SCARF Review for Steam

SCARF, by developer Uprising Studios and publisher HandyGames, is an intricate game that mixes fun level design including puzzles and 3D platforms with a mysterious story. You play as a person who embarks on a journey with a being that takes the form of a dragon shaped scarf. Your job is to help this entity take back the power that others have stolen in order to reopen a portal to the cosmos. You will travel through many worlds uncovering secrets and solving puzzles with the help of your scarf, but there is also something dark lurking around some corners, a darkness that holds more to the story you were told.

When you start the game, you are alone running through this odd land. You follow this strange entity who then shows you its story, a sad story of her mother being torn apart by people and her power used to make portals to different worlds. Now, all of her hope rests on you, someone kind enough to help her find the pieces of her mom that were stolen by these cruel people. After that, you are free to explore the worlds to find these people; once you find them, your scarf will pull the power from them and you will take that power back to the portal.

The game itself is not too long, about five to six hours to reach the end. One thing that I noticed immediately is that when you take the power from people they are terrified and then very sad afterwards. I know they stole the power but it almost makes you feel bad for them because they just look so sad and scared. Another thing that I found interesting and conflicting is that off the beaten path in some areas you’ll find these dark orbs that when you go near, the scarf will try to pull you back, and if you insist, the scarf will detach from you and wait far away for you to return. When you touch the orb you are told a few lines of story by a deep voice and then a part of your body will turn black. This makes me conflicted because it is unsettling and does not exactly feel like something you should do, but because I am too curious for my own good in games I still do it just to see the story it’s telling.

Now that I’ve talked about the story and feel of the game let’s talk about the actual gameplay. SCARF is a lot about exploration mixed in with its story. There are many puzzles and 3D platformer sections that are done well and is a very casual experience as the puzzles are not very hard. The physics are just a little off at times, which can be a little frustrating. One of the mechanics I really enjoy is that as you play you learn more abilities that the scarf can use to help you get around the worlds; mechanics like double jump and a swinging rope to help you cross larger gaps, it really gives you the feel of being on a team with this entity. The game itself is a very interesting and conflicting experience that leaves you questioning things as you explore and uncover secrets. For me, at least, it’s hard to tell what side I am on and if it’s the right one to be on.

I do have a few issues with the game, as fun and interesting as it is. I already mentioned the weird physics and how it can make you fall more often, which is saved by the fact that when you fall, it is not a very big reset so it’s easy to get back to where you were. Something else that I noticed is that some portions of the game had very large lag spikes and framerate drops, especially the parts that deal with water physics. There were also a few glitches and at one point I had to restart the game because it said I was holding something that wasn’t there and I couldn’t put it down thus I couldn’t do anything. The only other thing I wanted to mention were the graphics, they are simplistic and hold some charm that reminded me of other games I had played, but in this game they were a little less refined and hurt my head in some of the brighter areas. Overall, SCARF is fun and interesting tying puzzles and platformers with some story elements, but could use some polish in its look and physics.

SCARF is a mysterious adventure game that holds interesting worlds with puzzles and moving platforms. The story of the game is interesting and it makes you question if you are on the right side as you uncover its secrets. You also form an interesting bond with the dragon-shaped scarf that is with you in the journey. Its gameplay is casual and relaxing overall but could use refinement in its look and physics. I am giving SCARF a 7 out of 10 because it has an interesting style and is fun to play but also has some issues with its look and physics that could use refining.

Check Out the SCARF Launch Trailer:

SCARF is available for PC for $14.99 via Steam. For more information, visit: https://handy-games.com/en/

Brianna Keller

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I enjoy a wide variety of games from intricate survival/adventure games to simple platformers. I am also a sucker for a good story game.

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