Scorn is one of the most visually distinctive games released in recent times. Clearly inspired by the work of HR Giger, the game's environments marry mechanical intricacy with biology to create a highly unnerving experience. It's sci-fi, but not hi-tech, with analogue mechanics, skeletal metalwork, and the occasional glimpse of something truly alive.
But that's not to say that everything is perfect. For starters, even though Scorn is a current-gen exclusive - released on Series S, Series X, and PC - the overall visual impression is definitely of a last-gen game, albeit an excellent-looking one.
The first, most obvious clue is the difference in resolved detail between the two machines. While Series S seems very 1080p-like, Series X has an overall resolve that looks strikingly similar to 4K, even at very close viewing distances. Indeed, the presentation holds up well even against the fully maxed-out PC experience - with only small, artefact-ridden trails on particle effects.
Aside from single frame drops in traversal, Scorn on Xbox Series S is essentially a locked 60 frames per second - basically no complaints here. Series X is largely the same - a generally solid 60fps with the odd duplicate frame. But there are a few areas where the game suffers from more serious frame-rate issues. The game's cutscenes can suffer from performance drops, including the opening sequence, which dips as low as 43fps. Combat can sometimes provoke a momentary frame-rate drop, particularly when alpha effects are onscreen.
digitalfoundry I don't know why people are so surprised at the performance here. It's a Witness style game where there's very little going on at all. By design, it's all static, empty rooms and corridors, very few moving parts, or interactions.
digitalfoundry Considering how this game runs on my RTX 3070, I'm genuinely surprised to see that the Xbox versions are using FSR.
digitalfoundry Xbox full forever exclusives are the greatest!