Discover the secrets of a nightmarish realm of biomechanical terrors. An exploration of the dark, haunting worldbuilding in Ebb Software’s 2022 horror game Scorn.
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Scorn depicts a biomechanical nightmare. Yet under the foreboding surface, the world of Scorn is a masterpiece of haunting and poignant worldbuilding, bringing to life a fascinating ecosystem of decay. While the game is ambiguous by design, in this video we’ll explain the story and explore the hidden themes.
So, for this entry into the Archive, we’ll embark on an expedition across this disturbing realm, comparing environmental details with clues from the artbook to uncover the shocking secrets behind the terrors on screen.
Now, let’s awaken to the nightmare of Scorn…
0:00 The World of Scorn
1:02 The Genesis Wall
2:34 The Graveyard
4:16 The Assembly
7:53 The Dark Garden
9:29 The Heart
12:36 The Crater
14:20 The City of Polis
18:44 The Meaning of the Madness
Copyright Disclaimer: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. All video/image content is edited under fair use rights for reasons of commentary.
I do not own the images, music, or footage used in this video. All rights and credit goes to the original owners.
♫ Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio:
Mysterious Green Fluid, Sanity Unravels, Haddonfield Horror, Alone in the Dark, Dusk, The Witch, The Vanishing, Tenebrae, The Guardian
♫ Additional music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com):
Floating Cities
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#CuriousArchive #Scorn #Worldbuilding
I think DJ Peach Cobbler said it best. Scorn is a game where you get to experience the abject horror of being a sentient cow on its way to slaughter. Machines beyond your ability to understand line your path. You can't comprehend of what or why any of the horrors you see are. All you know is that they simply happen, outside of your control or input.
except you see other cows get slaughtered you dont see the people hitting the buttons and you dont even see the end product your "kind" are being killed for. aka you see all this amazing set up and get exactly zero pay off i dont need a billion cutscenes i dont even need dialouge BUT GIVE ME LORE. dont just walk me threw art exhibit with no explanations or show of intent of artist LIKE THEY HAVE IN THE BOOK.
Good description here
What if this premise is mistaken? What if cows are indeed sentient?
@Original Precursor they mean a cow already dead that is somehow still able to see the horrors around it as the meat is processed
yes you are right on putting into perspective on what a sentient cow would feel in its way to slaughter, but keep in mind when you dive into that perspective itself you dont have the memories and feelings of what you as a human now, you are as ignorant as can be and dont know what the purpose and objective is, even just simple things as language is foreign to you the only thing that exists to you being born as that cow is your natural instincts and even that you wont understand as your comprehension isnt the same as what you as a human now. in short people keep on saying that animals have feelings and what not, the answer is both a yes and no since they do feel fear as their instincts shows them but at the same time they dont know why they feel fear and cant comprehend what is going on in why they feel fear. we humans are different we know our needs and wants as well as have the comprehension to think in deeper levels which we can find answers to, we humans are aware on our surroundings and also aware on what we should do to fulfill our desires. its so hypocritical that some deny that fact and keeps on deluding themselves that they are different and understand more that animals are the same us as when in fact it isnt, most people already understand the fact the we humans are far more superior to other animals we are not equal
my biggest gripe is the few story elements the art book mentioned are entirly skipped in the game. aka the fact the alien baby things are actually another sapient inteligent species who builds and maintains the organic tech. or the fact the ascension process creates these entities called shells which we never get to see despite being the end goal of this civilization.
Yeah, when looking at the actual game, it somehow screams wasted potential. There is so much that could have been done, and all we got out of it was pretty mediocre.
You already saw the shells, those ones that looks like a pregnant humanoid is just one of them.
@@nushia7192 but wheres all the fanastical supre bright colours the books descirbes them as having the tendrils?
Ironically the artbook is a better story than the game.
if the game sells well, we can only hope for a director's cut, or perhaps a DLC. at first, the game was supposed to be in 3 parts. the lack of founding to make it an AAA experience surely shortened the game enough to fuse the 3 parts in a single game barely long enough to justify its - rather accessible - price. at the end of the day, it's not a deception like most kickstarted games.
I'm from the country the developers are from and let me tell you it's a poor, underdeveloped country so i was shocked that they managed to even get this game out, and it looks gorgeous. It's a feat to get it made and published already but i know that if they had a bigger budget that this story and game requires, they would've fulfilled the game's true potential. There's so much in Scorn that deserves to be explored.
What country?
@@AlejandroLZuvic serbia
Kosovo is Independent. NATO was right to bomb you.
@@mischee-2421 The developers are Serbian dudes? Wow that explains so much lol.
@@gsesquire3441 that explains much
The entirety of Scorn reminds me of a book called 'All Tomorrows', and the 'morphing' of humans by aliens is an incredible parallel. The deities even look similar to the Qu from the book.
Alt shift x ?
More like "Humanity lost" and a still instinctivly working husk/hive world, which lost their Father and maybe the Over-Queen was destroyed by the Alliance.
