Observer
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe
Developer BlooBer Team Sa publisher aSpyr price $ 29.99 AvAilAble At STeam, gog observer-game.com
Being an Observer kind of sucks. It’s low-paid work for a domineering corporation that involves enduring invasive biotechnological augmentations, an immunosuppressive drug dependency and a mandate to pry on the sub consciousnesses of the depraved citizens of tech-noir Krakow, 2084.
For player-character Daniel Lasarski, the night that Observer takes place is particularly unpleasant. After receiving a distressing call from your estranged son and tracing the signal to a lowerclass apartment complex, you happen upon a series of grisly murders. This meticulously crafted first-person cyberpunk thriller admirably takes queues from Deus Ex, System Shock, The Cell and Blade Runner (Rutger Hauer even plays the protagonist), as crude electronics, body augmentations, neon lights, heavy rain, smokey exhaust ports and dilapidated buildings set the stage for a dark trip.
In true cyberpunk detective style you’ll sift through seedy apartments hacking terminals, reading emails, studying forensics and jacking into the minds of others. Your high-tech rummaging is assisted through the use of two scanning augmentations: one for biological data - identifying blood stains, suspicious markings and injuries - and another for electronic signals - revealing which equipment can be interacted or interfaced with.
Scanning for these points of interest is a solid mechanic and helps sell the detective aspect of the experience, though one single scanning mode for both clue types probably would have sufficed; switching back and forth between “bio” and “tech” scanning
the emotional impact is heavily reliant on standard horror conventions
visions as you probe a murder scene tends to add more nuisance than nuance to the gameplay.
As an Observer, Lasarski’s most powerful tool is the ability to jack into the minds of other augmented characters, taking the player through nightmarish sections of the game to explore the warped subconscious of traumatised subjects in search of answers. While some impressive shader effects and tripped out visuals make these psychonautic invasions quite interesting to look at, their emotional impact is heavily reliant on the standard horror conventions we’re all familiar with: a screech here, an audio-distorting crackle there, violent shakes, objects shifting by themselves and the odd jump-scare. Honestly, it’s piled on a little thick. I tended to rush these portions of the game, hoping around each corner for the end to the segment, which often took a little too long to arrive.
Things get more severe the deeper you travel into the night. Lasarski becomes increasingly unhinged as his mind wrestles with the situation. These moments make for a suitably dramatic arc for the character, but I don’t think Observer gives players enough time to enjoy its more subtle gameplay before going full Event Horizon on them. The regular setting of the game is very successful at being ominous and eerie without resorting to the tacky tropes of the horror genre. MICHAEL JENKIN