Review: 'Obscure' shines light on high school horror
By Marc Saltzman
Gannett News Service
After a string of disappearances at their high school, five students decide to spend the night at the school to solve the mystery.
Such is the premise behind "Obscure," a $19.99 adventure game for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Windows that can best be described as "Evil Dead" meets television's "The O.C." The result is a decent interactive horror game with a few unique game-play elements.
Gamers can change characters at any time or give commands to teammates such as "stay put," "follow me" or "swap weapons." Tapping a button brings up relevant documents, inventory (tools, keys, first-aid kits), a map of the school, character bios and more.
An interesting addition to the single-player style is a cooperative option for a second player to join on the same television or computer. The camera remains focused on one of the two characters, so a small arrow points in the direction of the second one in case they step off-screen.
Tapping the F key in the PC version will focus the camera at the alternate player. This shared camera technique works for the most part but takes some getting used to.
Another fascinating element is the use of light; flashlights add to the creepy atmosphere and are not only used to locate objects in dark rooms, but they must be shone on certain creatures to remove their dark halos before they can become vulnerable to weapons.
The PC version of the game can be tricky to control with the keyboard, so it's best to use a programmable gamepad to map keys to specific buttons. Players can save the game at any time, providing they have spare computer disks, which are littered throughout the school premises.
Visually, "Obscure" is relatively impressive, especially for a budget title. The cut-scene sequences are plentiful and are properly scary. The music, performed by popular alternative rock bands Sum 41 and Span, add to the movie-like presentation.
At about six or seven hours on normal difficulty, "Obscure" isn't a long game, but it's an intense one that successfully combines action sequences as you scramble to defeat the baddies, slower-paced problem-solving, while scouring the environment for clues, and characters working together for a common goal.
Players who complete the game can unlock bonus content such as an ultrahard mode, extra weapons and costumes, a making-of movie, a trailer to the game, access to the soundtrack, and more.
A playable demo for Windows PCs is available for free at www.obscure-game.com. The game is rated 'M' for mature.