All Tomorrows is so good
I have no mouth but I must scream
The family of Zdzisław Beksiński had a sad life. He was weirdo, psychologicaly scarred by the second world war, his son, Tomasz, was a great radio presenter, who brought Western music closer to average Poles, but had bipolar disorder (probably) and commited suicide, his wife died of aortic aneurysm and Zdzisław himself was murdered by two boys who used to help him maintain his flat.
His son survived a plane crash too like Jesus
@@salem4301 but he died a decade later from Y'know white powder overdose and addiction
The most poignant and evocative artwork almost exclusively comes from places of despair, solitude, and the dark depths of the human mind. There are very, very few "great" artists who aren't fucked up in some capacity. Not necessarily a great thing, but it seems that the best, that is to say the most fondly remembered and beloved works of, art only come from extremes in personality, situation, upbringing, and conduct. There are no exceptions so far in history. Perhaps Zdzislaw will be remembered as an underappreciated painter of old in 200 years, much like Van Gogh before him. Who's to say?
@@dusky6280 While it's true some artists experienced great trauma that fuelled their work, this is overall, not actually all that true. And the mentality can veer into dangerous territory. Using art to deal with trauma is often effective, and I'm not saying that people cannot turn suffering into important art: likewise, it's not true that people cannot create great artwork unless they're traumatised. But the idea that it comes "almost exclusively" from trauma is... not a healthy or sensible way of looking at art, I don't feel. Van Gogh's actually a great example: he did some of his BEST work during his most stable, supported times. Which makes sense, I guess. I mean, you're not painting a masterpiece while off your face on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol Assuming some strange, esoteric connect between art and mental illness risks supporting the mentality that art requires trauma, or leads to people not getting the proper help because they assume their creative ability is tied directly to their mental health being bad. Like, Van Gogh might well have created JUST as evocative, powerful paintings if he hadn't been mentally ill and financially destitute.
@@ScarabD thank you!!!!
I desperately hope we see more of Scorn, there is so, so much unused material that could be used. The game practically screams missed opportunities.
It feels like a movie almost.
It needs a directors cut
@@chase_h.01 like kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5(a video game director's cut)?
The thing is isolation games are only gonna appear to a niche audience. The reviews came out for it I knew it was gonna get the Death Stranding treatment. The thing is there are tons of people out there that like to feel truly alone in their games, to everyone else they are walking simulators, poor story telling, to confusing, whatever word of the day they wanna barf up. The same people that complain about wanting something different.
Yeah, some shit is just too ambiguous. If nothing you're looking at really has a solid reason to be there, then it's just there to look cool.
I really like how the peach cobbler described scorn: Its like u are a cow or any other animal we farm. You get born with no idea where u are what u are or why u are, you are just in a machine of which purpose you dont understand till you eventually die
Imagine an insect with a small life span of mere days, born with no notion of anything but basic instincts and it gets squashed, eaten or born in a laboratory for bug spray testing. I mean it's life is literally just a spark blink what could be the meaning or understanding of anything?
To me it's implied this world used to be much more orderly and civilized before suffering a catastrophic decline. The civilization here probably had a system or equipment for safely removing humanoids from the Genesis wall, but that's been out of use for a long time, hence the heaps of dead bodies. They also seemed to be obsessed with transferring consciousness, as demonstrated by the ending, which also explains why your character always has glowing white pupils. Presumably some sort of infection took over this place's organic technology, choking off much of the machinery and creating the tumor-like monsters you fight.
Exactly
Scorn’s setting is the very definition of a “Living Hell”.
Like honestly the thought of machines Made of flesh is pretty terrifying.
@@theskyisgreen6477 I've got very bad news for you.
This is pretty much our future. The reign of clay mixed with iron.
I was born in hell, we have two towns that look sought of like this 🫤
I’ve commented this before, but I really think you guys should do a video on rain world. It’s a game with a complex ecosystem and an organic tech aesthetic. It’s perfect for the kind of content you’ve been making.
Imma coment it too so there will be better chance for it
That's true, we need a video on rain world.
Just commenting to show my support for this idea - I would LOVE a video on rain world too!!
Yes this is good
I've been thinking the same! Glad I'm not the only one.
One of things i love about Scorn is how everything (apparentally) is completely "human" probably no aliens involved, humanity just figured out how to turn itself into a bio-mechanical nightmare. Everyone just decided to copy the movie "Martyrs"
Ah sweet, man-made horrors beyond human comprehension!
Wasn't one of the working theories that aliens came along and xenophon the planet for their own uses and then left
To be clear, the monster is called the Crater Queen, in the book it's explained that the Crater queen was a product of over experimentation and they often kept it and all other creatures in the crater so they don't destroy everything.
yassss slay queen
while rather imperfect as a game, scorn is easily the most visually inspired I've seen in these last couple years. the artistic direction is stellar, the atmosphere is incredible, the score is visceral. at the end of the day, reading most comments, hearing most people complains, the gameplay should have been something closer to "penumbra", a stealth based exploration game filled with lore to uncover and puzzle to solve. And it could have been a bit longer, like by a third at least. not everyone will like it, but it's a sight for sure
I agree. The footage I saw before the actual game gave more of a high-action DOOM impression, but that's not really the vibe of the game. If people are complaining about the mechanics, I'd say it's in part because the marketing didn't fit the actual gameplay. It fits more into the style of horror/puzzle/survival games, not action shooters.
