Red Embrace: Hollywood full review

[Drugo⚸a]

And so hell spreads its legs...

"Oh, we're not in hell yet, sister. Why, this is purgatory. At least get the zip code right." Right, sorry Markus. And so I began my journey I was warned will touch my very soul, whether to damn or purify was left to be seen, but I was ready for anything it had to throw at me. Or so I thought, for it had many things to throw. This is one peculiar case of a game where I went in with already great expectations and somehow, impossibly, it managed to steadily, consistently exceed them to the very end. So don't think it's a mere exaggeration when I say Red Embrace: Hollywood is one of the best VNs I have ever played.

It touched me so deeply, spoke to me on many levels, made me suffer and delight in equal measures, challenged me, riled me up, kept me on my toes, made me question myself, discover some things... I'm afraid it's all down hill from here. I'm... just so sad I finished it, even though I savored it and replayed it many times. So, forgive me if I quote the hell out of it, cause the words are stuck in my mind and won't get out.

Hollywood was the beginning, and it would be the end

Uncompromising. That's the word I'd use to explain strange reactions this game seems to draw out of some people. It's unwavering when it comes to sticking to its vision and it all starts and ends with Hollywood. It's not just the setting of 1996 LA; the omnipresent, all-pervasive main theme, the point of it all, is seeing behind the dazzling, sexy glamour of Hollywood, the underside, the underbelly of a dream, stripping the world of illusions, that comforting veil, and showing things as they really are, the other side of Hollywood when the movie magic ends. This is executed thoroughly, starting from the main menu where the blinding spotlight awaits you with menacing lonely sound of the film reel spinning, and ending at the top of Hollywood, among the sea of glittering lights shining like stars, like you're watching from space. So close to humanity and yet so far away - like stars, and stars, and vampires. Vampires are used as a reflection of Hollywood, romanticised and glamorous, they're beautiful on the outside, rotten and grotesque on the inside, walking, talking corpses. Throughout the VN vampires are compared with stars, be it of the human or celestial kind: "beautiful and bitingly cold", "remote, yet tethered, unable to descent or escape", "a cold, isolated existence, but exciting" - like Hollywood; frozen in space and time, unchanging; "a crowd completely removed from everyday world... and yet, painfully human."

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2655934428

It can also be said that each one of the 3 mentors is some kind of star: a former star, an upcoming star, an everlasting star. Heath, as a former child actor, goes from a star to nobody (Hollywood nightmare) while Randal, is emerging from a cocoon, going from nobody to a superstar (Hollywood dream). Markus is (in)famous; everywhere he goes, he attracts attention, be it fear or curiosity, apprehension or attraction. The pull of mystery and the unknown. A natural star. An everlasting, perhaps regenerating star (supernova?). It's like he embodies everybody.

I absolutely loved this; such a refreshing depiction of vampires. It is said that Vampire: The Masquerade universe is a great inspiration, but I'm not familiar with it, so I can't comment. Regardless, the way this VN defies and subverts expectations left and right is a thing of beauty. If you wanted vampires for the ravishment fantasies with them being so dark, edgy and dangerous, but still hot, pleasing and romantic... welp! Lots of cold bodies here.

Does fake love make you less lonely?

- asks one billboard. Heh, this VN is dedicated to shattering illusions and calling things their real names. I'm tempted to call RE:H a deconstruction of vampire romance fiction. It's masquerading as one, but peel off the surface level and it's something more. Like Hollywood, it seduces you and then crushes your heart. Like Markus, who looks like that perfect lover straight out of a vampire romance (there's a bit of Byronic hero in him). But that's not who he is, he doesn't follow the usual rules. Like Heath, who looks and acts like a matinée idol and teen heartthrob, but is actually a lost emo boy wallowing in self-pity. Not very sexy. Like Randal, who looks like a rebel bad boy, passionate and strong, and yet easygoing and pally, but actually... you get the gist.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2632294220

