It can take a lot for horror videogames to genuinely shock or unsettle in the visual department these days, but Scorn looks set to give it a good go.
See, Scorn is an upcoming FPS horror game, and it looks fucking weird in the best possible way. What this title really has going for it is it’s deeply bizarre art style – the whole thing looks like it’s taking place inside a gigantic alien beast (or the inside HR Giger’s mind during a bad trip).
Developer Ebb Software explains it best on the game’s Steam Greenlight page:
Scorn is an atmospheric first person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry. It is designed around an idea of ‘being thrown into the world’. Isolated and lost inside this dream-like world you will explore different interconnected regions in a non-linear fashion. The unsettling environment is a character itself.
Ebb Software is attempting to create a cohesive ‘lived in’ world, in which you explore strange new areas, and acquire new skills and weapons along your way.
Make no mistake – Scorn is beautifully designed, and quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Instead of a horror game set in an abandoned building/forest/post apocalyptic wasteland, we’re being thrown into something entirely new, and I have a feeling that sense of the unknown is where the real horror will come into play.
Take a look at the trailer below for a better sense of what I’m getting at. The sound design complements the world beautifully to create something truly otherworldly.
The enemies, environments, and even weapons all have a completely alien vibe. It doesn’t look like anything familiar or comforting (or human) will pop up on our travels in Scorn.
Ebb Software is planning to release the game in two parts, with the first coming in early 2017.
Unfortunately, it’s only confirmed for a PC release so far. Hopefully it does well and a console port ends up a reality, because this game looks like it could be truly special.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.