Game Reviews

Oscura Second Shadow

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iOS
| Oscura Second Shadow
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Oscura Second Shadow
|
iOS
| Oscura Second Shadow

Oscura Second Shadow will be instantly familiar to anyone who played the original Oscura.

The stark black sprites still leap around against brightly coloured backgrounds, and the monsters and obstacles you face are just as cruel as ever.

Thankfully the slightly dodgy gesture-based controls are gone, making this sequel feel a lot more robust.

The 20 levels offer up a variety of platforming ideas. There are crumbling ledges, spike-headed beasts, and boulders you need to roll using your own momentum.

It's not particularly fresh then, but there are moments of frantic panic, and gleeful success, that make Oscura Second Shadow worth checking out all the same.

It might not move the series along very far, but there's a level of polish and quality here that makes for an eminently enjoyable experience.

Obscure

Once again you're playing as long-limbed sprite Oscura, and once again the sacred crystal has been stolen from the lighthouse you guard.

It's up to you to travel the world, collect the shattered shards of the light-bringing rock, and restore balance to the universe.

You do this mainly by jumping around grimly gothic silhouette levels, ocassionally pausing time, and staying out of the way of all the terrifying creatures that want to kill you.

The controls are simple enough. A couple of buttons move you left and right, and a couple more let you jump and use your time-slowing abilities.

Getting to grips with the time control is an important part of the game. Slipping into slower time, dodging past an on-rushing enemy, and then tapping to speed things up again is a real joy when you get it right.

You don't have any offensive abilities, and a single touch from a spike or some poisonous liquid is enough to kill you.

Not quite in limbo

There are cogs to collect on each level. Some of them are easy to nab, others require thought, nimble fingers, and a bit of luck.

If you want to get the best score on each level though you'll need to get all the shards, all the cogs, and finish within the time limit.

Dying too much will cost you a star as well, so don't expect to fully complete every level on your first go.

There's a cruelty to Oscura Second Shadow that shines through when you're trying to get all of those stars. Relentless foes, hidden razor-edged obstacles, and sudden pitfalls all crop up to try and make sure you fail.

You shouldn't let that put you off though. Even if you're not a fan of hardcore platforming, there's a solid little adventure here that, for the most part, lets you have a little fun.

Black and green

Oscura Second Shadow isn't a huge leap forward from its predecessor, and touchscreen platforming has moved on in the past couple of years.

It's still entertaining and engaging, but you can't shake the feeling that a few steps in a different direction might have benefited the game.

As it stands it's a solid sequel that treads a familiar path. If that's what you're looking for then you won't disappointed.

If you were hoping Oscura Second Shadow might be as full of fresh ideas as its predecessor was when it first came out, then you're in for a bit of a disappointment.

Oscura Second Shadow

A solid and entertaining game, Oscura Second Shadow doesn't quite do enough to make it stand out from its predecessor
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.