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| Obscure |
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| Written by Si Holmes |
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Saturday, 12 February 2005
As a fan of horror films (the intelligent kind, not those that just equate enormity with buckets of tomato sauce gore) I am often let down by the lack of a decent videogame that is actually scary. Frustratingly, it seems, the survival horror ilk in particular are not that frightening, usually because they overload the game with slow moving zombies that pose no real threat to a player. Contrast the much foreshadowed encounter with Pigsy on the final level of Manhunt (definitely the most terrifying game I have ever played, despite a longwinded start). The point is horror is best served up slowly, gradually ramping up the tension until the big frights. Sadly, this does not tie in well with what players of video games require.
However, a class of horror film that has become increasingly to the fore in the past decade, with the likes of the ‘Scream’ films and their many contemporaries, is the teen horror. This is like a teen comedy; it typically stars half a dozen beautiful people and is set in or around a school or campus. The protagonists fool around, screw one another, talk about screwing one another, ad infinitum, but, unlike a comedy, are usually stalked one by one by some unseen evil force. Whilst teen horror films are nowhere near the level of a grown up horror like say - actually I am having trouble because teens seem to be the staple diet of most horror villains - the Omen, they do have the great ability to use camera tricks and jumps to get the popcorn flying down the aisle. This is more what players want.
Obscure then is refreshing in that it is an attempt to make a teen horror styled video game. It ticks all the boxes in that respect: School setting, five gorgeous characters: the girlfriend and boyfriend, the geek who can’t get laid, the jock, the affable thief, the basketball star, the journalist, the sister, the brother, the micro skirts, and a lurking horror that could threaten the whole world. From the Sum 41 backed opening sequence this is a study in teen film, only it’s not a film. So does it work as a game?
The start is good, without wanting to give too much away (but remembering the plot of the game is no Chris McQuarrie screenplay), the game drops in right after the opening sequence with one of the characters, Kenny, unwilling to leave the basketball court in order to get some more practise of his favourite sport. Sadly it is not possible for us to make him pull off a few moves (would have made a great sub-game), so soon both players and Kenny get bored of shooting the same shot over and over and head to the locker room to pick up his bag and leave for home. At this point Kenny’s mobile phone echoes through the sports hall, reminding us the place is completely empty. Tension increases through dramatic irony that we know something bad is coming. We watch as a shadowy figure steals Kenny’s bag as he talks on the phone and soon we are guiding Kenny to recover his possessions unsure of what is to come.
Nicely Kenny never makes it out of the opening sequence. And this is one of the first things that is noticeably good about Obscure: The characters can die; sadly, the multitude of save discs scattered around, which let you save at any point, mean that it is all too tempting to go back to a time when your favourite character was still alive and muttering clichéd thoughts aloud. But played properly the regret from seeing your character die through an act of stupidity on your part is unsettling and adds to the atmosphere. Also there are no long winded requiems for those lost; the game’s use of death is stark and barren and fits the mood perfectly. As long as one of the group of five remains alive the game continues, but the odds stack against the player as their numbers drop.
The setting is, of course, the deserted school and hidden chambers therein. This is brilliant for a horror film or game as it is instantly recognisable, but also different enough to be unsettling. The use of light and shade is well done. The characters walk around with the player sweeping their torches from side to side ready to be set upon at any minute. The developers manage to withhold hordes of zombies for a decent length of time, which aids the tension, of course they do eventually come, but when they do the fact that they can be harmed by gun or light adds to the options. The player is faced with the choice of shooting out the windows quickly, or using a combination of gun and torch (thanks to the super cool sticky tape) to beat them, though quite why the school goers can’t hold a gun and torch at the same time is something that I’ll leave to reviewers of other similarly handicapped titles.
What differentiates each of the characters is a ‘special’ ability. Josh can use his ‘investigative powers’ to let the player know when they have found everything of use in a room (this is far and away the best ability to be honest); Stan can sniff out and crack locks the others might take ages over; Shannon offers dumb advice “let’s check out the office.”; Ashley is a tough cookie with a special attack, which means she can fire twice in succession (wow!); Kenny is the super athlete runner. These characters can be combined into a team of two and set off to explore the school while the others wait around. The Supporting AI is good in one player mode and it is easy to issue simple commands to it, better a second player can assume the role of the other character at any time, although the camera follows player one.
The team-work aspect of the game isn’t exploited to any amazing effect, which is a shame. The best part is when one character frantically tries to re-wire the cafeteria’s lighting while the other stands guard in the dark. Otherwise there is a constant feeling that more could have been done with the group mechanic. Perhaps it was a limitation of the system, but what strikes me as an instant improvement is if the characters could all be moved around independently (or in small groups) rather than being forced to return to a waiting room when they are not being used. This way they could be exploring their own branching narrative while all heading towards the conclusion and the player could flip between them at any time, only re-uniting them to share items.
It’s more a suspension of disbelief gripe that the passive characters just wait around while their friends life are in danger, but strangely also manage to automatically follow along once a pre-determined new ‘hanging around room’ is uncovered. Also the fact that the characters can die and may not experience the same things means that the cut-scenes lose a group dynamic very early. It is a shame, because the early interactions are good, if inconsistent (for instance Josh asks Ashley what she thinks of the monsters, when she may not have necessarily seen them – it is this type of flawed plot development that would be amplified were group scenes to continue). So quickly cut scenes only cover the one active character, and annoyingly always feature the same lines, spoken in a different voice. Not only is this unrealistic (I’m sure a guy with a hard man image to preserve and a girl with a penchant for skimpy clothes would react differently in certain situations), it ruins a great potential for added replay value. Bad move.
So is this a scary game? Well, yes, in the way that teen horror is scary mainly – with a good number of sudden shocks and occasional use of chase mechanic – which is not to belittle its effectiveness. Once the monsters have been revealed they lose the surprise value, as is natural in any horror (never reveal your monster too soon, I’m talking to you, Jeepers Creepers). What really helps give the player uneasy feelings is the brilliant use of sound; the sudden clatters and distant screams add a tension especially before the novelty of the game wears off; often you enter a room to be confronted with a strange noise and grip hold tight of the controller as you are not sure if it poses a real threat.
In what might go against the views of reviewers and players of games I think that this title suffers from being too long. Yes, everywhere else says Obscure is too short, but I am coming to believe that games shouldn’t be epic week long quests to complete just because they cost more than a two hour DVD. Obscure drags on by at least an hour. It wouldn’t be a problem if the plot was worthy of this duration, but it isn’t. There is nothing worse than padding; all stories should be the right length. Obscure is a nice tale, but it is a simple one. What the game does is to dwell in the third act far too long instead of letting the player get on to the climax. As a result I’d dare even say that people won’t see the end as the early scary atmosphere fades with repeated exposure and being forced into much menial wandering
To wrap up, Obscure is definitely worth a look for those who like horror. It is the best survival horror title I’ve played, if not the scariest game. It is quite humorous to watch, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and what’s more allows for two player co-op play and much dying. There are a few points that could have been improved, but there always are, so I’m going to cautiously check the shadows with my torch and give this a spooky seven out of ten. Obscure offers a lot of creepy entertainment, it is just a shame it goes on too long.
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