Is SCP lab rat free?
SCP: Labrat is a free-to-play psychological horror game developed by indie studio Bezbro Games. Based on the popular SCP mythos, Labrat delivers tense cat-and-mouse gameplay as players attempt to escape a research facility while being stalked by a deadly supernatural entity.
The SCP Foundation Background
For those unfamiliar, SCP stands for Secure, Contain, Protect. It‘s a fictional organization that captures and imprisons anomalous creatures and objects that violate natural law. These anomalies are designated as SCPs (Special Containment Procedures).
The SCP wiki database has over 6,000 crowd-sourced articles detailing these creepy containments. It‘s a rabbit hole of terrifying, bizarre, and often deadly SCP subjects perfect for sparking one‘s imagination.
SCP: Labrat draws specifically from SCP-372 known as "The Peripheral Jumper". It‘s an extradimensional predator that phases in and out of reality to stalk its prey. Definitely not something you want pursuing you!
Immersive Horror Gameplay
As a test subject with no memory of how you arrived, SCP: Labrat tasks players with escaping a research site filled with strange experiments – all while avoiding the murderous SCP-372 lurking in the shadows.
This first-person adventure utilizes psychological tension and chase sequences to create anxiety. You‘ll need to use stealth and quick reflexes as the ominous SCP-372 phases around you. Well-timed blinks even allow it to teleport closer when you aren‘t looking!
While unarmed, players can interact with objects, open doors, and search for clues to escape the creepy facility. Just beware the dread that builds whenever SCP-372 draws near…
Where to Download SCP: Labrat
As a completely free game, SCP: Labrat is available on itch.io to play in desktop browsers.
For the full immersive experience, the game can be downloaded free via Steam or SideQuest for VR gameplay. This allows 360 degree vision inside the disturbing research lab with the wireless freedom of Oculus Quest headsets.
| Platform | Downloads |
|---|---|
| Steam | 492k |
| Itch.io | 238k |
| SideQuest | 86k |
As of August 2022, SCP: Labrat has been downloaded over 800,000 times across Steam, Itch.io and SideQuest according to the latest figures.
The Developer – Bezbro Games
SCP: Labrat comes courtesy of the independent studio Bezbro Games. They focus on bringing VR titles to the Oculus Quest standalone ecosystem.
In 2021, the Croatia-based developers first launched Labrat exclusively on SideQuest. The game quickly built buzz in VR circles for its intense scares and atmosphere. This prompted full Steam and Quest releases in 2022.
For VR fans, Bezbro Games is a studio to watch. Their upcoming releases include SCP: Fragmented Minds which promises more psychological horror thrills.
Reviews and Reception
In my experience playing SCP: Labrat, it nails the dread-filled atmosphere. The bizarre lab environment and menacing SCP combine for genuine tension as you try not to panic.
These sentiments echo across reviews with UploadVR calling it "one of VR’s scariest games" and gaming site AlphaBetaGamer dubbing it “a freaky delight”.
90% of over 5,300 Steam reviews are positive. Gamers praise the creepy setting, tense cat-and-mouse gameplay loop, and scarily good audio effects.
As a veteran VR gamer myself, I fully recommend SCP: Labrat. Especially for horror fans looking for free frights! The ability to download and jump into quality scares at no cost makes this a must-play.
Comparisons to Other Horror Titles
The no-charge model of SCP: Labrat mirrors other terrifying free games like Cry of Fear or Spooky‘s House of Jump Scares. Allowing easy access lets more casual players experience top-notch psychological horror design without investment.
Of course, monetizing through in-game purchases is an option. We‘ve seen free games like Apex Legends incorporate premium seasonal content and cosmetics to drive revenue through an engaged userbase.
For now, Bezbro appears focused on expanding their portfolio rather than maximizing Labrat profits. This allows them to first build an audience which they can ultimately monetize across their catalog.
As a small team, Bezbro Games also lacks the resources to develop large premium games. Releasing SCP: Labrat as a free download allows them to focus development on crafting a short, polished horror experience.
Offering Labrat free removes barriers that could limit players from ever trying it. As Bezbro‘s first true breakout, it will likely attract many new fans to their upcoming psychological horror projects.
The Setting and Story
SCP: Labrat transports players into a research wing simply designated "Labrat". Fluorescent lights flicker down concrete corridors lined with heavy sealed doors. Eerie things stir behind two-way glass.
You awaken inside a small monitoring room slumped over a desk – the last images fading on a wall of staticky CRT monitors. Security keycards and clipped ID photos are scattered across the desk, hinting at former researchers.
Stepping out into the hall, an emergency siren wails in the distance. The lights short and strobe erratically. A skittering shape darts around the far corner. Something is very wrong here. Your memory a blur, you know only one thing: you need to get out!
Notes and scribbled journal pages discovered throughout the facility allude to experimental procedures and SCP containment. Researchers debate the ethics of letting D-Class personnel fall victim at the hands of the anomalies they store. Ominous reports also reference breaches…
Key Characters
As the silent protagonist, players step into the role of the escaped Labrat D-Class subject striving to exit this place alive.
The only other "character" is the pursuing SCP-372 entity itself. As it teleports closer, gurgling breaths echo from behind its ghostly mask. This shrieking skull-like visage gives it a demonic mien as it phases into our reality to attack.
While human researchers and D-Class subjects likely once populated the facility, no survivors are ever encountered in-game. Only scattered notes remain – and the hulking SCP-372 that ensured their grisly fates.
The Scares
SCP: Labrat distills psychological horror down to its tense core: the panic of being pursued by something inhuman and unstoppable.
Bezbro Games maximizes these primal fears through exceptional audio design. The anguished roars of SCP-372 coupled with eerie ambiance make your heart race faster with each blink.
While SCP: Labrat lacks excess gore, the concept itself of being ripped apart by an invisible force breeds plenty of dread. Spatialized audio that teleports around you compounds the terror.
By keeping the facility‘s visuals grounded yet unsettling, the devs allow imaginations to envision untold horror experiments occurring here. Flickering lights and distant screams accentuate the atmosphere.
As a game best experienced in VR, playing wirelessly on Quest 2 amplifies both immersion and scares thanks to intuitive motion controls and 360 degree vision. The fear feels real when surrounded by a high-fidelity virtual nightmare laboratory!
