Developer: PlayLogic
Price: $29.99
Acquired via publisher
Verdict: Buy It
Pros: stunning animations, responsive controls, genuinely creepy audio
Cons: cheesy dialog not always on target, camera can be funky
Just in time for the holiday renowned for creepiness comes a creepy new game for the PSP Go. Obscure: The Aftermath came out in 2008 on the Wii, the PS2 and PC and is now on everyone’s favorite new handheld. It’s fully stunning on Sony’s latest edition of the PSP, the PSPGo, and has the added value of being a nice little impulse buy from the PSN Store. That’s right, you CAN go to the store and buy physical media in the form of the doomed UMD disk, but you don’t HAVE to.
Garnering comparisons to the Silent Hill games, Obscure: The Aftermath is a solid little creepfest with some genuine scares, some amazing animation, movement, control and audio. This plays and feels like a full PS2 game on the PSPGo hardware I played it on. The story is interesting enough, and the dialog, while not always on-target in its ironic cheesiness, can be hilarious and self-aware in places, something more games could stand to include. nothing makes horror films good like well-timed pacing and humor. Obscure: The Aftermath has both.
In the original game, Obscure, the students at Leafmore High stumble onto a Resident Evil style laboratory where horrific experiments are going on. The students fight their way through hordes of baddies to survive into the sequel. In THIS game, that very same sequel, the students are now in college and ready to begin a life of drugs, booze, casual sex and very little actual learning. Their plans are sadly interrupted by a strange plant that’s making the rounds as the new drug of choice on campus comes in the form of an “herb” that the students make into a tea and inhale. Everyone passes out, and then your character (one of five playable characters) wakes up to a world filled with monstrous enemies made anew from the flesh of your college campus mates. HORRIFYING!
It’s all standard teen horror flick material, but the developers chose (wisely) not to play it too straight. In these modern times, teen slasher flicks don’t hold the same horror for movie goers or gamers as they used to. Instead, we’re treated to an ironically cheesy storyline with all sorts of teen angst and drama, made all the more humorous in contrast with the monstrous reality of the in-game world. It’s a decent mix of these two opposite themes, and makes for gameplay that at least keeps THIS reviewer playing through.
Another fine feature is the dual character play mechanic. You control two characters at a time, able at times to even choose which two, as each character has different abilities that come in handy when solving level puzzles. The jock can move large objects, the geek can climb, the sporty girl can hack locks and the hot chick in the thong (yes, the graphics are that detailed) can decipher writing and graffiti. In an early level, switching to the two male characters allows the player to clear the bar level, as it needs both heavy lifting and a climbing ability. No level is too difficult, but neither are they too easy. There’s a nice middle of the road solvability to each puzzle that fits in well with the idea of watching/playing a horror flick.
The soundtrack is stunning, perhaps due to the artist writing and performing it. It’s a quirky orchestral cinematic score that’s not to be missed. The sound effects, particularly that of the more interesting monsters (flying female gorgon-things with teeth running up and down the inside of their legs from heel to groin? Yes, please), are varied, directional, and creepy. I’d say this was the highlight of the game. Another feature of note is the save system. You have save points, the scarcity and hard to find nature of which actually heighten the suspense of the gameplay. I found the mechanic of saving much fun — touch the big hairy plant of a save point and fall down, incapacitated. Wake up with a hangover-esque headache and it’s a fun little nod to the excesses of college. Well played, sirs, well played.
Overall, this game isn’t an unqualified hit, but it does manage to take what could have been a mediocre genre and basic play mechanics and elevate them to a higher level. Yes, there are issues with story, dialog, camera control and pacing, but don’t most teen horror flicks have similar issues. If players go in with an open mind, ready to be underwhelmed, I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised. I’d recommend a download if you’re a fan of funny and creeply survival horror, and a purchase of the UMD (for resale) if you’re not the replaying type. This is a game that will stay on my PSP Go for a time to come, as it’s a pleasantly creepy way to spend a few dozen minutes of my time.
Popularity: unranked [?]
