Scorn

About

"Scorn" is a first-person horror adventure game set in a disturbing, nightmarish universe. The game features a non-linear narrative as you explore interconnected regions and discover the world's unique themes, puzzles, and characters. With a focus on a "lived-in" world, you'll acquire new skills, weapons, and items as you uncover the mysteries of this unsettling environment. The Deluxe Edition includes a digital soundtrack and artbook for a closer look at the game's creation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 7,484 reviews

story355 positive mentions

grinding217 negative mentions

Visually stunning with incredible art direction inspired by H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński.
Unique atmosphere that immerses players in a grotesque and unsettling world.
Engaging puzzles that encourage exploration and problem-solving without hand-holding.

Combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.
The game is very short, typically taking only 5-7 hours to complete, which may not justify the price.
Lack of clear narrative or guidance can lead to confusion and aimless wandering.

story
2,414 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
74%
12%
The story in "Scorn" is largely ambiguous and open to interpretation, relying heavily on environmental storytelling rather than traditional narrative elements like dialogue or text. Many players find the lack of a clear plot frustrating, as the game offers minimal context for the bizarre and grotesque world they navigate, leading to a sense of confusion and disappointment regarding the overall narrative. While some appreciate the artistic approach and the opportunity to piece together their own understanding of the story, others feel that the absence of a coherent storyline detracts from the experience, making it feel more like an art piece than a fully realized game.
- “An incredible, dark, but extremely intriguing story unfolds through sight, sound, and discovery.”
- “The whole story is told through the background and everything you see as you solve puzzles and continue through the game world.”
- “The environmental storytelling is one of the game's strongest aspects, offering a chance to piece together its mysteries.”
- “The story is nonexistent.”
- “However, don't go into this game hoping to fully understand what is going on, as the story is very vague.”
- “The story also leaves a lot to be desired; nothing in the game is really explained, and the story is all explained in the artbook bought separately.”
graphics
2,406 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
2%
The graphics of *Scorn* have received widespread acclaim for their stunning and grotesque aesthetic, heavily inspired by the works of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. Reviewers consistently highlight the game's ability to create a haunting atmosphere through its intricate visual design, which many describe as a breathtaking blend of body horror and surrealism. However, while the visuals are often praised as the game's standout feature, some players note that the repetitive environments and lack of gameplay depth can detract from the overall experience.
- “The visuals and sound design are absolutely stunning.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the game overall is well done.”
- “The art style is amazing and the soundtrack, just these would have me play again, i think im even fairly far away from completion but im finding myself just exploring everything and staring at the scenery a lot.”
- “The only thing this game has going for it is graphics and world design that we know nothing about.”
- “Appears most effort was put into the graphics but even the environments are repetitive and very static; not much animation in the environment.”
- “The visuals and sounds are all this game does well.”
gameplay
2,257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
71%
13%
The gameplay of *Scorn* has received mixed to negative reviews, with many players highlighting its focus on exploration and puzzle-solving over traditional action mechanics. While the game's atmosphere and visuals are praised for their stunning, biomechanical design inspired by H.R. Giger, the combat mechanics are often described as clunky and unsatisfying, leading to frustration during encounters. Overall, players seem to appreciate the unique aesthetic experience but criticize the gameplay for being simplistic, repetitive, and lacking depth, making it more of an interactive art piece than a fully realized game.
- “The core gameplay loop revolves around solving puzzles, which, while not challenging, are engaging and thought-provoking.”
- “The game’s world is deeply atmospheric, drenched in a haunting, biomechanical design with grotesque landscapes and unsettling sound design that create an unforgettable, immersive experience that draws players into its dark and mysterious world.”
- “Gameplay perfectly complements the setting.”
- “The gameplay is boring, the combat is terrible, the puzzles are frustrating, and the story has no story.”
- “The gameplay is pure padding and the combat is really terribly designed.”
- “The gameplay is extremely boring; you just run around trying to find what you're supposed to do with basically 0 audio.”
atmosphere
2,007 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
39%
2%
The atmosphere in "Scorn" is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, drawing heavily from the grotesque and surreal aesthetics of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. Players describe it as haunting, eerie, and deeply unsettling, with a rich sound design that enhances the overall experience. While the game excels in creating a visually stunning and atmospheric world, many reviews note that the gameplay mechanics, particularly combat and puzzle design, often detract from the immersive experience, leading to a mixed reception overall.
