You'll see a lot of people recommending this game based off of the art, while warning those who expect an FPS game to stay away. And yes, that is definitely true. But if you're expecting an atmospheric game with puzzles and environmental mechanics that rival those of Myst (like I was after the game began to present itself that way), you'll also be sorely disappointed.

At its core, Scorn is only here to look pretty and interesting. It definitely wholesale leans into Giger's aesthetic, and that's cool. But the game is a glorified walking sim with a handful of puzzles and some oddly placed combat that arrives towards the back end, all of which can be completed in around 3.5-5 hours from what I've seen after refunding it. It's not worth the asking price of $40 in my opinion, as its severe lack of gameplay makes it something I'd be a lot more comfortable paying $15 max for.

I went in expecting nothing, but the problem is that the game really built up expectations in its first 30 minutes or so. With a series like Myst (or Obduction), which is an experience near and dear to my heart, there's heaps of storytelling to be discovered as you progress through the games' puzzles. There are loads of intricate environmental details that you can interact with directly and immerse yourself in. Scorn only has the vaguest of story lines, and much less environmental mechanics to interact with and discover than I would like.

There's definitely an audience for Scorn, and if you loved the game, then that's awesome. But to me, it's very overpriced for a game that had way more potential than it delivered. It's worth noting that the game IS on Game Pass currently though, if you have that. And I'd say it's a great game to check out there as part of your subscription.

You'll see a lot of people recommending this game based off of the art, while warning those who expect an FPS game to stay away. And yes, that is definitely true. But if you're expecting an atmospheric game with puzzles and environmental mechanics that rival those of Myst (like I was after the game began to present itself that way), you'll also be sorely disappointed. At its core, Scorn is only here to look pretty and interesting. It definitely wholesale leans into Giger's aesthetic, and that's cool. But the game is a glorified walking sim with a handful of puzzles and some oddly placed combat that arrives towards the back end, all of which can be completed in around 3.5-5 hours from what I've seen after refunding it. It's not worth the asking price of $40 in my opinion, as its severe lack of gameplay makes it something I'd be a lot more comfortable paying $15 max for. I went in expecting nothing, but the problem is that the game really built up expectations in its first 30 minutes or so. With a series like Myst (or Obduction), which is an experience near and dear to my heart, there's heaps of storytelling to be discovered as you progress through the games' puzzles. There are loads of intricate environmental details that you can interact with directly and immerse yourself in. Scorn only has the vaguest of story lines, and much less environmental mechanics to interact with and discover than I would like. There's definitely an audience for Scorn, and if you loved the game, then that's awesome. But to me, it's very overpriced for a game that had way more potential than it delivered. It's worth noting that the game IS on Game Pass currently though, if you have that. And I'd say it's a great game to check out there as part of your subscription.