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OBSCURA Game Cover

About OBSCURA

OBSCURA is a single player simulation game with fantasy, romance, anime and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Rotten Raccoons and was released on September 9, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Descend under a mountain to the marketplace below, where everything has a price. Meet the four men who can each give you what you need, but beware: they have their own hidden motives and uses for you. OBSCURA is a dark fantasy romance VN that asks how far you'll go to get what you need.

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Reviews

99%Audience ScoreBased on 338 reviews
story82 positive mentions
stability1 negative mentions

  • Exceptional writing and storytelling with deep, complex characters that are distinct and realistic.
  • Unique dark fantasy setting with immersive worldbuilding, atmospheric music, and beautiful, stylistic art.
  • Meaningful player choices that significantly affect the story outcome, supported by thoughtful accessibility features such as a safeword and aftercare system.
  • The game is still in early access with a slow update schedule, meaning the story and content are currently incomplete.
  • Some secondary characters and backgrounds are only represented as silhouettes, which some players find lacking in visual detail.
  • Certain story routes contain very dark and mature themes that can be triggering, requiring players to heed content warnings and possibly use the safeword option.
  • story

    177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    46% positive mentions, 52% neutral mentions, 2% negative mentions

    The story is widely praised for its dark, mature themes, immersive atmosphere, and intricate worldbuilding, creating a compelling and thrilling experience. Players appreciate well-developed characters, meaningful choices that impact the plot, and the balance between drama, romance, and mystery. Despite being unfinished, the narrative's depth, pacing, and emotional weight have captivated many, making it a standout in the visual novel genre.

    • “A beautiful, dark story with such a specific, thrilling atmosphere.”
    • “"Obscura" pulls you in with its beautiful writing, strong characters, and a dark, unique story that keeps you engaged from start to finish.”
    • “The story is so interesting, the art is beautiful, and you can really tell the amount of thought and care put into the development of the game as a whole.”
    • “I understand that to add every random NPC is unnecessary and a fair amount of work, but there are a lot of recurring characters in the game apart from the main character and love interests that are a pretty active part of the story and it's just a black silhouette on the screen.”
    • “I don't see myself as remotely close to them, but there's enough choice I don't feel stifled or taken out of the story, and I wouldn't want to see myself anyway as a character in the game because I would walk my ass back out of the mountain (plot motivations be damned, I am a dedicated coward and a sham).”
    • “I actually didn't expect the plot to go crazy and the fact that I was charmed by Cirrus at first (he was giving me long haired sweetheart energy) until I hit one of the scenes that tells otherwise lol.”
  • music

    84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 46% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, beautifully complementing the visuals, story, and worldbuilding. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its haunting, dark, and emotionally evocative tones that enhance key scenes and overall vibe. While some mention repetitiveness in loops, the consensus is that the music significantly enriches the game's mood and player experience.

    • “The atmosphere, the scenery, the music is the most beautifully haunting, fantastically dark, and something that I could've only ever dreamed of finding something similar prior to playing Obscura.”
    • “When the music turns on, it isn't just background, it becomes the scene.”
    • “It's so good to the point that I want to add the soundtrack to my playlist; it seriously helps deepen immersion, captivates me, and makes the game experience so much more impactful!”
    • “Since the game is still in early access there are a few distracting things still, which I hope will be fixed before the full release: a few typos, just missing a couple of letters and words here and there — and there's only music in some parts.”
    • “Love the music, wish there was more of it, though when it is there it is in a meaningful place.”
    • “I just wished there were more music tracks and the characters had voices; besides that, what a great game.”
  • graphics

    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    47% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The graphics are widely praised for their stunning, consistent art style that perfectly complements the game's dark and immersive atmosphere. Players highlight beautiful character designs, evocative visuals, and seamless integration with the soundtrack, enhancing the overall mood and storytelling. Customization options and display settings add to the user-friendly experience, making the graphics a standout aspect of the game.

    • “I don't need to talk much about the art, you can see how beautiful the art style and atmosphere are; as an artist, I can confirm ★”
    • “The artwork is stunning, the CGs are beautiful, and the music is perfectly suited and really adds to the mood of the game.”
    • “The visuals are absolutely stunning.”
  • atmosphere

    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    52% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game excels in creating a richly immersive, dark, and thrilling atmosphere through its moody art style, haunting music, and deep worldbuilding. This eerie yet captivating ambiance is enhanced by well-crafted characters and storylines, making it a standout experience in the fantasy romance visual novel genre. Players also appreciate the thoughtful design elements like safe spaces that balance intensity with comfort.

    • “A beautiful, dark story with such a specific, thrilling atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is so rich and fully immersed in absolute darkness, secrecy, and veiled motives in all the right ways.”
    • “From the diverse and charming character designs and personalities, the music and sound effects and backgrounds which create such an immersive atmosphere, the playable mc (Vesper) being an absolute pleasure to play as because they're witty and adaptable, how engagingly different each route's path is to explain the world (which is also incredible) and interact with the love interests, and the absolutely crazy cliffhangers; every element in this game intertwines with the other aspects to deliver an immersive and exciting experience that is uniquely distinct from many other visual novels.”
  • character development

    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    31% positive mentions, 69% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features well-developed characters with unique and charming designs that enhance the immersive storytelling. Players appreciate the thoughtful writing and character arcs, which build meaningfully throughout the narrative. Overall, strong character development is a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's engaging and distinctive experience.

    • “The character development for every character is really well done.”
    • “There is actual character development building up to something more in the end, for good or bad.”
    • “From the diverse and charming character designs and personalities, the music and sound effects and backgrounds which create such an immersive atmosphere, the playable main character (Vesper) being an absolute pleasure to play as because they're witty and adaptable, how engagingly different each route's path is to explain the world and interact with the love interests, and the absolutely crazy cliffhangers; every element in this game intertwines with the other aspects to deliver an immersive and exciting experience that is uniquely distinct from many other visual novels.”
  • gameplay

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its unique safeword mechanic that enhances accessibility and player comfort, along with engaging and well-designed interactive elements that go beyond typical visual novel clicking. Players appreciate the inclusive character options, interesting mechanics like the "bad trip" segment, and the game's ability to keep them consistently engaged without confusion or boredom. Overall, the gameplay is highly recommended for those seeking innovative and thoughtful visual novel experiences.

    • “I never felt confused or bored throughout the entirety of my gameplay, and I was thrilled every second to learn more about the 4 main characters, and the marketplace.”
    • “Also, I liked the bad trip part and the game mechanic of it.”
    • “The game opens up by asking for a safeword which allows you to pause gameplay at any given time, a feature I cannot be more thankful for even as we're given an exhaustive list of content warnings both on the store page and in-game.”
    • “The first thing you do on starting a new game is choose a safe-word - I have rarely seen any spicy game have a safe-word mechanic that wasn't shutting off the game entirely.”
    • “While the above is a wonderful accessibility option, the game also has a few others, with some being gameplay-based.”
  • humor

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is praised for its witty, sarcastic, and attitude-filled writing, making the main character feel lively and relatable unlike many visual novels. Players enjoy the casual banter and teasing interactions, especially between the protagonist and certain love interests, which balance the game's darker tones with entertaining and funny moments.

    • “The main character is really funny with a lot of attitude and not flavorless, unlike in many visual novels I've seen.”
    • “It feels like there is something for everyone in this game, especially if you enjoy teasing or sarcastic humor.”
    • “I personally recommend Keir; the relationship between him and the main character (Vesper) is very entertaining and hilarious to witness.”
  • emotional

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game delivers a deeply immersive and emotionally evocative experience, praised for its strong narrative, realistic character dynamics, and thoughtful inclusions like safewords and trigger warnings that enhance player safety and emotional engagement. Many players felt genuinely heard and connected, describing the story as heartfelt, romantic, and sometimes intense, showcasing the game's capacity for emotional depth and authenticity.

    • “Being taken on such an evocative and emotional roller coaster, the aftercare tool is a genuinely considerate touch.”
    • “It really made me feel heard and helped me continue his route despite how heavy it was for me.”
    • “The character dynamics felt so real, and I couldn't help but get emotionally invested in them.”
  • replayability

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers exceptional replayability, with multiple routes and chapters that provide fresh perspectives and keep players engaged. Its varied story angles significantly enhance the incentive to replay.

    • “The replay value is insane!!”
    • “It has great replay value even now when it has 1-2 chapters per route.”
    • “Getting to know it from different angles sure adds a lot to replayability.”
  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The optimization aspect appears to be confusing or poorly implemented, as users express frustration that in-game mechanics—such as follower praise—occur without clear player actions, indicating a lack of meaningful interaction or feedback.

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game’s stability is uniquely integrated into its design, with intentional glitches and control disruptions enhancing the immersive experience and reflecting the protagonist’s mental state. Users appreciate how these deliberate instabilities add depth rather than detract from gameplay.

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Frequently Asked Questions

OBSCURA is a simulation game with fantasy, romance, anime and dark fantasy themes. Common tags for OBSCURA include indie, lgbtq+, 2d, otome, choices matter and others.

OBSCURA is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

OBSCURA was released on September 9, 2024.

OBSCURA was developed by Rotten Raccoons.

OBSCURA has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked OBSCURA for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

OBSCURA is a single player game.

Similar games include Scarlet Hollow, Bewitching Sinners, Scarlet Hollow: Episode 1, The Crown of Leaves, Heart Fragment and others.