Obscure

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 85
  3. Negative: 6 out of 85
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  1. CocoL.
    Aug 31, 2004
    9
    Great game ! buy it ! Pure joy when playing with friends.
  2. MattL.
    Dec 21, 2004
    9
    It's no Resident Evil, but still a good game!!
  3. MeritCoba
    Jun 29, 2015
    6
    In the year 2005 Obscure was released, ten years later I was lured into buying this game.
    I should have known better.
    Obscure is a horror game that has nothing going for it. Even in 2005 it must have looked outdated, ten years later it looks like it is digged up from the caverns of computer gaming, covered in dirt and all. This is the kind of game in which even the cutscenes look    In the year 2005 Obscure was released, ten years later I was lured into buying this game.
    I should have known better.

    Obscure is a horror game that has nothing going for it. Even in 2005 it must have looked outdated, ten years later it looks like it is digged up from the caverns of computer gaming, covered in dirt and all. This is the kind of game in which even the cutscenes look atrocious.

    It wouldn't have been too bad, if it wasn't for the baffling controls. In the year games as Medal of Honor 2 and Republic Commando were released, Obscure chooses to forgo the mouse support, instead it wants you to use the keyboard as a controller. And to make it all worse, they figured that it was okay to have you press up to three keys at the same time to do such things as shooting a gun. Like most horror games, such as Silent Hill, Resident Evil good controls and good camera angles are discarded for frustrating ones in the apparent misbegotten idea that frustration equals suspense.

    The story has nothing going for it either. A bunch of high school students discover that their school has turned into a place of horror and they try to escape. The escape eventually turns into a confrontation with the evil force that is behind everything. The story is crappy, the dialogue is crappy, the characters are crappy. The game is overall crappy today.. it might have been somewhat less crappy back in 2005.

    Yet despite the overall crappiness the game is entertaining.. maybe because it is so crappy that is has become amusing. Perhaps it might even be camp.

    So this game still gets a somewhat more favorable score from me. Even in 2015.    … Expand
  4. CooterPatooter
    Feb 29, 2012
    6
    The comparisons to Resident Evil are almost unavoidable when reviewing Obscure, as they're essentially the same game. Same fixed camera angles (that wasn't a compliment, by the way), similar atmosphere, similarly atrocious dialogue writing, a few decent scares and the same "stand still and shoot" game play. A few no-brainer puzzles are scattered around, mostly of the "find the leverThe comparisons to Resident Evil are almost unavoidable when reviewing Obscure, as they're essentially the same game. Same fixed camera angles (that wasn't a compliment, by the way), similar atmosphere, similarly atrocious dialogue writing, a few decent scares and the same "stand still and shoot" game play. A few no-brainer puzzles are scattered around, mostly of the "find the lever somewhere and return it to the broken switch" variety. The voice acting is spotty, but at least its performed by an American cast. Most of the unintentionally humorous dialogue comes from Stanley, the "street-wise" kid who talks like Eminem's retarded brother. Not bad, despite what you might've read in the ruthlessly negative critical reviews, but well short of great also. SIDE NOTE - Machines running WIndows Vista and above cannot play this without the no-dvd crack due to AWFUL StarForce anti-piracy software. May everyone at StarForce suck a big one for making games unplayable!!!!… Expand
  5. Daeslender
    Apr 12, 2017
    10
    This game was pretty much the last good survival horror game. The graphics are really good, even for today. The story could sound a little cliche. but I like it how it is. Honestly I've never seen a story like that in a movie like how everyone else says. The controls are just perfect, I don't know why people complain about it. The monster design is awesome, and the music? Damn it has anThis game was pretty much the last good survival horror game. The graphics are really good, even for today. The story could sound a little cliche. but I like it how it is. Honestly I've never seen a story like that in a movie like how everyone else says. The controls are just perfect, I don't know why people complain about it. The monster design is awesome, and the music? Damn it has an awesome soundtrack. I really can't find anything bad about this game.… Expand
  6. Matt4eva11
    Feb 14, 2018
    9
    i didn't know what i was in for when i downloaded this game. im a sucker for old RE Clones. but when i started playing the game itself i realised that this game was way. WAY more than just a RE Clone. Obscure mixes both corny B-movie charm, with times of genuine horror. when moments after cringing through the somewhat by the numbers dialogue you can be cautiously walking the darkenedi didn't know what i was in for when i downloaded this game. im a sucker for old RE Clones. but when i started playing the game itself i realised that this game was way. WAY more than just a RE Clone. Obscure mixes both corny B-movie charm, with times of genuine horror. when moments after cringing through the somewhat by the numbers dialogue you can be cautiously walking the darkened hallways of the dark abandoned dormitories filled with flesh eating monsters that would OH JUST LOVE to take advantage of that lovely permadeath you have there. speaking of which. PERMADEATH! in a RE style horror game. the game gives you a total of 5 playable characters. Ashley, Josh, Stanley, Kenny and Sharon. all with their different useful abilities and personalities, one of them go down? they gone, though you can easily just reload the game when a character dies (like the casual i am) it does add some intensity to every encounter that you have with enemies. though the swarm is unlimited your ammunition is not. another point that makes Obscure stand tall above alot of horror games is the soundtrack, simply put. its a very, VERY great idea to have a soundtrack 90 percent made up of a children's choir singing latin.... take my word for it i've played outlast with that stuff playing in the background and it makes it WAY scarier. The story itself though not quite Telltale standard is still quite interesting, and has its charm to it. all in all. Obscure is a charming, creepy, and scary tale of 5 friend just trying to survive their worst nightmares… Expand
  7. bitterroot1995
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    Best game series EVER. Instead of surviving the horrors of zombies and monsters as typical police or war veterans, you play as un experienced students who need to survive the horrors of Fallcreak. Great story, great graphics and great fun factor. Highly recommend it. We need a third game@!
  8. ccrogers15
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    So much better then silent hill and resident evil. This games great, but its sequels much better. Pretty funny how those craptard critics rated it low but all users rate it high. HAHAHAHA! Great game!
  9. tsakiym
    May 12, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  10. wwkamilxx
    Jun 5, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was very impressed from Obscura 1 and 2 I decided to make the trailer 's Obscure 3.If you leave me , I believe I will do it even if I have already started to character design support… Expand
  11. Broyax
    May 14, 2020
    0
    Oups, mauvaise version, mauvaise pioche... sauf pour les graphismes (forcément... et quand même !) parce que ce portage PC se fout du monde : premièrement, on ne peut pas jouer à la manette ; secondement, on ne peut pas jouer à la souris ! ; troisièmement, tu te tapes donc tout au clavier et tu vas te faire foutre ! merci à ces cons de développeurs, merci, trop bien...!

