Looking for a comprehensive Scorn Review? We’ve got you covered! What can we say about Scorn? Other than the fact that we finally get to try out this Grotesque and Giger-inspired game on PlayStation 5. Here is our Scorn Review.
Enter into a world that clearly takes inspiration from H.R. Giger’s Alien. There is so much going on within the confines of the game that it’s really hard to isolate a single point in which the game makes everything blur into what you see. Giger had the same influence with the Alien movies starring Sigourney Weaver, conceptualizing a truly terrifying foe in the Xenomorphs, within Scorn you can get that feeling that every time you turn a corner or move the camera too fast. It’s that nagging feeling at the back of your mind that there is a xenomorph hiding in the walls, knowing there isn’t doesn’t fill you with much confidence, but it leaves a lasting impression, and for better or worse the team at Ebb Software did a fantastic job of making a horror game, that really instils uncertainty.
| DISCLAIMER! |
| This game is not for the faint of Heart, anyone squeamish, or the like. There are heavily grotesque sequences depicted throughout the game. You have been warned! |
STORY:
Where there is a story it took ages actually to grasp it. Within the game, there is no real communication, and this makes the overarching story so confusing to understand, there is a goal in mind which is sort of a cross between the cycle of rebirth and breaking free but it’s hard to discern most of the time. A lot of the game is taken up solving puzzles, which are so fascinating it’s hard to believe that a Horror game can have such things that make the gamer pause for thought.
Frankly, when I started the game I expected a terrifying time in a Giger-est world but I never expected the adventure that Scorn lays out for you. Taking you through extremely dark scenarios to barren wastes, and even into what feels like living creatures, the environments span a vast variety of designs and always keep to this Giger theme. The reason this is brought up in this section is that the Environment literally drives the progression of the game, although games use this as a driving force like using light as a guide, Scorn’s use of the environment is something rather fascinating and it is easy to lose yourself in the fantastical world.
Like it or not Horror games rely on a driving force, like every game. In horror, it is rather a simple concept to get your head around and is illustrated above with Alan Wake, although Alan Wake isn’t a “True” horror game it has the makings of it. For the example, however, we will be using it to illustrate our point. As stated all games are driven by something, and this “Something” will vary depending on the game in question however all horror games follow a similar thread. This force in Horror is light sources. Why? Is it subconsciously built into the human mind that “The Light” is safe and theoretically nothing bad can happen so long as you are there, therefore Horror games are developed with a push in this direction. The player sees a light and thinks, “I’ll go this way”. A rather cheap way of forcing the player’s hand and most of the time it does work, Scorn however semi-utilised this. This is only because the game is so dark anyway and there are not a lot of light sources that will help with this push for the player.
Gameplay, Mechanics, and Graphic:
As good as the game is visually, its mechanical systems are fantastic as well. You might think that only Alien would be able to pull off machines that are organic, however, Scorn utilises this concept really well. As previously stated, the game gives off a very Alien vibe, and that is reflected in everything even to the point you think an Alien is around every corner, and sometimes there is something scary around the corner.
Each subsystem of the game has a unique function, for example, not all weapons function as you would think. This means that the guns you get in the game won’t always fire a shot. The first weapon you get is a tool to help you solve puzzles, however much it looks like a gun it is more like the Alien’s tongue, it fires this little pincer thing out and retracts it, although this might be a cool concept for a gun personally I would say it is impractical as you need to be close to your target in order to use it.
Conclusion:
To conclude the game is a fantastic inspiration from Giger’s work and really sets a distinctive feel and mood. There are quite a few bad points about the game, for example, there is no real way to know where your going, what you are doing or how to play. There is a control layout on the settings and Pause screens which help to know how to play the game but there is nothing that really indicates that you need to do this or that to get this outcome. In short, there is no handholding, which is good, at the same time there is a distinctive lack of assistance to help guide the player through and to their end goal within the game. I would say this would be something like exploring a new planet where you don’t know if something is hostile, or if it’s safe to eat something. It gives you a real sense that you are alone and that you have to find your way making errors along the way and putting up with the consequences. Case in point, not killing enemies and running past them. Although most are slow and cause damage close to themselves, the Chicken-style enemies and Brute-style can be pretty fast and damage you a good amount.
Where there is a distinctive grotesque set of events in the game, some worse than others, the concept is really fascinating and, if you are able to stomach it, I highly advise giving it a go.
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