The game as a whole doesn't follow the rules of romance fiction either. Characters have their own goals, inner callings and destinies to fulfill. Not everything is about you (even though a lot of it is, but there's no "you're my everything", "you're enough" and other unrealistic bullshit from romance). Not an otome (nor yaoi) where everything revolves around you at the center. But... "That's the only thing I really care about. Be pretty, seduce me... tantalize me." "You'd be the perfect lover... just say what I want you to say." "You're perfect in my head. I don't care if you're in other people's heads too - as long as you're in mine, you belong to me." I loved all these almost meta passages. Do you feel called out? Do you think the game is mean for 'guilt-tripping' you just to make you feel like shit for the hell of it? Or perhaps the aim is to challenge you by asking questions, to make you think and see things in a different light, beyond the veil. Well, it says 'for mature audience' for a reason and no, it's not (just) a euphemism for sexual content. Let's see what Markus, the expert in subtext, says: "I want to weigh down your spirit with questions and doubts, to awaken that potential, not throw a blanket over its head... that comforting blanket of simple good and evil, of happy endings, a blanket made from your own sheared wool." If this isn't a direct commentary on the game.

Not black and white, no heroes and villains, no easy solutions... and that goes for relationships as well as politics. I found vampire politics quite realistic with every side having some merit and point, resembling the left-right political spectrum, with no simple good and evil, and little hope for compromise as is often the case in the real world. You, as the newbie vampire have to navigate all that and decide who to side with. Go to different locations on free nights, talk to people, build rep. This is a way to get to know characters more and the whole world. Ask them all the questions, exhaust every dialogue tree. It's basically like Interview With The Vampire, heh. Lots of fun info and dialogue, I enjoyed it immensely. All characters, not just the main ones, are interesting, sharply drawn with subtle shading and feel alive.

I think this is the first time I'm playing a VN with this kind of completely customizable MC (gender, pronouns, appearance, skin colour etc.) I usually never self-insert and was struggling at first to feel her presence. Outside of her narrated thoughts, her only dialogue were the dialogue choices I gave her, which coloured her personality bit by bit. But soon, my own thoughts during playing became her thoughts and vice versa; soon we became one and the same. It was intense, to say the least. I understand the appeal of self-insertion a bit more now. I guess this is close to role playing.

Where I end, you begin

*sigh* This line almost broke me.
Let's finally talk about the 3 hot cold vampire mentors you can romance or not. I think the intended order is Randal-Heath-Markus, but I played it the other way around, and I don't regret it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2627224601

The benefits of playing Markus first is that I've already peeked beyond the veil and am reading the rest with clear mindset. Other routes show the surface level Hollywood, ex-movie stars, rock stars, rebels, upcoming stars... and then Markus strips that familiar illusory blanket off things. I think I can safely say that he's the main guy, his "path leads under all of Hollywood", journey with Markus is above and beyond anything that happens, into the essence of things. His route is the central one and around everything else, at the same time. He references and comments other routes and characters constantly, drops hints, blows your mind with subtext, his musings literally serve you themes, maybe not on the plate, cause you have to do the work yourself too. But the attentive reader will see things much more clearly after talking with Markus. Now this might sound paradoxical (another thing under his domain) that the most cryptic character serves to clear your mind (and also leave you with more questions than answers, but they are just as important, maybe even more). But that's Markus: a man of many contradictions and one of the best and most interesting characters I've encountered in VNs. It was impossible not to like him, from the very start. From the eccentric doomsday prophet vibe, playful provocations and unpredictability to the penchant for poetic/philosophic musings and cryptic talk, I simply stood no chance. Fickle and elusive, he can be hard to define, can't fit into any labels, doesn't follow any rules - like a cat. I'm afraid my review will turn into a love letter to Markus (keep it down, keep it down... look, theme!). But, I think a love letter to Markus is a love letter to this game as they are, in many ways, one and the same. This is the most philosophical route all about seeing behind the illusions; surreal and quite existential. Least physical in the romantic sense and yet the most intimate route.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2644522932

