Coming out for Christmas

XSX, XSS, PC

First teased back in 2016, Scorn gained further attention earlier this year after being confirmed as a title heading for the Xbox Series X. A more recent in-depth look shows the game running on Microsoft’s new console (reviewed on p36)… and it looks beautifully disgusting.

This first-person horror adventure takes its influences from the works of HR Giger, the artist behind Alien. But developer Ebb Software has taken that biomechanical aesthetic to more grotesque extremes, to the point where it feels like you’re inside a giant creature’s body, where the walls pulse with organic matter and leaking entrails.

The same goes for the player character, who appears to be a skinless humanoid trying to flee this hellscape. But there’s no chance of blindly blasting your way out of this one: it’s a more atmospheric affair, as you take your time and try not to alert the nearby monstrosities, some of whom will vomit acid in your direction. Face masks are not provided.

You’ll still be able to fend for yourself, although that’s with guns that have the same kind of Cronenberg fleshiness. They also seem to double as tools for activating switches to open or close gates, but even this seemingly simple act is likely to leave you queasy just from the squelchy sound design.

After years of development, Scorn is shaping up to be a truly bloody next-gen experience that’s also coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch. In the meantime, if you want to check out the in-depth gameplay for yourself, you’d be well advised to do so on a light breakfast.