Scanner Sombre

Scanner Sombre
67
Metacritic
91
Steam
81.354
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$1.19
Release date
26 April 2017
Steam reviews score
Total
91 (2 279 votes)
Recent
87 (57 votes)

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 - creators of the BAFTA award winning Prison Architect as well as Uplink, Darwinia and DEFCON.

Show detailed description

Scanner Sombre system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: 64 bit OS. Windows 7 or Greater
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.3 GHz or AMD Phenom II x4 940 @ 3.0 GHz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Radeon HD 2000/GeForce 8
  • DirectX: Version 10
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Ad Lib Music Synthesizer or greater
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Wild
Wild

A very short, a more artsy, one and done kind-of experience, but one I really dig and glad to try it after messing around with the LIDAR mod from Garry's Mod and was fascinated by that.

It has a creepy, but at the same time strangely relaxing feel to it, and did it *at* just the right length for me.

Average Kong
Average Kong

An interesting mechanic. However, the game is only about an hour long and is disappointingly short on scares. It's not worth $6.

Alexpell99
Alexpell99

Cool mechanic, poor execution. The sparse soundtrack is decent. As for the ending, its basically screw you, your entire journey didn't matter.

Star Gazer
Star Gazer

I absolutely loved this game! So did my girlfriend - we played it together and it was awesome. Not the most helpful review I know, but I'll leave that for others to write. We loved it! Great sorry, great premise, great graphics, very creative.

Ganerumo
Ganerumo

Scanner Sombre was in my honest opinion given an unfair start, and is somewhat proof that any project can fumble if presented to the wrong crowd at the wrong time.

At the peak of their popularity with Prison Architect and standing at the top of a certain degree of prestige with their past releases, introversion sat with a reputation but not one which would lend itself well to the delivery of a walking simulator, a genre hitherto untouched by the team and which showed very little overlap with their past forays. While I believe that the work provided on Scanner Sombre is fantastic, it is not surprising either that the crowd which was used to this studio's games looked at this release with utter disinterest. Those who did show up for the promise of a walking sim expecting an experience akin to those of Dear Esther and Gone Home (as is advertised on the store page) likely found very little to grasp as well. All in all, the game came out to disinterest, unfavorable reviews, and a mixture of apathy and harsh criticism.

With that behind us, I think Scanner Sombre stands as a much better experience than it was given credit for at release. The comparison to Dear Esther and Gone Home was an awful one to make as the game, in spite of being a walking sim of sorts, could not have been more different; it is highly linear, and its immediate storytelling is just as basic, which puts it at odds with the more allegorical narrative of Dear Esther and the wandering mystery-lite presentation of Gone Home. What Scanner Sombre manages to be, first and foremost, is an excellent tone-setter. It presents an environment in a unique way and wants you to (quite literally) connect the dots. That discovery, the interaction with the world in that visual method is the game's first, last and only strength.

It must be said that Scanner Sombre's "actual story", the narrative that transpires about the main character, is extremely basic and conventional. Nothing to write home about, nothing that's worth remembering; what really sells the game for me is the actual world and how you evolve in it, the careful step by step discovery of this large cave system. I think the relatively mundane story is what drove people to a bad review initially, but the strength of the game obviously lies elsewhere.

VR support, albeit missing at release, is a fine addition. The premise of the game lends itself well to the concept and the execution is just about good enough to be worth it. I do have to mention though that I tried it on a HTC vive back then and have no idea of how well it works today on an Index.

I still return to Scanner Sombre occasionally for the satisfaction of illuminating these environments dot by dot. There's something to it that's oddly unique and fascinating. Although the story is not what brings me back, I keep finding new things I didn't notice before and small details that escaped me in previous runs. In many ways, I thought the game reminded me of Penumbra Overture in its presentation, solitude and locale.

My only point of negativity is that the game includes a single jumpscare which feels out of place and unnecessary, and which did nearly give me a heart attack in VR the first time around. Compared to the very slow and steady pace of the game up to that point and afterward this singular moment has always bothered me. Otherwise, and especially for the pricetag it now runs at, Scanner Sombre is a very neat experience that is worth checking out.

Boon: Spoon
Boon: Spoon

3/5 Stars. This game is a very unique exlporation/mild horror story game with some awesome visuals. That being said, if you have a newer CPU (intel 10th gen+) the game will crash on launch unless you download a hex editor and manually patch the .exe file yourseulf. (guides on community page) If they would release a patch update for that Unity bug, this game would easily be a 5/5 and recommended.

Kaarssteun
Kaarssteun

Something about this game made me enjoy it more than i thought possible. It's therapeutic and fun, while remaining eerily unsettling.

flyingeyeproductions
flyingeyeproductions

This game is the equivalent of going to the cinema for a good movie.
Costs about the same (unless you get it in a sale or bundle) too.

Great main mechanic. Love the way all of it handles and how the upgrades change the games feel throughout.
Really good atmosphere. I played the whole thing in a dark room with friends on discord watching in stream, still got scared on some parts (maybe im just a pussy)

I really liked it but I'm also able to understand the criticism some people provided. Would still really really recommend
10/10 for what it is!

Bob Sugarman
Bob Sugarman

Short but perfectly formed. Atmospheric, moody and unlike anything else I've played. Score is terrific.

blizowski
blizowski

Somehow this game which has maybe the "worst graphics ever" (and I say this in a cheeky but loving sort of way)—somehow it also has the greatest sense of immersion that I've ever experienced in VR. There's just this mood, and soundscape that makes you feel undeniably that you're in a network of caves. I'd highly recommend this to anyone with a VR headset.

Niedam_Reborn
Niedam_Reborn

Get it on sale, new game plus is just as visually stunning as the normal playthrough. nothing I've seen like this.

