The Scanner is Cel's starting tool. Point it at walls to reveal weak points and hollow spaces, at enemies to see their behaviour patterns, and at doors to learn what opens them. Everything you scan stays on your map with its details, so scan every locked door and blocker the moment you see it and return when you have the right tool.
What the Scanner is
The Scanner is one of the two things Cel starts with, alongside the pulse pistol. MonsterVine called it the most important part of the demo, and the official store text lists it as a main way to uncover hidden areas. It is a diagnostic tool, not a weapon.
GameSpot and VDGMS both compared it to the scanning in Metroid Prime. You use it constantly while exploring, and it feeds directly into the map.
What you can scan
Previews list a wide range of scannable things. Almost anything you can interact with can be scanned for information.
| Target | What scanning gives you |
|---|---|
| Walls | Weak points and hollow spaces behind them |
| Enemies | Behaviour patterns and tactical data |
| Doors and obstacles | What unlocks them, such as a specific keycard |
| Bodies, desks, terminals, elevators | Points of interest and context for progress |
| Documents and objects | Bits of lore about the facility |
| Items and resources | Lootable resources highlighted and marked |
Walls: finding hidden spaces
Pointed at a wall, the Scanner identifies weaknesses and reveals hollow spaces behind it. Weak walls can later be blasted open with explosives, including the C4-like charge unlocked later in the game. The developers confirmed that vulnerable walls are one of the main ways secrets are hidden.
Level designer Robin Jonsson says he hides secrets in the facility's nooks and crannies. Scanning walls in corners and dead ends is the most reliable way to find them. See all secrets.
Enemies: reading behaviour
Scanning a creature surfaces its behaviour patterns and tactical data. That matters because many fights come down to learning patterns. Co-founder Mattias Ottvall named pattern recognition as one of the ways to overcome a difficult enemy.
Scan a new enemy type from a safe distance before engaging. The information helps decide whether to fight, use a flare to lure it away or avoid it. Boss tactics are in the boss guide.
Doors and keycards
Scanning a locked door tells you what it needs. Mattias Ottvall gave the example of a door that needs a keycard: once you pick up that keycard, the map shows you which door it opens. Shacknews confirmed the Scanner told them which specific key each door required.
The same applies to other blockers, such as ladders that need a tool or routes that need a grappling hook. Tag them early, and the return trip becomes easy to plan.
Tagging the map
Scanned things stay on your map as icons with their details. You can pinpoint points of interest and check them off as you go. GamingTrend added that collected pickups get a checkmark.
The developers built the map around the opposite of auto-fill: you fill it in. The more you scan, the more complete the map becomes, and a fuller map means a more complete run. The map guide covers how the facility is structured.
A scanning routine for every new room
The Scanner works best as a habit rather than something you remember when stuck. Here is a routine built from how the developers and previewers describe it. It takes a few seconds per room and saves a lot of backtracking later.
- Stop at the entrance and scan any enemies you can see.
- Scan doors, ladders and other blockers, even if they look unimportant.
- Sweep walls in corners and dead ends for weak points or hollow spaces.
- Scan bodies, desks and terminals for resources and lore.
- Open the map and check what the room added before moving on.
After a few areas, the map becomes a to-do list of places to return to. When a new tool or keycard appears, the matching icons tell you exactly where to go.
Why the Scanner exists
Mattias Ottvall said the team found Metroidvanias can be confusing or overwhelming. The Scanner was their answer: gather information about the environment and tag your progress as you go. It makes backtracking deliberate instead of aimless.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to unlock the Scanner?
No. Cel starts with the Scanner and the pulse pistol from the opening moments, according to VDGMS's hands-on preview.
Does the map fill in automatically?
No. The developers intentionally made the map something you fill in yourself by scanning. Unscanned doors and items will not show their details.
Can the Scanner find secrets?
Yes. It reveals hollow spaces and weak walls, highlights lootable resources and turns up lore about the facility. Blasting weak walls requires explosives.
Does scanning enemies make them weaker?
The confirmed function is information: behaviour patterns and tactical data. No damage bonus from scanning has been reported.
Scanner tips
- Scan every locked door, weak wall and grapple point as soon as you see it.
- Scan new enemies before fighting them.
- Check the map whenever you pick up a keycard or tool.
- Sweep dead ends and dark basements for hollow walls.
- Use checkmarks to spot pickups you have missed.
This guide is based on pre-release demos and developer interviews. Any Scanner upgrades or extra functions in the final game will be added after launch.
This page only uses details from official store pages, developer statements and hands-on press previews. Anything unconfirmed before the October 1, 2026 launch is left out and will be added once verified. Last research pass: September 28, 2026.
Sources
References and further reading for this article.