Scorn Review (Doctor Verum)
I went into Scorn with no expectations beyond "it looks cool". Scorn is an art game through and through. It's not really an adventure game or horror game in the conventional sense. If you go in expecting intense combat or nail-biting horror, you might be disappointed. However, if you go in expecing a unique, abstract and visceral experience in a deeply bizarre environment, you won't be.
+ Absolutely stunning visuals
+ Amazing atmosphere
+ Unique, fascinating art style
+ Impressive 3D designs
+ Surprisingly solid performance
+ Overall polished feel
± Doesn't give you any instructions
± Doesn't tell you anything
± Very complex and intricate environments
- Kind of basic gameplay-wise
- Can be very confusing at times
- Mostly quite linear
- Fairly short (~6 h)
Spoiler-Free In-Depth Analysis
As far as looks go, Scorn is a 10/10. It's among the most unique and captivating styles I've ever seen in a game, with the distinct inspirations of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. The surreal atmosphere is exceptional. The creators manage to simultaneously create something alien yet familiar, artificial yet natural. It's a visual style that is deeply bizarre yet consistent through-and-through, which does a very good job at making the game world feel realistic and believable despite it's abstract designs. It's easy to tell that an enormous amount of work went into the designs of the environments, characters, equipment, etc as they are all incredibly detailed and polished.
This, in a way, is probably why the game is still quite short (can be finished in only a few hours), despite having been in development for quite some time. Taking a deep look at the game, you can tell that each level would have taken an exceptionally large amount of work to complete. In that regard, the game is nothing short of a work of art.
This does, unfortunately, mean that the game feels a little bit unfinished. Not that it is unpolished - I encountered no bugs or glitches, and even the performance is exceptionally good for a game that is so graphically impressive as Scorn. I'm rather talking about the general lack of many gameplay elements. The gameplay is ultimately very simple. You play through the game with only two weapons (except the final fight) and the combat ispretty simple point-and-shoot. Enemies are not particularly challenging, instead difficulty relies mostly on ammo and healing items being few and far between, forcing the player to avoid combat as much as possible.
It's worth noticing that a lot of people seem to be confused with the "stealth" in the game. It is there, however like most other things, it is never explicitly explained to the player in any way. There is no sneaking, no silent takedowns and no visibility indicators. Most enemies will however leave if they lose sight of the player, making hiding from them a viable option. Many enemies are scripted to appear, but won't immidiately notice the player unless they come close. They will usually pass without noticing the player if they are not visible, and can be easily outrun if needed. This is often a more viable strategy than combat, which is very costly in Scorn.
The theme of various gameplay elements working both for and against the game is prevalent in Scorn. Since very little is explained, there is a wonderful air of mystique to the whole game, however this also does take away both from the story and gameplay to an extent. Apart from direct controls, nothing is explained. Objectives, puzzles, fights and similar rely mostly on trial-and-error, which can definitely get frustrating at times. I managed to get through the entire game without needing any guides, but I figure I got fairly lucky with most puzzles and navigation.
The same "issue" applies to the story. There is no story, at least not in the conventional sense. There are no pieces of lore to read, no dialogue - in fact, apart from menus and controls, not a single word is present in any shape or form in the entire game. This does make the game more open for interpretation and forces the player to imagine for themselves the purposes and applications of a variety of in-game environments and objects, but it does leave some things quite vague. The player character himself (itself?) has no obvious agenda beyond "getting to the next area", a goal mostly accomplished through fingering his (its?) way through a variety of Gigerian control mechanisms like a frat boy at a sorority party. All storytelling is done through the environments and interactions with them - so those used to more conventional storytelling may find it lacking.
As far as "non-linear" goes, that's mostly inaccurate. One or two areas in the game require wandering around a bit to start a bunch of biomechanical machinery (i.e. stick your hands/fingers in some hole) to open a main gate or similar to get to the next area. Not "open-world" in the normal sense, more like a linear objective in a somewhat non-linear environment. In a way, this is a good thing, because I think that if the game was any more non-linear than it already is, I would have been even more lost in the twisting biomechanical corridors and strange organic tunnels.
I got an overall feeling of a game that wasn't really trying to be a game at all. Combat and interactivity feels more like an afterthought than a central mechanic. The focus is heavily on the visuals. The creators wanted to create a 3D experience inspired by Giger and Beksiński. They wanted to simulate the experience of walking through a piece of art by one of those artists, with their own creative flairs to it. The combat isn't important, but more of a way to explore the artistic side of those things too. I generally enjoyed the experience, however Scorn is a very weird game, something that won't be for everyone. It's barely a game at all, but it is definitely a piece of art.
It's hard to put a number rating on such an unconventional experience, however I'd put maybe a 7/10 or 8/10 depending on the mood you're in. Above all else, it's definitely a very unique experience.