ObsCure's Version Differences

ObsCure has had multiple re-releases over the years, and there's a lot of confusion about what the differences between each are.

The game was first released for the PlayStation 2, PC and Xbox on the 2nd of September, 2004, in Italy and France only. This is the Franco-Italian release of the game.

Later, on the 30th of the same month, it was released on the rest of Europe, which includes the German-Spanish and British releases.

The German-Spanish version is unique in the whole world and it seems to be an early version of the game (let's call it "Basic version"), while all the other versions in the world (Franco-Italian, British, and other releases that are commented below) seem to be an Enhanced version of it. Even if the Enhanced version actually came out earlier than the Basic one, this article is going to consider all the changes between them as improvements presented by the former. Among other differences, that are listed below, in the German-Spanish version, the unlockable melee weapon, the Morgenstern, looks like a medieval mace, while in the improved version it is a spiked bat. We're currently working on listing all the changes in this page.

The game was only released in North America later in March 2005, this version featuring only English, French and Spanish languages, and it is based on the Enhanced version. The only thing that differenciates the American version from the Enhanced-European one is that the former doesn't show the play-time next to each savegame (to be confirmed for the PC NA release).

Later on, the game was released in Russia and China in December 2005 and February 2006, respectively, with both versions (although, we still have to confirm it for the Chinese version) being based on the North American version, meaning they feature the same changes.

Finally, the ObsCure Collection is the newest version of ObsCure and ObsCure II published on Steam by Mighty Rocket Studios on March 10, 2014. This version was only available in Spanish, French, English, German and Italian, it is based on the German-Spanish PC release and featured a couple of changes. First of all, controller support was improved, so that the game could work with modern controllers. Achievements were also added, and the licensed music had to be replaced due to it having expired by then. Now, there's a lot of confusion with this version, because most people in the world played only the Enhanced version of the game back in the day, which featured changes (mostly improvements) from the Basic version, and the Steam version is based exclusively on the latter. So for a lot of people, it feels like this version removed some features and changed stuff around, when in reality, it's the German-Spanish release that doesn't have all the improvements of the other versions and for some unknown reason the Steam version is based on it. It is also unknown why Hydravision would choose to sell an earlier version of the game only in Germany and Spain in the first place.

Aside from technical stuff like controls, texture quality, lighting, etc, there are no real differences between the PS2, PC and Xbox versions except for the German-Spanish release (all the changes are listed below). So the real differences apply to different regions.

Changes between the DE/ES versions

The German-Spanish version seems to be the only one featuring changes between each platform version, meaning the PS2, Xbox and PC versions aren't exactly the same, although the differences are almost imperceptible.

The PS2 version of the DE/ES release seems to be the first to ever be compiled. It is the only version among all versions of the world for which the map of the basement doesn't disappear from the Clues inventory once Mr. Walden steals it.

The Xbox version seems to be based on the one of the PS2. Appart from technical stuff, the only difference seems to be that the plan that Walden steals does disappear from the inventory.

The PC version is probably based on the Xbox one, since it features the same changes. This version comes with another change: the camera angles of the mezzanine of the library (where you find the 3rd statuette) and the first one of the Leonard Friedman boss fight are different. In both cases, the original PS2/Xbox camera angles are further from the player, among other changes.

All the changes made in the Xbox and PC versions of the DE/ES release were kept for the Enhanced version of the game.

The map is still visible on the PS2 DE/ES version.

This was fixed on the Xbox version.

Mezzanine on PS2 and Xbox version (PS2 screenshot).

New Mezzanine camera angle on PC.

Leonard first camera angle on PS2 and Xbox (PS2 screenshot).

Leonard first camera angle on PC.

Changes made in the Enhanced version

Here's the list of all the differences between the Basic (DE/ES) and Enhanced (FR/IT/GB/US/RU/CN) versions. Once again, we're treating these changes as improvements of the Enhanced version applied to the Basic one, to make things simpler, even if the improved one came out earlier (it was probably compiled later anyways).

• The soundtrack bonus menu again works like in the first European release. (to be confirmed)
• At the beginning of the game, when running away from the ArbolTrebol with Kenny and Dan, it's harder to get past the two Biters that spawn in the room with the cages in the Enhanced version. This may be because of a slightly different placement.
• The sound that plays when lockpicking a door is different in the Enhanced version, being somewhat quieter.
• The sounds for the baseball bat are different, both when swinging at the air and when hitting walls, in the Enhanced version.
• The game features more ambience noises in the Enhanced version.
• The game plays a slight "breathing" sound when near the dark aura effect around the walls, in the Enhanced version. In the Basic version, it'd only play a sound similar to stones moving.
• In the Basic release, when one watches the cutscene in the attic where Walden saves the player from the Biters, after you come out, the dark aura effect that's surrounding the door will still be there. In the Enhanced version, the effect slowly goes away when you exit.
• The Biters that appear in the classroom's entrance aren't present in the Basic version, and neither is the corpse that they're eating. This could've been added to scare new players and make them enter the room where you meet Stan. Interestingly, it seems that this may have been planned to be in the Basic version too, as in either version the two player characters will talk about the crazy things that are happening in the school as they enter, which would make sense when they're seeing Biters eating a corpse. It also makes more sense when either Josh, Ashley, or Shannon (depending on the current character play as) mentions the "monsters roaming the halls" to Stan, as in the Basic version he has only seen two, in the attic.
• When pouring the sulfuric acid on the locked chain, only an in-game animation will be triggered on the Basic Version. As for the Improved version, a CG cutscene will play just before.
• In the library, there's one room where an infected student will jump through the window and due to sunlight exposure if you approach said window. He has a slightly longer pain sound in the Enhanced version, making it be somewhat desynced with the animation.
• In the Basic version, once the cutscene of the student turning into an Evolved Infected, 3 of the enemies will spawn. In the Enhanced version, only 2 will spawn, however, if you enter the bathrooms and come out, the third one will now spawn. No more of them will spawn in the Basic version.
• A small cutscene was added when you enter Mr. Garrison's office for the first time in the Enhanced version, showing a Crawler Fly climbing up a vent. In addition, the room features some dark aura effect, which will quickly go away if you're using a flashlight.
• In the same room, in the Basic version you find the shotgun, and two boxes of shotgun bullets. The Enhanced version added a box of pistol ammo here, likely because the cafeteria has a lot of enemies.
• In the cafeteria, you can find the Automatic Pistol besides the corpse of the girl killed by the first Crawler Fly in the Basic version. In the Enhanced version, it was moved to the kitchen.
• Some of the enemy placements have been moved around in the Enhanced version.
• In the Basic version, the game will claim that the Automatic Pistol can hold 8 bullets when you pick it up. It actually holds 10 bullets, this text was fixed in the Enhanced version.
• On the last room of the cafeteria, right next to a crab, you'll find the box with fuses that you need to fix the fuse box in the previous room in the Basic version. In the Enhanced version, the box is inside of a locker that you have to lockpick.
• In this same room, an extra box with shotgun bullets was added on a table.
• Also in the cafeteria, the box where you do the fuses puzzle is opened with the screwdriver in the Basic version, while it needs to be lockpicked in the Enhanced version. (And more monsters appear while you lockpick it).
• Once you fix the fuse box, the game will play a cutscene of the lights in the cafeteria turning on. In the Basic version, it'll only show the room with the fuse box, while in the Enhanced one, it's been extended to show the kitchen and the room where you have to fight a crab.
• When re-entering the Administrative building for the first time at night, you'll see a small cutscene showing you the area with the 3 Evolved infected in the Enhanced version, which wasn't present in the Basic release.
• In the school parking lot, near the theater, the van containing a medical kit is completely missing during the day in the Enhanced version. Instead, it will only appear at night, and when opened two Evolved Infected will spawn. In fact, if one examines the Enhanced version of the parking lot closely, it can be noticed that the whole map has been slightly changed. There are fewer parking spots, the grassy area is expanded and has a new chain fence that prevents you from being able to see the wall, and the door is different, plus, it's missing the chain that it has in the Basic version (although, it only has it during day-time). Interestingly, the van will be moved to a different spot in the Enhanced version, and this adds a strange visual "glitch" to it; in the Basic version, it was right next to a lamp post that was shining light on it, and you could see the reflection of said light in the texture. This reflection was kept in the Enhanced version, but now it makes no sense because the lamp next to it emits no light.
• In the Basic version, the doors to the dressing room in the Amphitheatre are locked in the Basic version, and must be lockpicked. These locks were removed in the Enhanced version.
• In the Enhanced version, the Queen starts attacking before the CGI cutscene even starts; in the Basic version she won't do so until it ends.
• It's also worth noting that the worms that come out of her body have a longer reach distance in the Enhanced version, being able to crawl even to the elevator, while in the Basic version they'd disappear shortly after coming out.
• In the Enhanced version, the bar hook found in the basement's prison has been moved ever so slightly, making it harder to see.
• A camera angle that makes it seem like someone is watching the characters from a window that should appear after escaping the prison with Kenny was added in the Enhanced release. Another similar frame was added in the basement, in this one, the camera would be behind a ventilation fan.
• The dormitory's statue is inside a trophy case, instead of the stairs. This change might have been added because of players getting stuck here, as the statue is less obvious in the Basic version, and may have been moved to the stairs later to make it hard to miss.
• A small animation of the Leafmore Survivors being attacked by 2 Flies after opening the door of the first floor of the library was added.
• In the upper floor of the library the door will be closed by a simple lock that you can remove using the cutter in the Basic version. In the Enhanced release one has to retrieve the key from a room, whose entrance is hidden by a wardrobe that you have to push.
• In the Basic version, in the woods after grabbing the Two Barrel Shotgun, one will be attacked by a Crab coming out from the trees, the crab was replaced by a 3 Biters in the Enhanced release. Also, in the Enhanced version, the Evolved Infected that spawns outside the shed won't attack or follow you until you go outside, while in the Basic release it'd eventually enter the shed if you never came out. Interestingly, in both versions, you'll be able to hear an ArbolTrebol growl, however, none are present in either version.
• In the woods, in the second area, an ArbolTrebol that attacks just past the door will come out from the trees blocking the escape characters in the Basic release, in the Enhanced version it instead arrives at them from the front.
• The Morgenstern Bat that you unlock after beating the game, looks like a medieval mace in the Basic Version, while in the Enhanced Version it looks like a spiked bat.
• On the Basic version of the game, if you went to the second floor of the courtyard and looked at the basketball court below, you'd see a basketball there that doesn't actually appear when you're at the bottom level. This ball was later removed on the Enhanced version.
• During the Kenny prologue, on the Basic version, it is possible to dissipate the dark aura of the door at the end of the corridor during the little animation of Kenny aiming at the door. In the improved version it is no longer possible.
• When playing with Ashley in the Basic version and holding the aiming button, you can press the accept button to perform a normal attack, or press the special ability button to perform her special attack. In the Enhanced version, for some reason, tapping the accept button repeatedly will also trigger her special attack. It seems like her special ability replaces the secondary bat swinging animation, which was added in the Improved version.

The walls around the door are full of dark aura before killing the monsters

Afterwards, the darkness goes away, but only in the enhanced version.

We can find the van in the parking lot during the day in the basic version, and find a medkit inside after lockpicking it.

In the enhanced version, we just won't find it there during the day, only at night. How did it get there?

In the basic version (this is a screenshot of the Steam version, which was based on the basic version only), we can see a strange basketball on the court from the second floor of the courtyard that's not there when we go down.

This was fixed in the enhanced version.

The classrooms first floor hallway in the basic version. No monsters to be seen here.

The enhanced version added two biters eating the corpse of another biter. If you take too long to enter Stan's room, they will eventually attack you. They disappear once you exit.

In the basic version, when you pour the acid on the rusted lock, you'll see it fall down in-game.

The enhanced version adds a very short CGI cutscene for this animation, along with the in-game one.

There are 3 enemies in the basic version in the library (image brightened up so the corpses are more visible).

Only two will spawn at first in the enhanced version.

No more enemies will spawn after coming out of the bathroom in the basic version.

In the enhanced version, the third enemy will spawn at this point (while it's not visible on this image, you can see Shannon is looking at it).

The cutscene that plays in Mr. Garrison's office in the enhanced version (it shows a Crawler Fly climbing the vent, but it's not visible in this image)

Garrison's locker has 2 boxes of shotgun ammo in the basic version

Plus an extra box of pistol ammo in the basic version

The Automatic pistol near the hanged girl in the basic version (Brightness increased for clarity)

Nothing is found here in the enhanced version (Brightness also increased)

It is found in the kitchen instead

The basic version mistakenly claims the Automatic Pistol can hold 8 bullets

This was fixed overseas

We can find the fuse box on the ground in the basic version

While in the enhanced version, it was hidden in a locker

No items besides the fuse box can be found in this room in the basic version

The enhanced version adds an extra box of shotgun bullets for us

We can simply open the fuse box with the screwdriver in the basic version

While the enhanced version makes it a little harder by having us lockpick it while enemies spawn

The basic version only shows us the lights being restored in the fuses puzzle room...

while the enhanced version also shows us the kitchen...

and the room right behind the infirmary.

The enhanced version adds...

...a little cutscene in the administrative building...

...showing an overview of how it looks like now.

The basic version puts you right in the action.

And as a consequence of the enhanced cutscene not allowing you to move, the Evolved Infected will attack you sooner there.

One can see that the lamp's light is correctly shined on the van's front window in the basic version.

This, however, makes no sense in the enhanced version as the light next to it is turned off.

Also in the enhanced version, two Evolved Infected will spawn when trying to open the van's lock.

This door in the Amphitheatre must be lockpicked in the basic version...

...this one too!

This is the new camera angle that the enhanced version adds, plus, one can see the worms reach the elevator.

Said camera angle doesn't exist in the basic version, plus, the worms have a much shorter reach.

It's hard to see, but in the basic version, you can see the bar hook on the ground.

It seems to be almost completely hidden from view in the enhanced version.

This cool camera angle was added to the enhanced release.

This was the original camera angle found in the basic version.

The Morgenstern weapon in the German-Spanish release.

The Morgenstern weapon in the Enhanced Version.

Changes introduced in the Steam version

The Steam version being based on the German-Spanish PC release, it doesn't feature most of the improvements mentioned above, but it did change a few things, which are the following:

• The opening credits were cut, as the game is no longer under the publication of *Hydravision and MC2 Microids.*
• The song "Still Waiting" by Sum 41 and all the ending credits songs (like "Don't think the way they do" by Span and "Supersónica" by Dawholeenchilada, among others which depend on the language of the game) are no longer present, presumably for copyright issues.
• The music videos of the copyrighted songs have been replaced by a video showcasing a prototype version of the game, and the game's trailer. That said, the trailer is no longer accessible from the Bonus menu, but from the Extras one.
• The safety of the lift lever in the theater is already off.
• The model for the shotgun you can find in the basement is incorrectly rotated, making it look like it's buried in the ground.
• There's a strange visual "glitch" that's in nearly every room in the basements and in several other rooms in Leafmore during the night. It seems to be the visual effect of the laser when being fired, which is only featured in the improved version. Maybe the developers wanted to apply it to said weapon but failed, causing the glitch.
• The sound of the keys when Walden opens the door of the administration building to the courtyard sounds louder.
• During the CGI intro scene, the names of the protagonists lack the style they used to have, they are way simpler.
• Also, during the introduction, Josh's face is different, it lacks expression. Maybe the CGI scene used was an early version that had to be used to remove the song "Still Waiting" by Sum 41.
• The music bonus menu was changed, having a lot more songs unlocked from the start. In the Basic release, only the main menu theme was unlocked before beating the game. (to be confirmed)

Moreover, it seems like Mighty Rocket Studios wanted to apply some of the improvements made in the Enhanced version of the game, so here are some other changes made in the Steam version:

• The Morgenstern uses the spiked bat model instead of the one of the medieval mace, but the texture wasn't modified accordingly, so it looks glitchy. Also the images used in the inventory and the Extras menu didn't change: it's still the medieval mace.
• The short CGI cutscene where the lights turn on in the dining hall was changed to the one of the Enhanced version, which shows some other instances of the building.
• The animation for Ashley's special attack with bats was changed to the one of the improved version (in which the girl moves forward), but once the animation is done, Ashley moves magically to the position she was when performing the attack.

The buried shotgun

The visual "glitch" in the basement, highlighted in red.

Ditto

Ditto

The Morgenstern weapon in the Steam version

Josh's face and styled name on PC version.

Josh's face and name on Steam version.

Trailer option in Bonus menu (PS2).

No more trailer option in Bonus menu (Steam).

Trailer visible from Extras menu (Steam).