Oscura is a side-scrolling platformer with the eponymous character whose job was to protect the lighthouse. Its ray kept the dark creatures at bay, but when the power crystal explodes, the shards are shattered across the island and darkness takes over. The game consists of twelve levels set in the dark, unlocked one after another and then accessible from a menu.

There are two touch mechanisms to control Oscura. Either by touching the left or right side of the screen to make him move in that direction, or through two icons in the bottom left corner to make him move left and right. Additionally there is an icon to makes him (double) jump and one to stop time. In each level the main goal is to reach the exit, jumping on tilting platforms and moving objects, while avoiding creatures and spikes. There are two optional goals. Shards of the lighthouse crystal can be collected to fill up an hourglass. Once it is full, the icon can be tapped to slow down time significantly, making challenges easier. During slowdowns the screen is turned white. There are sometimes signposts in the environment that help point out when activating it will help for the next section. An additional goal is collecting four hidden or hard to reach gears in each level. The level select screen shows how many gears have been collected through star symbols. Checkpoints are activated by lighting lanterns. Oscura has instadeath, but the character immediately respawns at the last lantern.

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