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Explore a pitch-black cave as a lone caver, using a handheld LIDAR scanner to reveal paths and uncover traces of its past.
Released 26 Apr 2017
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Scanner Sombre is a 3d horror cave exploration game where darkness is your greatest foe. Illuminate the unseen with your LIDAR scanner, revealing the eerie beauty and peril of the abyss. From the creators of Prison Architect, this immersive adventure uses light and shadow for a haunting experience.
Developed by Introversion Software · Published by Introversion Software
You explore a pitch-black cave system as a lone caver. A handheld LIDAR scanner reveals nearby surfaces as colored points, gradually bringing walls, paths, and objects into view.
Scan the cave to find your way through its passages and varied terrain. You can reveal just enough to navigate or build up a more detailed picture; some routes also involve simple platforming and crossing underground water.
Scanner upgrades add capabilities such as faster or broader scans, and a map helps you track your route. Environmental remnants and brief text passages hint at the cave's history as you make your way deeper.
Players who enjoy Scanner Sombre often point to its unusual LIDAR scanning as the main draw: revealing a cave point by point makes exploration feel distinctive and visually engaging. Reviews also praise the eerie, sometimes beautiful atmosphere and its sound design. Some appreciate the focused short adventure and its story, while others find the narrative slight or the horror less intense than expected.
Scanner Sombre is a tense 3d horror cave exploration game where oppressive darkness becomes your greatest enemy. The silence, broken only by echoes and hesitant footsteps, builds chilling tension, while the unseen unknown keeps you on edge. Blending psychological horror with discovery, it challenges you to navigate a hidden world lit by a LIDAR scanner. From the creators of Prison Architect, this immersive adventure uses light and shadow to craft a hauntingly beautiful yet terrifying experience.
In Scanner Sombre, the LIDAR scanner is your lifeline. Armed with this innovative tool, you reveal the unseen by casting light into the abyss, slowly mapping the cave around you. As the silence presses in, and shadows twist, the scanner’s color-coded beams uncover hidden dangers and untold mysteries lurking in the dark.
Scanner Sombre features a striking visual style built around vibrant, rainbow-colored point clouds, inspired by industrial LIDAR scans. Players use a handheld scanner to gradually reveal the environment, with color-coded points helping to perceive depth. This distinctive, inhuman aesthetic creates an eerie atmosphere and enhances the exploration experience.
In Scanner Sombre, the story unfolds subtly through the environment, with hints of forgotten histories hidden within the cave. As you explore, remnants of the past, strange symbols, and eerie remnants suggest a deeper, darker narrative. Each step forward invites you to unravel the mysteries bit by bit.
Introversion Software has been developing games since 2001, and stands behind acclaimed titles like Uplink, Defcon, Darwinia, Multiwinia, Prison Architect, Scanner Sombre, and their latest release, The Last Starship. Introversion has garnered both critical and commercial success being recognised with multiple awards including the IGF grand prize for Darwinia and BAFTA for best persistent game (Prison Architect). They have sold more than 4M copies of their games worldwide.
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
|---|---|
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | PlayStation, Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 1 listed on Steam |
| Metacritic | 67/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |
