Known as Obscure 2 in Europe, but, also known as Obscure The Aftermath in the US, even though I am playing the American version, I will be posting the European cover, why? The American cover has a massive spoiler in it.
Obscure 2 will be the last game developed by Hydravision, before being acquired by Focus Home Interactive, which will later force them to develop an extremely bad spin-off (Final Exam, not reviewing that btw) which would end up putting an unceremoniously end to the series.
Just like last time I covered a sequel, I will be leaving opinions comparing it to the original to the Final Thoughts section, this is in order to be as objective as possible in the review and scoring themselves.
Alright then, I like to keep the intro short, so, lets get on with it.
Story & Setting
Two years have passed since the incident at Leafmore High, the whole ordeal had been covered up by the authorities, and the survivor’s were left with permanent psychological and physiological damage.
All of them simply want to move on from the horrific experience.
Shanon and Kenny had enrolled in Fallcreek University, where a strange new fad has come about, a new strain of unknown flowers have been blooming all around campus, and, of course, the students found a way to get high off of them, what else can you expect from college kids?
We follow a friend group getting ready to attend a frat party, everything seems to be business as usual, after a quick session of unknown flower tea, off they go to party.
Yet, things seem strange, are frat parties always this crazy? There are monsters everywhere, and everyone is either dying or turning, this night, Fallcreek shall know fear.
Thankfully, this time, the veterans of the Leafmore incident are willing to lend a hand, they have played the game before after all.
All of them simply want to move on from the horrific experience.
Shanon and Kenny had enrolled in Fallcreek University, where a strange new fad has come about, a new strain of unknown flowers have been blooming all around campus, and, of course, the students found a way to get high off of them, what else can you expect from college kids?
We follow a friend group getting ready to attend a frat party, everything seems to be business as usual, after a quick session of unknown flower tea, off they go to party.
Yet, things seem strange, are frat parties always this crazy? There are monsters everywhere, and everyone is either dying or turning, this night, Fallcreek shall know fear.
Thankfully, this time, the veterans of the Leafmore incident are willing to lend a hand, they have played the game before after all.
Presentation
3rd person camera, the camera is free, but it likes to have a mind of its own at times, forcing you to wrestle with it, even going into a semi-fixed position at some points. In some instances, with the camera quite close, to the point in which 1/3 of the screen is covered by the character’s back.
The models are very good, taking advantage of the power of 6th generation gaming hardware, sadly, at the expense of background details.
The only times in which the backgrounds have some actual depth to them, is when there is a puzzle involving them.
The game makes use of pre-rendered cutscenes on occasion, as well as in-engine ones, a problem, is that you can’t skip the in-engine ones.
For the design of the monsters, we have both new monsters, and returning ones from Obscure 1, they are actually quite different, taking into account the slight difference in their creation.
Obscure 1 monsters are more of a perversion of the natural form itself, while Obscure 2 monsters are more of a perversion of sexuality.
The game takes heavy inspiration from R-Rated horror movies, with multiple flat out Texas Chainsaw Massacre references at one point.
When it comes to the overall tone of the game, well, its all over the place, on one hand, it deals with mature subject matter like drugs and STDs, on the other… There is a chainsaw duel like its a lightsaber fight in Star Wars.
The models are very good, taking advantage of the power of 6th generation gaming hardware, sadly, at the expense of background details.
The only times in which the backgrounds have some actual depth to them, is when there is a puzzle involving them.
The game makes use of pre-rendered cutscenes on occasion, as well as in-engine ones, a problem, is that you can’t skip the in-engine ones.
For the design of the monsters, we have both new monsters, and returning ones from Obscure 1, they are actually quite different, taking into account the slight difference in their creation.
Obscure 1 monsters are more of a perversion of the natural form itself, while Obscure 2 monsters are more of a perversion of sexuality.
The game takes heavy inspiration from R-Rated horror movies, with multiple flat out Texas Chainsaw Massacre references at one point.
When it comes to the overall tone of the game, well, its all over the place, on one hand, it deals with mature subject matter like drugs and STDs, on the other… There is a chainsaw duel like its a lightsaber fight in Star Wars.