Krossann
Krossann

Incredibly beautiful visuals & soundtrack.
Relaxing gameplay, somewhat engaging bits of exposition and some really tense moments.

Edit: After seeing reviews of people taking 1-2 hours to finish this game... I took 10. These people are full of shit and this game was just not for them.

LTDenyer12
LTDenyer12

wow, wicked game very immersive and scary at times. i played this with the boys and we thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the river scene. :)

GuuscoNL
GuuscoNL

I think it's a 10 out of 10 game. The sound design is amazing. Even without seeing actual textures you still feel like you are in a cave. The music is also amazing, I never heard something as good as in Scanner Sombre. Visuals are great, even though there are no textures. When you first come into an open space you have no idea what to expect and where you are, but when you scan the area you start to recognise different objects and start to understand where you are. I myself am not a fan of horror games, but this game is an exception. There are jumpscares, but it balances neatly with the relaxing exploring. Of course this is just my opinion, but it’s definitely worth 5 euro’s. 10/10

VENOM
VENOM

A good atmospheric game that can hold you throughout the whole game that are about less than 2 hours

tS | Da Glitchers
tS | Da Glitchers

Short but memorable experience.
Fair price.
Beautiful soundtrack.

luca
luca

10/10

this game is absolutely beautiful made;
- very cool concept
- interesting and innovative mechanic (one of it's kind)
- amazing and spooky atmosphere
- perfect audio design
- good and moody music
- lack of plot but still satisfying
- short (if you want to play this game, play it in one session, it'll take you less than 2-3h to finish)

worth every cent.

zoinks
zoinks

very fun little game would be cool to see the scanner idea used in another format

Darkrighteous
Darkrighteous

This game, despite it not being very long, was an ominous and interesting experience. The story was much better than I was ever expecting from a game like this. The main mechanic, the LIDAR scanner, works very well. Overall, 8/10. Very good job, devs!

Omlet
Omlet

This game is eerie but I wouldn't say its a horror game. There isn't a whole lot of gameplay, its mainly story based and consists of exploring through a linear map. I'd say though its pretty enjoyable though and especially worth it's only a few dollars.

Crumpetitive
Crumpetitive

Honestly, I suggest you go into this blind. This game is absolutely beautiful and the story was amazing. For such a cheap price I couldn't suggest anything more.

Gaming_Squid
Gaming_Squid

You can have fun for 6 hours for just over a dollar.

abd360g
abd360g

A Very simple game about scanning the surroundings and creating points, the more you scan the more information you get out of the environment. i wish the scanning would be faster and have more moments where you can backtrack to escape from some enemy as currently the game gets boring after about an hour or so, which is about close to the average playtime of 1.5 to 2hours.

John Fortnite Kennedy
John Fortnite …

this game eats so much dick a Hispanic women cant compare

nil
nil

An interesting concept with not so interesting gameplay. Lacking in gameplay and narrative, this is not a title I can fully recommend.
The 'story' this game is trying to tell may seem coherent at first, but ultimately becomes disjointed and confusing. I love walking simulators, but while I did enjoy the overall concept and niche mechanic of using a scanner to light up your surroundings and uncover hidden secrets, this game does not exactly showcase the best of what the walking simulator genre has to offer. With barely any other activities aside from walking and scanning, I was left disappointed come the ending.

The Bandoo
The Bandoo

Its fun, atmospheric and good for a couple hours of moving around a beautiful cave.

SpacePhoenix
SpacePhoenix

A short story thats well made, It has great potential for people who what to explore, It has a pretty interesting mapping tool that I would love to see in more games!

skyliner_369
skyliner_369

Absolutely beautiful. Could have gotten to the end in an hour but I spend quite a while just scanning.
The story is good too. Though I won't say anything because that'll spoil the story. Just play the game.

JlRAFE
JlRAFE

Although the negative reviews for the game are correct (its very linear, not that interactive) its more than worth it for the price. Great short experience

Stoveburn
Stoveburn

game sucks up until you get to the Pink Floyd River Ride®

Nekmri
Nekmri

great concept, fun execution. good length for what it presents.

Iris Fennegan
Iris Fennegan

A really niche little game, soundtrack is also really nice to listen too as well, it's definitely worth a play.

Woof It!
Woof It!

A nice, short, sweet experience. It's a really cool game mechanic accompanied with a simple yet effective story. I get carried away trying to scan as much as possible sometimes, but I love it.

Tbh, I see this as nothing more than a tech demo of what a game with this style could achieve. I'd be really interested in a game with a more developed and fulfilling story could do with this.

Carl0011
Carl0011

Incredible, a novel idea, and just seriously fun. I would've paid more for it, and if more people knew about it I'm sure they would too.

Melquiades
Melquiades

some of the most unique gameplay I have ever experiences so far. very atmospheric and interesting even if it is just a walking simulator.

JarredPickles
JarredPickles

This is a super chill game to relax after work or school. I finished it in about 3-4 hours. The only thing I didn't like was the red lasers coming from the scanner. I think if they were toned down I would have slightly enjoyed it more.

QAOSbringer
QAOSbringer

Starts fresh, ends cliche. I liked the scanning system in this game, however the story was really boring. I had high hopes for this game, but the story seems following very similar route to many other indie games. What a twist (sarcastic smiley here).

chunky_head00
chunky_head00

I don't understand where negative reviews come from for this game? But this has it nailed down, i couldn't stop playing. trailing down stumbling across something new each second. and you dont even know whats around you or in FRONT of you!
From The ambiance the surrounds you and little dots everywhere, it really is more fun using your imagination throughout the game trying to picture a world you cant see. For the slight horror aspect, it really is good, and done well to keep you on edge well not really being in any sort of danger. Also love to see your progress through out using your map is a bonus, seeing how big this world is, is amazing.