Heath's route goes into the glamorous, movie side of Hollywood and shows one sob story of an ex-child star. Simultaneously "naively earnest" and a coy seducer with practised mannerisms of a teen heartthrob, Heath is sensual, sensitive, melancholic, a hopeless dreamer and romantic. It seems like he embodies all those tortured celebrities who died young at once. The very definition of a lost, emo boy, his route is all about the escape, idealisation and casting glamour (illusions). Heath is an addict in every sense, desperate to escape reality by any means: cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, movies, daydreams, you... Quite clingy from the start, he puts you on a pedestal and latches on to you like drawn to a bright star. This is quite a touchy-feely route, full of deep and desperate longing... which turned out much more complex and uncomfortable in a very real way than I expected.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2646986054

Randal is like a Thor meets surfer dude meets biker meets stoner meets rebel rocker meets... quite a big guy, intimidating on the surface, but actually one of the nicest vampires, with a soft heart. Easygoing and pally, hanging out and flirting with Randal was so much fun. He and Markus have the best dialogue, very quotable. Being a people's leader, he's also very charismatic like a rock star, an upcoming superstar. Randal's route is the most political and deals with the Mavvar rebellion and upcoming war. It also has some very interesting themes: individualism vs collectivism, the plausibility of anarchism, leader worship and one question that pops up throughout the VN, but is the most potent here: who has the real power over whom, people or leaders? and the idea that people make their dictators.

Does it make you feel alive?

To get back to subverting expectations: I titled my review for the first game "Sexy vampires", but I'm afraid, no such thing here... or rather, they're sexy on the surface, like plastic dolls, like pictures frozen in time (Dorian Gray heh), but inside there's a rot, they're cold, dead, numb, even though perfectly preserved, corpses. And that is most potently reflected in sex scenes. Sex scenes in this game are... something else. They're not arousing, not there for your gratification. But all 3 were very good scenes, doing further character work, highly emotional, sad, uncomfortable and even disturbing. There's a lot of heartbreak and maybe even disappointment if you haven't been paying attention and were expecting some hot vampire action. Vampires are stuck in their voids, isolated, toxic to each other (no sexy bloodplay and drinking each other's blood, not even hickeys). But maybe somewhere, from inside their cages of isolation, they can find a way to connect, although it has to be in the mind. Yes, once again, it's all about creating an illusion. ("Believe in me and you might just feel something").

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2633075709

The scenes are completely optional, don't influence any endings or relationships, no achievements are tied to them, only CGs... and some great, if painful, insights. I can't really say what people should choose; the option to go through them or not will show up if you have established romantic rapport with characters. If your playthrough is more platonic, the choice won't even show up at all. I'd say, make your choice and make peace with it.

Choices or fate - they are rather dreadfully similar

"None of us have any control at all, and yet we have all the control in the world... decisions, decisions." Ah yes, this is about the infamous endings and the choices that don't matter. Choices are numerous; every few lines there's a choice, ranging from those that are there for the flavour to those that determine the nature of your relationships to those that build your character and rep with vampire clans. Now, from what I've noticed, only the rep determines the endings. This is probably why so many people felt their choices didn't matter. I disagree, because this basically means that politics ultimately has the biggest influence on the outcome and your relationship status. I find this quite realistic actually, that currents you can't completely control have the most impact. Another thing, whether your choices matter or it's all predestined and leads to the same place is an age-old question, one that the VN itself tackles. It's one of the many themes it touches upon, as is evident by the quote above. That's why I've never understood this complaint. In my mind, it's not a flaw but a design.

And there's one crucial thing that shouldn't be forgotten when thinking about pointlessness of choices: "The debates, the entertainment, the self-discovery along the way - those things matter, not the conclusion." The journey is not made null and void because you don't like the destination; it's actually more important... And even if your choices don't change the world, they change who you are.

Most endings, except special ones, are not a bang, but more of a whimper (and I don't mean it in a bad way). They're often open and shouldn't be seen in simple terms of good and bad. The pinnacle of the story usually happens before the ending, before the battle where you choose who to side with. They can even be called non-endings and it's on you how to take them and what to make of them. When people say there are no good endings, they mean there are no familiar Hollywood endings and there are no romance endings. It's almost like the game's not following the well established structure of "grand romantic tales worthy of Stoker or Tolkien" - "the delights, the promises, all the expected surprises - the risin' tension, the climax, the heart-warming resolution." Nothing like that here, because that's the comforting blanket this game is bent on pulling off your head. And that's why the endings (but also the game as a whole) break hearts. Because they feel real, the emotional beats are real. It's almost like those dark and dramatic, but unrealistic, grand tragedies would hurt less? At least you'd be told how to feel.

Special endings though are... special. But there's a finality to them which makes them true endings in more ways than one. Vague spoilers: Randal's special ending hits hard; some things were definitely coming, others surprised me; but in hindsight, it all fits. Heath's is a big moment of clarity... and good for Heath, just not for your romance with him. And Markus' is either very beautiful and hopeful or incredibly bleak, or both. Definitely open to interpretation, surreal, weird, quite meta, but also unexpectedly romantic, just not in the usual sense. Like Markus, like the whole VN. But let's think positively, "for only a smile can slay the spirit of gravity."

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664220604

I didn't find the game grim-dark in that artsy way, nor constantly bleak and depressing. I've had so much fun playing it, laughed as much as been hurt, "suffered and rejoiced" equally. But this is why I play VNs, to feel such emotional intensity, good, bad, doesn't matter. I embrace it all when it's so expertly done with such masterful writing, attention to detail and uncompromising vision. I can only say: Moar, please! And music, oh the music (OST review this way). I've always wanted otome/yaoi to transcend its roots and become something more. Well, this is it! This has been a soul-purifying journey I will never forget. Thank you, Markus. For everything. I mean, thank you, Argent Games. After this and Pale Cachexia, I am a BIG fan.

Follow Drugoja In The Dreaming to the abyss and beyond...

https://steamcommunity.com/id/drugoja/recommended/904520

[AviaRa]

It seems that all of those normies and sad individuals commented under the short review, whereas my glorious Chadness decided to do it in both places (two pings for you then, kek).

[Drugo⚸a]

Hahaha, peasants!
Chadness?! Lol, I see Prolivije is rubbing off on you
Oh wait, that came out wrong.
Oh no, it didn't

Thanks for reading it... twice <3

[AviaRa]

Yes, I might as well just call myself as ChadiaRa.

I have a question, though, as I don't remember; you played it for several endings as you wrote, so, how long (+-) is that first playthrough, where you just enjoy most of the story? Like, you mention their routes, but are those the same content-wise?

[Drugo⚸a]

Hm, it's hard to say how long with the way I play/read xD There are a lot of choices/dialogue options and I was basically checking everything before deciding with what to go on (it's just very well written that I enjoyed all dialogue, like it's a dialogue tree from an adventure game and not a VN 'choice'). So that greatly prolonged my first (and second) playthrough (not to mention taking copious amount of screenshots, heh). But, maybe 10 hours per route? I think it took me 20+h, but don't mind me, I tend to linger, take my time, mull over the stuff in my head... and I have 95% text seen, which means I explored almost everything.

But let's see: there are 3 vampire mentors you can choose playing as a vampire from one of 3 Houses, which means every mentor has 3 endings (depending on your vampire House/association with the House). Markus', Heath's and Randal's routes are very different from one another, but they all have those common sections like optional dialogue, free nights where you go visit characters and places. You can miss/skip a lot of it, but I don't recommend it as that's the flavour, world building, getting to know characters more... and important for building rep with Houses which in turn influences the endings you get. But some common sections you can skip if you've already played them in another route. Also, you can't really exhaust all optional parts in one playthrough. For example, if you're building rep with Golgotha vamps, you should go to graveyard often and talk to Andrei, their leader; you should seek groups of Golgotha vamps around town to interact with etc. At the same time you can't interact with Iscari and Mavvar, you have to pick and choose optional content. (Although there is a path where you can build rep/interact with all 3 Houses, so that you can take over the coven hehe)

So routes between Randal, Heath and Markus are different in crucial parts (different stories), but if you play one of them in 3 variations, as a Golgotha, Iscari or a Mavvar vampire, it's mostly the same route with some different dialogue choices. Actually the variety in dialogue surprised me, but the story is the same until the end. So you can skip a lot there. In the end, special endings are unlocked. I don't think you need every ending to unlock them, but you need a lot. What you need specifically is written in-game, in the endings menu. Only the Markus' special ending must be played last as it unlocks after completing Heath's and Randal's first.