Or times in which characters will behave in a very tone deaf manner, like someone losing his girlfriend in a very brutal manner, then joking around like nothing happened, the very next screen. Or, shoehorning in some romance with characters from the previous game.
There are multiple locales, going from the frat house, a hospital, rowing a boat around a swamp, the college dorms, etc.
Ambiance wise, the darker locales are pretty good, but the more illuminated ones do leave a lot to be desired, my personal favorite has to be the hospital interior.
Sound wise, there is no licensed music, but, the choir does make a return, with new songs, which are quite rare, but always appreciated.
The voice acting is ok, the new characters aren’t that memorable, with the returning ones always stealing the spotlight each time they show up.
Each monster has its unique sound, but it can easily be drowned out by the sound of some weapons, some attacks, and the very annoying heartbeat.
The game makes good use of music to increase the urgency, as well as the tension on each given scene. But, the battle music can get drowned out as well by the same sounds mentioned before, as well as the hurt sounds from the monsters.
It does get old that characters will give unwanted hints when you are taking your time in a level, it can go from annoying to patronizing.
All in all, it does a decent enough job sound wise, the only problem being the tendency to create a cacophony of loud attacking and hurting noises.
There are multiple locales, going from the frat house, a hospital, rowing a boat around a swamp, the college dorms, etc.
Ambiance wise, the darker locales are pretty good, but the more illuminated ones do leave a lot to be desired, my personal favorite has to be the hospital interior.
Sound wise, there is no licensed music, but, the choir does make a return, with new songs, which are quite rare, but always appreciated.
The voice acting is ok, the new characters aren’t that memorable, with the returning ones always stealing the spotlight each time they show up.
Each monster has its unique sound, but it can easily be drowned out by the sound of some weapons, some attacks, and the very annoying heartbeat.
The game makes good use of music to increase the urgency, as well as the tension on each given scene. But, the battle music can get drowned out as well by the same sounds mentioned before, as well as the hurt sounds from the monsters.
It does get old that characters will give unwanted hints when you are taking your time in a level, it can go from annoying to patronizing.
All in all, it does a decent enough job sound wise, the only problem being the tendency to create a cacophony of loud attacking and hurting noises.
Mechanics
The game has 7 playable characters, most of which have a unique skill, minus 1 exception.
Corey can climb ledges and objects.
Mei can hack electronics, which has a word guessing mini-game.
Amy can decipher clues, which sometimes has a jigsaw puzzle mini-game.
Sven and Kenny can push around heavy objects.
Shanon can absorb evil aura, with a little balance mini-game.
Stan can pick locks, which has a mini-game.
If at any point any of them dies, is game over, unless its for plot reasons.
You can freely switch between your 2 characters, and, the game cam be played in couch co-op.
The game will always provide the combination for you, but, at certain points you get to have a hub to switch around between a limited roster, each character provided will always be needed for something in the current stage.
Corey can climb ledges and objects.
Mei can hack electronics, which has a word guessing mini-game.
Amy can decipher clues, which sometimes has a jigsaw puzzle mini-game.
Sven and Kenny can push around heavy objects.
Shanon can absorb evil aura, with a little balance mini-game.
Stan can pick locks, which has a mini-game.
If at any point any of them dies, is game over, unless its for plot reasons.
You can freely switch between your 2 characters, and, the game cam be played in couch co-op.
The game will always provide the combination for you, but, at certain points you get to have a hub to switch around between a limited roster, each character provided will always be needed for something in the current stage.
You are also followed by the Professor, a teacher/researcher from the university who gives you hints, provides and upgrades certain items.
There are multiple types of weapons, melee has a little combo, and also has a way to attack enemies on the ground.
Ranged weapons are all over the place, with the usual pistol and shotgun, but, also adding an explosive crossbow, a flashball which is a mini-grenade launcher, and the flare gun.
2 kinds of explosive, dynamite and flashbangs, although a bit difficult to use due to enemies being quite mobile.
Finally, there are battery items, like a stun gun which although takes a while to work, it opens enemies to damage, there is a lamp which stuns them, and a battery powered chainsaw which is mostly for puzzles as it sucks as a weapon. The battery can be recharged in some stations, and the maximum amount increases as the game progresses, but, you must talk about with the Professor for him to upgrade it.
