ObsCure: The Aftermath

About

"ObsCure: The Aftermath" is the sequel to the classic survival horror game, "ObsCure". The game follows a group of college students who must survive a nightmare brought on by strange, dangerous flowers appearing on their campus. With 6 playable characters, players can experience adventure, action, and puzzles in a teen horror-movie scenario, with the option for a second player to join in co-op mode. Find clues and uncover the terrifying truth behind Fallcreek University.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 399 reviews

story36 positive mentions

replayability6 negative mentions

Great old school co-op experience that brings back nostalgic memories.
Improved graphics and gameplay mechanics compared to the first game.
Fun character interactions and humorous dialogue that adds to the campy horror vibe.

Linear gameplay with less exploration and more scripted events, making it feel less engaging.
Camera controls can be frustrating and lead to disorientation during combat.
The story is convoluted and some character deaths feel forced, detracting from player agency.

story
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
59%
18%
The story of "Obscure II" is often described as a campy continuation of the first game, featuring a mix of cheesy dialogue, predictable horror tropes, and a linear plot that lacks depth compared to its predecessor. While some players appreciate the nostalgic and humorous elements, many criticize the writing as poorly executed and filled with plot holes, resulting in a narrative that feels rushed and disjointed. Overall, the game is seen as entertaining for its absurdity, but it fails to deliver a compelling or coherent story.
- “The story follows a few students of Leafmore, ten years after the events of the first game!”
- “The story is fun, and lots of people die, which brings a lot of emotion into the story.”
- “I love the detailed environments, I love the callbacks to the first game, I love the cheesy story and relationships.”
- “The story isn't even cheesy but poorly written, ruining any enjoyment in it.”
- “The important thing to note is that there's more story this time, and the writing is so poor you will likely be laughing out loud at points.”
- “The game killed a lot of fun to the game by having sequential deaths of characters without you having any input or say in it; there is nothing you can do to prevent them as they are scripted, the game also ruins the story of the original in an effort to create drama.”
gameplay
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its nostalgic ties to classic survival horror mechanics reminiscent of titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. While some appreciate the unique character abilities and puzzle elements, others criticize the clunky controls, frustrating camera angles, and the removal of certain mechanics that could have enhanced the experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a step down from its predecessor, offering a fun but flawed experience that may appeal more to fans of the original game.
- “The gameplay rewards you for exploration and is difficult enough for you to have to scrounge as much ammo as you can because you keep running out of it.”
- “It's also cool that each character has their own unique abilities, which adds a bit of variety to the gameplay.”
- “Obscure gives you a mix of a good combat system that's fluid and like a classic survival horror, having to stop to reload or swing your melee weapon, and pretty good co-op gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is a lot like all the other 90's and early 00's survival horror games, most relevant would be Silent Hill.”
- “The game commits two major sins: it is quite different from the original (and a downgrade gameplay-wise) and it runs badly.”
- “Many lazy and bad design choices that lets you experience old-school console issues at its best: clunky inventory system, bad save system, always visible and disturbing mouse cursor when playing with mouse+keyboard, no tutorial whatsoever, AI teammates blocking your way, backtracking because you need a certain character deep into the level with no chance to tell at the start which one it will be, barely effective weapons and a nice shortage of ammo and healing items.”
music
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
5%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as "amazing" and "terrific," contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and tension. Some players noted improvements over the first game's music, while others criticized inconsistencies and glitches that detracted from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack stands out as a highlight, even amidst critiques of other game elements.
- “The music is fucking amazing and it doesn't get talked about enough; it adds so much tension to the rather rinse-repeat combat at times.”
- “The game is great looking, and the soundtrack is stellar.”
- “The music is nice again; it reminds me a lot of Silent Hill, which is not a bad thing.”
- “I don't know if it's just a bug or a problem with the game itself, but apart from cutscenes, no music was playing.”
- “The music is downgraded, sounds awful most of the time and tends to just be all over the place. It can't decide whether it's an action game or horror, and that great orchestra hardly is there, not that it fits this anyway.”
- “Most of the songs are a remix of the main theme (which is awesome, by the way), but sometimes they just don't fit the mood of the cutscene or stage they are placed in.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players noting improvements over its predecessor while others criticize them as outdated or "ugly." Many agree that the visuals contribute to the game's atmosphere, despite being reminiscent of PS2-era graphics, and some players appreciate the decent quality for a game released in 2007. Overall, while there are enhancements, the graphics are often described as lacking in polish and plagued by bugs.
- “The graphics are quite ugly, but have aged well and contribute quite a bit to the general atmosphere which is still creepy to this day.”
- “First off, the graphics are pretty decent for a game that came out in 2007.”
- “The combat is smooth, you can change weapons on input, manage your inventory, etc. The graphics are great for the time, and some areas of the game still look good today.”
- “Graphically, the game is... let's just say it's quite retro (lol).”
- “The graphics are terrible, the gameplay is poor and boring, the story is every horror movie from 1996 to 1999, it's as scary as a wet sock on the floor and the fighting or controls or whatever you want to call it is horrible.”
- “Its a PS2 era game, so it has blurry visuals and low quality textures.”
humor
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its cheesy dialogue, goofy cutscenes, and intentionally over-the-top scenarios that often lead to laugh-out-loud moments, especially in co-op play. While some players find the humor to be forced or cringe-worthy, many appreciate the campy charm and the entertaining banter between characters, making it a fun experience despite its flaws. Overall, it leans more towards a humorous take on horror rather than a genuinely scary experience.
- “You can also play co-op and the banter between your characters is sometimes hilarious.”
- “The important thing to note is that there's more story this time, and the writing is so poor you will likely be laughing out loud at points.”
