13 Days of Halloween: Game Review: Scorn (Xbox Series X)

Scorn is a first-person horror adventure video game developed by Serbian developer Ebb Software. The game is heavily inspired by the works of visual artists H. R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. You take control of a humanoid lost in a nightmarish world filled with odd creatures and strange organic structures composed of machines, flesh, and bone. Over the course of the game, you must explore different interconnected regions searching for answers that will explain more about the game’s world.

While you do spend the vast majority of Scorn’s 5-8 hour runtime simply exploring the grim surroundings, that’s not all you’ll be doing. One of the games primary mechanics involves the solving of a number of environmental puzzles. Additionally, Scorn has combat but there is no real emphasis placed upon it except for during a particular encounter.

Firstly, I think it’s a fair observation to say that Scorn has been getting something of a mixed reaction. It’s funny to me that some have criticised it for basically looking a bit like Doom but not really being anything like Doom. Where did the idea come from that this was going to be an action orientated game? In my opinion, Scorn delivers exactly what was advertised. Scorn is practically a walking simulator with puzzles and some combat thrown in to break it up.

Now, let’s talk about those damn puzzles. The very first one that you encounter in the game is straight up terrible. It’s extremely poorly placed and I found it to be a lesson in frustration more than anything, a great way to turn people off immediately. Save yourself the headache and just use a guide to get through it. Thankfully, the ones that follow it are not too bad at all. Let it be known that there is nothing to directly guide you in terms of where to go or what to do in Scorn. The locations are linear but due to how similar everything looks it can start to feel like a maze at times.

The combat feels intentionally clunky and cumbersome, like you’re supposed to feel like you’re controlling a decrepit husk. You move around like you’re wearing concrete boots which isn’t much fun when the enemy AI has an almost 100% hit rate. Most fights turn into you running around in a circle hoping for the best, not great. I could have done without the combat all together to be honest. Still, there is the positive of the gun design being cool and them packing a real punch.

Anyway, enough about the shortcomings in the game. The level of design and imagery throughout the 5 acts is nothing short of astounding. Scorn made me feel like I was walking through corridor after corridor of some kind of grotesque, twisted art gallery. I applaud the effort that the team must have gone through to ensure that everything looking as strikingly gruesome as possible. Looking at some of the gore on display up close blew me away at how detailed it was.

Also, the plot is literally barebones. However, it gave me freedom to have my mind race with ideas on what I was witnessing. It feels like you’re exploring the ruins or laboratories of some kind of ancient, highly intelligent lifeforms. What lead to their complete desolation? What twisted mind did such nightmare fuel spawn from? So many questions but I actually enjoyed the mystery in this case.

Scorn is surprisingly short, with no real replayability which is a shame. I would love to see a DLC or something. I felt so intrigued and engrossed by what I was seeing and how it all ends up that I wanted it to keep going. Some will say it doesn’t overstay its welcome which is a fair observation.

There were moments when I was able to fully immerse myself into the chilling atmosphere that Scorn is capable of delivering. It was in these moments where I felt like I was experiencing something truly special. Unfortunately, it can get a bit bogged down by some bland puzzles and wonky combat. The potential is right there, I’d definitely be up for experiencing more.