Scanner Sombre Critic Reviews

A beautiful but short-lived expedition that left me wanting more of its best ideas.

Perhaps what’s most impressive to me is how effectively lean Scanner Sombre is. The entire game is only three hours. Mechanically speaking there isn’t much you do outside of using the scanner to solve puzzles, find your way, and outwit foes. However, the foreboding atmosphere and where its plot ultimately leads is satisfying enough that its gameplay and storytelling are compelling. Whether you’re coming across a new upgrade for your LIDAR or slowly mapping out a spooky tunnel and inching toward danger, Scanner Sombre is a consistently spooky and somber game that’s worthwhile for those who want to scratch that horror-adventure itch.

An eye-catching pointillism with a unique discovery mechanism with which you won't discover so much in the end. Even so, you will get a special experience and some printscreens from this cave.

A beautiful technicolor journey into darkness.

While it does have some issues presenting the backstory itself; feeling a bit more like an experiment than a complete game, the moment-to-moment of exploration is unique and unforgettable. Hopefully this will soon get VR support considering it looks perfect for the platform.

Scanner Sombre is a gimmick game, and I honestly say that without any ill intent. Its gimmick is beautiful and engaging and kind of amazing. To its credit, Scanner Sombre is seemingly aware of the limitations of this because it's brief enough to not wear out its welcome. However, the kaleidoscopic interior decorating is a means to an end, and that end just isn't as thrilling as what's in the mind's eye.

Scanner Sombre is a quick, beautiful and melancholic distraction with an interesting twist, but its main puzzle is navigating the caves, which can become confusing and frustrating due to everything being made of the same beams of light.

Quotation forthcoming.

Let’s not kid ourselves – Scanner Sombre is a one-trick pony. It’s a great, memorable trick though, as one could expect from Introversion Software. It’s a shame that the game is so short (ca. 2 hours) and linear and that the story is almost nonexistent.

It’s a weird experiment—and, again, one I think will utterly baffle anyone who comes to it because they see it’s by “the Prison Architect Developers.” This is considerably less mainstream, more likely to appeal to those interested in what’s being done on the fringes of the medium. Even for a so-called “walking simulator,” Scanner Sombre is austere.

Sadly, Scanner Sombre never really attains the heights of Dear Esther and Gone Home, two games that Introversion site as inspirations. If you have an interest in that genre, it’s still very much worth exploring the cavernous depths of Scanner Sombre, but more than its fellows, this is a striking idea that searches for a game and a story to make the most of it.

It’s a shame, really. Scanner Sombre felt more like a glorified tech demo than a proper game. With its short length and mostly shallow gameplay, it’s a bit difficult to justify the $12 price tag. However, it boasts a very well done gimmick as well as a memorable atmosphere. If you’re looking for a short, but sweet exploration game, then this is for you. If you’re looking for something a bit meatier, however, you should probably give this a pass.

Sorry, Introversion. But this is nothing more and rather less than a simple try to fill Dear Esther’s footsteps, while the art design as the only really interesting element is underutilized.

There's a slight disappointment that the tale it tells isn't as smart as the idea that powers it, a blot on an otherwise wonderful game. Scanner Sombre is a remarkable experiment, its only downfall being that once you've shed some light on your surroundings you realise there's not really that much to it at all.

Scanner Sombre is at its best when you’re left to your own devices, lonely yet in awe of the sights you see and make, but suffers when the game itself is pulling the strings, whether that be to evoke empathy or terror. I absolutely recommend it, for its four or so hours of dot-matrix world-generation have pleased me greatly, but you should go in knowing that it stumbles over its storytelling hurdles and should instead be treated as, like the titular scanner, a remarkable technological toy.