Scorn - H.R. Giger meets Dark Souls and Metroid Prime

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I´m not quite sure if you guys and girls remember an old horror/psychological point-and-click adventure series called “Dark Seed“? (the first game was released back in 1992). Well, if you don´t, then you should check that game out as soon as possible, because “Dark Seed” is a really good and scary adventure series. Especially since the Dark Seed´s art style is based on Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger´s awesome art work (sadly enough. Giger is no longer among the living anymore). That´s also why I got quite excited when I found out about an FPS horror adventure game called “Scorn“, because it´s pretty obvious that the art style of “Scorn” has been heavily inspired by H.R. Giger art work.

That´s some really scary hallways right there.

Furthermore, “Scorn” looks and feels like a mix of “Aliens“, “Dark Seed” and “Dark Souls“. Well, that´s at least the vibes that I felt while I was watching the Kickstarter and teaser trailer earlier today (you can watch the teaser trailer further down the page). So I most definitely think that Ebb Software has done a great job with “Scorn” so far. I also think that Ebb Software has proven a lot by coming back from their failed Kickstarter attempt (“Scorn” failed to reach it´s 200,000 Euros Kickstarter goal back in 2014), because it takes a whole lot to get back into the ring again after such a setback. So tons of props to the devs and that private investor who made sure that the development of “Scorn” could continue.

“UPDATE: Even though our Kickstarter campaign didn’t manage to raise money for the game we did manage to acquire funding from a private investor. The development on Scorn is ongoing. “– Ebb Software

I don´t know about you, but I really like the art style of “Scorn”.

So all in all it came as no surprise to me that “Scorn” got greenlit on Steam Greenlight in a rather short period of time, but who can blame the Steam community really? Since the game is said to offer features such as these:

– Cohesive “lived-in” world – Scorn takes place in an open-ended world with different interconnected regions. Each region is a maze-like structure with various rooms and paths to discover. All the storytelling happens in-game, with no cut-scenes to distract you from the grisly reality of the living, breathing (throbbing, dripping) world you’re in. But keep your eyes open – the game won’t show you any sympathy if you miss something important on your uneasy travels. Everything has a reason and purpose – you just need to work out what it is.

– Full body awareness – Players will experience better immersion being aware of the character’s body and movement. Interaction with the world is realistic – objects are picked up with your hands (instead of just floating in midair), machines and instruments are operated by grabbing the controls etc.

– No HUD – For a greater immersion into the world there is no HUD to assist the player. Everything is implied and indicated through environmental design.

– Inventory and ammo management – is defined and limited. It plays a big role in keeping the player in an even greater state of awareness throughout the whole game. Players will have to think about when to fight and when to take cover and how their actions affect the world around them. Different play styles will be needed to advance.

I have no idea what that is, but whatever “it” is, it´s creepy as hell.

That´s just the half of it though, because Ebb Software aims to nail down a similar narrative to the one that can be found in games such as “Dark Souls 2”:

“There is no conventional plot as we hope that every player would give their own interpretation of the events, themes and their role in this universe through exploration and interaction with the game world. The story and themes we are trying to convey get there desired effect through experience rather than exposition. Storytelling wise it is most similar to games like Metroid Prime, Dark Souls, Journey, etc.”

As for the nightmarish universe of “Scorn”, well, the developers appear to have taken inspiration from games such as “Metroid Prime” and “Dark Souls 2“:

“Scorn takes place in open-ended world with different interconnected regions you can explore in a non – linear fashion. Each region is a maze-like structure with various set of rooms and paths to discover. Environment is a character in itself. Every location contains its own theme, puzzles and characters that are integral part of the setting. Open ended and interconnected level design and the sense of isolation that it brings is influenced by games like Metroid Prime, Dark Souls, Ico, etc.”

Due to my AVP flashback problems, I hear a lot of Alien and Predator sounds when I watch this picture.

Sure, I don´t know about you, but I really like the sound of that. I mean, Metroid Prime + Dark Souls + Dark Seed + Aliens + H.R. Giger´s art work = Epic win (at least in my book). So I truly hope that I will get a chance to play the first episode of “Scorn” once it drops some time next year for Windows.

And with that said, what do you think about “Scorn” so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!