I’ve written my thoughts on the playable characters that have come before, both here and at Kickstart Ventures, but the one thing that most of them have had in common was the fact that they were truly visual novel stories. With multiple endings and at least one (if not several) love interests. Scarlett’s tale has neither. That’s one of the most interesting parts about it. There’s only one ending and she doesn’t end up with anyone. While not necessarily a bad thing it can throw diehard VN fans for a loop. I personally didn’t mind it myself.
In Gender Bender DNA Twister Extreme you follow several different people who get their biological sexes swapped one way or another. While Scarlett’s no different in that she does go from being male to female, that’s about where her story stops making any sense. As if spontaneous sex changes make any sense to begin with. Anyway, she wakes up not only finding out that she’s got the wrong parts but that she can change into a succubus. Just another day in Sirens Point, huh?
There are two things that really make Scarlett stand out from the rest of the pack. Let’s start with the plot. Based on what I saw this one takes place quite some time after most of the rest of the girls (and guys) go through their own…transformations. Gender swapping and DNA splicing have become pretty much the norm in that messed up town and there’s even stores where you can get your dream body. Nobody even bats an eye when she cries foul all around town. Or are even surprised when they see her transform into a demon.
That brings me to what I like about the shenanigans. This tale pretty much screams bad occult themed porno. Seriously, both Scarlett and her friend Jasmine become succubi (sex demons for lack of a better term) and are hounded by a crazed wolf hybrid hunter trying to take them down. Of course, this wouldn’t be Gender Bender DNA Twister Extreme without having her be gender swapped too. I’m starting to think nobody in that town’s sane. Or currently living with the same bits they were born with.
Story aside, what really made this one stand out was its deviation from the norm. When you think of visual novels you usually think a more-or-less linear narrative with some branches for multiple endings. One rarely considers a more…cerebral approach. While Scarlett’s route doesn’t have any puzzles that are even close to the mindbenders that most adventure games are known for it does make an admirable attempt to emulate some of the better known tropes. Such as solving the overarching quest to find a certain someone via fetch quests. And I do have to say that it’s worth checking out just for that alone.
