Scorn review: a staggeringly impressive horror world with messy combat

Scorn

Scorn is an atmospheric first-person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry.

Scorn is a deliberately grim game with a lot of body horror. Best avoid it and this review if you have issues with body horror themes.

I was talking to a friend about Scorn and they asked, "Is there a story?". And yeah, Scorn has a story. At some point there'll be a two hour YouTube video outlining how it has a clear and nuanced plot, or that it's a metaphor for periods and erections, or both. In the immediate, it's about slithering out of a pod, staggering through the desert, and finding yourself in a strange, huge rotting machine made of rock and flesh that's already decades into abandonment and decay, and where most things look a bit penisy or womby. It's about the lizardy parasite latched to your back gradually transforming your body. It's about grim squishy noises and survival.

Scorn doesn't have dialogue, or a map. It doesn't really have a HUD, it doesn't have quest markers, and your character will not, upon seeing a strange new device, say something like "Hmm... seems like a key. Maybe if I find the two missing ones, it'll open up a way forward!" out loud. It won't even pull focus to the corridor you should check next. You just have to look around, experiment, and figure it out. I think I like it. I don't know if I can recommend it.

Read more