Observation

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 180
  3. Negative: 26 out of 180

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. greenstar
    May 31, 2019
    5
    Good production values, but story is very slow, dull and thankfully short in this case. The puzzles are well-integrated into the story mechanics, but feel more like work than fun. Watch a let's play of the first half-hour or so to determine if to your tastes. The 'Untold Stories' was similar pacing and mechanics.
  2. YeOldePa
    Jun 10, 2019
    5
    Having played "Untold stories" just before, I was hoping for enjoying a great story once more, but sadly, this time you are not surprised with twists or great revelations that stay in your mind for long. The fun in the beginning often turns into tedious work, and navigating the station modules is a pain for its own. The controls and the game UI are quite weak, the game pace is always slow.Having played "Untold stories" just before, I was hoping for enjoying a great story once more, but sadly, this time you are not surprised with twists or great revelations that stay in your mind for long. The fun in the beginning often turns into tedious work, and navigating the station modules is a pain for its own. The controls and the game UI are quite weak, the game pace is always slow. The suspense is good though and reminds of the classical scifi master piece "2001", it's the thing that helped me keep playing it through. Don't hesitate to use a walkthrough help.… Expand
  3. Rockr
    May 21, 2019
    7
    Cool story. 80's, Space Odyssey, Alien look. Graphics are awesome. A little slow paced sometimes. Great game. 7 out 10.
  4. theswedishdude
    May 22, 2019
    7
    Amazing and skillfully crafted presentation with great graphics, art direction, sound design and performances.
    The game does a great job of melding John Carpenter, Alien Isolation, 2001 and Interstellar.
    It perfectly sells the setting and does a great job of building and maintaining tension throughout most of the game. The gameplay ranges from fun to OK but can get tedious and even    Amazing and skillfully crafted presentation with great graphics, art direction, sound design and performances.
    The game does a great job of melding John Carpenter, Alien Isolation, 2001 and Interstellar.
    It perfectly sells the setting and does a great job of building and maintaining tension throughout most of the game.

    The gameplay ranges from fun to OK but can get tedious and even frustrating at times.
    The game works best when you play it trough the static cameras rather than with free 360 movement which you will have to deal with from time to time.
    Moving from point a to b can be alot harder and sluggish than it should be and the game can be very disorienting as certain points.

    The moment to moment gameplay is simple but engaging for the most part. The puzzles are very straight forward and easy with a couple of frustrating exceptions.
    I did get stuck a couple of times that wasn't because of puzzles but because at times the game is very unintuitive and does a poor job of guiding you in the right direction.

    You will also be asked you to rinse and repeat certain menial tasks like turning on power switches, continuously inputting random 3 button combinations, and scan every single room for interactable objects.
    Tasks that offer little in terms of satisfaction.

    While the story starts of very intriguing and got me hooked and making me want to find out more, you slowly realizes the writing is obtuse and nonsensical rather than deep and cerebral. The plot seems expansive at the beginning but there is little pay off and there are plot points that go nowhere.

    I did enjoyed my time with the game, so much so I finished it in a single session. I would recommend it for the moment to moment experience, despite some minor frustrations and pacing issues.
    Unfortunately, the story did leave me underwhelmed when all was said and done. I expected more when it came to the writing and I wanted something that stuck with me for days or weeks rather than being forgettable.

