Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)"Obscure" is a slick, enjoyable survival horror game that compensates for its flaws with budget appeal and a high school setting that, while trite by now in the realm of Hollywood feature films, is virgin territory for a video game. Whether or not the setting and characters suit your tastes as a gamer is entirely another matter. Even so, most fans of the survival horror experience will find something to enjoy in "Obscure."
The storyline is a bit contrived and convoluted, ultimately boiling down to the usual illegal genetic experimentation. Predictably, this work results in horrific mutations and zombies that stalk the living. Oh well, at least the fact that all of this takes place within the confines of a high school sets it apart from all the other games recycling that premise. And like 1998's The Faculty, it's ultimately up to a ragtag band of grade schoolers to step up and save the day. Yes, definitely keep The Faculty in mind and see if you can't spot the similarities - the resemblance of the hoodlum character to said feature's Josh Hartnett being almost criminal. Despite the fact that the game's developers are French, the depiction of American high school students is not as offensive as it could have been save for a few misfires here and there, primarily each and every character's obsession with basketball.
Each of the five different characters represents a sort of high school archetype, such as the aforementioned hoodlum (easily the most likable of the gang), the jock (not as bad as it sounds), and the nerd (so irritating it's hard to convince yourself to take on his mantle). They have their own personal strengths and weaknesses, most of which make sense given the nature of their characters. For instance, the jock is the strongest of the bunch while the hoodlum can pick locks. When it comes down to gunplay, however, each and every one of the five is, perhaps disturbingly, quite adapt with a firearm to the point where it's hard to tell if any one is more qualified than another.
When all five characters are available, you can choose to play as one while a second computer-controlled companion joins you - switching back and forth between them is a snap. Unfortunately the rest of the game's interface is a chore. Switching between weapons in times of desperate need is maddening, as is using that first aid kit before you take a final, killer blow. Compensating for this, however, is a game that's fairly merciful in terms of its difficulty on the normal settings.
The game's environments are quite well done, if not very subtle. You've never seen a high school like this one - it looks more like an insane asylum that's been shut down for years than a place of study. Each room and location still has a functionality to it, though. None of them feel like they were designed by guys making a video game so much as guys trying to create a fairly convincing high school setting that just happens to serve as the backdrop for a video game, complete with horrific overtones. All in all, the ambience is perhaps the game's strongest quality.
The monsters in "Obscure" are the usual sort, for the most part, but a few of them do stand out (particularly the nasties that appear later on, very H.P. Lovecraft in appearance). In any case killing them is more interesting than it might have been thanks to some satisfying weapons and, more importantly, the use of real or artificial light. Light actually harms these creatures, so taping a high-powered torch to your pump action shotgun is a good way to even the odds. Each monster comes complete with its own shadowy field, however, and only the strongest beams can break through it, making said creatures particularly vulnerable to physical attacks for a short period of time. This element gives combat a little extra something.
The puzzles in "Obscure" are boilerplate for the genre - nothing really special or mind-bending is on display here. On top of this, the game is a fairly brief affair, so gamers looking for more to sink their teeth into may want to look elsewhere. However, one of the best features of "Obscure" is its budget price. Though it would have been a decent game at normal cost, the added bonus of paying less here equals getting more, and must be factored in to any review. In other words, "Obscure" doesn't break the mold, but it does what it does pretty well, complete with some impressive production values - and at this price, it's hard to go wrong if you've even a passing interest in the material.
(Note: Five stars on a curve given the budget price tag)
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Obscure takes the survival-horror gaming you love and sets it in a teenage horror film. Tortured screams echo through Leafmore High's deserted corridors. Faceless creatures lurk in the shadows. Five teenagers set out to bring light into the darkness - and experience a night that will scar their souls forever.
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