Scanner Sombre is the newest game from Introversion Software, creators of Prison Architect, and it takes place in a world where the player has to navigate to the surface by scanning the environment in complete darkness, with the player discovering that they might not be alone.
By using a LIDAR, (Light Detection and Ranging) the player can 'see' static 3D environments, which they will use to move through the game. It works by producing millions of 'individual light points', which results in the static, neon 3D image that can be seen in the trailer.
Creative Director at Introversion Chris Delay said, "Scanner Sombre is a total departure for us as a studio in terms of visual style and tone; it's almost a subversive game when you think about what people might expect from Introversion so we're really looking forward to hearing people's reactions when they can play it."Introversion’s Managing Director, Mark Morris butted in with, “This is a very different experience to Prison Architect. It’s a shorter, but a more involved, claustrophobic game distilling a deep sense of unease into a single play session. It’s probably going to make you feel a bit uncomfortable.”
Scanner Sombre is due for release this Wednesday and will launch at 10 AM EDT. It will be cost $11.99 and will have a launch discount of 20 percent on Steam, GOG (affiliate link), and the Humble store. The GOG offer will also give you copies of previous titles from them in Uplink, Darwinia, DEFCON, and Multiwinia at no additional cost, and if you already own the title GOG will give you a giftable copy of the game by reaching out to them.
Quick Take
This is a really interesting and unique idea, and having it released this week is a pleasant surprise. For those who are looking for originality, it looks as though Scanner Sombre is definitely something to keep an eye on. Maybe this will be a VR experience in the near future?
What do you think of Scanner Sombre? Would you play this on your Vive or Rift? Let us know in the comments!
