Horror went on sale October 14 Scorn for Xbox Series X|S and PC. At the same time, the embargo on reviews was lifted and ratings of the game appeared.
The average rating of the novelty was 71 points on OpenCritic (43 reviews) and 72 points on Metacritic (52 reviews).
The game is praised for the atmosphere, but the gameplay implementation is criticized, in particular, the battles and the checkpoint system.
Eurogamer: “Scorn has a wonderfully spooky atmosphere and clever puzzles, but questionable checkpoint implementation and slanted combat ruin everything.”
IGN: “Scorn is a relentlessly unsettling dive into a surreal, eerie world of alien mysteries, but that’s not what’s scary about it, it’s its gruesome combat.”
The Guardian: “A catchy piece, but the things it’s associated with are so obnoxious that players might be forced to limit the length of their sessions.”
Gameblog: “When it comes to horror games that emulate Giger’s work, Scorn is definitely one of the most interesting examples. Many of the puzzles are good, but the crappy combat ruins the whole style, and the unrelenting gloom causes depression.”
GameSpot: “Depressing combat, unbalanced puzzles, and unforgivable checkpoints make Scorn a tedious game in an intriguing setting.”
VG247: “Honestly, Scorn’s story isn’t particularly exciting, but it hardly matters as the way the game’s storytelling is polished to perfection and delivers an incredibly refreshing horror experience that really gets under your skin.”
Digital Trends: “Scorn is impressive as a visual homage to Giger, but half-formed gameplay hurts his horror more than it helps.”
Washington Post: “Scorn can be described as an arthouse experience. For me, the appeal of the game is that it made me feel rather than think. I was constantly harassed by anxiety due to the fact that I was just in this terrible world. I’ve never been particularly afraid of anything I’ve encountered, but like a game creature, I just wanted to get out of there.”
Scorn is available now and through a Game Pass subscription.