How long is Scarlet Deer Inn?
About 5–8 hours (story + 100%) for story and 100% toys/achievements.
Scarlet Deer Inn Beginner Guide
Scarlet Deer Inn beginner guide: Horace, mead vs wine, cake for Otto, village errands, and torch habits before Part 2 underground caves on Steam.
Early village loop and underground transition — embroidered platformer on Steam.
~8 min read
At A Glance
Scarlet Deer Inn is an embroidered dark folk tale from Attu Games (Aurakenn Games), released on Steam July 21, 2026. Scarlet Deer Inn is a narrative platformer from Attu Games with physically embroidered character animation and hand-painted Slavic folk backgrounds. Play as Elise, a mother of two, exploring hidden cellars, collecting toys, and facing folk monsters when sinister secrets surface beneath an ordinary village.
This Scarlet Deer Inn beginner guide covers the opening inn loop, the mead vs wine choice, cake delivery for Otto, and torch habits before Part 2 underground. You play Elise, a mother of two — not a warrior — running village chores until a beekeeper's cellar reveals horrors beneath. Verified July 27, 2026 · Steam.
Start with the inn opening below, then follow the walkthrough once you reach Karel's apiary. Pair this page with torch guide before caves and achievements for missable trophies at the start.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform | Steam (PC) · Switch / Xbox planned |
| Genre | Narrative Platformer · Folk Horror · Adventure |
| Mode | Single-player |
| Toys | 10 collectibles |
| Achievements | 10 Steam trophies |
| Playtime | 5–8 hours (story + 100%) |
| Reviews | Very Positive (~89% · 160+ reviews) |
What happens inside the Scarlet Deer Inn first?
Control begins in the Scarlet Deer Inn — your hub for the entire campaign. Move left and talk to Kuba — Bara hid his toy horse Horace. Pick up Horace from the shelf on the right and return it to Kuba. This teaches the interact loop and foreshadows Horace's return underground in Part 2.
Exit left, speak to Anna in the kitchen. She asks you to bring a bottle to Mistress Dorota and mentions a tunic for Bara. Head through the door to the cellar before leaving the building — the bottle choice happens there.
Horace and the children
Horace is story-critical later — returning it now is mandatory, not optional. Bara and the old swordsman guest at the table foreshadow darker turns; you cannot skip cleaning prompts. Kuba and Bara are Elise's motivation for the entire rescue arc — see characters.
The inn's embroidered animation style makes NPC faces readable — watch Bara's reactions when the swordsman speaks. Nothing combat-related happens here; this is pure narrative setup.
Anna and the errand list
Anna sets the day's route: Dorota first, then wider village deliveries once hay is stored. The inn remains your return point after Part 2 when Anna reveals the Noon Witch took the children.
Memorize cellar stairs location — you revisit the building multiple times. Kitchen dialogue also mentions Bara's lessons with Father Johannes, which becomes a navigation clue for Lada.
Leaving the building
Once you have Dorota's bottle, exit the inn to the village outskirts. Part 1 is entirely side-scrolling exploration with no torch yet — platforming difficulty is minimal until Karel's cellar.
Wine or mead for Dorota — which bottle?
In the cellar, two bottles sit on the left: Wine — The Cunning Slug and Mead — Scarlet Deer. Dorota prefers mead in dialogue, but the choice is really about achievements — not story locks.
Pick exactly one bottle per playthrough. Trophy hunters often do two menu restarts: Run A for mead + middle cake; Run B for wine + burnt cake; then continue the main save for everything else.
| Bottle | Achievement | Global unlock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mead — Scarlet Deer | Liquid Gold | ~54% | High-quality mead Dorota praises |
| Wine — The Cunning Slug | Plonk | ~34% | Cheap wine — mutually exclusive with Liquid Gold |
After the bottle
Dorota sits outside her house. Deliver the drink, then stack hay bales one by one into the stable — you can pat cows inside for optional flavor. She then adds Karel, Otto, and Lada to your route and hands over cakes on a tray.
She specifies the middle cake is for Otto — remember for Fluffy Middle vs Crispy Crust. Do not give Otto cake until his dialogue chain completes at the wine barrels.
Hay chore tips
Each bale must be pushed or carried into the stable pen — there is no time limit. Finish all bales before leaving; Dorota will not give cake errands until the chore is done. This is a calm tutorial beat before the village widens.
How do village errands and cakes work?
Head right through Village Outskirts: speak to Hanka, Marek, children near the burnt house, then climb into the Village proper. Talk to the Bailiff and Marie, enter the churchyard arch, and speak to Father Johannes — ask about Bara's lessons and visit Elise's husband's grave for lore context.
Find Otto by the wine barrels — he refuses Dorota's cake at first. Enter the church interior (not just the yard), exhaust Johannes' dialogue to learn Lada is at the old oak tree (path beside the church's left wall, not through Otto's yard).
- Do01Talk to Bailiff and Marie in village square
- Do02Churchyard → Father Johannes → husband's grave
- Do03Otto at barrels — sent away until Lada found
- Do04Church interior — ask where Lada went
- Do05Old oak tree path — Lada scene
- Do06Lada's house — cake choice for Otto
- Do07Cross bridge to Karel's Apiary
Lada and Otto's cake choice
At the oak, Lada discusses her boy Jirik — tone feels wrong, foreshadowing sacrificial themes. She walks home with you; at her house the game offers middle of the tray (Fluffy Middle) or crispy edges (Crispy Crust) for Otto. Only one achievement per playthrough.
Dialogue flavor shifts slightly based on slice choice, but the story converges — see endings.
Bridge to Karel
Back in outskirts, pass Marek, speak to the mule handler, detour to Marketa if the path is blocked, cross the bridge toward Karel's Apiary. No one is outside — cellar noises start Part 1's horror beat. Full steps: walkthrough.
Optional NPCs
Hanka, Marek, Marie, and Marketa provide Slavic folk color — none gate progress. The burnt house children comment on village gossip that pays off when authorities disbelieve Elise later.
Ready for the full route?
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.
When does the torch matter?
After the swordsman throws Elise into the pit, Part 2 is a torch platformer. Pick up torches from pillars, light braziers, burn foliage blockers, and relight after water sections. There is no weapon combat — light equals safety.
The game warns on Steam: *"The only thing protecting you is your torch."* Darkness hosts creatures you cannot fight — see the torch guide for brazier chains, lever puzzles, and the light-chase rules.
First torch pickup
Wake in the pit, climb the ladder, take the torch from the central pillar. Your first brazier is immediately ahead — light it, then relight the handheld torch even if the room looks bright.
Part 2 toys on first pass
Grab Rag Doll, Shepherd's Flute, and Horace during the maze — missing them requires shortcut backtrack. See collectibles for the checklist.
Which early choices lock achievements?
Four trophies fork in the first ~15 minutes: Liquid Gold / Plonk, Fluffy Middle / Crispy Crust. Speedrunners do two restarts: Run A — mead + middle cake; Run B — wine + burnt cake; then continue one save for story trophies.
Later missables include Held Breath (miller stealth), Neverending Tale (fisherman dialogue), and No Questions (guard trousers). Full list: achievements. Toys tie to Sweet Memory and All Together — collectibles.
Restart timing
You can quit to menu immediately after Otto's cake choice on a restart run — no need to replay the underground maze for Plonk or Crispy Crust. Under two minutes per paired trophy if you skip optional NPC chatter.
Story trophies are separate
Reunited unlocks on campaign completion regardless of mead/wine. Sweet Memory triggers on any single toy — the rag doll in Part 2 is the earliest.
Beginner mistakes that softlock progress
Skipping church interior dialogue — you cannot find Lada without asking Johannes inside the church; the oak tree path is not marked until he tells you.
Giving Otto cake too early — he sends you away until Lada's oak-tree scene completes. Return only after the church conversation.
Rushing Karel's cellar — investigate noises fully; the body discovery triggers the pit fall required for Part 2. Turning back early skips the story beat.
Letting torch die underground — backtrack to last brazier instead of pushing forward in darkness. Water extinguishes flame instantly — dry ground first.
Ignoring cracked walls — optional passages hide toys and permanent shortcuts; opening them during the story saves hours on All Together cleanup.
First-hour checklist
Use this ordered list on a fresh save. Trophy labels assume Run A (mead + middle cake).
- Do01Return Horace to Kuba in the inn
- Do02Cellar: pick Mead — Scarlet Deer (Liquid Gold)
- Do03Deliver bottle to Dorota; stack all hay bales
- Do04Village: Bailiff, Marie, churchyard Johannes, grave
- Do05Otto at barrels — note he wants Lada first
- Do06Church interior: ask where Lada went
- Do07Old oak tree — Lada scene, walk home
- Do08Lada's house: middle cake slice for Otto (Fluffy Middle)
- Do09Cross bridge to Karel's Apiary → cellar
- Do10Part 2: torch, braziers, three toys, chase, return to inn
FAQ
Is Scarlet Deer Inn on Steam Deck?
Steam lists Deck compatibility while Valve verification is pending — full controller support; see controls.
Does cake choice affect the ending?
It affects achievements, not the main Reunited story outcome — see endings.
Where is the full route?
Walkthrough Part 1 and Part 2 with every location name.
Is there combat?
No RPG combat — torch survival, stealth segments, and platforming only. Enemies
Can I change difficulty?
No difficulty slider — challenge comes from torch discipline and optional collectibles.
Related pages
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.