- “The atmosphere of the game is absolutely gorgeous, drenched in a haunting, biomechanical design with grotesque landscapes and unsettling sound design that create an unforgettable, immersive experience that draws players into its dark and mysterious world.”
- “Scorn is a unique game that stands out due to its distinct aesthetic and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is the best I've seen in any game ever, no exceptions or holds.”
- “The atmosphere is the only load this game has to blow.”
- “The only good thing it has is the atmosphere, and even that is quite repetitive and simple after a while.”
- “The atmosphere quickly vanishes once you have to finish the same puzzle the 20th time.”
music
417 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and ambient qualities that enhance the eerie and oppressive environment. While some players appreciate the sparse use of music as a tool for immersion, others find it lacking and feel that it could have been more impactful. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its haunting and unsettling nature, effectively complementing the game's visuals and themes, but its minimal presence leaves some players wanting more.
- “The music in Scorn is absolutely spectacular, perfectly complementing the game's dark, gory, and bizarre ambiance.”
- “The dark ambient soundtrack highlights each location, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The soundtrack is atmospheric and just plain amazing, adding another layer of depth to the overall tone of the game.”
- “The only good things are the atmosphere and the story; the music is mediocre, the game lacks sounds, but overall... I can't really recommend it, other than watching a full playthrough.”
- “There is not a lot of music, but it's quite effective when it's there.”
- “The absence of traditional music allows players to focus on every small sound, from the clicking of strange machinery to the unsettling groans and sloshes of the alien landscape itself.”
grinding
227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
3%
96%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive nature, with many players expressing frustration over the slow combat mechanics, long unskippable animations, and the need for excessive backtracking. While some appreciate the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, the overall gameplay experience is marred by a lack of engaging challenges, leading to a sense of monotony and frustration. Many reviewers suggest that the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience, with combat and puzzles often described as uninspired and overly drawn out.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Overall, they are quite intuitive and not too tedious to solve.”
- “Verdict: no grinding here, just pure existential dread.”
- “The gameplay of Scorn manages to be so boring, time-wasting, and tedious that it totally overpowers the awe and mystique of the beautifully rendered biomechanical environments.”
- “The combat is tedious and monotonous.”
- “The game is mostly a walking simulator with a few puzzles and mostly tedious combat events.”
optimization
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
50%
24%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant stuttering, frame rate drops, and performance issues, particularly during asset loading in new areas. While some users reported smooth performance on high-end systems, others found the game unplayable even on lower settings, indicating a lack of consistent optimization across various hardware configurations. Despite some positive remarks about graphical fidelity, the general consensus points to a need for further optimization to enhance the overall gaming experience.
- “It delves into gory, surreal, and provocative themes, touching on difficult or taboo subjects with skillful craftsmanship and near-perfect optimization.”
- “The game runs smoothly with no bugs.”
- “Graphically, the game is gorgeous, and it's optimized way better than anything else currently on the market.”
- “Another Unreal Engine slop with some awful stuttering - might work on your system but it certainly didn't on mine even after trying all the 'fixes' online.”
- “Finally, I also experienced quite a bit of lag and stuttering in most areas of the game, even on low settings, which suggests a lack of optimization for the game's level of detail.”
- “This is such a poorly optimized game, it's unplayable as-is.”
replayability
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
62%
33%
The game has been widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with most reviews noting that it offers a short playtime of around 4-6 hours and follows a linear path with no alternative endings or significant choices. While some players appreciate the atmospheric experience and stunning visuals, the consensus is that the game is not worth its price due to its minimal replay value, making it more suitable for a one-time playthrough rather than repeated sessions.
- “Despite its limited replayability, it's worth picking up on sale for a memorable and contemplative experience.”
- “It is not a long game but because of the amazing environments, I see a good replay value in there.”
- “For an optimistic note, I sincerely hope Ebb is reading their reviews carefully; this game needs more content. It is definitely replayable, but extending this story or adding in multiple endings with a similar level of attention to detail and quality would easily reel me and many others right back in.”
- “As is, it's 40 bucks for 4 hours with basically no real replay value.”