It's a great interactive artwork, but a really shitty game.
That sentence perfectly describes the state of the game.
When I saw the demo of Scorn, I jokingly called it "sightseeing simulator" lol
@@crowdemon_archives didnt the devs straight ups said that this was the point of the game?
so terrifying and at the same time so fascinating
most definitely, emanates the same vibe as all tomorrows
Agreed
And also, arousing .
@@woadblue ayo? 🤨
Cliche
The devs created an amazing tribute to Beksinski and Giger without directly copying their creations. I hope they continue creating games in this world they've built.
Does this not feel like you're in a body too? There's a womb wall, a heart, a spine railway up to the head/brain (with consciousness?) and the dark garden could be lungs, while the factory could be a stomach? Idk I've never played it but this is so cool
Yes there are def signs that we are inside some massive organic body/spacecraft/planet hybrid.
I think "Polis" is a reference to the work of Greg Egan, particularly Diaspora, where a polis is a supercomputer which runs the uploaded minds of its inhabitants, including the uploaded minds as well as new minds, "born" within the model. The abandoned biomechanical halls show what was required to reach this ultimate synthesis, and what they left behind.
Could be more basic than that. “Polis” is just an Ancient Greek word root meaning a “city” - which is where Diaspora gets the word from.
@@saturnine. You are correct- I was actually about to say the same thing, and add that it’s commonly used in words like metropolis and acropolis, as well.
A-a-a-among us
we are the polis
Hmmmm,they lost the opportunity to have the biggest barbecue ever made
The Greatest Shock to me is that Realizing that the setting actually takes place on Earth!
I bet a nuclear war destroyed the entire earth.
thanks for spoiler
Wait, for real?
@@elperronimo It comes from an interview, never mentioned in-game, so not a spoiler.
@@hemidas literally written within the lore book of the series
I haven't finished the game, havnt even read the book, only seen clips and videos like these. But Scorn evokes a sense of fear a dread unlike other in me. It's not a fear of being killed, or haunted or anything that you'd expect from a horror game. It's the fear of being in the world of scorn, a dreading thought. The world really is hell on earth, if not, hell itself. But what shocks me is the sheer quietness of it that scares me. It forces me to think of the worst case scenario, it makes me feel disgust, awe, and fear at each landmark. It's fascinating.
I think it definitely plays on the fear of seeing a humanoid being used as a tool with no regard to its thoughts or autonomy.
@@eerielconstantine5051 yeah, it's a game that feeds on its own eldritch. The utter sense of hopelessness it induces from the very start. It's too bad it wasn't as good as it could have been
@@sleepyfrank6359 hopefully we see something like it fleshed out better in the future! I might play it anyway
@@eerielconstantine5051 i myself think lot of scorn means to capture it. Giger created a lot of intricate p0rn art, yet deprived of eroticism. Disturbing reminder of all human body functions to resemble a crass, complex factory line; pumps of fluids, transporting resources, producing and excreting waste. Male to female, transport to pod, grow an organism. And the goal is just to keep the system running, prolong the existenxe of life. In scorn the system reached self sustaining perfection, seemingly eternal despite the decay.
7:24 Those astronauts are kids. Ridley Scott chose, as I recall 8-10 year olds to play many of the roles of the crew walking around the ship. This was done so that all the sets would look bigger & more menacing given their small size. So in that shot right there, that is probably 9 year old Timmy from Westerly High...
That checks out! Proportionately children have much bigger heads in relation to their body, and the helmets that are designed for the crew are bigger than even normal astronaught suits to accommodate this. Thank yu for sharing!
For reference, 8-10 year olds are about 80% the height of adults, so the set would look 25% bigger than it otherwise would.
I loved playing the game without understanding pretty much anything and creating my own narrative while I experienced scorn. I understand where others are coming from when they say theyre dissapointed in games end product, but I think having elements be obscure and not expanded upon on the game adds a ton to the environmental storytelling. While the narrative feels incomplete that missing piece lets my mind go wild with potential. I do wish they included the cut areas in the game so then we could have a meatier scorn game.
It definitely leaves a bit to be desired, but I think most long-lasting works do that. It keeps people coming back and talking about it. Beyond that, Scorn was so unique for a horror game that it deserves whatever praise it gets.
To many games nowadays don't alow the player to use their imagination. Everything has to be feed to you in a way that limits a players own creativity. It's why I'm glad they did what they did,keeps people discussing it. A very bold,and old school approach,and I love it.
I love how devs can get away with making half assed games because "muh imagination"
Agreed. The art was good but the gameplay just wasn’t. It’s not even the gun mechanics, it’s the fact that it doesn’t tell you where to go, you are just there walking around pushing random buttons. A game shouldn’t spoon feed you but dropping you off the deep end doesn’t make for a good game. the puzzles were more like seperate arcade games. It’s like the devs just didn’t know how a good game works, they just slapped shit together hoping it’s good enough.
