by contrast, is his first foray into Episode 1, and is a welcome addition to Sega's "Endless Nightmare" format.
Per Esther in a recent Discord conversation:
"Okay so. SR on a preface is designed to be a more modern style of the EN series. As EN was released WAY back when things were highly primitive. That's the preface level. As you read through the quest story, you see that there is something of an actual narrative behind it."
With the intended format in mind, this review will focus on the execution and growth of the Endless Nightmare concept. (Spoiler: It's really damn good.)
Enemy and Box Counts:
Source: https://wiki.pioneer2.net/w/Scarlet_Realm_1
Gimmick / Theme:
While searching the surface of Ragol during the initial investigation into the Scarlet Phenomenon, players will partake in good old fashioned "defeat all (or most) of the enemies" PSO style gameplay. As I always mention, a quest will never lose points for using "defeat enemies" as the core objective, as this is the essence of PSO.
SR1 incorporates classical PSO gameplay with interesting map / fence mechanics (more on this later). The quest also employs a unique aesthetic vibe in Forest 2 in which the area appears set ablaze by malevolent forces. The effect, while intense, can be toggled off in the Quest Board for those who prefer to focus on gameplay. This "best of both worlds" approach is fantastic.
(OMG, the Forest is on fire and we're all gonna die!!!)
(Simply toggle the effect off in the Quest Board to stop the chaos!)
I'm not sure story is a "gimmick," per se, but I wasn't sure where to put it. (To be fair, most HBR quests don't have much of a story.) Suffice to say, and without spoiling anything, the SR series appears to be a setup for a much larger story arc, and it's nice to see there are still more lore-friendly avenues to explore in this old game. First time players should not skip the mission briefing!
Section Score: 20 out of 20 possible points
Enemy Density / Placement / Pacing:
I'm going to forego my usual description of every single enemy type because Forest is historically the most overplayed area of PSO. It exists in literally every version of the game from Version 1 to the latest iterations of Blue Burst. Nearly every player knows the purpose and attack pattern of every Forest enemy.
Although every possible Forest enemy wave has probably been thought of over countless quests and multiple decades, Esther found ways to keep the spawn placement interesting and fun, and with the occasional surprise. (For example, a Hildelt spawning behind the player when they're already focusing on Bartles that just spawned a moment earlier!)
Specifically regarding Mothvists: Another phenomenal mechanic is that players almost never have to stand around and wait ten seconds for Mothvist's absurd death animation to play out for doors to open. This was immediately noticed and appreciated. The spawns in Mothvist rooms appear to be multi-threaded, and the door opening conditions are tied mostly to other enemies. (Namely, those which don't take forever to die.)
The pacing is also on point. While several areas in the game have multiple map layout choices for quest developers, Forest 1 and 2 both have ONE layout each. Any uniqueness in routing or pacing is therefore dependent on entry point, exit point, warps, fences, and barriers. SR1 starts in an unorthodox spot and regularly employs deliberate laser fences and barriers to guide the player along. Forest is one of the most challenging areas for creating a distinct feel, but Esther pulls it off with ingenuity.
(A very interesting room choice for the starting area!)
(The path is clear!)
(Ah, but the plot thickens later on!)
Enemy density is medium to medium-strong for most of the quest, but there are a few underwhelming spawns. Weaker spawns are not overused, but they are noticeable. The spawns pick up a good bit near the end, as is characteristic of the predecessor EN series. The final room of Forest 2 is appropriate, but the last room of Forest 1 needed to be a bit stronger. One or two more spawns would have been nice.
(A medium-sized spawn can still look cool!)
(Luckily, the chunky-boy spawns come through at the end!)
Section Score: 26 out of 30 possible points
Challenge / Fairness:
Because this is Forest, it wouldn't be fair to score harshly due to lack of combat challenge. Save for the occasional Hildetorr spawn, there is nothing dangerous about Forest for even a remotely experienced player or party. (Well, there is that one trap in Lost Heat Sword that does a crap-ton of damage, but I digress.) The extremely minor point loss in this section is more due to the limitations of Forest itself rather than lack of developer effort.