For healing, there is soda, medkits, and serum.
Medium and heavy enemies, drop a heart when they are killed, for which you use a syringe, after collecting a certain amount, you get to craft serum to heal yourself. Just like the battery, the syringe can be upgraded by talking with the Professor through the game.
This game doesn’t have an actual difficulty selector, instead, it uses a dynamic difficulty system, in which as soon as you enter a room, the game checks your inventory and health, then provides ammo and/or recovery items depending on your situation.
Progression wise, the game is pretty linear, with some areas having minor backtracking, being revisited at one point, or being in different areas of the same location.
You can equip each character with up to 4 weapons, and, when switching partners, they automatically equip whatever your previous partner had.
Inventory is global for the most part, characters can share equipment and items even if they are in very different areas plot wise, but, the game sometimes does implement limitations to different duo’s inventory.
For saving, you touch wall flowers which make you pass out, thing is, you can only use each flower once, so you have to be strategic as to when is a good time to save.
And, that’s pretty much it.
There are multiple types of weapons, melee has a little combo, and also has a way to attack enemies on the ground.
Ranged weapons are all over the place, with the usual pistol and shotgun, but, also adding an explosive crossbow, a flashball which is a mini-grenade launcher, and the flare gun.
2 kinds of explosive, dynamite and flashbangs, although a bit difficult to use due to enemies being quite mobile.
Finally, there are battery items, like a stun gun which although takes a while to work, it opens enemies to damage, there is a lamp which stuns them, and a battery powered chainsaw which is mostly for puzzles as it sucks as a weapon. The battery can be recharged in some stations, and the maximum amount increases as the game progresses, but, you must talk about with the Professor for him to upgrade it.
For healing, there is soda, medkits, and serum.
Medium and heavy enemies, drop a heart when they are killed, for which you use a syringe, after collecting a certain amount, you get to craft serum to heal yourself. Just like the battery, the syringe can be upgraded by talking with the Professor through the game.
This game doesn’t have an actual difficulty selector, instead, it uses a dynamic difficulty system, in which as soon as you enter a room, the game checks your inventory and health, then provides ammo and/or recovery items depending on your situation.
Progression wise, the game is pretty linear, with some areas having minor backtracking, being revisited at one point, or being in different areas of the same location.
You can equip each character with up to 4 weapons, and, when switching partners, they automatically equip whatever your previous partner had.
Inventory is global for the most part, characters can share equipment and items even if they are in very different areas plot wise, but, the game sometimes does implement limitations to different duo’s inventory.
For saving, you touch wall flowers which make you pass out, thing is, you can only use each flower once, so you have to be strategic as to when is a good time to save.
And, that’s pretty much it.
Final Thoughts
Obscure 1 is better.
I didn’t like the removal of the light mechanic, which was so integral in making the first game unique, and combat far more tense.
The change in camera style is only noticeable, when it behaves, the amount of times I had to fight it just so I was able to see the enemies I was fighting was ridiculous, the same when I had to enter combat mode, just to get it to point in front of me.
Regarding how it handles the 5 original characters, Shanon became a goth (improvement), Stan kinda reminded me of Tommy Jarvis from Friday the 13th, as for Kenny… They really turned him into a massive douche in this one, completely unlikable, sure he was the jock in the original, but in that one he still cared about his friends and what not.
As for Josh and Ashley, its heavily implied they got killed off-camera, yeah really, wanna know how you find out? A secret collectible that is very easy to miss.
As for the newer characters, I liked Cory and Sven I guess, but, for the most part, they are very one note, and very stereotypical college student archetypes.
While the 1st game embraced cheesy teen horror b-movie aesthetics, this one is just more cynical and mean spirited, sure I agree that it goes along the R-rated inspiration, but at the same time, it has the problem that it can’t stick to it for long, wanting to be American Pie at some moments, which completely kills the mood.
Some transitions between areas can be quite jarring, almost feeling like teleporting around at some points.
