Teenage "horror" are one of the subspecies of the "horror" genre, most prone to criticism. The fact is that most critics are too serious about the horror-component of such projects, as if deliberately forgetting about which target audience they are primarily aimed. In many ways, due to such problems with an adequate perception, this squeal is an outsider, to which no one belongs seriously.
How have you probably guessed, Obscure is no exception to this rule. The game received quite average grades from the game press and many negative reviews from the genre connoisseurs Survival Horror. At the same time Obscure You can’t call a bad game, t.To. She does not leave behind the impression of the project made on the knee. “Where then negative reviews come from?» – you ask. Let’s try to figure it out.
When considering the Sinopsis of the plot of the game, one cannot fail to note some similarity Obscure With the film Robert Rodriguez "Faculty". But this does not mean that the game is an almost complete copy of the film. "Faculty" rather served as an ideological inspirer for developers from Hydravision Entertainment And this is not surprising, because this film is a reference example of a high-quality horror film about teenagers, shot for them.
Plot Obscure tells about the high school of the Lifor – an elite educational institution, which, according to all the canons of the genre, is shrouded in secrets and mysterious incidents. The fact is that in the history of the school’s existence, more than a dozen students disappeared in it, but before that, no one was doing it until one of the key characters of the game joined the missing – Kenny. His friends and part -time, our wards decide, at all costs to find Kenny, so they unfold their own search campaign in the best traditions "Mystery Inc.". But the universe Obscure -This is far from vanilla-straight world "Skubi-do", What is the main characters of the game very soon to make sure.
Despite the decent age of the game, there are many people who have not even heard of it, so it will be at least incorrectly to scatter plot spoilers.
The game opens well -set (by the standards of 2004) Katszen who introduces us to all key characters Obscure. Separately, a well -chosen Saudtrack in execution should be noted Sum 41, Which, coupled with a demonstration of a carefree student life, sets the correct mood of everything that will happen on the screen for the next few hours. Unfortunately, due to copyright problems, in Steam-versions of the game Song "Still Waiting" was replaced by some kind of mournful strob. Fortunately, legal wires did not touch the soundtrack behind the authorship of Olivier Derivier, who more than replenishes the absence of compositions licensed pop-punk.
Shannon, Kenny, Stan, Ashley https://casinobof.uk/login/ and Josh.
The main characters of the game are stereotypical American teenagers, each of which has one or another skill designed to facilitate the passage of the game. With a thorough study of the characteristics of all heroes, we can conclude that the most useful characters in the game are Josh (Search for objects) and Stan (Fast hacking locks).
At the same time, a maximum of two characters can participate in the gaming process, between which you can switch. When one of the heroes is left without the care of the player, the reins of government over him is taken by artificial intelligence. There is also the possibility of the game together, but it is implemented in a very non -standard way, and only in skirmishes with bosses (which, by the way, you can go alone). Despite some of AI, its level of development is enough to run after a character under the control of the player and not die. Nevertheless, ShitSometimes all the same HappensAnd if you want to get good (and subject to the presence of the sequel – canonical) the ending, you will have to roll back to the nearest conservation and with all your might try not to step on the rake from the previous attempt.
By the way about the local conservation system. It was implemented as follows: in the course of the game, the heroes will meet "blanks", on which progress is recorded. Can be preserved anywhere (What pleases), but a very limited number of times (which is not happy, especially at a high level of complexity). As a bonus for the successful passage of the game, the so -called “special mode” will be unlocked, which will make some types of weapons more powerful, and already stereotypical adolescents even more stereotypical.
An example of the appearance of the characters from the "Special Regime". Well, in general, you understand.
One of the noticeable shortcomings of the game is a meager assortment of enemies, but developers from Hydravision Entertainment For some reason, only one reason is deliberately exposed to this lack. Three exactly the same intermediate boss – direct confirmation of this. Perhaps they just thought about stronger monsters, but the fact that they are always in closed rooms involuntarily forces themselves to doubt this. In addition, the meeting with the first such creature is accompanied.
The arsenal in the game is as poor as the bestiary, but do not forget that the game is unfolding in the school territory, so you should not expect any heavy or futuristic weapons (although closer to the end of the game you can find a laser gun). Since all enemies in the game are primarily sensitive to light, the most effective means of destroying is a combination of firearms (Pistol or shotgun) and a lantern wiped to him. The range of lanterns in the game is by no means decoration: in addition to the appearance, they also differ in power. Closer to the end of the game, it will be possible to wrap up to a shotgun some unrealistically monstrous lamp, which should make monsters decompose and linden honey with one look.
If the power of the lantern is not enough, sunlight always comes to the rescue of the heroes. Even though the action in the game takes place in the dark.
In general, do not underestimate strength green Lanter, as well as you should not ignore light grenades, which in a pair of moments will help not only save your ass from imminent tenderness, but also save a decent number of cartridges.
Despite the lack of significant flaws, enthusiastic reviews of the press Obscure Not wound up. One of the main disadvantages, often attributed Obscure, it is that it, despite some obvious similarities with Resident Evil, This "resident evil" is not. It is important to understand that not every game with the open world and the ability to use transport is a priori GTA, just like not everyone Survival Horror with a fixed camera – this Resident Evil. In the end, no one blames any there L.A. Noire for the fact that it is impossible to shoot courtesans in it, flying over them on a tank. Approximately the same should be treated with Obscure. Yes, he certainly operates some template, for this genre, elements, but at the same time is a completely independent project.
Summing up, I would like to note that Obscure is not just a good game, but also a worthy representative of such genres as Survival Horror (In terms of gameplay) And Teenage Horror (In terms of the plot). However, the incompleteness of some aspects of the game (For example, repeated bosses) still catches the eye. Perhaps the lack of funding or pressure from the publisher, who is important to release the game yesterday, affected.
Alas, the true reason is known only to the studio lifer in the basements of the school Hydravision Entertainment, which, although it was reborn under the name Mighty Rocket Studio, but after the release of a very contradictory spin-off (Final Exam), sunk into oblivion, after the predecessor studio.