Ew.
I don't feel anyone was surprised that this "game" was a flop. It's the perfect example of a project that solely has (grotesque) legs only due to its shock value and stellar visuals. While I adore the art style and excessive gore, it just isn't an enjoyable or compelling experience. Also, the fact that it's a short romp ends up being fine by me--I was pretty much over it after the first couple of acts. I didn't have a clue what the whole thing was about, which left something to the imagination sure, but it just felt like a lazy interactive experiment that was devoid of any real plot.
The real problem with Scorn though is that it's just not fun to play. It's essentially a corridor "shooter" with some puzzles, key doors and monsters in between point A and B. I did find myself in awe of the environment design, which is truly great in presentation, but sadly doesn't make the title worth buying by itself. The levels are reminiscent of death metal album covers and the Alien movies, which is definitely cool in my book, however they are also sterile and lifeless. One could argue that's the point or direction they were going for but if I wanted to feel hopeless and depressed in a game I'd just go play Fortnite.
On to the combat mechanics... which I wasn't going to mention other than that they are just terrible. You only get a few weapons during the entire game and one of them is more of a utility type tool, the weird bio-probing thing. This item acts as a button-pressing tool that works on certain devices, but you can also use it on enemies--for some truly awesome finishers! Just kidding, using this thing to kill enemies is a chore and, because it only gives you two "shots" before having to recharge, you basically just need to run backwards toward where you came from and try again. You'll also more than likely be hit by enemies' ranged attacks while doing so because space is limited. Fun!
There are some guns that use the same "receiver" as the probing thing but it's basically a shotgun and a super shotgun that, annoyingly, use two different ammo types. You get this ammo in limited quantities by visiting the adorable filling stations that are sure to give trypophobics nightmares for a couple of nights. The health system works similarly, except for the fact that at certain points player health is suddenly taken away because something is hugging you too tightly. I won't spoil that part of the surprise too much but yea, you make a friend partway through your miserable existence in Scorn.
Oh the grenade launcher! Yea you get one of those for the final boss fight and it helps you progress through the final area. It's about as fun to use as the other guns in the game--not very.
This is actually more than I figured I'd write on this title but I digress. While Scorn certainly isn't the worst thing I've ever played, by a long shot, it's basically impossible to recommend. The visuals and audio design alone can't make up for an otherwise boring and directionless experience. There are certainly pieces here that could have come together to make something truly incredible, but Scorn (as it exists today) is NOT that something. Personally, I think the environment team in particular should be lauded for their efforts here, but it's just a shame that the project didn't make proper use of that talent.