A night locked inside Leafmore High
Obscure is a survival horror game set in an American high school where students have been disappearing for years. Screams were heard in the halls, and after a friend vanishes, five students stay behind after class to find out what is going on. They end up locked inside the school. You take control of Shannon, Kenny, Ashley, Stan and Josh as they move through long, dimly-lit corridors and dark classrooms to uncover why Leafmore has become so terrifying, and to stay alive while doing it. The game is played from a third-person view and leans on atmosphere, puzzles and combat rather than constant action.
Playing together
The campaign can be played alone or with a friend in co-op on the same screen. Both players work through the same story, moving between the five students and using what each one brings to the situation. Every student has a special ability, so splitting up tasks or covering each other comes down to who you are controlling at the time. Combat is part of the shared experience as well: the group has access to baseball bats, handguns, shotguns and other weapons, and enemies include zombies. Puzzles are scattered through the school and need solving to push forward, so expect stretches of searching and thinking between fights.
Before you start
Obscure is a classic entry in the survival horror genre, and it plays like one: limited light, tight spaces and a slow build of tension rather than a quick pace. It is a long night, and survival is not easy, so going in ready to take your time with exploration and problem-solving helps. The soundtrack was composed by Olivier Derivière and sets the tone across the whole run. The game is compatible with the Xbox 360 controller, and it supports Remote Play Together, which lets a friend join over a connection instead of sharing one screen in the same room.