@@bluenbluen2798 The gameplay is fine,it's about "survival". If people would treat the whole world as a type of "puzzle",you can see what the devs were going for. It's why the game is set in so much mystery to get conversation going. Unfortunately hasty reviewers set people's expectation of the game as being flawed,when in fact the game is exactly what it needs to be. Sure it can be frustrating at times,but that is the whole point of survival. It gets you to pay attention more to your surroundings,and teaches your brain to map out the area. Having beaten it,and watching others play there are thing's that you learn,and easier ways to progress. Like the first weapon you get is not trash but can in many cases save you ammo when you learn the best way to use it,and how enemies move and react. You can fight them if you choose or watch their movements from a distance and wait to avoid them. Trust me they are slow and not that smart. I've seen people have problems with some of the simplest puzzles in the game because they were rushing and not taking your time and using all your senses to solve them. This game is a really rare type of gem. Some people hated movies like"2001 A Space Odyssey"when it came out,and now it is considered by many as a masterpiece and cult classic. I think this will be too. Just remember it's not just some common shooter. At the same time it's not just a simple puzzle game. It's actually more of a survival, mystery with puzzle,observational,and shooting elements mystery game. Best way I can describe it. And please don't be afraid to fail sometimes.
This is a certified Zorn moment.
As opposed to a ZOD moment, which inolves much more kneeling.
丂匚ㄖ尺几
Zcorn
hi welcome to zornhub :)
Dude did no talked about scornography in the video, what a shame.
The curiosity this game gives us is crazy. It’s like when your parents are watching a horror movie and you hear a scream, but your child brain doesn’t know what it was. Your curiosity takes hold.
How do you not know what a scream is?
@@MrCmon113more like they don't know what make.their parents screams in the first place cause younger them don't understand the context of the horror movie 😅
My jaw hit the floor the moment i came across the giant monarch creature thing. The visuals in this game are on another level entirely. Great video!
I'm amazed how well you pronounced Zdzisław Beksiński's name. Almost perfectly!
Indeed! He talks a bit weird (just imo; no offence!) but it seems he's good with names - he said H.R. Giger almost perfectly, too. (Most folks use a long ī and muddle the rest, like "guy-grr".) But I wish he'd mentioned that Beksiński was a Holocaust survivor, though. It had such big impact on his life and resultant art. However, that probably would've got him a yellow-dolan, with how weird The Site can be about that (but only situations like that, hmm). Hopefully my mere mention doesn't cause a spontaneous drop into the abyss. Anyway, cheers.
But the names of Scorn creators can't say for shit...
Polish names and the language and characters in general is tricky to understand
@@giorgospapoutsakis5271 Creators are Serbian, it isn't too hard if you look at pronunciation, unless you don't want to bother with that..
@@giorgospapoutsakis5271 it is Serbian!!
It has always been an interesting thought of the actual usefulness of bio-machine mega-structures. Like would it just be a machine with some soft bits, or would you have to treat it like a high maintenance animal? Would the bio part give it any benefit? Does the machine now have an "expiration date"? Many questions...
I think the advantages in ease of construction, sustainability and potential self healing properties could be very useful. Particularly if humanity is as far gone as depicted in scorn
@@praetor7055 I guess that makes sense. Why have need to repair damage when it can repair itself?
I don't see what could be good about making it "organic". Organic tissues as we understand them are too fragile.
Seems like there's a lot of genetic frailty, doesn't look like there would be a benefit.
Well it could be as a way to shortcut useful complexity in exchange for fragility. A real recent example is the use of neural tissue spliced with a silicone chips to hold a machine learning algorithm. Further development of that technology might one day enable us to ethically test drugs that effect the brain's performance on task. Rather than trying to mechanically/digitally recreate the complexity of neurons we just took biological tissue and spliced it into a useable device. Reminds me of the robots in the matrix that came to the conclusion that humans were the most efficient power source and acted accordingly. Scorn to me is like if a something like Dall-e was given free reign to build a "perfect" world where machine and biological life were one the same...forever.
When i finished Scorn i said to myself: "Whoa, now this is environment i would love to hear Curious Archive describe" and here it is. Scorn is beautiful, and tragic story. I love that game and it's sad that some people hate on it just because they approach it like it's normal FPS "RUN AND SHOOT" type of game.
i mean, they gave you a gun.
Run and...Gun...
They give you a gun in Scorn to shoot enemies but even that is lackluster. You must be getting paid to post this
I get the feeling that Curious can't really be frightened like most of the population the way he explores horrifying worlds like Scorn, The Loop, Barren and the Flesh Pit.
The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. Something natural human curiosity is immune against.
