Horror is a difficult genre to do well. Too many directors and writers focus on the gore element instead of balancing it with psychological horror. Think about it. Every new horror movie released has more "realistic" gore than the last movie in order to disturb people. This probably has to do with the cult classic Dawn of the Dead. But what about likable characters that the viewer can identify with? What about an adventure that feels like one is watching a person delve inside himself, and ultimately ourselves? That is why I love the Silent Hill series and Eternal Darkness: Sanity‘s Requiem: psychological horror and intriguing characters. The gore is just icing on the cake (which it should be). In a sense, this is what makes horror the modern version of Greek tragedies.
Enter Obscure: The Aftermath for the PlayStation 2. If you have not heard of it, it is understandable. It is an obscure series here in the United States, but apparently, it's rather popular in France. No knowledge of the previous game is required to enjoy it, but it does seem to help since some of the characters from the previous game are playable in this one. You take control of six college students who now have to fight for their lives in pairs after the student body starts sniffing strange black flowers. While it is a great story idea, the following equation explains the game in its entirety: (Final Fantasy 9's Forest of Evil + Silent Hill 3) + Resident Evil's "thrills" + archaic save system + teen horror flicks. Yes, the plot feels that clichéd.
Thanks to the six-character cast, the game rotates between characters rather quickly. The downside is that I never feel like I get to bond with a character. Furthermore, most of these "charismatic characters" (words on the back of the box) are whiney, annoying and nothing more than archetypes. The good news is the voice actors fit the characters, though the dialog does not always fit them. For example, after saving, which is done by sniffing a blossoming black flower, the characters will occasionally comment. When the Asian-American girl gamer Mei says, "I killed some brain cells," it perfectly fits her character. But when the Norwegian "hunk" Sven says it, it just does not work as well.
Controls are solid, for the most part. I am rather happy that moving the characters around is perfectly intuitive. The problem is that the camera acts like a bipolar adult that cannot make up his mind about which end of the spectrum he should be on. Let me explain: The camera seems to want to help you, but so often it changes to an obscure view (pun slightly intended) when moving things or when the characters are in a tight spot. In an attempt to change that, I found myself using the "aim" function to get the camera behind the characters (which constantly worked).
Exploration is exceedingly linear. The doors that are available are consistently locked, and the few doors that are open usually lead to nowhere and sometimes have items of interest. Items are highlighted or glow in a nice white light, but they are sometimes hard to find. There were times I had the characters run up and down the same hallway looking for that important item to progress forward. This brings me to an important question: Why don't characters move their heads toward the item? Furthermore, why is there no map function? Granted, it is a linear "adventure," but a map would be nice so that I know I've cleared out every possible nook and cranny. But the worst and most inexcusable part of gameplay is the archaic save system. Each spot can only be used once. That is it, no reusing a spot, no running back to a safe spot to quit and later return after recovering from "the horror." It it's outdated, and it makes progress tedious.
But what about the combat? Fighting can be a pain in the arse because aiming is a little loose. Sure, it'll focus perfectly on an enemy when you face it, but it will not go for a monster if it is not in your character's sight. Using melee weapons is decently effective, however, executing combos is not. It seems like the game would randomly connect them. Furthermore, there is no option or manner to alternate between the usual swing and the overhead smash. Ranged weapons, mainly the pistol and shotgun and stun gun, are the weapons of choice. This would not be a big issue if your ally did not alternate between smart and idiotic. This can be turned off by having someone else insert a second controller and pressing start. But by far, the most frustrating part of combat is healing during it. The L2 button has to be pressed to use any item. While this is a great aspect for realism, it is horrid for taking care of the protagonists' health.
Graphically, it is rather nice to look at. It is realistic with a touch of pixilation. Dark, moody atmosphere looms everywhere. But, it's missing something -- there's not much of a psychological element here. Everyone is animated rather well, however, everyone lacks facial expressions. There is one point in the game when Amy, the genius blond, wakes up screaming "I feel dirty!" But her body was not contorted, and her face looked like a reject from the children of the corn colony. She just stood there, screaming this during actual gameplay.
On the bright side, the audio is rather decent. Sound effects are decent and perfectly fit each action. The best part of the audio is Paris Children's Opera Choir, which adds a much needed level of spookiness to the game. It is almost worth the price of admission just to hear them perform. The main problem is the questionable voice acting. There are moments when it is done really well since the voices fit the characters. The problem arises when they don't fluctuate their voices enough. In other words, dialogue was occasionally void of emotion.
Overall, the game is not scary! There is some atmosphere, but it is pretty much ripped out of every horror cliché available: Haunted schools, hospitals, graveyards and woods are all there in their "creepy" glory. I occasionally thought, "This is when the horror would occur; this is when I would get disturbed." The first half an hour of the game certainly holds this promise. Sometimes monsters jumped out of nowhere and meagerly startled me. More often than naught though, nothing materialized. The worst part is that it fails to act like a good horror game. Characters do not look or gesture enough for the events that occur, nor are they very likable. How am I supposed to believe their blight if they do not sell it? I did not even flinch or care as the cast of characters slowly died off. The only reason I sought "revenge" was because it moved the meager plot forward.
Overall, Obscure: The Aftermath is a decent game. It just bores me because I have been spoiled by other horror games. Nothing really grabbed me and sucked me into the universe that exists during gameplay. It annoys me that the game could be better — it should be better. I like the team system because I often question the sanity of the sole protagonist. The downside is that I wish the developers would allow me to choose which characters to follow for the whole duration of the game. For about $20 to $30, you could do a lot worse, but you also could do a lot better. It should be seen as a budget game without the budget feel. If the thought of Resident Evil 4 scares you and horror is a subject you like, this would a step in the right direction — especially if you include a friend or significant other. If the game does not sound interesting to you, then you are not missing out. Thus, it is rental. From there, decide if this belongs in your personal gaming library.
Ultimately, I give the developers this warning: Do not continue to make the same mistakes over and over that you made in this game. Improve the presentation, fix the camera system, write a stronger story with likable characters, add more exploration with a map of some sort, drop the archaic save system for a more modern one and arrange it so players can heal the protagonist(s) in the inventory screen, and you could have one of the more intriguing horror games in recent years. In other words, take what you learned from the horror games you guys love and apply them well. I have heard that a third game is in the works, so take your time and make certain that it is leaps and bounds above this game, or you risk the series truly falling into obscurity. Good luck, guys — you'll need it.
