SCORN - Gameplay Review
Scorn. This game, was an incredible and nightmarish journey through a world so abstract and yet lonely, void of all things “normal”. And of course this review is going be a bit spoiler-ish for those who have never seen or played the game. With that said, the game is heavily influenced by works created by H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski. This game is NOT a Call of Duty or any average shoot-em-up; it is very strategy heavy and you have to use the environment and your wit to stay alive. This is just the nature of Scorn.
Been seeing a lot of my friends streaming this game and having a tough time with both combat and puzzles which I too found to be very complex and required some attention to move forward and survive. I actually appreciated the game for requiring this amount of strategy to move forward; it is simply not for everyone. Modern games have conditioned us with mindless achievement. There are too many games nowadays where simply moving forward just gets you places in games. Older games that I played when I was younger, around the 90’s, prepared me for games that are this tough. Games where you died, often, and had to think and choose a different strategy to see what works. Many think of Dark Souls when I talk about this level of difficulty and Scorn is not necessarily that, it is difficult but more in a survival horror aspect.
But focusing on what people don’t like about the game, right out of the gate, is the game’s combat and puzzle mechanics. On top of that, many having issues with their saves and having to replay through hours of gameplay because of the lack of checkpoints. I didn’t really have an issue with any of these except for combat in a certain part of the game that just made things, frustrating. I beat the game in a single playthrough of almost eight hours and I am very happy that I did. This experience should be as cohesive as possible. Ever picked up a game after a few weeks of not playing it? Yeah, don’t do that with this one.
For combat, I didn’t mind it so much because it requires strategy to simply move through the levels and take out any creatures that are in your way. Simply learn what the creatures do, how to dodge their attacks, use the environment to your advantage. The problem I keep seeing with players is that they treat Scorn too much like Call Of Duty or DOOM. It is none of those games, it is a survival horror, and survival comes before killing everything on the map. You simply survive and move through the area. There’s only one area in the game that I remember the game forcing you into combat. And that is the one time I became frustrated because of the battle’s design choices. Other than that, the combat is not that bad, just people need to not confuse this game with the average ‘shoot-em-up’, because that is not how the game was intended to be played as. You must survive, that is all, by any means.
Now, for the puzzles. The game has its moments and the puzzles can be a bit of a headache. Another aspect of the game where the difficulty was just higher than average. Which is hilarious because I love horror games but I just hate puzzles, because 1. I suck at puzzles and 2. I feel like it really slows down the rhythm of the game. So it is more of a preference, because players who love puzzles in their games are going to be all over this. I just enjoy a good pace with any game I play and puzzles and bad combat mechanics are the bane of my existence in video games. Survival Horror is the one I will be patient for because there is so much substance within the genre. Some of the best stories I have ever experienced in a video game have been in survival horror games.
Other than all of that, the game itself is a masterpiece in my opinion. For years, I have been complaining about games that are all too similar and do not offer a new experience. Scorn delivered. It offered a new world to explore and a story that isn’t just simply told to you, you have to feel it, think about it. And it is very subjective, which frustrates people because it can play on anxieties. It is just as simple as, Scorn is whatever world you think it is. The developers gave you the experience and what you take out of it is personal, it is your own unique experience, that is the point.
This game is hopefully going to inspire other developers to be a bit more risky with their games. No, mainstream might not always accept these kinds of games, but they are admired by the ones looking for that new experience that will never be forgotten. Some things just go beyond game awards and being socially accepted, Scorn is an experience that not many are going to forget. Whether the game absolutely frustrated them because of their conditioning to modern “easy mode” games or because it wasn’t just about the gameplay, but the rich creepy world we got to wander through and experience.
So if you plan on playing Scorn, please just play it with open eyes and an open mind and either you love it or hate it, and there is nothing wrong with that. This game is not for everyone. It is survival horror and many more people are attracted to the ‘shoot-em-ups’ for some quick fun. Hell, even in the film industry, filmmakers are successful when they get a reaction out of their audience. Good, bad, it doesn’t matter. The point is they got a rise out of you. Scorn is making players feel all sorts of emotions. Dread, fear, anxiety, wonder, confusion. These all are acceptable emotions when experiencing this world. So have fun and please let me know what you think of this incredible game.
My rating for this game is going to be a 9 out of 10. I started at 8 because of how the game made me feel after I played it and bad experience with the combat during a fight. Now, after digesting for a while and thinking on the game, it has gone up a number because I keep thinking about it and what that experience meant. I always admire a game that isn’t a quick fix and you actually take away something from it. That immediately will be an upgrade in my book for that game. So 9/10, definitely recommended if you are into the games that I play. Thank you for reading!
Anarxix