- “Even if not compared to the first game's flimsy pretext, Obscure 2's plot goes to insane and hilarious over-the-top places, while remaining completely straight-faced.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its nostalgic, creepy charm reminiscent of classic horror titles, while others feel it lacks the depth and personality of its predecessor. The graphics, though considered ugly, contribute to a haunting ambiance, and the soundtrack enhances the overall experience. However, many reviewers note that the game's linearity and pacing detract from the immersive atmosphere that made the first game memorable.
- “The level design and feeling you get in these places speaks to very competent level designers, capturing that Resident Evil 1 eerie beauty and even Silent Hill's grimy and sterile atmospheres.”
- “The OST is crème de la crème, and when it's coupled with its gloomy atmosphere?”
- “I love the plot of the game, the music of the game, and I absolutely love the atmosphere!”
- “The atmosphere of Obscure 1 is completely gone until the last 15 minutes of the game where they reveal a plot that should have actually been relevant at some point during the last five hours of the game.”
- “There's more environments to explore than Obscure 1, and each has its own creepy atmosphere, but you are never in one long enough for it to develop a personality of its own like Obscure's school, or Resident Evil's mansion, or RE2's police station.”
- “The atmosphere is completely brutalized and thrown out the window in favor of an action game with action pacing.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
44%
38%
Overall, the reviews indicate a significant lack of replayability in the game, with many players expressing disappointment due to the absence of unlockables, difficulty settings, and alternate routes or endings. While some found enjoyment in the gameplay itself, the linearity and scripted nature of the experience detracted from the potential for exploration and replay value, leading to a consensus that the game offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs.
- “It has no unlockables nor different difficulty settings, which reduces the replay value a little, and all deaths are scripted now, which means you can't save nor let certain characters die early and watch (slightly) different cutscenes depending on who you chose to play with. This is not necessarily bad though, just different.”
- “But on its own, retrospectively, it's a solid horror title and offers a lot of replayability through gameplay alone.”
- “The feeling of exploration and discovering new things adds to the replay value.”
- “Not as good as the first game; there is no replay value, but I did finish it. I'll just never play it again. Part 1 is still fun though.”
- “There are no unlockables, no difficulty settings, and no replayability.”
- “There's little when it comes to alternate routes, there's no different endings, and there's no unlockables, so there's pretty much no replay value.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
90%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users highlighting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in the PC port, which can severely disrupt gameplay and even render it unplayable at times. While some players noted improvements over the original, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from stability issues that detract from the experience.
- “The game is mostly bug-free and stable.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay experience is.”
- “The stability of the game allows for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
- “Be warned, it's a very buggy port.”
- “Let me start off by saying this version of the game on PC is considered the worst version to play mainly because of the glitches that can affect your experience, like black screens and even one glitch that occurred during the final boss and caused the game to be unplayable. I had to restart the game.”
- “This game has no redeemable characters, glitches introduced into the PC port that can break any sort of progress and the first game's main draw has been compromised to make use of character-specific puzzles.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its poor balance and tedious mechanics, including frustrating item and character management, lack of navigational aids, and janky combat that turns encounters into chores. Players find the repetitive nature of tasks, such as lockpicking and backtracking to safe points, to be particularly annoying, leading to a sense of frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, the game’s design choices contribute to a grinding experience that detracts from the overall fun.
- “Managing items was tedious and normally you never had enough ammo or health even if you used it as little as possible.”
- “There's no maps for any areas which makes navigating any environment in the game way more tedious than necessary.”
- “The game is straight-forward and linear which wouldn't be bad but the combat is so janky that it makes every enemy encounter feel tedious and chore-like.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its solid performance and ability to run on low-end systems, with no major crashes or stuttering reported. However, some players experience significant lag on high-end setups, suggesting inconsistencies in performance across different hardware configurations.
- “The game's of-the-era flaws are, however, outshone by mostly solid performance and a nostalgic touch.”
- “The optimization is great; it's rare to see a 3D game being able to run on a potato.”
- “The game's of-the-era flaws are, however, outshone by mostly solid performance and nostalgic touch.”
- “Some performance issues.”
- “As far as performance goes, the game runs well on modern Windows.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses through its darker and more heartbreaking narrative, featuring gruesome character fates that enhance its somber tone. However, technical issues like the lack of a robust save system and uncomfortable camera controls detract from the overall experience, potentially limiting players' engagement with the story.
- “The fates of some of these characters are gruesome and sometimes heartbreaking, making this story much darker and more depressing than the first game.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Character development in the game is noted to be significantly improved compared to its predecessor, with characters gaining more depth and personality. However, some players feel that the overall experience could be enhanced through greater exploration, additional collectibles, and more dialogue to further enrich the character arcs.
- “They all get a lot more character development than the rather blank slates in the previous game.”
- “What Mighty Rocket Studios could have done to enhance the experience of this game was to include more exploration in its levels, as well as more things to find such as special weapons and collectibles, which would further improve the game's character development.”
- “They all get a lot more character development than the rather blank slates in Obscure 1.”
- “What Mighty Rocket Studios could have done to make the experience of this game better was to have more exploration in its levels and more things to find, such as special weapons and collectibles, more secrets and dialogue, further improving on this game's pretty shallow gameplay and character development.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the games is primarily driven by advertisements, which users recall from their earlier exposure to the titles, indicating a reliance on ad revenue rather than in-game purchases or premium pricing.