Adventure · April 26, 2017

Scanner Sombre (2017)

extension1 DLClocal_offer-80% current discountgroup100k–1M ownersrecommend3.0k recommendations
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.

Adventure releases from 2017

78 Adventure titles launched in 2017 — top 6 by review volume.

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (12)

  • English volume_up
  • French volume_up
  • Italian volume_up
  • German volume_up
  • Spanish - Spain volume_up
  • Danish volume_up
  • Dutch volume_up
  • Norwegian volume_up
  • Portuguese - Portugal volume_up
  • Portuguese - Brazil volume_up
  • Bulgarian volume_up
  • Czech volume_up

Full audio (12)

  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • Norwegian
  • Portuguese - Portugal
  • Portuguese - Brazil
  • Bulgarian
  • Czech

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Exploration · 143
  • Horror · 135
  • Walking Simulator · 135
  • Atmospheric · 128
  • Indie · 114
  • Adventure · 104
  • First-Person · 87
  • VR · 84
  • Singleplayer · 77
  • Short · 68
  • Psychological Horror · 65
  • Colorful · 60
  • Action · 58
  • Casual · 58
  • Lovecraftian · 52

Peer Adventure titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Position in Adventure

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume4.1k Steam reviewsTop 55% in Adventure
Positive rating90% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 54%
Metacritic67/100Genre average 77 — top 89% of Adventure titles
Engagement hours2 h averageTop 92% for session depth among Adventure

Reception Metrics

Steam community

90%Very Positive · 4.1k reviews

3.7k positive · 410 negative

Metacritic

67/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

6.9/10

Curator recommendations

3.0k

Press Quotes

“A beautiful but short-lived expedition that left me wanting more of its best ideas.” 80% – PC Gamer “A short, sharp experimental adventure built around one devastatingly clever central mechanic, it's a pointed antithesis to its systems-heavy predecessor.” Eurogamer

Release & Availability

Release dateApr 26, 2017
DeveloperIntroversion Software
Base price$1.39 -80%
DLC / Add-ons1 released
PlatformsWindows, macOS
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected]

Features & Capabilities

Input & Comfort

  • Tracked Controller Support
  • VR Supported
  • Partial Controller Support

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

2h

brief (under 5 hours)

Median

2h

Typical completion time

More from Introversion Software

Introversion Software has 3 titles indexed — all listed below.

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Scanner Sombre