Overall this is a great game!
give it a nice 7.6/10

~Infinity~
~Infinity~

This game is very good and tells a great story of someone deep in the caves of the unknown.
But the game is Great, Love it

Mad{}Mouse
Mad{}Mouse

Short and sweet, worth your time if you're the type to enjoy walking simulators.

Barry Chuckle
Barry Chuckle

This game on an OLED TV will blow your socks off

Chaotic1870
Chaotic1870

Good game, performance issues especially the farther you get. is really immersive until you find the T-posed stuff that they couldnt bother to pose at all, as someone who frequently works with 3d assets it ripped me right out of the game and just had me laughing at the T-posed asset, its even worse when the T-pose tries to jumpscare you, its just kinda laughable, later on theres a twist revealed thats also in complete tpose, it just really looks bad in that sense. Other than that i really loved this game, fun few hours for 5$.

ivo
ivo

Terrifying, Cool and shrouded in darkness. Give this a try.

horo
horo

I looked at the reviews before buying this game. I thought it would just be an ambience game with the fear of the unknown just before you use the scanner. Oh boy. Was I not expecting what I have come across in my barely hour of gameplay. Im not even halfway through the game, why am I leaving a review? Because of the scene I had just seen in the game, it threw me off track tbh. I don't know if no one mentioned that part to leave it up to you to see it or what. But it was that one thing that made me decide to leave a review. This game is an experience tbh

ZombieKiller88th
ZombieKiller88th

Great use of tech to make a different type of environment story, could've been better with more foreshadow and hints for the ending. But overall, it was pretty solid. 8/10.

LMGBLAZE
LMGBLAZE

Excellent sound design, good aesthetics and an overall good experience.

Derpy
Derpy

This game has a great premise, good story and amazing mechanics. Kinda spooky for a while until you fully get used to everything. I wish it was more horror focused, but it kept me engaged the whole time. Great game

pupinator
pupinator

Really nice game, worth the price (especially if on sale lol)

JerKnuts
JerKnuts

I got this game on sale for $1.19. It is definitely worth its full price of $5.99. Is a shorter game at 2-3 hours.
It's a very neat take on a walking simulator. A tad creepy. But very cool. Get it!

Scared
Scared

Short little game, a steal when on sale.

Phobos
Phobos

It's good, but short. More of a tech demo than a game. Pick it up on sale.

NuT-N-NuT
NuT-N-NuT

If there ever were good and unique "walking simulator" out there, this sure is one of them.

Non-existent story but the innovative mechanic and a huge map to explore will keep you hooked just enough for 2-4 hours to complete the game.

VR definitely recommended.

glenga
glenga

This game is truly beautiful. The setting, the sound design, the music. The LIDAR scanning mechanic is amazing, I've never seen anything like that in a game. Even without visuals, you truly feel the cave environment. I'm so happy i experienced this game.

alzebda
alzebda

I was around the end of the game, I went up an elevator, and I looked down.
What did I see?
All the progress I made using my little scanner, I could actually see the point where I started at, and make my way all the way back to where I was standing at that moment.
I could not recommend this game enough if your looking for a bite-sized (~2 hours) experience like no other, especially if you're planning to play in VR. $6 is a bit much so I would recommend waiting for a sale.

dedoed ألف ناقص س
dedoed ألف ناقص س

спасибо одному аддону для gmod'а я нашел эту замечательную игру
просто офигенно атмосферная, и звуковые эффекты отлично с этим помогают
в общем если есть часа 2-3 поиграть ночью с выключенным светом, то она стоит 30 рублей которые я заплатил ;d

Folyr
Folyr

Le concept est génial, par contre c'est terrifiant j'ai eu plus peur avec ce truc qu'avec la plupart des jeux d'horreur auxquels j'ai pu jouer (très peu puisque je suis une grosse flipette sur ce genre de jeu donc bon).
Mais vraiment cool, à faire !

Ben_g
Ben_g

More atmospheric experience than a game, but it's a cool concept to play with in VR for a few hours.

J0hB0Y
J0hB0Y

This is an interesting concept. I hope someday we get a horror game based on that principle

Luc
Luc

Actually learned about this game after seeing a gmod mod that did something similar. Despite the impression that it may give you, this isn't really so much of a horror game as a storytelling game.

The way in which you light up and find your way through your environment provides a really unique way of exploring and understanding the world you find yourself in, and gives you the chance to really make the most of it. While this may seem like a weird comparison, if you enjoyed Death Stranding I feel like you might enjoy this game a fair bit, too. Exploring the unknown, discovering what's in the world around you, and walking through the wilderness, even if that wilderness is a cave thousands of feet underground.

I'd definitely recommend picking this game up. It's not too long, it's only six bucks. Absolutely worth the experience.

Meticulous Nicholas
Meticulous Nicholas

The Unfinished Swan with power washing. It's ok.

DaMisterBoss
DaMisterBoss

A completely unique and fascinating experience. Not a whole lot to it, and replay value is basically nil, but it's still fun to waste your scan burst on revealing a giant demon statue just to have to continue walking and leave it behind

Dave bust
Dave bust

Would love to play the game however I cant wont even run. I think it dose not like my graphics card *shrug*

Burning Rubber(t)
Burning Rubber(t)

A beautifully haunting exploration into the abyss. 7/10

Kaytrox
Kaytrox

Pretty unique.

If you want to play this, I do recommend to not look at any screenshots or videos and go in blind.

SlimeDragon
SlimeDragon

Dumb story
For a game that is so focused on terrain there are some holes that don't take dots that should.
~i.e. some bugs
Fantastic in VR
Must buy if and only if you play it in VR

SnowFox
SnowFox

WOW

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☑ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Overall really nice, some creepy bits, but nothing much. really intersting lore

Dr. Melon
Dr. Melon

A spooky little jaunt with a unique mechanic. Short, and sweet!