- “It doesn't have much of any replay value but it sticks to a theme without contaminating it with too many mechanics and it's worth checking out.”
- “The game has no replayability; once you get all the achievements, there is no reason to go back.”
emotional
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The emotional aspect of "Scorn" is described as deeply impactful, evoking a wide range of feelings from discomfort and existential dread to beauty and heartbreak. Players appreciate its surreal and gory themes, though some express disappointment with the ambiguous narrative and abrupt ending, which can leave a sense of emotional emptiness. Overall, the game is recognized for its unique ability to immerse players in a haunting experience that lingers long after completion, despite its short length and some gameplay frustrations.
- “Absolutely harrowing, heartbreaking, beautiful and psychedelic.”
- “This game scratches an itch that no other game ever has... very emotionally overwhelming and I have to mentally prepare myself before I play.”
- “The game made me cry and scream in the first half hour, replayed the beginning, cried and screamed more.”
- “It's really a bummer because the game is so gorgeously horrifying and hideous in the best way possible. Its presentation absolutely goes against the gameplay, which is heartbreaking to me. I would love to see another game tackle an art style like this.”
stability
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
4%
85%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, graphical glitches, and performance issues, particularly in later acts. While some users experienced no crashes or major problems, others faced game-breaking glitches that required restarts or troubleshooting. Overall, the game appears to be a mix of impressive visuals and frustrating instability, leading to a varied player experience.
- “No glitches or crashes experienced.”
- “I had no bugs, no softlocks, no performance issues, no glitches, no crashes.”
- “Other than that, the game seems pretty well made; it runs great, looks great, and I can't say I ran into any bugs or glitches across my entire playthrough.”
- “Was able to play for an hour until performance tanked in act 2 and graphical glitches started manifesting.”
- “The game lags a lot, doesn't load assets, and freezes when you try to use items.”
- “Scorn has suffered from numerous bugs, glitches, and performance hiccups, including frame rate drops, texture pop-ins, and other visual and audio inconsistencies.”
humor
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
7%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of surreal, dark, and often absurd elements, with players finding amusement in its bizarre design choices and gameplay flaws. While some moments elicit genuine laughter, others come from frustration or the game's eccentricities, leading to a unique blend of humor that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the humor is seen as both a highlight and a source of confusion, contributing to the game's quirky charm.
- “The set design may have just been zigging as I zagged, but too many of the sculptures made me laugh.”
- “Imagine stumbling into a surreal art exhibition curated by an eccentric alien with a questionable sense of humor.”
- “It was a funny/cool game with just puzzles and very little fighting.”
- “The game is not funny and feels kind of weird.”
- “The humor falls flat and often feels forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
monetization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of "Scorn" has drawn criticism for its misleading advertising, which presents the game as a fast-paced shooter while it primarily focuses on puzzles and survival horror elements. Many players feel that the promotional materials exaggerate the combat and open-world features, leading to disappointment and a perception of the game as a cash grab rather than a genuine artistic endeavor. Despite some acknowledging the game's unique concept, the disconnect between marketing and gameplay has left a negative impression on the community.
- “I feel like the developers only made 25% of what they intended to make with this cash grab; they couldn't even decide if they wanted to make this a Soma/Amnesia style horror game with puzzles to solve or Doom 3.”
- “In the end, the glaring gap between descriptions of the game and advertisement makes the game turn out awfully disappointing, and quite a tad bit pretentious.”
- “The advertisements for the game were misleading in regards to the plot; it's a survival horror with a heavy amount of puzzles to solve, from start to end.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some praising the intricate character and creature designs, while others criticize the lack of narrative depth and emotional connection, noting that there is minimal to no character development throughout the experience. Overall, the game's strong visual and atmospheric elements are overshadowed by its shortcomings in storytelling and character growth.
- “Everything from the character design to the architecture of whatever civilization ruled this terrible place before, to the mechanics of the puzzles all feed off of this theme.”
- “This game was a labor of love, and it's seen in its environments, its creature design, its character design, and its interactable design.”
- “Overall, I'll give the game an 8/10. I hope the devs keep up the good work and would love to see more expansions in the future, like DLCs or even more individual games set in the same world, with more character designs, lore exploration, and architecture.”
- “There is no story, no character development; it gives you the exact amount of ammo to deal with everything.”
- “Lacks character development, story, and connection to the audience.”
- “Zero character development.”