SCORN
Developer Ebb Software Publisher Kepler Interactive Format PC, Xbox Series Release October 21
“Desolate and decayed,” growls Doug Bradley – and that was just us after 20-odd showcases. Getting Pinhead himself to talk through Ebb Software’s grisly nightmare was a smart move on the part of Kepler Interactive, though this particular strain of body horror, not to mention its biomechanical environments and grotesque enemies, seems less Clive Barker than HR Giger. With no dialogue, Scorn’s story is largely told through your frequently gory interactions with this repulsive world. It’s more deliberately paced than we might’ve anticipated, with a greater focus on exploration and puzzling than action. In the sporadic encounters you’ll need to make every shot count: weapons require you to manually slot bullets into the chamber, lending extra tension to the fraught atmosphere supplied by a percussive score from noise-rock outfit Health.