Imagopher
Imagopher

A pretty and artful game. It was definitely sombre throughout; I found it scary during gameplay and melancholic at the end. I would recommend this more for the bare audiovisuals and tone than I would for the actual story, which I found too subtle to be particularly impactful.

Steve Narper
Steve Narper

Very unique and definitely worth the price. I really hope the VR gets an update that adds freemotion and jumping as it's actually significantly more disorienting with teleport, but still worth trying in vr.

Monty "Moonball" Molerat
Monty "Mo…

Game is actually just beautiful and the soundtrack bangs

Boomen
Boomen

Amnesia the dark descent styled story, really dark concepts, beautiful as hell

Safety Skull
Safety Skull

What is this game? A horror game where nothing scary happens? A puzzle game with no puzzles? A walking simulator with nothing interesting to figure out? A story game where the twist ending gets spoiled halfway through?
Game's got an awesome core mechanic but they do nothing with it. Really sad. Skip this one.

PerryTheWinkle
PerryTheWinkle

Cool but disappointing. It's fun uncovering the story, but its a real let down to get to the end and find its all just been a handful of gaming tropes smooshed together. Plus the controls are clunky.

To its credit, the game is gorgeous. It looks and sounds awesome. The main mechanic is really compelling, and its a lot of fun doing cave exploration. It would be a fantastic game if it had a more open map and/or a more compelling story. It feels like a proof of concept more than anything else.

allynfolksjr
allynfolksjr

It's an atmospheric cave scanner, telling a neat little story. It's novel, it's beautiful, it's cool.

bT*Akira
bT*Akira

It's not a terribly long experience, but it is an experience, one I will not forget for some time.

Prototype-7 | velk.ca
Prototype-7 | …

Amazing game. Amazing soundtrack. Very unique.

Drachnien
Drachnien

it's a tech demo walking simulator. no story. nothing to really interact with. just follow the path holding down the fire button for about an hour and then it ends. I think i got it in a humble bundle and I still feel ripped off.

Keoz
Keoz

The game is for everyone that like story and horror, pared with a fantastic game mechanic!

Wazowski
Wazowski

Incredible concept, best game I've played in a while!

dBlueFalcon
dBlueFalcon

GAME WON'T START

I have an MSI GP66 Leopard Gaming Laptop:
Processor: 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H
GPU: RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
Ram: 16GB
OS: Windows 11 Home

I absolutely cannot run this game. GPU drivers are updated. I have done a full wipe of all game files and re-installed a clean install multiple times and this game will not open. Doesn't even given a black screen or anything, just simply does not start. If anyone has an answer for why this is occurring please let me know. I googled everything I could find but no solid answer was found. I also would like to point out that I ORIGINALLY downloaded the LIDAR.EXE game from itch.io and the game was super laggy, then I found this game and made the mistake of purchasing it. Maybe it's a Unity issue but unless I found out a solution it looks like this will be an uninstall and refund kind of game.

Buyer Beware.

Useless Cheesecake
Useless Cheesecake

Interesting concept with great execution. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a mysterious story and a creepy, yet beautiful atmosphere.

Fanboat
Fanboat

Makes me want to buy a LIDAR scanner and HMD and go caving

Sheldon_spaceX
Sheldon_spaceX

LOVE the game details! wish there more levels than just 10...

ุุRhythmic Gamer
ุุRhythmic Gamer

Decent concept, but waaaaay to short and not as interactive as I would've wished. It's like a 7.5/10 played twice and got kinda bored. Not really all that scary either.

Scrambleking
Scrambleking

Absalutely amazing horror-exploration game. A little short, but still amazing. After the first playthough you can play again with all the upgrades.

Regolith
Regolith

what if we made photogrammetry spooky

Cubature
Cubature

very fun
very scary
too many dots makes the game lag

Offbrand_Turntech
Offbrand_Turntech

Bussin Bussin, got scared at the water level and the boat but its an amazing game that i would strongly suggest to anyone that has an appreciation for art.

Sketchington
Sketchington

The game is great! I really wanted to replay it, but unfortunately I can't because of a Unity bug that effects newer CPUs.

DarkDragon5912
DarkDragon5912

Paid six bucks... Played it once... Then twice... Then a third time... Streaming the 4 on my YT. DarkDragon5912

Erotic Panda
Erotic Panda

Excellent game design concept. A bit short, I finished in 1:30 really taking my time. Story is good with a bit of a twist, honestly, saw it coming. But I liked it. I wont play again, but I'd recommend you play it once.

Gorger
Gorger

only a few scares, but very atmospheric and unique.

Steven
Steven

This is one of the games ever made

Smerg the Dargon
Smerg the Dargon

All it has is its gimmick, which it doesn't do anything interesting with.
The music is nice, I guess.

Sinjin The Monke
Sinjin The Monke

This game costs less than a burrito and is one of the best things i've played this year. Fantastic, its hard to explain so i wont. Just try it out

MySoulToTake
MySoulToTake

Over the years, many developers tried to capitalise on the path left by games like Penumbra, Amnesia and Outlast, walking sims at their core. Horror seems fit to this game mechanic or lack of it, as it can be comprised of jumpscares and nothing more.
Few and very few, understand and understood, that, a jumpscare doesn't make a game, and much less a horror. Others understand and understood that horror, being subjective, as at least, one common feature, and that is that the player or character in game should feel alienated from the experience he/she is living. A feeling of dread, even when there is no obvious danger or monster to catch you. A feeling that the place they are now walking, doesn't want them there. And most of all, the fear that comes from not understanding to the full extent, what is happening and why.
A Scanner Sombre falls into the category I would call masterpiece. The developers wanted to make something never seen before, and they did. It paid out with a game that is both beautiful and unsettling.
We don't fear the dark, because we know that the light will come. But, what if, what if one day, darkness is all there is?

