Yes, I know this video game came out in 2006, but I just dusted off my old XBox and found Obscure inside. Figured I would put up a review about it because, Hell, when was the last time we had a video game review in these parts?
In Obscure, “Strange things are happening at Leafmore High School.” After being purposely locked in the school overnight, four friends set out to find clues about one of their missing colleagues. Little do they know, dark forces inhabit the school after hours and they have inadvertently put themselves directly in the path of true evil. Now they must find their way out of the school before they too end up on the missing list. They did say High School can eat you alive…
Obscure is a survival horror game, just like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. However, Obscure is more aimed at hip teenagers than the other two games. Silent Hill and Resident Evil are still applicable to teenagers, Hell, I was playing Resident Evil for N64 when I was in elementary school, but Obscure is more-so aimed at high schoolers…especially fans of Sum41. God, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. Your primary weapon source is a flashlight and your primary way of healing is by drinking energy drinks. Mmmkay…
I would say that Obscure is on par with Silent Hill and Resident Evil in terms of the puzzle and mystery aspects. As in, it’s not just a hack and slash or shoot game – you have to find the key here, which lets you into that door, so you can push the desk aside and get into the room below to retrieve the wrench that you need to turn off the water in the basement. You get me? It’s also on par with the other survival games in terms of difficulty in killing your attackers. You really only get a limted supply of weapons and health items outside of your flashlight and that even needs recharging. This makes an attack by even two or three creatures pretty difficult. Luckily, you can swap characters in and out by going back to the check point so that is a very helpful plus.
Unfortunately, Obscure’s only downfall is that Silent Hill and Resident Evil are already the icons of survival horror games. Is there room for one more? No, not in this generation. I think Osbcure is mostly overlooked today because people will much rather pick up a cult item like Silent Hill over a relatively unknown Obscure. Although, Obscure II did come out for Wii. So maybe – eventually – Obscure can become a top contender for survival horror icon in the next generation. But I will say, I did enjoy playing it!
