Scratches: Director’s Cut

2006 Nucleosys Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Gamicality score

Metacritic 675

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 771

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today2.5/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

83%

428 reviews1

Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Scratches: Director’s Cut run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Played Scratches: Director’s Cut lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Scratches: Director’s Cut running today

If the camera spins too fast or movement bounces on a modern PC, set the game executable's compatibility mode to Windows XP SP3 (PCGamingWiki).
In the game's options, set Camera speed to Slow, Slideshow to Off and Alternate controls to Disabled (PCGamingWiki).
If the problem remains, cap the frame rate at 60 FPS in the graphics driver (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

A first-person point-and-click horror adventure in which a novelist rents an isolated Victorian mansion in the English countryside to finish his book. Over three days you explore the house and grounds, read letters and journals, and solve inventory puzzles to uncover what happened to the previous owner's wife.

Developer: Nucleosys
Released: 2006
Best version: The 2007 Director's Cut is the version to play, since it adds a new chapter, an alternate ending, higher resolutions and an alternate control scheme to the 2006 original.
Genre: Adventure

Reception

Critics at release were mixed to positive, with a 67 Metascore on PC, praising the slow-building dread, the sound and the story while noting pixel hunting and a weak ending. Players today still call it one of the scariest adventure games of its era, with atmosphere carried by sound and pre-rendered rooms rather than shocks. Recent reviews also complain that interactive spots are hard to spot, that the story stalls until one overlooked object is found, and that a walkthrough is often needed. The game was removed from Steam and GOG in 2015, and the developer now hands out Steam keys through his studio's community. The game has not been sold on Steam or GOG since January 2015.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

2.5/5

?Not confirmed yetSold or given away today by an official source
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The Director's Cut was removed from sale on Steam and GOG in January 2015, so it can no longer be bought there, though it is single-player and complete for anyone who owns it (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
The game runs only at 1024×768 and has no widescreen support (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
There is no controller support and keys cannot be remapped (PCGamingWiki).
?Not confirmed yetSteam Deck Verified or Playable
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
?Not confirmed yetNo intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
The crashes PCGamingWiki lists affect old retail discs, and the camera speed problem on newer Windows has a working fix (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
The game is played entirely with the mouse: a hand cursor marks exits and usable objects, a magnifying glass marks things to examine, and a right-click opens the inventory. There is no controller support and keys cannot be remapped. Source: secure.uhs-hints.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game runs only at 1024×768 in 4:3, so modern screens show black bars, and editing in custom resolutions breaks the game. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Saving is allowed at any time, with F5 as a quick save and ten save slots, though a load puts the player near rather than exactly at the saved spot. Source: secure.uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Usable objects often show no visible cue, and many players say a walkthrough is needed for several obscure steps. Source: secure.uhs-hints.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Each day only advances once every required action is done, so a single unopened cabinet can force long backtracking through the mansion. Source: steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
On current Windows versions the high frame rate makes the camera spin too fast and movement bounce until compatibility mode, a frame cap and slower camera settings are applied. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.