Sausagelover78
Sausagelover78

An absolute gem of unique work. Moreso falls into walking simulator rather than horror with a big side dish of exploration but itmay as well be the pioneer of what I can only describe as "colour in environmental gameplay".

Prec1sioN #SaveTF2
Prec1sioN #SaveTF2

Amazing game with a fun gimmick.

Pompadour Pug
Pompadour Pug

Excellent game: I recommend taking 2 uninterrupted hours out of your day with a great pair of headphones, in the dark, to enjoy this experience.

Ratlas
Ratlas

Can be beaten in under 2 hours.
Very pretty game with amazing sound design.
I don't want to spoil anything but it's definitely not just a walking sim.

DeathSurfing
DeathSurfing

Loved this game. Definitely worth 5 bucks!

derplemonade
derplemonade

DISCLAIMER: I did not play this in VR, so this review is based off of what I believe to be the lesser experience. I can imagine that the VR version is much more immersive, so if you plan on playing it that way, look at someone else's review. I also got this as part of a heavily discounted bundle (whole bundle cost less than this game alone) with other games from this developer, so opinion on price is a little untrustworthy.

Definitely a shorter experience, and personally I can only recommend it on a sale. I enjoyed the 90 minutes of gameplay and exploration, because I really like games about discovering the past. Definitely exudes the horror vibe that I expected going in (with a couple "jumpscares"), but also has a few beautiful moments. If you're the kind of person that doesn't mind $6 for some decent atmosphere and worldbuilding, it's worth the price.. Also the main mechanic is nothing like I've ever seen and it's really neat

Sunshine Blossom
Sunshine Blossom

Went into this expecting a walking simulator, so I was surprised when I realized it’s also horror

So far it’s pretty fun!

donk
donk

'ate me wife
'ate me kids
'ate me cultists
love me LIDAR scanner
simple as

jnprhll
jnprhll

What a unique idea for a game. Or, at least, I personally haven't seen many games like this. Long enough for a short walking simulator with a few "hehey whoa that's spooky" moments. While I don't see myself coming back to this game, for those who haven't learned anything about this game, it's worth giving a try! Especially the New Game+ with that nifty little piece of the story.

Also fuck the lake.

Gr8WhiteShrkQueen
Gr8WhiteShrkQueen

A unique game mechanic that's perfect for the setting. I almost wish the game had a free range mode specifically just for relaxation where you could explore different types of caves. I would be a great addition to just explore and listen to the soundtrack. The horror element was fun, and it goes really well with this style.

Inmorth
Inmorth

Got biggest shiver of my life on the river section.

(no, its not a scary section)

Wagon_Lee
Wagon_Lee

An especially underrated and largely forgotten gem of a game that truly shines in VR. It's very impressive from a technical standpoint and in VR it looks absolutely stunning. One of my go to games for people trying VR for the first time. It's very short but a rewarding experience, it's pacing is just right and the upgrades to your scanner are very unique and satisfying to use.

papi
papi

* kinda unique
* walking
* a bit buggy
* cool experience
* short

Saluki
Saluki

I've never played anything like this before. It's really a new experience, and 100% worth the price. I'm yet to finish the story, but it looks quite good so far.

Mr.Toast
Mr.Toast

A delightful, inexpensive, and exceptionally well produced indie game. Visually simple, yet stunning. Take your time and enjoy the ambiance with an estimate 2-3 hours casual pace, and about 1.5 hrs if you're rushing it. A little M.Knight storytelling mixed in for a surprise. Stick around for after the credits.

20k
20k

This game is criminally underrated

tahluche
tahluche

Very pretty! Also really anticlimactic.

perlox
perlox

Very interesting and atmospheric game. I'd recommend it to someone who wants a wide range of VR experiences. It's unique and cool.

spæcε.göat.v1.3.37
spæcε.göat.v1.3.37

ummm its a very slight yes for recommended
its like as engaging, but as pretty as a drive thru xmas light display
its easy to demo to non VR noobs because its easy to figure out, but i'd never play this again after completing which i got 2.2 hrs on steam

Crusher
Crusher

I never even heard of this game until a couple of days ago. I bought it not really thinking much, but it is a very very good game. It can be pretty scary at times but I would not call it a horror game. The only way to really understand what I mean is to just get the game. AND ITS ONLY $5!

alien444
alien444

great visuals, sound design, and environmental story creating a unique short experience that hosts slight horror elements.

I cannot recommend for VR though due to some bugs- if the character dies the screen flashes bright and glitchy colors and textures and one is unable to move forward around chapter two due to the teleporting mechanic. (was played on linked quest 2).

jastic
jastic

Pleasant journey through underground tunnels, temples, mines and other regions. Scanner gets upgrades as player journeys and they are easy to spot. A map is displayed but it only indicates where the player is. Oddly a map is found after journeying for quite awhile, thought it would've been useful to find a map at or near the beginning. Some jumping required, some horror. Started New Game + which means all upgrades and map is available at the start, very useful.

KotaLafiel
KotaLafiel

Engaging, short, atmospheric horror game.
Definitely worth your time and money

joshmoomoo
joshmoomoo

Great concept, atmospheric execution

Willah
Willah

LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR LIDAR

This is a insanely good game. I didn't expect how much fun I would have with this. and the fact that its a seemingly friendly game with no horror involved and then you realize, its not, is really cool... and terrifying. but, this is really the most impressive game I have right now. and its keeping me drawn to it for every second. its a amazing game, if you haven't already... check out the demo. you will love it. and the lidar tech is super impressive. I really don't know how its done. this game is a steal. stop buying coffee for a day and instead spend it on this, you wont miss out.

also,

LIDAR

babylfish
babylfish

Hidden gem unappreciated upon release. Immersive exploration kept me hooked for the whole 2 hour playtime. The moody atmosphere created by progressively revealing these abandoned places scratches a particular itch which few games do. Horror elements are pretty light: some jumpscares, and some badly programmed chasing monsters in the lake section. Gameplay is mostly motivated by fear and curiousity of the unknown as you progressively illuminate more of the darkness.