    If your into suspense, adventure games, walking sims and space, definitely pick this up. Just don't expect it's themes to be as awe inspiring as it's vistas.    … Expand
  5. Nobilis1984
    May 26, 2019
    7
    Preliminary criticism:
    Very strong start but fizzled out after an hour. Messed up takes the helm.
    I fly around the area with Sam and look off spaceships. Very annoying. In the space station itself, the player also finds his way around badly. Without navigation assistance, you will search for the other sections forever. But what makes the game positive is the good story line. Based on    Preliminary criticism:
    Very strong start but fizzled out after an hour. Messed up takes the helm.
    I fly around the area with Sam and look off spaceships. Very annoying.
    In the space station itself, the player also finds his way around badly. Without navigation assistance, you will search for the other sections forever.
    But what makes the game positive is the good story line. Based on 2001 by Kubrick, this is the best in many months. Kudos to the developers.
    The puzzles are ok but quickly wear off. Always the same thing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    … Expand
  6. dandalis
    Dec 20, 2019
    6
    Observation pulls you in with its mysterious plot, clearly inspired by some of the greatest sci fi space movies. The station is really well designed, with a lot of attention to detail, that makes it feel believable. When things kick off, the game is pretty good at building suspense and atmosphere. The voice acting is really good all around. The story, for me personally, made me care aboutObservation pulls you in with its mysterious plot, clearly inspired by some of the greatest sci fi space movies. The station is really well designed, with a lot of attention to detail, that makes it feel believable. When things kick off, the game is pretty good at building suspense and atmosphere. The voice acting is really good all around. The story, for me personally, made me care about Emma and constantly made me question my actions as i played as the AI, indicating that the writers did a solid job on their part.

    However, its the gameplay where i had issues with the game. On paper, playing as the station's AI is a neat idea, sadly in practice it is quite underwhelming, as movement can be clunky and sluggish once in sphere mode, im not counting the disorientation as a con as it made sense given the game's setting, its just the controls aspect, it lacks refinement. The camera movement, which is 2nd core gameplay aspect, is needlessly slow aswell, it may be realistic, but for an enjoyable video gaming experience's sake, a compromise could've been made to make it less sluggishly slow. Much of what you do in the game is busy work, and game often is really poor at explaining what you have to do and at hinting at your objectives.

    By the end, the game leaves you scratching your head and asking questions, but in a good way, i like it when not everything is served to me with a spoon. Despite cumbersome gameplay aspects, the game is worth playing for the story alone and is a pretty decent experience if youre a fan of movies like 2001 A Space Oddysey, Interstellar and such.    … Expand
  7. MastaDyemon
    Jun 13, 2019
    7
    ИИ это и есть станция, игрок играя за ИИ не знает что от него хотят, игрок не станция. У сферы маленький угол обзора, было бы лучше с "рыбьим глазом". Пропустил одну записку на стене или точку на карте изволь катать до посинения пока не найдешь. Нельзя отключить музыку, типа атмосферно. Сюжет и дизайн уровней отличные! Игра напомнила Чужой изоляция.ИИ это и есть станция, игрок играя за ИИ не знает что от него хотят, игрок не станция. У сферы маленький угол обзора, было бы лучше с "рыбьим глазом". Пропустил одну записку на стене или точку на карте изволь катать до посинения пока не найдешь. Нельзя отключить музыку, типа атмосферно. Сюжет и дизайн уровней отличные! Игра напомнила Чужой изоляция.
  8. Babutto
    Apr 27, 2022
    7
    Hard to write a review on it. It's sort of "rethinking" of Kubrick's "Space Odyssey" and Arthur's Clark "Space Odyssey." Here, they added some horror and mystery, the idea of transcendence. Also, I have noticed "Cloverfeld Paradox" ideas.

    Anyways, it's a nice game to play once. But it could be more at the end and more friendly with the controls. Curious what they are gonna show us next.
  9. geesloper
    Jan 26, 2020
    7
    Quite a neat little sci-fi puzzle thriller, with an unusual premise. Slightly let down by the fact that occasionally you hit 'puzzles' that are more rapid-fire dexterity tests (where there's no guidance as to what you need to do). The ending also doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's fun getting there.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best PC Game of 2019
74
#74 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Adventure Gamers
    Jun 28, 2019
    80
    Once you have mastered the interface and navigation challenges, Observation will sweep you up in a compelling story of human and machine interaction that offers a refreshing spin on a familiar sci-fi formula.
    Read full review
  2. GameCritics
    Jun 17, 2019
    85
    While there have been a lot of games like it recently, Observation’s interesting player perspective, stellar production values, and exceptional level of detail might just make it the best of them.
    Read full review
  3. The Overpowered Noobs
    Jun 17, 2019
    60
    Challenging puzzles and a thrilling story makes Observation truly fantastic — but launch prices paired with the brevity of the experience and its lack of replay value make it hard to recommend.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »