Obscura

About

Obscura is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Griffon Hanson and was released on August 6, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Obscura is a puzzle-platformer in which the player uses different cameras to find colorful solutions to problems in a monochromatic world. The game was developed as a high school project by Griffon Hanson and Ty Morrow, and it won 7th place in the Computer Game & Simulation Programming event at the 2021 FBLA National Leadership Conference. Everything the player sees is in black and white, but…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a unique premise that combines puzzle-solving with parkour mechanics, offering a fresh experience.
Despite its flaws, some players find the gameplay challenging yet enjoyable, especially for speedrunning enthusiasts.
It's free to play, making it accessible for those willing to try out new indie games.

The gameplay can be frustrating and unintuitive, with many puzzles feeling tedious and lacking clear feedback.
The graphics and overall polish are subpar, contributing to a dismal reception and making it hard to attract players.
There are numerous bugs and gameplay issues, such as unresponsive controls and glitches that detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The gameplay is a unique blend of challenging puzzle platforming that may not appeal to everyone, with some users finding it frustrating. While it features interesting mechanics that allow players to navigate obstacles, minor bugs are present but are being addressed by the dedicated development team. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy innovative gameplay experiences.
- “You can utilize that mechanic to get past obstacles.”
- “It's challenging but fair and provides interesting gameplay that to me is in its own lane with no one passing it any time soon.”
- “As a passion project with strong developers behind it, minor gameplay bugs which are in the works to be fixed, are overshadowed by the hard work and creativity brought upon by the minds behind this.”
- “Gameplay is frustrating and not for everyone.”
- “Overall, play if you like to try new puzzle platformers with obscure gameplay; otherwise, pass on it.”
- “As a passion project with strong developers behind it, minor gameplay bugs, which are in the works to be fixed, are overshadowed by the hard work and creativity brought upon by the minds behind this.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in the game is primarily ambient, but players criticize the developer for monetizing the soundtrack through a $2 donation request and additional DLC purchases, perceiving it as a form of digital panhandling.
- “The music is ambient and creates a beautiful atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack adds a rich layer to the overall experience.”
- “Music is ambient pretty much.”
- “This is only free in a rudimentary sense... the developer has their hand out for a $2 USD 'donation' for this as you're expected to buy soundtrack DLC from Steam to 'support' the developer... digital panhandling.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The graphics received mixed feedback, with some users noting that they aren't particularly impressive, while others praised the smooth movement and overall aesthetic, highlighting the game's potential for speedrunning.
- “The graphics are stunning, with a vibrant color palette that brings the world to life.”
- “The attention to detail in the environments is impressive, making every location feel unique and immersive.”
- “The character designs are beautifully crafted, showcasing a high level of artistry and creativity.”
- “The graphics aren't great.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unintuitive, often feeling that there is insufficient feedback to guide them effectively, leading to a frustrating experience of trial and error.
- “A lot of these tasks feel very tedious or unintuitive. It seems like there isn't enough feedback for the player to naturally understand what is expected of them without a lot of trial and error.”
- “The grinding mechanics are overly repetitive and lack variety, making the experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “I find the grinding to be frustratingly slow, with little reward for the time invested, which makes it hard to stay motivated.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability received mixed feedback, with some users noting non-intuitive puzzles and bugs within the game system. However, despite these issues, players found the experience enjoyable and expressed hope for future improvements from the developers.
- “While some of the puzzles were non-intuitive or very buggy, it was a fun use of an hour, and I hope to see more from these young talented developers soon.”