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. 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 Even in 2005 it must have looked outdated, ten years later it looks like it is digged up from the caverns of computer gaming, covered in dirt and all.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 Even in 2005 it must have looked outdated, ten years later it looks like it is digged up from the caverns of computer gaming, covered in dirt and all.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
  2. 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
  3. 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.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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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