Fortunately, the quest provides the player with a challenging and fair introduction to a key mechanic in the Scarlet Realm series: The hidden box rooms and Easter Eggs!
Per Esther, three of the SR series quests have a hidden box room, and all four of them have a hidden Easter Egg. (Note: the usage of the term "Easter Egg" here is in reference to the general gaming colloquialism, not Event Eggs!)
The manner in which SR1 introduces this mechanic is brilliant. However, it will be hidden behind a spoiler as to not deprive those who wish to discover these secrets themselves. For anyone who skips the spoiler, just know the mechanic is really good and the score is deserved. Trust me!
The box rooms and Easter Eggs of the SR series are pretty hard to find overall, but SR1 eases the player into it by making their existence blatantly obvious. Very early in Forest 2, the player encounters a large number of boxes that are inaccessible due to non-traversable water and a locked laser-style door on the other side.
If the player progresses normally to the other side of the door and clears the long corridor-style room adjacent to it, the door stays locked. (The default path forward still opens, however.) This will prompt curious players to backtrack and take another look.
In doing so, they'll encounter a switch on the other side of a small moat.
In default Forest maps, the switch to raise the bridge is normally right next to the foot of the bridge itself. However, it is strangely absent in SR1. If the player turns around, they may notice a previously locked side door to an already-cleared room has since unlocked after clearing the moat room. Normally there would be no need to unlock this door in a purely linear quest, so why is it unlocked now?
By returning to the preceding room, which happens to the be first room of Forest 2, the player may take some time to explore and notice a strange fire particle on the ground that is distinctly different from the forest fires blazing in the background scenes. (It only appears for a short while, so players must keep their eyes peeled!)
Walking into this particle effect will warp the player to the other side of the bridge, where they can hit the switch, raise the bridge, and open the door to the box room!
With the door now open, the player can collect the reward! (But not before a surprise ambush by some extra Hildelts!)
Proceeding to the far end of the box room will also spawn a friendly NPC players may fondly remember from the Side Story quest Forest of Sorrow, thus revealing the Easter Egg!
This is a silent tutorial. While the box rooms and Easter Eggs in SR2, 3, and 4 are harder to find, SR1 masterfully introduces the player to this concept by making the existence of the box room blatantly obvious (one can literally see it across the water from the first room of Forest 2), and sets the player on a search. Furthermore, because the SR quests are a cohesive series, the player will naturally extrapolate that secrets must exist in the later quests, and will set out looking for them, too! Without this introductory method, it's likely some of the other secrets would have been missed.
I absolutely love this mechanic because it hearkens back to the original Metroid for NES. Released in 1986, most players had only experienced linear games in which the character starts on the left of the screen and moves to the right (ie. Super Mario Brothers). Metroid forces players who immediately travel right to backtrack and explore after they quickly encounter a passage that is too narrow for Samus (the protagonist) to navigate. By returning to the starting point and heading left, players find the Morph Ball, which enables them to continue. This process informed players that Metroid was going to be a different sort of game; it set expectations for the feedback loop without saying a word. Thirty-six years later, SR1 introduces its hidden secret mechanic in a similar fashion (using environmental cues), which is very satisfying.
If the player progresses normally to the other side of the door and clears the long corridor-style room adjacent to it, the door stays locked. (The default path forward still opens, however.) This will prompt curious players to backtrack and take another look.
In doing so, they'll encounter a switch on the other side of a small moat.
In default Forest maps, the switch to raise the bridge is normally right next to the foot of the bridge itself. However, it is strangely absent in SR1. If the player turns around, they may notice a previously locked side door to an already-cleared room has since unlocked after clearing the moat room. Normally there would be no need to unlock this door in a purely linear quest, so why is it unlocked now?
By returning to the preceding room, which happens to the be first room of Forest 2, the player may take some time to explore and notice a strange fire particle on the ground that is distinctly different from the forest fires blazing in the background scenes. (It only appears for a short while, so players must keep their eyes peeled!)
Walking into this particle effect will warp the player to the other side of the bridge, where they can hit the switch, raise the bridge, and open the door to the box room!
