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Scorn - My First Impressions
Developed by: Ebb Software

Keep in mind that I have probably played close to two hours of this game, and while I have heard the game is rather short, I will plan to finish it at some point as I do like what it has going on, however it does fall short of what I had expected. And while that may be the case, it doesn't necessarily mean my experience with it has been bad, though not necessarily good either.

So, Scorn. What is it? Well, from what I gathered before its release, it's a horror survival game with shocking and twisted visuals with puzzles throughout. And while I don't really see myself as being great at puzzle games, these ones, though cryptic, are not the hardest to figure out. Though again, keep in mind I haven't gotten that much further past a few puzzles. Otherwise, you'll find yourself going through hallways, big rooms, old machinery, all with its own twisted atmosphere to it that doesn't make it super unique, though adds a nice creepy factor to sort of get lost in visually.

And subsequently, I have heard that the game does differ from its atmosphere walking simulator type deal and gets a little bit more involved with combat, but the general consensus is that the combat tends to take away from the atmosphere that the game is trying to portray, due to the fact that you focus more on how to take down the enemy quickly to get back to the creepy atmospheric vibe instead of the combat being an integral part of the gameplay. Some have said the combat shouldn't have been in the game altogether. And although I have yet to experience that aspect for myself, I can certainly understand how it would take you out of an immersive experience. To each their own, and surely I will play it for myself up to that point to get my own feel of it. But I imagine I'll go along with what others have said.

For the time being, this game will just sort of sit on the backburner and I'll jump into it from time to time. But given that it is meant to work as more of an experience and less of a fully fleshed out game, I think the timing and place in which to play it would definitely make or break the experience. I imagine the expected route would be to go full on horror game style and set your room up to be dark and just immerse yourself into the gameplay. But, again, only as far as I've seen, I didn't find many moments where I was truly freaked out. However, I imagine that will change as I progress through the game.

Unfortunately, however, I do feel that if I really want to see what this game has to offer, I may take some time away from it for now as my first experience with it hasn't necessarily been bad, but I think I just want to jump in at the right time. For the moment, I have other games that I'm putting time into, and for this game to work for me, I have to really immerse myself into it to get the full advantage of it. I did the same for Amnesia The Dark Descent and I'm happy I did that instead of just trying to get through the game as quickly as possible. Horror games are meant to take time, and artistically and visually, this game is great. As far as it being a video game? Well, like I said, I imagine more people will fall into the opinion that this is more of an experience and less of an actual game.

Do I recommend it? Sure. If you like puzzle games mixed with a horror creepy vibe, jump in.