Scanner Sombre

released on Apr 26, 2017

Inspired by Gone Home and Dear Esther, Scanner Sombre is a cave exploration experience. With stunning visuals and a terrifying theme, it is the 6th major video game released by Introversion Software.


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Worth playing. It doesn't overextend its stay, and it does it's job

bom jogo, visual legal, historia intrigante e não estende o gimmick por tempo demais

fucking fantastic, from start to finish.

while other games have been having the conversation of how to turn traversal into a fun gameplay loop, Scanner Sombre flips the conversation on it's head, and breaks it's god damn neck; turning sight into a fun gameplay loop.
what would be a walking sim a good story, is turned into a tense puzzle of wondering where in the hell you're going, ended off with one of the most heart breaking, shocking endings i've ever seen in a game this size.

gameplay gets a 5.
story gets a 5.

This game is interesting. Despite my rating, I would recommend it.
The game has an interesting premise and execution, but unfortunately, fails in it's delivery.
But I applaud the effort, and I would not mind more games like this made, hopefully with better execution!
So yeah, go play Scanner Sombre!

The mechanic just completely carries the horror. The narrative itself isn't that interesting, the environment stays pretty tame and can become repetitive. There's a more minimalist approach to its gameplay, which still delivers a haunting atmosphere. The scanner itself is a deeply original idea for horror, that might not reach its full potential here, but does set a precedent for a fresh sci-fi interpretation of the unknown.

This review contains spoilers

a rather interesting idea for an exploration/walking simulator. it's pitch black, you have nothing but a scanner and a headset to pick up these scans and you scan your surroundings to traverse the depths of the caves.
i think what this game does great is allowing the player the unique experience of caving without the dangers of it. the mystery, the terror and the breath-taking scale of it all gave me a juicy bite of what it might be like, and perhaps more understanding of cave divers because wow is this a beautiful and terrifying journey. you really risk it all to experience nature at it's most raw and breath taking views that you cannot even see to it's full capacity, along with the dangers of solitude, your own imagination and the suspense and mystery of folklore and legends.
the main gameplay loop i found was quite interesting and surprisingly addicting, i honestly spend heaps times longer in an area than one normally would just trying to cover every area with my scanner, it's just so satisfying! i feel like if i was younger i'd be more frustrated than satisfied playing this game, because i dont think i'd ever leave an area without fully scanning everything. i think nowadays i'm able to not let that emotion affect me as much, just a personal observation.
one nitpick, there was that one upgrade that allows you to scan an area in a short amount of time that had a cool down. i would always be constantly looking at the meter to see when it was available to use again, instead of actually immersing myself into the world. perhaps it would have been better to leave it with no cool down but weaker if you use it in quick succession, or just hiding the UI bar completely? it just detracts from the experience. despite my dislike for it, i used it more times than i'd like to admit lol.
honestly, this game is definitely not for everyone, but i think everyone should at least try it just to see if you'll like it, it's an incredibly unique experience!