@@Ze_N00B smart
your recent videos have been creepy, strange, and sometimes dark, such as the epic of serina part 5, barren, the meat planet one, the loop (a favorite of mine), and finally scorn and I have loved all of them, you find and bring light to so many peoples ideas and works
And exactly how one can bring light by making strange, dark and creepy videos? 🤔
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 light doesn't have to be visible ;) and those who enjoy the dark and creepy stuff will see the light in anything lol
(~~Nobody comment, we're at the funny number~~) (damnit someone messed it up, how dare) I recall hearing an interpretation that Scorn is an allegory for pregnancy gone wrong. Childbirth and pregnancy is often culturally considered something beautiful, but Scorn uses horror elements to show just how disgusting it can be without blaming it on anyone.
Reproduction is certainly a central theme, but not the sole focus imo
This is a good personal interpretation, unfortunately the developers are weirdly defensive when asked about this. Very quick to say "NO NO NO IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT" despite having half the imagery be related to it, and the other half being about just vaginas.
In French, labor like a woman into labor during childbirth, is "travail" which etymology comes from tripaliō, which means to torture, to suffer (just to stress out that labor is painful). Which is also the word we use for "working", because working is torture. THE MORE YOU KNOW.
@@KTJMProductions I'd say thats due to the HR Giger influence. If you look at his work he uses a lot of sexual imagery
@@KahruSuomiPerkele no, we don’t say my wife is in Travail, ( that mean working, like a job) we say my wife is in accouchement.
As someone currently working on a race that has forgone flesh for mechanical hive mind, and is desperately trying to regain some semblance of biology or mortality... this has been _massively_ helpful
so, necrons?
Lmao so just reinventing the adeptus mechanicus got it
@@Perasperaadastra178 nope, those are still on the way towards being fully mechanical.
literally just beat this game not even an hour before writing this, what a surreal experience. Honestly I think its an amazing example of what makes science fiction so great. Not revealing anything about what's actually going on or what things are in game makes your mind come up with some really amazing and weird theories
What a perfect video to cure my insomnia.
LOL
@@landtrout755 opinions on minorities
Is that a compliment?
Sleep Paralysis Demon:"ightm I'mma head out"
@@bootymuncherwebb7045 which ones
The game basically captures an essence of beauty and terror, which is fascinating how this game can make its players so curious yet so terrified.
what beauty?
this game makes me physically ill, and I mean that as a compliment. Everything about it, from the very concept of it to the visuals, animation, sound design and all the implications are just horrifying from start to finish and it's great. It almost feels like the most messed up interactive art gallery in existence
A word that was given to me was "visceral". And i think that fits perfectly.
I haven't played Scorn yet, but it looks like a game that's begging for a VR adaptation. The added immersion would be breathtaking and haunting.
I would love to see you cover Hob by the late Runic Games. It definitely isn't as bleak as Scorn, but it's just as expansive and rich with wordless worldbuilding. Not to mention it's just a REALLY well made game in terms of visuals and mechanics.
Would love to see a part two that digs more into the artbook. While the game itself is certainly an interesting mystery taken alone, the artbook presents some really fascinating concepts.
Two individuals stand on the outside of the structure. One looked dark, yet regal, dressed in a long coat with various adornments that hinted at his demeanor: absolute commitment. The other was hooded in scarlet cloth, shimmering like satin, embroidered with gold patterns at the hem. He held a strange staff, and had various tubes emerging from that hood to connect elsewhere within his form. The first one spoke. "What do you think, Magister? " The second replied after a concentrated look at the structure. "Our probes have completed their analysis. Everything in there is organic, only traces of anything synthetic were found. The life forms within feed upon each other in a complicated system. There is some indication of intelligent function, but it is preyed upon by growing chaotic forms that will consume it eventually. Anything alive in there must surely be suffering. " The first one thought, then furrowed his brows. " Thank you. Send the probes back in. Then have them self deactivate. They maybe contaminated. Let us return to the ship. I've made my decision. " "Exterminatus, Lord Inquisitor? ", queried the tech priest. "Exterminatus. I won't leave this to fester further. Nor will I risk any possibility of men or xenos getting infected, And I won't leave it as scraps for the tyranids, or as playthings for that blasphemous filth Nurgle. "
This is fascinating - what is it from?
@@montyparata3507 are you new to Warhammer 40K?
@@montyparata3507 indeed it is from WH40K. Massive amounts of lore to get lost Into. 😉
@@d3ltaohniner261 not quite, but still an amateur. I like the lore.
Definitely Exterminatus. Wouldnt even hesitate or have any second thoughts. The tech priest would definitely take some souvenirs though.
Honestly, I still can’t return to the game, so unsettling and uncomfortable it is. Truly a masterpiece of design, like Giger did it himself
The impression of Scorn : Oh shiX, that is fxxking disgusting but I can't bear stop looking at those creepy things inside the game.
Scorn was designed by Phyrexians and my mind will not be changed.
I miss Magic lore when it was good
Truly, if I was asked to describe what I think Hell would be like, Scorn is pretty much it. Alone in a barren, lifeless, unforgiving world populated only by indifferent machines and mindless monsters. Trying to escape from this nightmare only to realize that there is no where you can run, even the “salvation” in this world seems like a horrible fate on its own. Certainly better than that Edge Lord powertrip bullcrap version of Hell in the Dante’s Inferno game.
