Scorn is one of the most visually distinctive games released in recent times. Clearly inspired by the work of HR Giger, the game's environments marry mechanical intricacy with biology to create a highly unnerving experience. It's sci-fi, but not hi-tech, with analogue mechanics, skeletal metalwork, and the occasional glimpse of something truly alive.
On the surface, Scorn looks like a first-person shooter, but it has more in common with Myst or The Witness than Doom. This is a slow-paced, brooding title that requires puzzle-solving and careful exploration - but with a small team at the helm and a nearly 10-year development cycle, is this Unreal Engine 4-based game properly polished? And on Xbox Series X, just how good is AMD's FSR 2 image reconstruction?
Scorn's visual design is pitch-perfect from the moment you look at the title screen. The environments are highly ambiguous - vaguely mechanical, but ribbed with bone-like arches and inlaid with vascular tubing. Everything is dilapidated, worn and glistening with moisture. But some mechanisms still seem to work, and hint at some larger, unknown purpose. As you progress, the organic elements take over, with guts and veins splayed out all around. Humanoid creatures can be found, fused into bizarre arrangements or discarded like trash. Your character is no different - shortly into the game, you're attacked by a parasite, which slowly envelops you. The game's style is strange, uncomfortable, and wholly unique in gaming.