Phew, that was long. Give me unlimited space and I can't stop writing about this game

[AviaRa]

Thanks for a longish answer, appreciate it.
You made it more clear now for me!:)

>Phew, that was long. Give me unlimited space and I can't stop writing about this game :erune:

Is that bad?

[Drugo⚸a]

Ha, you should see my other thread in this forum, so nooo, it's not bad. I think? xD
And don't read it if you plan to play this some day. It's full of spoilers

[AviaRa]

Huh, you have spoilers somewhere in your group?

[Drugo⚸a]

I do, in another thread where I compiled my notes and scattered thoughts, some casual analysis etc. Don't read! xD This review isn't spoilery though.

[Naultyn]

Brilliant review with insight into the game! Reading it feels like I relive the game's depth and beauty.

Something I'm curious about:

a) The first SE I got was Heath's, and I was, to some extent, shaken to the core - left with the first impression that he committed a grand, splendid suicide.
In your notes, you said that the developer confirmed something about Heath staging his death...really? A star of his own movie, even for 5 minutes? If that's the case, oh dear... let it not be said that this VN is bleak XD
Anyway, Solve at Coagula is an aesthetic cathartic. And that burning figure is less likely to sneak into my dreams (but I guess Randal's beardless face still will

b) Who do you think that phone call was from, where you could hear a voice crying on the other end?


Besides, dev book confirms that the other man in Markus' postcard is MC's sire :P

[Naultyn]

Also, Markus' special ending reminds me of a poem by Lu Xun, Tombstone Inscription...
“…Cold stroke in the heat of singing, to see abyss in the sky. To see nothing in all eyes, and to be saved in hopelessness…”

[Drugo⚸a]

Thank you Ghostbird for reading this long ass version <3

Originally posted by Ghostbird:

In your notes, you said that the developer confirmed something about Heath staging his death...really? A star of his own movie, even for 5 minutes? If that's the case, oh dear... let it not be said that this VN is bleak XD
Anyway, Solve at Coagula is an aesthetic cathartic. And that burning figure is less likely to sneak into my dreams (but I guess Randal's beardless face still will

b) Who do you think that phone call was from, where you could hear a voice crying on the other end?


Besides, dev book confirms that the other man in Markus' postcard is MC's sire :P

Yeah, I heard that the dev mentioned in some kind of development book, iirc, that they were surprised how many people read Heath's ending as a tragic suicide, but it doesn't make sense that he would kill himself at that point of clarity. That about star of his own movie and a hero for one day is my take, my symbolic, subtextual reading of sorts :D

Oh I totally forgot about that phone call Now that you mentioned it, I have no idea. What route that was, I forgot? Was it Randal's? If so, it could be his other emerging persona crying for help, or something like that. And right after it, Randal's recognizable voice can be heard, if I remember right

Ha, I didn't know the dev confirmed the sire, but I was sure of that one. And even if it isn't, it is in my headcanon. It just perfectly fits! Kind of like: It's my story and I'm sticking to it xD

Love that quote from the poem. It is strangely on point, esp this: "to be saved in hopelessness." I found the whole poem after seeing what you wrote and there's a mention of a snake biting itself. And I remembered how Markus' ending is kind of like Ouroboros, there's a cycle emphasized, esp. with a mysterious taxi ride and an even more mysterious driver (MC's sire again?). It rounds everything up and is perfect like a circle. And Markus said, "all things become perfect when you're ready to leave them behind." Fuck, I need to finish writing and analysing Markus' ending. I already wrote a lot, but I have many jumbled up notes, still, that need expanding. Thanks for accidentally reminding me :)

[Naultyn]

Ouroboros, indeed...and the idea of Nietzsche and eternal recurrence, maybe
Would you mind reminding me after you finish? XD I would like to read more of your analysis

[Drugo⚸a]

Yes, as well as destroying and rebuilding... Oh I will remind you, alright. It's nice to know someone finds it interesting ;)