Scorn is the squishiest game I have ever played and I am all for it

From the very first Scorn preview shots that were released, I have been eagerly anticipating getting hands on with its distinctive take on H.R. Giger’s iconic art. The grotesque blend of futuristic technologies and organic bodies is immediately recognisable to anybody with a passing interest in popular culture – not least due to the huge successes of the Alien franchise – and while some games have flirted with or even wholeheartedly embraced this aesthetic in the past, Scorn promises to be the first game to nail the feel of such a distinctly unfamiliar world. I had the opportunity to play the first 45 minutes of the game so how does it live up to these expectations?

First things first, Scorn is not a game for the squeamish. Everything in the game slithers and oozes with a slimy viscosity that inevitably makes you feel uncomfortable. This may sound hyperbolic, but it is easily the most icky game I have had the pleasure of playing (and that’s a compliment!). I find myself debating whether a VR mod would be the greatest thing ever or something that I might never recover from playing…

Alongside the very moist and squishy look and feel of the game, the audio also consists of the kind of foley work that must have brought doom to a whole greengrocer’s worth of vegetables. Any misopohonia sufferers would probably want to avoid Scorn, or at least turn the volume down whilst playing. The music accompanying this is lowkey and mostly consists of an unsettling drone, although I would hope for more variety in the full game.

There wasn’t much in the way of narrative on show here, but the game’s intent is to focus on creating an unsettling air of mystery and uncertainty. The very beginning opens up directly from the main menu as a disturbingly human shaped lump of flesh embedded into the floor takes form and opens its eyes. This homunculus turns out to be you and the scene oscillates between an arid desert wasteland and the alien building/craft you find yourself in as you drag yourself forward by your fingertips.

The effect here is one of complete confusion as any sense of normality or certainty is ripped from you. Even after having played the opening section I have no clear idea where the story is Scorn is going or even what the overarching narrative is. This may sound like a criticism but, on the contrary, I am all in favour of more ambiguity in gaming narratives. From the way Ebb Software described the game to us before I got to play, Scorn is less about escaping this world and more about finding a place and purpose within it. It’s a game that will leave you with questions.

Once you drag yourself upright, you’ll find yourself in the uncanny world of Scorn’s take on Giger. Walls and floors are covered in techno-organic pipes and protuberances, buttons and switches seem to sprout from their surroundings as if they have grown there, and everything seethes and pulses as if driven by an alien heartbeat. The greens and browns that make up the majority of the palette give the world of Scorn a look of its own, and the art design is superb.

So, Scorn gets the look and feel right, the sound design spot on and it successfully keeps the narrative mysterious, but how does it play? Well, in the opening section the focus is very much on environmental puzzles with things playing out more like a ‘walking simulator’ than might have been expected. This, again, isn’t a criticism, as Edith Finch and Gone Home are huge favourites of mine, but the horror aesthetic (and the control bindings for a gun) might suggest a more action-packed approach.

Combat will factor eventually, though only some light and rudimentary combat came into play for this prologue, but this was more a matter of point and click than any kind of FPS. Even with combat being an option, the emphasis is on the atmosphere, on building anxiety and a long-lasting tension while confronting you with alien contraptions and puzzles within puzzles.

Scorn is not going to be for everyone. The phallic and labial designs, combined with the glistening ooze that covers everything, not to mention the endless pulsing and throbbing, are almost guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable. The fact that you operate the techo-organic machinery by fully inserting your fingers or hands into openings that are frankly obscene may well be too much for many. I am fascinated to see how the game will be received through its inclusion in Game Pass, where it will have the chance to repel and gross out curious players who might not go out and buy it. Either way, I am itching to get my hands on the full game, squishy and oozing as it may be.

Scorn is coming out for Xbox Series X|S and PC on 21st October.