Absolutely stunning sound design! The audio is extremely immersive and makes the environment feel much more real than it would otherwise. The music is also quite good, and fits the atmosphere well. Good headphones are a must. The way that the stark, artificial visuals contrast with the visceral, organic audio serve as a constant reminder that this is a real place and you're walking around in total darkness, your life completely dependant on your scanner.

While the sound design made the character and the space they explore feel real, this was kinda let down by the movement controls. The player's movement physics seemed kinda buggy and unpolished; It's very easy to get in a situation where collision handling will ping you back and forth every frame, making VERY LOUD NOISES as the player hits the two surfaces over and over again. There were numerous occasions where the player movement sounds jumpscared me because the collision code bugged out and blasted 60 pebble steps per second into my ears after being immersed in prolonged quiet. Definitely keep to the beaten path if you want to protect your ears.

The gameplay mechanic is still novel even 5 years later, but seems underutilized in this game; the concept of LIDAR as sight seemingly presents unique horror opportunities: since everything on your screen is a snapshot of the past, anxiety about the world changing when you aren't looking or bumping into things in the dark could have been exploited, but wasn't. Only static objects in the map appear as they would through a LIDAR scanner, dynamic objects magically update their position on screen without the scanner running, which seems to me like a cop out and a missed opportunity.

The story is a little light and cliched, and is presented exclusively through on-screen text as the character narrates cryptically to himself. It served its purpose for the short duration of the game, but it was kinda bland and wouldn't hold up if the game were any longer. Despite that the ending twist still surprised me, and it was emotionally effective (almost certainly down to Lindsay's score.)

While the tech is novel, the implementation seems flawed; save files balloon to enormous sizes, especially if you're a thorough scanner. On my first playthrough I had to restart about halfway because I had scanned too thoroughly in previous sections and the performance began to tank. This is a scale problem, and the solution isn't scalable. I understand that there are limitations when working in Unity, but it was a touch disappointing to me. It's also pretty easy to scan an area too much, which actually makes it harder to see and obscures details. The ability to remove and retry scans would have been very helpful. The silhouettes of the ghosts of the past, especially in the temple looked very cool when I knew where they were and intentionally projected their shadows on the walls while standing still, but I completely missed them on my first playthrough because moving around while scanning quickly erases them. My experience of most of these guys during my first playthough was "huh, there's two bootprints on the floor here, wierd"

The environment was pretty good. Some places were visually stunning, while others seemed a bit unfinished (the ceiling in the lake looks like crap.) Overall I get the impression that they put the limited time they had in the places that matter. The path is very linear, and I found myself realizing that I had accidentally moved down the intended path, turned around wanting to explore the previous space more, only to realize that all I had missed were some passages blocked by rocks. Extra details are somewhat lacking, anything which you wouldn't see in a cursory scan at the center of the room usually doesn't exist, and that's a shame. Real caves are much more dynamic than this.

Ultimately I wanted more from this game, the result seems like less than the sum of its parts. Having completed the game and read up on the developer and their situation at the time, this is a great product, especially with such a small team. The beginning did a very good job sucking me in, and it made me set some unrealistic expectations. The intrigue kinda begins to pieter off towards the end, and I get an impression of development crunch. Overall still highly recommended, just manage expectations.

leftgamer7
leftgamer7

This game went from mind blowing, to scary to downright depressing really quickly.

Cycrontix
Cycrontix

Very cool concept, implemented beautifully. I loved this. NOTE: It's an hour long, so you should probably just play it all in one sitting.

RedPanda Evie
RedPanda Evie

Scanner Sombre is an amazingly atmospheric game with an interesting mechanic and beautiful environments with equally great stories behind them. It perfectly pairs total darkness with the fear of the unknown and both claustrophobic and wide open spaces, as well as a certain thrill of discovering natural landscapes, ancient ruins, and more recent abandoned structures. The experience is enhanced even more with the addition of a VR mode with tracked controllers. It's a great (albeit short, 2-3 hours) game, and the experience is absolutely worth the $6.

Hoboreclaimer
Hoboreclaimer

Wonderful atmosphere and beautiful mechanics. Absolute treat of a game. Casual. Didnt out stay its welcome.

Mayor Naise
Mayor Naise

underrated and sad it bombed so hard

Nanohm The Protogen
Nanohm The Protogen

Legitimately a beautiful game. One of the coolest and most unique game mechanics I have seen in a while. The atmosphere is amazing and SPOT ON. This game is DEFINITELY worth picking up.

whiteboa8
whiteboa8

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☑ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Grab this review template here! 👉 https://vojtastruhar.github.io/steam-review-template/

Void
Void

Scanner Sombre is a game about scanning your environment using a geo scanner and LiDAR tech.

This game was one hell of an experience and had me scratching my head by the end!

Definitely a game for someone who loves something new!
7/10

SpankingNuns
SpankingNuns

At the game's conclusion i did not fully understand what my journey meant. That is (probably) my fault. I was much more enthralled in my ability to illuminate giant caves, than i was to read the small dialogue box in the corner of the screen. Either way it was a unique experience, and very fun. It is a walking simulator, but it still managed to hold my attention for the entire duration of my playthrough.

BlueNinja278
BlueNinja278

This is the most interesting horror game I've played. It combines sound, music, and lack of sight to give one of the most terrifying & beautiful experiences I've had.

JudgeGroovyman
JudgeGroovyman

I played only in VR and it was so cool and fun. I loved the aesthetic and the ambiance made me feel like I was in a spooky cave the whole time. I liked how the story was presented bit by bit and how you got upgrades and I liked the things I found out over the course of the game. The controls were excellent with rarely any hiccups and the game pulled on my heartstrings a bit. I loved the boat part especially. Great game. (now I have to see what "new game +" means).