With the door now open, the player can collect the reward! (But not before a surprise ambush by some extra Hildelts!)
Proceeding to the far end of the box room will also spawn a friendly NPC players may fondly remember from the Side Story quest Forest of Sorrow, thus revealing the Easter Egg!
This is a silent tutorial. While the box rooms and Easter Eggs in SR2, 3, and 4 are harder to find, SR1 masterfully introduces the player to this concept by making the existence of the box room blatantly obvious (one can literally see it across the water from the first room of Forest 2), and sets the player on a search. Furthermore, because the SR quests are a cohesive series, the player will naturally extrapolate that secrets must exist in the later quests, and will set out looking for them, too! Without this introductory method, it's likely some of the other secrets would have been missed.
I absolutely love this mechanic because it hearkens back to the original Metroid for NES. Released in 1986, most players had only experienced linear games in which the character starts on the left of the screen and moves to the right (ie. Super Mario Brothers). Metroid forces players who immediately travel right to backtrack and explore after they quickly encounter a passage that is too narrow for Samus (the protagonist) to navigate. By returning to the starting point and heading left, players find the Morph Ball, which enables them to continue. This process informed players that Metroid was going to be a different sort of game; it set expectations for the feedback loop without saying a word. Thirty-six years later, SR1 introduces its hidden secret mechanic in a similar fashion (using environmental cues), which is very satisfying.
Section Score: 29 out of 30 possible points
Reward for Effort:
While 8,000 Meseta for clearing a relatively short quest is decent, it still isn't much. Ephinea developers (this includes Ender, Matt, Esther, and even Tofuman) are notorious for being too cautious with Meseta rewards as to not power-creep the system. Whether this was mandated by the Ephinea staff for the SR series or chosen deliberately by Esther (as to not disturb the status quo), I disagree with it on a categorical level. Charge Weapons and Vjaya are regularly used throughout the game, and too few of the quests allow players to turn a profit for playing normally; SR1 is no exception. This entire notion of low Meseta rewards needs to be revisited and reworked. Yes, players could farm Phantasmal World 3 box runs all day and generate millions of Meseta, but that isn't fun.
The quest isn't terribly long, and 8,000 Meseta isn't the most egregious example of this, but I think closer to 12,000 would have been more appropriate.
***Edit on 11/08/2022***
I was working on this review late last night and forgot to mention how awesome the Pioneer 2 shop warps are. To explain briefly, there's a green warp by the main Ragol teleporter that instantly warps players to the shops / bank area and back. This applies to all four SR quests. Gone are the days of running through the big, empty Pioneer 2 main plaza. Points were re-added to the score because this is respectful of the player's time and effort. More of this, please!
Section Score: 17 out of 20 possible points (previously this was 15 out of 20, but restored two points due to edit)
Overall:
Specific to SR1 versus EN1, I think the final waves of Forest 1 are better in EN1, but SR1 wins in most other comparisons. The map is unique, it flows well, the aesthetics are top-notch (and optional); the list goes on. Esther hasn't been developing content for as long as some other Ephinea developers, but has already exceeded most Sega content in terms of quality, and has caught on fast.
The Scarlet Realm series is superior to the Endless Nightmare series in most ways, so the growth and evolution of the established formula has been successful, in my opinion. The story arc that could potentially unfold has me intrigued. I'm one of those weird people who went out of their way to experience every possible aspect of the PSO story back when I played it on GameCube. I know that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I am hopeful it will be appreciated.
If you see Esther, be sure to thank him for his significant contributions to our community. He worked tirelessly on this quest. (I know because I'm on his Team, and he frequently had to forego playing and enjoying the game to craft this fine series!)
Overall Score: 92 out of 100 possible points
9.2 / 10
Explanation of review / why I am I doing this: Every month I want to review one quest from HBR. I really enjoy being creative. I used to like drawing and writing, but my current profession does not provide a lot of creative outlet. I hope these reviews are enjoyable and create discussion.
All reviews are going to be done on Ultimate difficulty since the vast majority of the game takes place there.
Thanks for reading!
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