The Scourge | Tai Ương | Game Brain

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"The Scourge" is a first person horror puzzle game, immersing you in the heart of Saigon (Vietnam) through urban legends from the 1990s. You will follow the tragic fate of a family and the main character, who made mistakes in the past and is now haunted by a sinister supernatural force. The protagonist, a person overwhelmed by delusions due to past tragedies and life's despair, freque…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews

story10 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a haunting atmosphere that resonates with Vietnamese culture.
The storytelling is engaging, with effective use of radio ghost stories that enhance the narrative experience.
The gameplay includes enjoyable puzzle-solving elements and effective jump scares, making it a memorable horror experience.

The gameplay can feel repetitive, especially during the hide-and-seek segments, which some players found boring.
There are several bugs and performance issues, including frame rate drops and minor gameplay glitches that can disrupt the experience.
The story is considered predictable and somewhat shallow, with some dialogue lacking depth and realism.

story
48 mentions
21 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story features two intertwined narratives: the protagonist's family tragedy and the mystery of a haunted building, revealed creatively through radio ghost stories. While some players find the storytelling engaging and immersive, others criticize it as predictable and lacking depth, with only 60% of the story available at launch. Overall, the narrative sparks curiosity and provides a mix of fear and sadness, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more complex plot.
- “Creative way of revealing the storyline through radio.”
- “I’m pleased with the storytelling and how the game carefully drops hints, each like a puzzle piece, allowing players to piece these clues together into a complete picture.”
- “Overall, the game gives me a certain sense of fear, and at times, sadness as I uncover the truth behind the story.”
- “However, the story is still paper-thin; you could summarize it in under three minutes without even playing.”
- “So, despite the improved graphics, great sound design, and smoother gameplay, I still wouldn’t recommend the game to friends due to its shallow plot, poor dialogue, and a few remaining graphic bugs (notably during the dad chase mission).”
- “But the plot is predictable, and some dialogues are painfully bad, even in Vietnamese.”
gameplay
28 mentions
14 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Scourge | Tai Ơn" features a mix of puzzle elements, chase scenes, and hide-and-seek moments, offering a varied experience. While improvements in movement speed and graphics have been noted, some players find the gameplay sluggish and reminiscent of slow motion, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite the enhanced visuals and sound design, the shallow plot and lingering graphic bugs have led to mixed recommendations.
- “The gameplay of the Scourge includes puzzle elements.”
- “Overall, the gameplay is quite varied; it's not just about puzzles but also features chase scenes and hide-and-seek moments.”
- “Gameplay is also improved: movement is faster, and running actually feels distinct from walking now.”
- “The gameplay is sluggish—everything feels like it’s in slow motion, as if the main character is dealing with chronic sciatica. The graphics are photo-realistic, so no complaints there.”
- “Despite the improved graphics and sound, I still cannot recommend The Scourge to my friends due to the shallow storyline, poor dialogue, and some persistent graphical glitches (especially in the [spoiler]escape from dad mission[/spoiler]).”
- “Gameplay is very slow—everything feels like it's in slow motion, as if the main character is suffering from sciatica.”
graphics
26 mentions
38 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many users praising their beauty and quality, especially for an indie title. While some noted minor graphic bugs and sluggish gameplay, the overall visual presentation is considered excellent, with photo-realistic elements that enhance the atmosphere. Users also appreciated the cultural significance of the graphics, particularly in relation to Vietnamese heritage.
- “The graphics in the game are beautiful… and yes, I really mean beautiful for an indie game.”
- “Graphics: excellent quality for an indie game.”
- “The gameplay is sluggish—everything feels like it’s in slow motion, as if the main character is dealing with chronic sciatica. The graphics are photo-realistic, so no complaints there.”
- “The graphics are decent compared to the overall standard.”
- “That said, the visuals are chilling enough to make up for some of it.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its authentic Vietnamese setting, effectively blending everyday life with a haunting horror ambiance. Players appreciate the quality of sound, graphics, and cultural elements, noting that the absence of cheap jump scares enhances the immersive experience, making it both comfortable and unsettling.
- “The sound, graphics, cultural model, and atmosphere are great considering the price.”
- “It's worth mentioning that the game doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, which adds to the overall atmosphere.”
- “It made me feel both comfortable, as I was immersed in an everyday atmosphere despite playing a game, and haunted when I imagined that the world around me could be just as terrifying.”
- “The game doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, which adds to the overall atmosphere.”
- “Being Vietnamese, I love playing in the Vietnamese settings and horror atmosphere. Growing up here, I guess every Vietnamese is used to being told a lot of ghost stories or urban legends.”
music
6 mentions
67 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's music has received mixed reviews; while the main theme and in-game melodies effectively create an eerie and haunting atmosphere, the inclusion of Vietnamese dubstep in the menu is seen as jarring and inappropriate for a horror setting. Additionally, players express frustration over the lack of accessibility to the theme song on streaming platforms, requiring them to wait at the menu to enjoy it. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's mood but suffers from some mismatched elements.
- “Not to mention the songs used throughout, their melodies perfectly match the game, adding an eerie, haunting quality with a hint of sorrow.”
- “The Vietnamese dubstep menu music is wildly out of place for a horror game, giving more of an awkward action vibe.”
optimization
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Overall, players report that while the game's optimization has seen some improvements, with frame rates stabilizing around 50-60 fps, significant drops to 15 fps occur in specific areas, particularly where water effects are involved. Minor bugs persist, indicating that further performance enhancements are needed.
- “The FPS has improved, now holding steady around 50–60 FPS, though it still drops significantly to 15 FPS when entering the [spoiler]water puppet room[/spoiler] (guess the water effects aren’t fully optimized yet).”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a "second life" to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional experience, feeling a comforting immersion in a familiar everyday setting while simultaneously grappling with a haunting sense of underlying terror, suggesting a powerful juxtaposition of safety and fear within the game's atmosphere.
- “It made me feel both comfortable, as I was immersed in an everyday atmosphere despite playing a game, and haunted when I imagined that the world around me could be just as terrifying.”