I’m not sure if anyone has commented on this before, but it would be really neat to see you do a video on the Biology of James Cameron’s Avatar. I know it’s actually pretty decently thought out and an in-depth analysis would be really cool. I’ve formed my own theories on a lot of its fauna but I’d like to see you talk about it. Maybe on the current movie or waiting until the new one comes out
Yessss this ^^^
Didn't expect to see a Scornography on this channel, yet here we are.
Reminds me of the womb worlds of humanity lost.
Ooo womb worlds?
One game you should definitely look at for speculative biology is The Eternal Cylinder. There are many weird and wonderful creatures and biomechincal ones as well.
It's truly a treat for me to see you covering Scorn as it was only recently that my interest was rekindled in a clip I saw a few days ago from when I first saw it 4 years ago.
Fun fact, this is actually just a game set in detroit. Nothing else.
You did a fantastic job analyzing the bio mechanical aspects of the world in this game! I didn’t know about Scorn before this video and gameplay-wise, it doesn’t seem like it would be something I would play, but I really love the world building and how the art direction fits so well! It’s disturbingly anatomical and it really feels like a living world that’s so bleak. It feels like a darker variant of Metroid Prime games.
Love it that this video is finally out. Scorn has such an disturbing alien like style that seems far from reality but with these humanlike connections so close to us. Good to have a nice analysation of all this. Great work
I wish future ALIEN movies would have a setting just like this, indicating either the Space Jockey's homeworld or the Xenomorphs' homeworld
I hope future Alien franchise explores the Space Jockeys
And ignore Prometheus and Alien Covenant...
@@ExtremeMadnessX something inspired by the upside down where demogorgons live
Wasn't the soace jokey just a prometheus guy in a meatsuit?
@@npc6817 Prometheus? That's never happened.
If this game studio could make a game based on the H. P. Lovecraft book the mountains of madness would be beyond what I could image. I'd drop money to buy a setup just to play that game. These guys are story telling geniuses.
Besides Bloodborn, are there any other HP Lovecraft inspired videogames?
Although not a direct adaptation, there is a game called _Conarium_ that is very heavily based on that story, having the same setting and all just from a somewhat different perspective. Highly recommended for any fan of Lovecraft's works.
This is seriously the most interesting game I've heard of/seen clips of in almost a decade. All the worldbuilding & themes are super-duper interesting.
The "insect queen" in the crater greatly resembles the blob creature the protagonist turns into in "I have no mouth, and I must scream".
Very glad to see this game has finally been released having followed its development for 8 years. I was beginning to think it would only exist as a series of short promo videos for the Kickstarter campaigns. While reviewers have mentioned the Giger and Beksinski influences on the visual aspect of the game, none of them mention that the guns in the game are taken straight from eXistenZ!
This is how Scorn learnt us to Observe the Mystery like the Protagonist was born. Just like us, from baby to an adult, observing meaning and information
Who'd think that a world full of life could be so bleak? But I realized one thing about the episode is how different it is from the usual episode. I mean, most episodes the Archivist compares speculative biology with real life example, but here he can only recur to other fictional works to compare with the world of Scorn. I feel this must've been the world that puzzled the Archivist most.
This is just a wonderfully done video for this hauntingly beautiful game. I feel your descriptions and overall layout of this video truly does it justice. I have anticipated this game for as long as I can remember, probably since the first trailer and it did not disappoint me. I've had dreams of cities made of flesh (why, I don't know) and this encapsulates what I have seen. Thank you for making this.
I like to think that all the beings encountered are literally human in some way, and that this is humanity's future. We existed past our intended expiration date and had to adapt and change over long periods of time to get by - and the sum total of all those changes are what we see in scorn. Its deliciously bleak and does it's title justice. Humanity's scorn for itself is on full display. It shows what we are worth to ourselves. I think this game is as competent a piece of art as the art it is inspired by.
I really appreciate the effort you put into making your videos!
I don’t know what the heck is wrong with me but that architecture gives me a sense of … warmth and protection. It’s like your one with the world, everything made of the same material. You are integrated with the world.
I haven't played the game yet and was impressed how CA managed to give some weighty exposition/background without spoiling it. The game is fascinating.
The machine/organism combination is such a cool concept, one of the reasons why I play deathguard in 40k
The world of scorn would be horrifying to live in but also poetic and beautiful in a horrific way.
If such a world existed, it may be worth exploring its inner workings as an ecosystem with all of its components, but otherwise better left alone.
Didn't expect you to cover this but I'm glad you did cause I've been wanting more explanation
a game that evokes some of my fav artists, absolutely beautiful
This is the first video ive watched from CA and within several minutes I was completely reeled in and knew that I would be watching it until the end. The narration was ideal for the content and was extremely well written. Occasionally KZhead recommendations get it right and this as been one of those occasions.
I can't believe I've never seen Wayne Barlowe's art before. It's like what I always wanted Doom 2016's sequel to be like visually
I really do love these ecological surveys of yours. They are such a unique and interesting format for looking at the worlds of games!