    Première fois    Oups, mauvaise version, mauvaise pioche... sauf pour les graphismes (forcément... et quand même !) parce que ce portage PC se fout du monde : premièrement, on ne peut pas jouer à la manette ; secondement, on ne peut pas jouer à la souris ! ; troisièmement, tu te tapes donc tout au clavier et tu vas te faire foutre ! merci à ces cons de développeurs, merci, trop bien...!

    Première fois que je vois ça... ou disons que j'avais pas vu ça depuis un vieux jeu DOS, Bioforge je crois... et c'était un fameux tas de merde dans son genre ! Eh bien, là aussi, c'est un tas de merde masi un peu plus gros et plus grand quie la vieillerie sous DOS...

    Car évidemment (pour ne rien arranger) Obscure ne fonctionne pas sous les OS 64 bits en raison de sa protection anti-copie à la mords-moi-le-noeud. Et sous XP, il faut rebooter après l'installation du jeu pour... installer le driver anti-copie, puis relancer le jeu, entrer le serial number de mes deux, puis (encore) ce sale jeu de merde vérifie le disque pendant un certain temps... comme un douanier. Enfin, éventuellement, il se lance...

    Et là donc, on voit que la souris "n'existe pas" ! et qu'en plus, il ne s'agit que d'une espèce de "Resident Evil" chez les ados amerloques débiles (pléonasme) avec caméra fixe les trois quarts du temps, scripts moisis et tout le toutim...

    Bon donc, c'est pas que je m'ennuie mais j'ai mieux à faire que de perdre du temps sur une merde pareille : je balance tout ça dans la benne.    … Expand
  12. Demon2017
    Jun 18, 2022
    7
    Всегда казалось, что эта игра по фильму факультет, но нет, просто идейный вдохновитель. Игра очень атмосферная и интересная, хоть и с убогим управлением, но концепция интересная.
  13. j4ck_fl4sh_3k
    Jun 11, 2023
    10
    A great game from my teenage years, I was really suprised that I'd like it back then but it certainly left a mark on me. its a mix of resident evil and silent hill, with a hint of the 1999 film The Faculty.

    Its brim filled with tons of late 90's tone and vibe, I'm so happy to see this game is getting the love that it miss out on all them years back.
  14. xarwolf
    Jan 1, 2023
    8
    If you're looking for some fun co-op experience try this game. I played it with my girlfriend who is, with all due respect, a noob. It only took two evenings to finish it. Graphics and game mechanics are okey (not great, not terrible). Since there aren't many co-op campaign games in general to choose from for PC's with low specs definitely try this one. Besides that, if you were a teen inIf you're looking for some fun co-op experience try this game. I played it with my girlfriend who is, with all due respect, a noob. It only took two evenings to finish it. Graphics and game mechanics are okey (not great, not terrible). Since there aren't many co-op campaign games in general to choose from for PC's with low specs definitely try this one. Besides that, if you were a teen in 2000's, you should like the setting and music.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
74
#74 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. Total Video Games
    70
    It’s very much like a video game equivalent of the teen-horror genre - whilst it does make you jump in places, it won’t give you nightmares.
    Read full review
  2. The Sydney Morning Herald
    70
    The fact that the characters are so annoying makes it quite enjoyable to see them meet their makers, but it's wise to protect them for as long as possible.
    Read full review
  3. PC Format
    79
    Obscure rewards innovation over frenzy, and it seems only fair to do the same in return. [Dec 2004, p.94]
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