FranticShooter
FranticShooter

Very enjoyable game, superb concept and well written. Don't get fooled, this isn't a horror game. There is some suspense, maybe a bit of scares if you don't like heights, some auditory things, but otherwise there is very little in the way of real actual horror in this game. It is however, one of the greatest exploration and mapping devices I've ever seen. I would love to see some community made content using this exact mechanic in different scenarios, it is absolutely phenomenal and the developers should be very proud of this. Fantastic game, worth at full price.

If you're looking at my money to time spent, I spent a good chunk of time mapping out areas and filling them in which is why my time spent is probably much higher than most.

the Cheems
the Cheems

fun mechanic, but not much else, the idea of not knowing what is around you is terrifying to me, but..
spoilers below!

the ending is extremely unsatisfying, after two hours of wandering though caves you see an old mining rig and think to yourself "civilisation! the surface is near!" and as you get ready to breath the surface air and escape, the game pulls a poorly done twist out of no where that was vaguely hinted at. NG+ is cool for seeing a t-posing dead body near your starting tent IG? over all, cool and fun concept but little to no story and gimmicky end

Armored Dragon
Armored Dragon

VR Review (Valve Index):

This game is certainly a hidden gem.
Your "mission" (if it can be called that) is to explore this cave with a special LiDAR tool.
As you progress, your scanner does too.

Story

When you start the first 25% of the game is a bit bland and tasteless.
As you go farther and farther in the game, the story and the environment really pick up.
By the end, I was completely satisfied with the story, and by $6.00 purchase.
At the end, the game makes up for the very stale beginning by offering an additional NewGame+ mode. This mode is worth playing, as it will answer one of the last lingering questions about the story.

Horror

Now I was a bit turned off by this technically being a horror simulator. As a babyman I get really spooked easily and take a good amount of time to calm down.
However, the horror in this game is at a level I really appreciate.
You can not die in this game outside of going out of the intended bounds of the game.

VR Compatability

A few problems to note when playing in VR mode:
1: No turning at all
You must turn your physical body around to turn.

2: No smooth locomotion
Teleportation similar to SteamVR Home is required to move.
There are a few problem areas in the map. They will kill you at least once while you try to get the position right. It's not hard, but it is not easy.

3: No jumping
There are platforming parts to this game that would require you to jump.
There is no jumping in VR mode.
You have to really get to the edge of a ledge/platform and really stretch your arm out to complete the section.

4: Control conflicts
Spoilers for scanner upgrades:
The material scanner by default shares bindings with the "aperture" upgrade. This means you will always toggle scanning mode when you try to adjust aperture and vice versa. Trust me, you will be adjusting the aperture VERY often playing this game.
There is a helpful controller binding someone made on the Steam controller settings sharing page in SteamVR. It's the only one listed (at the time of this review). Use it! It will fix this issue entirely.

Final Thoughts

The developers really knocked it out of the park with this game. There is not a lot to do in this game, so there is not a lot to mess up, but the execution was perfect.
If you have a spare $6.00, definitely consider this game!

Simon_says
Simon_says

Fascinating, beautiful, creepy little exploration platformer. Just really lovely design, where every new discovery is a treat. Incredible sound design. Ending is a bit of a let down though. The setup is intriguing, but then it goes down a pretty generic indie horror route. Very enjoyable regardless.

OBADAHzxc
OBADAHzxc

Its a very nice and calm game, i played it in VR and i liked the game, But i hoped for more scares/horror to be honest, More like the lake level, That really scared me when i stepped into the water especially in VR, But other than that there wasnt much more horror and challenges, And the game was a little too short for me, But overall i enjoyed the game, Id give it 4/5

The_Forge_Master
The_Forge_Master

Interesting mechanic, but odd story that was in several distinct parts that didn't have any means of connecting them.
Didn't work for me on Quest 2, by the way. Headset tracking worked, but no hands.

Mr. Sexer
Mr. Sexer

its pretty good and has a cool mechanic

safrfl
safrfl

Great game 9.5/10

Pros:
unique game mechanic
great soundtrack
boat
cool ending

Cons:
water

[Auz] Myron
[Auz] Myron

I seem to keep returning to this game, having played through a few times. A year passes, I look at it, tempted to install it again for another play through. While its short, and isn't massively intricate or varied, what it does have is atmosphere, sound, and engagement. I'd recommend it, even at full price.

jfcc
jfcc

A wonderful little game with a neat game mechanic. I would love to see lidar used in more games

fire.rocket ツ
fire.rocket ツ

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☑ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☑ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

broozar
broozar

A very original idea, well executed. Short, but imo it has the perfect length (2h). A must-play in VR where it's both very impressive visually and quite scary, especially in the beginning. Recommended!

Barkeep
Barkeep

Buy this game, and go in blind. I got it on sale for around 89 cents, and it was worth it, despite how short it was.

Hugh Jassman
Hugh Jassman

If you enjoy the spray paint function in MS Paint, you'll probably like this. It's an hour long so dictate how much you'd pay for it.

Paynamia
Paynamia

First off, I do recommend this game. I enjoy it a lot, it's both beautiful and terrifying. Unfortunately, that's also its biggest flaw. The tone of this game is all over the place. The lake section best exemplifies this tonal dissonance. One minute, you're traversing thin stone platforms, tensely listening to the splashes around you, knowing that if you fall, you'll be helpless against them, the next you're calmly paddling a boat through a sparkling cave to calm, disembodied guitar music.

The game can't decide if it wants to be a contemplative walking simulator or a tense horror experience, and that tonal whiplash takes away from both aspects.

GuyGuy
GuyGuy

Very good sound and visual design. Great atmosphere, strong recommendation.

ConnorG2211
ConnorG2211

Really Fantastic Game,

The mechanics behind the game i find are really something else, both in how pleasing it is to play, and how suspenseful it makes you as you walk through scanning the unknown.

Bought on sale, but 100% worth full price

Souri (JC)
Souri (JC)

Moy bueno, la historia no es super compleja, la ambientacion es GODDD pero en un momento en especifico se nota que esta hecho para VR el juego. Suma puntos la originalidad del juego.

Nifae
Nifae

A short experience focusing on generally passive ambient horror with a few more tense parts. You gain an understanding of the world through scanning it, and your scanner gets gradual upgrades at a reasonable pace that keeps you feeling capable. I bought it for the cave exploration aspect of it and the visuals, without knowing it was horror. I forced myself to play it on one sitting as it's two hours long max (for two dollars this is acceptable) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm glad it was a shorter but sweeter experience rather than overstaying its welcome with needless filler.

Jack7D1
Jack7D1

Great music, spooky atmosphere that keeps you on edge without using cheap jumpscares. Two huge pluses. Game hasn't been touched since 2017 but it still works well.
If you decide to play and encounter a bug where something won't leave your screen even if you quit and reload the game, Load from the latest level select after you get the next one.

Pickle_Sniffer
Pickle_Sniffer

Play it. You don't need a review.
This is the only game of its kind and there have been games that imitate this one.
This is the OG.

Worth every penny.

RevHazlett
RevHazlett

It's not a long game (about two hours), but it's a unique mechanic that's really interesting to play. My only complaint is I can't force vsync off at high settings - it's off on low but on for medium and high. This caused terrible stuttering so I had to play it on low, although that really doesn't detract anything from to be honest. Even at full price it's cheaper than a movie, but absolutely worth it on any type of sale!

Ribbons0121R121
Ribbons0121R121

super short game, i spent an hour of my playtime mowing the lawn
the ending is dogshit cheap but it has some setpieces
a good 6/10

Leandros
Leandros

Very interesting concept. A new interesting way to explore environments.

Ima
Ima

i played it in vr, shit my pants

with there was a setting to lessen the pitch of the scanner since it gave me a headake

actually pretty decent vr mechanics

Jungjushee
Jungjushee

Very fun and immersive game. Short but sweet and engaging the entire time. I would love to see this concept done in a larger project again

🅱ismuth
🅱ismuth

Absolutely terrifying, but instead of throwing spook after scare at you, they're spread out so you can enjoy the calmness in between. Very unsettling, with no true goal other than walk to the end and try not to piss yourself.

k3llyj3lly
k3llyj3lly

it's 5$, was a pretty cool 2 hours, wish there were more, but not a bad product

andreasjs3110
andreasjs3110

this is a game that i like. there is no ends and you just walk and walk trying to figure out where to go. when i started played it i knew there whas a little horror not much but it was a enough to make me like it. I just love the visual effect it has and the little story it has. I love these kind of game where you need to explore. If you like explore games this is a game for you

xd0
xd0

The audio design/production in this game was done beautifully. Amazing game

Bhazor Bhall
Bhazor Bhall

Perfect little game. That is not to say everyone will love it or that it is one of the best games ever made. Only that it is a game that set out to do one thing and did it exactly that. If you want a game where you spend an hour and a half in a contemplative stroll through a cave lit only by a LIDAR scanner then this is it. Everything is just exactly where it should be. The tone, the music, and the pacing. All working together to give you this experience.

Grimman
Grimman

Scanner Sombre is a very atmospheric cave exploring game without any textures, how? simple, you get a handheld scanner that sends out a burst of light rays that connect with the surfaces around you to map out the environment around you, collecting scanner upgrades and uncovering what happened as you explore, the audio design is spot on and makes you feel very alone very deep underground, the cultist environments combined with certain audio and visual cues makes for a spooky time and does a good job building tension. the game is on sale for about a dollar at the time of writing this and its probably one of the best dollars I've spent on steam

HuLio
HuLio

masterpiece, if longer could be higher in price

SYNCHRONIZE1
SYNCHRONIZE1

This game has a really cool concept! I really like using the Lidar system to search the area. It's a super fun tool to use, but I can't help but feel like a flashlight could've been used to gain a similar experience with the spirits causing the flashlight to flicker, then later seeing they're not actually there. Virtual Reality really makes this game shine. Leaning, angling the gun, and getting the scale of your area completely changes how this game feels to play. I enjoyed playing the game, I'm recommending it to others, and I'll probably play it again. Maybe not in one sitting though, especially in VR.

oakleylego
oakleylego

runs poorly even om my rather beefy PC, but its a really good game. I like the concept, and I think they did everything with it they could.

friedpuppy
friedpuppy

wow. what a fantastic little game. it doesn't run very well but that might just be because I have an old GPU. highly recommend

Hintern Kopf
Hintern Kopf

dragging corpse through the caves

JimmyBayconn
JimmyBayconn

good game
dont watch anythign on it just go in blind, it will be a much better experience

slatedawg
slatedawg

For $1, it's passable. All the negative reviews sum everything up pretty well. No interaction. No hidden surprises. Extremely linear. Short teleportation jump w/odd button choice on Quest2 (must tap A. Also, it's poorly communicated in the visual department so it took me a hot second and a restart to move the character). Boulders to simulate climbing over stuff and long jumps make the game hard....more like annoying. I bounced through the wall within my first 5-10mins, and I was stuck on the outside without realizing it. "Story" (twenty lines of text) is convoluted, but it can make some sense if you use your imagination real hard-like. Same handful of sounds play over and over. LiDar Scanner isn't all that cool given that there's no puzzles to solve here. It's just scan map, move forward. Remember $1. That is the limit for this tech demo in 2022.

Whod
Whod

Unique game mechanics
Eerie atmosphere
Beautiful ending