Man I get the same endlessly unsettling feeling when I look at Zdzisław Beksiński paintings. He was an absolute master. This game is important for the artistic possibilities video games offer.
How far into the future must Scorn take place? It must be by magnitudes of tens of thousands of years, at least. Maybe millions of years.
Funny how lately ppl have been talking about this game more. I love how you tackled this game with the art book.
Scorn always reminded me of magic the gathering's plane of phyrexia, from its biomechanical transition of flesh to machine and its long story of seeking perfection
Certain games just bring out the absolute best in this channel. A pleasure, truly
I really like the way that you tell storys of games and books and you really have a calming voice.
I just finished watching the StarGate Atlantis series and the Scorn Universe reminds me of a Wraith hive ship with the fusion of biological growth and the mechanical components forming one symbiotic system. Also gives off a much twisted version of the Borg from Star Trek. Very cool!
I don’t think it frightened me but peak disgust and pure curiosity and it was the most conflicting emotions I’ve ever felt about a game. But I loved it and I do want more HR Geiger and HP lovecraft games.
If I were to see this world in real life, I would say that it was abandoned a long time ago, and left on automatic. Without the constant repair and readjustment of the programming and systems, it began to build mutations, which would, in time, fail completely. Finding out why it was built in the first place would provide a lot of answers and even more questions.
Biomechanical is such a fascinating art direction and I want more people to use it. It's so disgusting and vile, yet so morbidly intriguing that I want to learn more. How are things made? How are the things that make other things made? How are they sustained? Are they more mechanical than flesh, or the other way around? If machines are made from flesh, would they have feelings, emotions, or even consciousness? Is there a line drawn for something made with the base of machine or flesh, and what limitations, advantages and possibilities are there? If something is made with the base of a machine in the first place, would the inclusion of flesh help it, or limit it? If something is made from the base of flesh, how would it act? What would it retain from it's origins? How would humans behave in a world where the walls and floors and factories and made of the same material as them? Would they evolve to suit their environment and slowly blend in, indistinguishable? Or would they reject it and stray further, further and further until ironically, they're not even human anymore? It's just all so goddamn fascinating to me, and all I have to chew on is DOOM 2016, Eternal and Scorn. We need more!!!
Great video, CA--unsettling game, but your amazing voice and commentary make it fascinating
Always reminded me of the oddworld games. Rupture farms , a giant city sized factory dedicated to the slaughter and harvesting of living beings, yet somehow it fits into the world it exists in. Real horror that almost numbs you to the fear, but never completely
I'm so excited you covered this!! I was hoping you would. Thank you!
**attention mild spoilers, stop reading if you haven't played the game through** Well, its a masterpiece. The art is beyond fantastic, gigeresque or not. There is not really language to give it enough credit. Only maybe the jockey, being a quick to decomission (oh my god) filmset piece may peak minimally higher. At least there are videos of it. Anyway. There is one small problem Scorn has. Like all games it likes to focus on the players ('s?) perspective and it overfocuses. Whilst it builds all that to discover its purpose alien machinery and you piece together its world it creates mechanics around the player character too heavily, spoiling it a bit. It becomes apparent that the player traverses a biomechanical dystopia fallen ruin to a major conflict. Things are ancient. Things are running. Some things run erratically. This is all very good. The atmosphere is superb. As a computer game the world is tailored to the player experience usually the world it simulates, however, shouldn't. It should work, realistically, without the player story for which its actually built but which it isn't in the game's context. Confused? Well, it is strange that all this parasite removal machinery turns up everywhere just as the parasite begins interfereing with manipulting items. Fairly random event being seized by a parasite, ESPECIALLY considering the storyline of the parasite bing a UINQUE being. Oh, i am sure you can explain it away somehow, but thats a designflaw worldbuilding-wise. It just is. The world gets too intertwined with the player storyline. Yes, that is a thing. Okay, so you have removal equipment for a parasite which is supposed to be very special all over the place not to mention the muril. You could put it down to prophecy i supposse but then there is the ending and the entire factory process to it. The war biomechanoid assembly in the temple could pass except if you hadn't to squeeze the pilots to open up the inner sanctum of the temple. I could understand if they were supposed to guard it but literarely squeezing them out to open up doors is kinda out there, not to mention the wall dispensers. In the initial factory you have to mush the poor fella to open the door - the purpose of the factory is to produce the rawmaterial species for the later piloted biomechanoid. Why can only elongated humanoids open a door in a factory practically mass mutilating elongated humanoids? They arent turned into war biomechanoids there. I could put it down as macabre being overseen by war mechanoids but the corpses in the facility indicate another process and from a security point of view it makes no sense at all. Only the inmates can operate the locks? It makes sense from a game mechanics perspective but not from a worldbuilding one. Reproduction is a theme in the game undeniably, that being said i have to disagree here with the species... ah... lets just call it humanity, lost its ability to reproduce. At least two humanoids are popped into existence without any problems in short order at random. Its not a lifeless world by any means. Also whilst there are many mutations i have not seen any alien influence anywhere besides three different species of humanoid: the players, the elongated biomechanoid raw resource race and the "pilots". There is the mural, but after analyzing it in detial considering the tendrils resting on a skull i am fairly sure it symbolizes that neural network there. As of the nature of the rift... that is a tough cookie and aside of its very obvious shaping open to basically any interpretation. It gets a bit caught up there. That being said its a sinister version of planetary exploraion in an alien setting that is not on an ocean planet. I hope it spawns many sequels. Best of luck to its creators and much respect. Don't miss it if you can stomach it.
