I’ve never thought about how terrifying it could be to navigate a sea vessel at night during a heavy storm. I’ve seen a few videos of what it’s like to be on a ship at night, with nothing but open water and black all around you. It’s eerie and uncomfortable, and that’s exactly the vibe you’ll get from playing La Obscura.
La Obscura, developed by Duke of Null, was released just a couple of hours ago on Itch.io as a submission to the 1-Bit Jam (Light and Dark theme). It was created in just seven days and has a short runtime of about ~20 minutes, give or take. You can play it for free on the La Obscura Itch.io page.
No time for praying
The game opens with you taking control of Raul Sol Blanco, the captain of the La Obscura. You are given a task to transport a questionably legal package to an island off the coast of Cubana in exchange for a hefty bounty of money, especially during the 19th century.
Not wanting to miss out on a great payday, Raul accepts the offer. As he’s readying to set sail, a short exchange between him and a grizzled veteran of the sea takes place. To paraphrase, Raul mutters a comment claiming ‘if god is willing, I’ll be home soon’ to which the dockhand replies ‘god does not own the sea’.
“Now sail”
That’s all the story you are given and you are now at the head of the La Obscura all by yourself. Facing the beautifully pixelated black and white sun, your journey has begun. The controls are simple, allowing you to either turn left or right.
Occasionally, you’ll see some jagged rocks appear ahead of you, through a window that gives you a view of the dangers ahead. All you have to do is not ram the La Obscura into them. Sounds easy enough, right?
After some time of getting used to the calm seas and weaving between rocks, Raul drifts off, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, all hell breaks loose.
Raul wakes up to discover that a storm has broken out, and the waves are unruly and furious. You cannot see ahead of you, for nothing but a pitch-black world awaits you, only broken by the occasional strike of lightning. This gives you just a glimpse of what’s ahead of you and then you are plunged back into darkness.
The ocean waves pull and push you in directions and you are at the sea's mercy. Turning the La Obscura becomes difficult; the wheel turns on its own and fights against your feeble attempts at controlling your course.
The longer that you fight with the sea, the more you realize that something else is out there in the water. You can hear it moan and scream, and sometimes you may catch a glimpse of it. God isn’t with you in this storm, but something more terrifying is.
Visually and audibly unnerving
For a game that was made in just 7 days, La Obscura offers some of the best pixel graphics that I’ve ever seen. Everything is black and white, so it adds to making you feel unnerved while you wait for the next strike of lighting.
The ocean waves, calm or angry, swirl in an almost sickening way, making you feel all the more threatened. The rocks that jut out from the sea are black as the night, making it difficult to make them out in the midst of the dark storm.
Alongside these gritty visuals, you are bombarded with the sounds of the storm, immersing you even further. The waves crashing into the ship, which groans beneath the struggle, give the player the feeling that even the water alone feels like it wants you dead. Beautiful.
That’s not including the occasional whisper or groaning of what else lurks in the black waters. Not being able to see what is ahead of you is terrifying, but it’s considerably worse when you hear something but aren’t quite able to catch a glimpse of it. This is a perfect example of terror done correctly.
Final thoughts on La Obscura
La Obscura is a great horror experience that anyone can enjoy. There’s just enough challenge with navigating the ship in the storm in the dark to engage you for the full experience. It’s also pretty forgiving if you crash too much, so it’s not frustratingly difficult to see the game's conclusion.
If you have a fear of the open sea, you’ll absolutely hate La Obscura in the best of ways. I’m looking forward to seeing what other projects that Duke of Null will create. If you do give the game a try, support the dev by following their socials to keep up to date with their next endeavors.
Thanks for taking the time to read another one of my reviews! I’m always hunting down new games to play and researching indie game devs to help put them in the spotlight. If you want to stay up to date with my posts, sign up for email updates to stay in the loop.
I’m setting sail to find more games,
~Greysyns