Scanner Sombre (2017)

Developer: Introversion Software
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Adventure, Indie
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 4,530 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.4 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You navigate a pitch-black cave using a lidar scanner to reveal your surroundings, the silence and echoes building a tense, unnerving atmosphere as you uncover the hidden world.

tenseatmosphericoppressiveeerieexploration-basedslow-pacedpsychological horrorimmersive

What players say

Players praise the novel lidar scanner mechanic and atmospheric cave exploration, but call it a very short walking simulator at 2–3 hours with little interactivity beyond scanning. Some note the horror tag is overblown since there are no monsters or jumpscares, and a few report getting stuck on terrain due to unfinished collision.

Screenshots

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More by Introversion Software

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.