First, i thought is was going to be another Scorn review, either of the game or lore. Then, I saw it was from Curious Archive. Now Scorn is part of the Spec Evo lore, along with Spore, Subnautica, Horizon, NMS, Monster Hunter, and who knows which other game around. Can you make a Prehistoric Kingdom video in the future, pls?
I understand why people would have liked more lore. Myself I finished the game thinking it was a nice museum tour but conscious I didn’t get anything relevant. As someone said below, I just knew that whatever was happening, I couldn’t do anything of it. And while it may be frustrating to be kept in the dark, seeing the game as a nice museum concept will help come over the fact that if they don’t do a suite to this, we basically won’t get much answers other than from the booklet. A 10/10 game in the artistic sense.
10/10 as an interactive art piece, but 6/10 at best as an actual game, imo.
I feel like they should have removed all the "combat" altogether. It REALLY took away from the atmosphere. I found that the more I moved forward, the less I looked around and admired the environments, because some annoying creature was going to ambush me.
I agree
Man, I'd love to see the Archivist make a video about GTFO. There's a lot to explore in that game, biology-wise
Please do a video on wayne barlows inferno, it's such a fascinating but horrifying beautiful world with tons of lore. Perfect for your channel. Also, love your video man keep up the brilliant work😊👌
That unnamed gigantic creature thingy was most definitely inspired by the ending of IHNMAIMS (especially the 90’s video game adaptation)
I don't know if you take viewer requests, but I would love to see you cover the biology of the Half-Life franchise, especially the fan remake Black Mesa!
Beksinsky is one of my most favourite artists, as well HR Giger. I understand both artists fears & sadnesses as well their portrayal of death decay and the destruction of humane thought & action. Giger was a depopulist & despised Christianity & embraced satanism and reflected it strongly in his art. His fascination with biomechanics & the human form is what I resonate with. His depiction of the more vile aspects of hating children & babies, glorifying porn& celebrating the Baphomet is something I find abhorrent. Beksinsky is an enigma because we don’t fully know his philosophy but he does depict a great deal of death & trauma, having been exposed to such in WW2’s end.
Its beautifully done. Yes, its grim, bleak, hopeless. Theres also a few moments where its really awe inspiring and beautiful. Particularly moments where you float off trying to figure out the murals in Polis. The hypersexualized architecture of the city. The times where you're in the dark but if you peer into the void you see some massive structure in the distance leading to so many questions. Who built this world? Where did they come from? What happened? Such a interesting game.
The end of scorn made me emotional like almost no game ever has. I'm still impressed the devs had the balls to do what they did.
How am I just now hearing about this? What a wild and interesting looking adventure, I'm going to have to look more into this
honestly scorn partialy kinda makes me imagine society colapsing, not collapsing like its usualy portrayed, but rather far slower and more painful. With each generation shrinking in size and living worse and worse as they attempt to keep their forefathers world alive, with it all shutting down one by one slowling down until it all just stops one day.
@Hidden Dude lmao no, how did you even come to that conclusion?
@Hidden Dude the population where i live has dropped by almost a quarter in the last 30 years, yet it really dont feel like that much has changed
Ah yes, population collapse, basically the biggest hidden danger of the first world that not enough people are worrying about. Korea and Japan are basically dying countries and will dissapear in the next 100 years if nothing is done about it.
The world of scorn makes me think about how much we take life for granted. How ridiculous it is that living beings exist at all in such a dead universe.
Great review! And I love it! It looks like a clear reference to Lovecraft's Cthulhu at 15:00, and a lot of the biomechanical vision is reminiscent of David Cronenberg movies (like Existenze - pointed out already). Again, I love your storytelling!
From reading the reviews, the gameplay isn't particularly challenging or innovative, but the world and visuals are. I wonder if this story would've been better told as a feature film.
The gameplay isn't designed around the player being some super soldier, but rather someone thrown into a world with no idea what the fuck is going on. So the gameplay reflects this aspect perfectly, giving you minimal information, but still useful information. It's more first person adventure than first person shooter.
I like the visuals but I don't think I'm gonna shell out $40 for this one.
@@Koreyite bruh it's just 10 dollars on Steam
@@ScornedOne1080 Yeah I think maybe a majority of the reviews might be coming from people expecting a fast-paced Doom-like shooter
@@siskavard To be fair to these negative reviews, the first trailer of the game mostly shows action-packed FPS montage of player blasting the enemies rather than the puzzle or atmosphere, which to me comes out as misleading at worst.