It was good that the special skills were more prominent in this one, and the mini-games were a welcomed addition, specially in some moments in which you are ambushed while doing puzzles, forcing your partner to hold the enemies while you try to rush the puzzle.
I liked that there were more locales to explore, rather than staying in one place the whole game, even though you do return to some areas, there is still some variety.
I wasn’t a big fan on the move of being more of an action-horror game, rather than a pure survival horror.
Also, I absolutely detest dynamic difficulties, I hate being punished for being good at the game.
Its also more obvious that the game is intended to be played with a controller.
So, yeah, that’s that, I like Obscure 1 more, it has more heart and takes more risks, this one is just trying too hard to up the ante it ends up folding in multiple moments.
I didn’t like the removal of the light mechanic, which was so integral in making the first game unique, and combat far more tense.
The change in camera style is only noticeable, when it behaves, the amount of times I had to fight it just so I was able to see the enemies I was fighting was ridiculous, the same when I had to enter combat mode, just to get it to point in front of me.
Regarding how it handles the 5 original characters, Shanon became a goth (improvement), Stan kinda reminded me of Tommy Jarvis from Friday the 13th, as for Kenny… They really turned him into a massive douche in this one, completely unlikable, sure he was the jock in the original, but in that one he still cared about his friends and what not.
As for Josh and Ashley, its heavily implied they got killed off-camera, yeah really, wanna know how you find out? A secret collectible that is very easy to miss.
As for the newer characters, I liked Cory and Sven I guess, but, for the most part, they are very one note, and very stereotypical college student archetypes.
While the 1st game embraced cheesy teen horror b-movie aesthetics, this one is just more cynical and mean spirited, sure I agree that it goes along the R-rated inspiration, but at the same time, it has the problem that it can’t stick to it for long, wanting to be American Pie at some moments, which completely kills the mood.
Some transitions between areas can be quite jarring, almost feeling like teleporting around at some points.
It was good that the special skills were more prominent in this one, and the mini-games were a welcomed addition, specially in some moments in which you are ambushed while doing puzzles, forcing your partner to hold the enemies while you try to rush the puzzle.
I liked that there were more locales to explore, rather than staying in one place the whole game, even though you do return to some areas, there is still some variety.
I wasn’t a big fan on the move of being more of an action-horror game, rather than a pure survival horror.
Also, I absolutely detest dynamic difficulties, I hate being punished for being good at the game.
Its also more obvious that the game is intended to be played with a controller.
So, yeah, that’s that, I like Obscure 1 more, it has more heart and takes more risks, this one is just trying too hard to up the ante it ends up folding in multiple moments.
Pros
- + Characters with unique skills which have an actual gameplay impact.
- + Easy drop-in drop-out couch co-op.
- + Actually engaging puzzles.
- + Varied locales.
Cons
- - Multiple times in which you have to wrestle with the camera.
- - The many noises can easily drown out each other creating a horrid cacophony of sounds.
- - Tone is all over the place.
- - Dynamic difficulty.
7
Gameplay
The combat works, but tends to lack impact, and the camera likes to fight the player, its tolerable, but takes a while to get used to, the mini-games and puzzles are fun.
8
Graphics
Very good graphics for the time, with interesting monster designs, and quite atmospheric areas.
5
Story
The tone is all over the place, it lacks an actual structure, and feels more like we stumble our way through and luckily end up where we should.
6
Sound
Good music and sounds by themselves, decent voice acting, the problems come when they combine, and its quite easy to create the horrid cacophony of noises.
3
Replayability
There is no incentive, other than maybe finding the secret tape, and that's about it, no unlockables, is very linear, and the difficulty is dynamic so whatever.
6.5
out of 10
Overall
Obscure 2 is an average at best game, it does have good ideas, like the unique skills and the mini-games attached to them, as well as having a quite varied cast, and fun puzzles, but, its dragged down by the limitations of its combat, as well as the generic action-horror aspects, its far too linear, the tone of the story can range from cynical and mean spirited, to out of place forced comedy, even thought its inspired by R-rated films, it just has a whole trying too hard vibe, when compared to the first game, the most notable thing that is missing, is the soul and uniqueness it had.
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