You’ve not played anything quite like Scanner Sombre before, that much is true. But it’s how much they do with so little that makes the game remarkably memorable. Visually, there’s not much to Scanner Sombre. The rest of the time its silence, footsteps, and the sounds of a cavern like wet rocks, shifting sand, and loose pebbles. And when it sweeps in, it’s usually to highlight your already piqued emotional state from some vision you just experienced. There’s little to no music to speak of, except when the developers want it there. What makes it tense is that Introversion has crafted a beautifully creepy soundscape in Scanner Sombre. That’s the whole object of the game, really.
Using the LIDAR, you’ll find your way from the base of the cave to the surface. It’s not real light, just bits of the spectrum. It’s a device that places points of light on objects around you, with the help of a special set of goggles. Walking out into the darkness, you grab the LIDAR scanner. Your gear, a photo of your family, and a tent are all you have with you. You begin your adventure at the base of a deep cavern, where you’ve set up camp as an explorer, archeologist, and spelunker. It’s thankful then that its price is a budget $12, but even that feels like a bit of a stretch. Like Funcom’s The Park, it’s about the experience of a story through unique means more than anything else.
There’s no replay value here to speak of – rather, think of the game as an interactive film or novel. Scanner Sombre took me all of 86 minutes from start to finish, with a couple of pauses to let the dogs out. When I say Introversion Software’s latest game is short, I mean it. Scanner Sombre is a very short, but very enjoyable ride that feels like the seed of something greater. It’s a maze, but it’s not one where you’ll likely get lost. It’s a horror story, but it’s also a reflective narrative.
It’s mostly about exploring and finding your way out of darkness using a unique tool that highlights the surface of items around you. It’s a game, but there’s not much “playing” to be done.
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