With the iOS App Store in particular brimming with new games each and every week, there is a need for video game developers to offer something different from the norm while still fighting against the limitations of having no controller and only a touch screen. Oscura: Second Shadow, based on its 2011 prequel Oscura, attempts to entice players with its silhouette and “artsy” visuals coupled with a few little twists to the standard side-scrolling platformer formula. While it may be a fairly short experience, Oscura: Second Shadow ticks all the boxes in being a competently designed mobile game.
Storyline
Taking place in the gothic-styled Driftlands, you play as Oscura who serves as the keeper of the regions Lighthouse. With a mysterious entity stealing the Aurora Stone which keeps it lit, the entire world is plunged into darkness and faces destruction unless it is reclaimed. While the backstory is decent, the game is not storyline oriented, with each of the 20 chapters simply entailing a different leg of Oscura’s journey. It is a shame that the developers decided not to incorporate a story element into each chapter of the game, as with just 20 stages in total, it was in my opinion suitably lengthen for them to pull together what I would consider a decent plot.
Design / Music
With 20 well designed levels that offer plenty of challenge and effective use of the silhouette art style, Oscura: Second Shadow is one of the more aesthetically pleasing games I have had the pleasure to check out this year. The musical backing is simple with only a limited number of tracks across the stages, however the sound effects and enemy screeches were effectively incorporated into the stages, providing another element to consider when making your way through the level.
Gameplay
The concept behind Oscura: Second Shadow’s gameplay system is fairly simple – make your way to the end of a course from left to right by moving and jumping. It is a tried and proven system, which worked well with the silhouette visuals and without any noticable issues in its implementation. During your time in any given stage the goal is also to collect the various cogs and shining lights without dying, in order to best your score for the stage. In a unique twist, and thankfully given the challenge some of the levels provide, Oscura has the power to temporarily slow down time to avoid an enemy he can’t outrun or rectify an accidental jump.
The big charm of Oscura: Second Shadow is how challenging it is. The game is nowhere near the ‘rage game’ tier of Eryi’s Action or goes out of its way to kill your character like in Dark Souls, but instead values proper timing, use of slowing down time and not just running through the game headed to its conclusion. This is where the games replayability potential comes in, as it is unlikely you will manage to avoid all the hazards, enemy attacks or collect every item on a first run through. Besting previous scores and earning the “score stars” feels more like representing your actual skill rather than sheer luck.
Final Words on Oscura: Second Shadow
Oscura: Second Shadow is a competently designed side-scrolling platformer, that is in my opinion worth the listed $3.79 AUD price on the iOS App Store. With there only being 20 levels however, and many only a couple of minutes in length on a perfect run-through, I hope to see active development from developer Chocolate Liberation Front in the form of new stages.
Special thanks go to Surprise Attack Games for providing an iOS download code of Oscura: Second Shadow for the purpose of this review. This game WAS ONLY tested on an iPad, and there may be some differences when played on other platforms.
