The survival-horror gaming genre (in my opinion) really started with the Resident Evil series. Being scared to death while playing a game was completely new to me and I became hooked right away. Since the first Resident Evil game there have been countless clones released. Some good, some not so good and others that are just Ok. Obscure falls into the latter category by offering a modern twist to the survival horror genre: the teen horror flick. Think of Obscure as the ultimate culmination of the movies Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and the Resident Evil series.

The story behind Obscure revolves around the high school of Leafmore. Strange and unusual events have been reported happening at the school. There have even been reports of students disappearing at the school. Five friends decide to figure out what is happening at the school and lock themselves in the school after classes are over. Sounds just like a script from a recent teen horror flick, doesn’t it?

The ability to play different characters in the game is where Obscure succeeds at being different than other survival-horror games. Usually survival-horror games center on just one character and you controlling that one character. But Obscure does it a little different. During the game you can have at least two characters under your control at all times. Each of the five characters in the game has their own unique abilities that make them useful during particular areas. At anytime during the game you can change between the five students, or at least the ones that are still alive. Which brings up the next interesting part of Obscure - the survival aspect of the game. 

The game starts off with five characters but you probably won’t finish the game with all five of the characters still alive. In fact, the game doesn’t end if one of the characters die, the game will keep going until all five of the characters die. Early on in the game Obscure made it feel as if I was playing/watching a modern teen/horror film when one of my characters died. For example, if you’ve watched Scream then you know that someone has to die during the movie. It wouldn’t be a horror flick without it happening. Obscure is the same way, it always seems as if someone is going to die, but the game doesn’t end. When one of your characters dies it feels as if it’s part of the plot, but it’s not. You control the plot because you’re in control of the characters. Unlike other games where you try to survive with just one character, in this one you’re trying to keep everyone alive. One of the remaining characters in the game can pick up and use the items of their fallen friend.

While the idea of having more than one character to complete the game is an interesting idea, unfortunately the controls make it a harder job than necessary. The controls lack any support for the mouse. It’s been a long time since I’ve played a game that wouldn’t let me control something in a game with the mouse. Even the menu options in the game lack mouse support. Moving your character is done with the “A, W, S, and D” keys while other keys controls functions such as firing your weapons and accessing your inventory. Since the game is presented in a third-person perspective with a static camera angle I guess there wasn’t a need to support movement with both the keyboard and mouse. The characters had an auto aim feature when using guns that would hit a creature most of the time. But during close combat the keyboard only controls really limited how fast and responsive I could move my character. I died on several occasions because I couldn’t respond fast enough to an attacking creature.  

Controlling the other character during exploration and combat was limited to a few commands you can give to the other character. You can ask for help, tell the other character to follow you (or stay put) and ask to swap out weapons. But at anytime you can press the “F” key to change characters. The other character is now under your control while the computer now controls your former character. It’s an interesting idea that was meant to be used by the second player. Two people can play the game at the same time with both gamers controlling a different character in the game. But since the game lacks mouse support it’s hard to get a comfortable setting with two people using the same keyboard.

Another interesting option in the game was item combination feature. You can select to combine different items together so you have more functionality from the items. This was really put into effect when you combine a flash light and a handgun. Since most of the creatures in the game are sensitive to light having a light on your gun made things a little easier. I would have been nice to seen this feature fleshed out some more instead of just focusing on the guns.

The graphics have a nice overall tone to them and set a nice atmosphere for the game. Most of the locations in the game are full of some nice details and textures that make you believe this school has been around for decades. The overall look of the school (inside and out) looks very glum and run down. The graphics for the characters look good but don’t match the detail of the backgrounds. The camera angle is presented in a static over-the-top/third-person perspective. Fortunately you won’t run into a problem with being hit by a creature and the camera angle changing suddenly. You can’t see everything in a room but the camera will follow as you move. It’s just the same angle for that particular area/room that you can not change.  

Overall, Obscure is a decent game for the survival-horror genre. The problems that plagued survival horror in the past haven’t been corrected. You still have to solve puzzles, you still have to back track in the game and you will still face creatures that are harder than they should be. But for fans of the survival-horror genre, or at least of teen/horror films, Obscure will provide enough frights and chills to keep you playing. I was startled more than a few times by the game even though I knew what was going to happen since I’ve seen it a few times before in other games.  

Gameplay 6.5
The core gameplay hasn’t been changed with Obscure from other survival-horror games. You find a room, you discover items, you find another room, and you use recently discovered item to find another item or access a different room. This has been done before but the story line will keep you wanting to discover more in the game.  

Graphics 7.0
The background graphics and overall look of the school was nicely done. It reminded me of being in high school again and it reminded me of watching a horror film. The graphics were dark but not too dark that you were completely lost. The character graphics in the game just didn’t match the detail of the characters during the cutscenes. The static camera angle is really something that I wish would disappear in survival horror games.

Sound 7.0
The sound effects in the game really help set the mood of the game. While I was playing the game I thought there was some strange noises going on outside of my room. But all of the noises I heard were coming from the game. The music was kept to a minimum since the sound effects and background noises took over. After a while, though, the sound effects and noises became repetitive with the same noises being heard almost everywhere I went.

Difficulty Medium/Hard
The game offers two difficulty settings to start off with, easy and normal. Gamers that are new to the survival-horror genre will probably find the difficulty a little frustrating. The key is remembering that you don’t have to fight all of the enemies all of the time. Remember the light is a powerful ally in this game. Some of the puzzles can be a little tricky and you will probably find yourself repeating certain sections a few times before moving on.

Concept 7.0
The idea of controlling more than one character in a survival-horror game isn’t new, but the way Obscure does it is interesting. Being able to control up to five different characters during the game and switching between the characters is a nice feature in the game. But having the characters die one-by-one and still being able to play the game is a real salute to classic teen-horror films. If only you had more ability to control the second character during the game instead of issuing a few commands.

Multiplayer 6.0
The ability to have another gamer playing the game with you at the same time is a nice feature. Trying to find space on a single keyboard isn’t an easy choice though. Not having an online multiplayer or even a LAN multiplayer option just doesn’t seem right in today’s gaming market.

Overall 6.7
Obscure is a decent, entertaining and at time frightening survival-horror game. It plays out very similar to the teen-horror films it is based upon. The multiple character option is a unique idea and the overall look of the game is dark and moody. But the same tired cliches of past survival-horror games pop up all the time during the game. The story line is interesting but it’s not something that you haven’t seen in a horror film already. Obscure will be more than enough for gamers looking for their next scare, but will leave other gamers looking for more.