OBSCURE
By CowboyFromHell
Introduction
Obscure is a horror title developed by Hydravision
and co-published by DreamCatcher and MC2. It features cooperative and
2-player cooperative gameplay.
Story - 7
What haunts
the halls at Leafmore High? Five high school students (Kenny, Josh, Shannon,
Ashley, & Stan) are the main characters of this horror title. One
evening after class, they lock themselves inside the school determined
to find out what has happened to their friend Kenny. Along the way they
discover the root of what lurks within. This is no ordinary school, it
has a dark and lengthy past seeded in biological experimentation. They
find that these experiments are the reason that so many disapearances
and strange happenings are connected with the school and it's principal.
Gameplay - 7
As far as gameplay
is concerned, Obscure feels very much like Resident Evil and Silent Hill
in the way of controls and the progression as well. You have your standard
array of weapons such as pipes, baseball bats, handguns, shotguns, and
even a laser weapon of some sort. The controls are a bit clunky but no
worse than what you get with the RE series on the PS1 console. Unfortunately,
the familiarity within the controls and overall gameplay give Obscure
a somewhat dated feel. This has a very old school feel to say the least,
as a matter of fact, this game almost has the feeling that it is a PS1
game. Other than these albeit minor complaints, Obscure is a solid title
that is downright fun to play. The atmosphere makes up for alot of the
shortcomings as well as the cooperative gameplay. The co-op function reacts
very smoothly and the characters will cover you quite well when you are
busy picking a lock or solving a puzzle. The coolest thing about the co-op
function is that, at any time, a second player can pick up the other controller
and join in (and by simply choosing to opt out, the second player can
exit just as easily without disturbing the game for player #1.) The puzzles
are a simplified version of what you would get with a standard survival
horror game, and you also get the standard "find a key and hunt for
a corresponding door" puzzle. Monsters are quite average but still
fun to shoot the hell out of. I just wish this game were a bit longer--I
think I finished the game in about 5 hours on the first try. But considering
that Obscure is a low budget game, I am quite satisfied with it overall.
Graphics/Sounds - 8
The graphics in
Obscure are very average, but not dated. Nothing will blow you away but
you will still find the graphics have a very soft look and the lighting
effects are really better than what we see in alot of titles of today that
have much larger bugets. The frame rate is very smooth with only a couple
of lags in the entire game. The school will remind you of the castle in
the first Devil May Cry, with just a touch of the Spencer Mansion in REmake.
I thought that the sounds and music
were actually one of the better points of Obscure. The sounds were quite
distinct and eerie as well as adding atmosphere and emotional color to the
overall gameplay. Another high point was the music score. The score was
performed by the Children's Choir of the Opera National de Paris and was
Conducted by Gael Darchen. There were some very creepy Omen and Exorcist
moments to the score's arrangements. Also, the game has music performed
by Sum 41 and Span (with unlockable videos after completing the game the
first time).
Scare Factor - 7
Well, given that
we have all played many survival horror titles in the past, I am afraid
that Obscure doesn't provide much in the way of something we haven't seen
before. It has it's moments, but given that there isn't much original in
the way it is presented, we are just stuck with a few moments of "Crap,
I didn't see that coming.". Having said that, I still enjoyed how it
all played out and it had just enough horror to keep me playing.
Replay Value - 5
Other than some
unlockable costumes and weapons there isn't alot to offer in the way of
replay value (unless there is something that I haven't discovered yet).
You do also get other modes of play that are centered around increasing
difficulty. Upon the first completion of the game you can also unlock videos
from Sum 41 and Span as well as a short "making of" segment that
shows the game in it's early stages and some story boards.
Overall - 7 (Not An Average)
After it is all said and done, what Obscure offers is a decent game that doesn't really fall short when compared to all of the other crap that is out there. The scare tactics could have been a bit sharper and the game needed to be longer but I would definately recommend this title to anyone that is a fan of the survival horror genre. And given that this game sells for $20 new, it deserves a bit more respect than it has been given. All in all, Obscure will give you a good amount of ass-kicking thrills without breaking your wallet.
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