An interesting element for many games, whether it is the main focus or not, is the narrative itself. Well-told stories engage any player, and when they are points of interest and approach in a stream, they can also serve as the engagement of a broadcast. “I wonder what’s going to happen next?”, asks both the viewers and the streamer, causing curiosity to become a common thread to sustain progression and the audience to remain interested.

In game style itself, I am particularly intrigued by the ones that manage to tell a story without saying a word or develop their own languages, so the gameplay and progression of the game are the way to tell that story.

Indie classics like Limbo and Inside, from Playdead studio, a beautiful explorative metroidvania like Hyper Light Drifter, and moving narratives like GRIS. All these games are in the realm of 2D platformers, while Scorn builds a story without saying a word in a 3D setting, where the surrounding environment is even more interactive, just like a character that is very important for building the story of the game universe.

About Scorn

Scorn is a horror game with a bizarre setting, with locations that resemble living organisms, almost as if you were inside a creature, it has very interesting puzzles and that integrate the scenarios, which are necessary to unravel to progress in the game, but at the same time, the game fails by having other simplistic puzzles, a combat that seems creative, but not functional in the gameplay and also a story that is intertwined between good moments but an interpretative overload.

Several games appeal to the resource of interpretation and the player’s worldview, but by using this resource in excess, it makes the excess of possibilities and complexities of the narrative, however well constructed it may be, get lost in a script vacuum that, at the same time could be deep and full, just seems lazy and empty in some moments.

The good and the bad

Stream audiences engage with Scorn’s story, become involved and curious about the game’s progression, but may be disappointed with the game’s conclusion. Furthermore, frustration with the game’s combat and inconsistent progression can create a feeling of incoherence in some parts.

The feeling of disappointment is inevitable, since Scorn is a good game that gets lost in its own ambitions, has one of the best horror environments ever seen, making you apprehensive, anxious, fearful and even disgusted in several situations, but fails in trying to shock for the sake of shocking, not necessarily because it is a game with a closed narrative, but for having many open spaces for interpretation where, however well constructed a narrative and universe may be, it does not convince an audience or a player when the reference you have of this story is not enough.

On other points, Scorn is a short game, having between 5-10 hours to finish, and doesn’t offer much reason to replay, besides, because of its base price, despite being a unique experience, being a controversial game, in my opinion: either those who played it will love it, or those who played it will have their questions to the game.

The strengths are in the atmosphere, some of the puzzles, which are creative, and the narrative, while the weaknesses are in the combat gameplay, the scripting voids, lack of reference to support the game’s script and other puzzles, which are too simplistic. In terms of optimization, the game is surprisingly well optimized for the requirements it has and I was able to play it smoothly during livestreams with very few glitches and graphics at maximum. However, it is important to note that it is a game that demands a lot in terms of graphics and will not run on any computer.

Scorn is playable with Xbox Game Pass.

Scorn

PC, Xbox Series (2022)
Scorn

Performance

Streamability

Audience Engagement

Replayability

Summary

Scorn is a very interesting game, but it disappoints. It would be acceptable if it disappointed only in its combat gameplay and some puzzles, but it also disappoints in what is one of its high points, the narrative. Despite having this subjective and reflective approach, it is a game that boldly tries too hard and does not fully deliver in terms of script. Its only perfection concerns the scenery and atmosphere, which are perfect and worthy of applause and help sustain the horror of the game from beginning to end. However, it is not enough to engage a stream in its entirety or make the player interested in buying it.

Ludovicoluka

I have 25 years, I produce content to internet for 4 years and I like retro games, indies and I’m an enthusiast for new launches. I have as my favorite games Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario World, Hollow Knight and Red Dead Redemption II, per example. I like to experiment everything and the more, the better, but I never get sick of my comfort games!