Observer

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 316 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 206 out of 316
  2. Mixed: 68 out of 316
  3. Negative: 42 out of 316

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  1. Aloof
    Sep 19, 2020
    7
    A positive but imperfect experience. Great sound, beautiful atmosphere, cyberpunk-style and that can remember Blade Runner, but also Soma, and the latter in terms of gameplay in certain points seems the reference point. In terms of gameplay, however, the game disappoints, often too full of graphic effects, even annoying, almost forced, and a plot that is actually a bit frayed. I had higherA positive but imperfect experience. Great sound, beautiful atmosphere, cyberpunk-style and that can remember Blade Runner, but also Soma, and the latter in terms of gameplay in certain points seems the reference point. In terms of gameplay, however, the game disappoints, often too full of graphic effects, even annoying, almost forced, and a plot that is actually a bit frayed. I had higher expectations, but I recommend it… Expand
  2. gameking
    Mar 7, 2020
    7
    Graphics are good. But lights and effects disturbing sometimes. And my eyes are tired.Atmosphere is good. It shows the cyberpunk type.Story is not good not terrible. 6/10 ı think maybe 7. I played with gamepad and the controls are not too good.But still this game is a good game.
  3. Ascyltus
    Aug 16, 2017
    10
    It really is Layers of Fear meets Blade Runner, the soundtrack is great, I love the graphics and the atmosphere, very unsettling use of analog video and retro-futuristic set-ups.

    On another note, the PS4 Pro version runs horribly, with constant screen-tearing and fps drops. Beyond that, an insane cyberpunk dystopia that Philip K Dick could be proud of. Edit : SORRY, there is no    It really is Layers of Fear meets Blade Runner, the soundtrack is great, I love the graphics and the atmosphere, very unsettling use of analog video and retro-futuristic set-ups.

    On another note, the PS4 Pro version runs horribly, with constant screen-tearing and fps drops. Beyond that, an insane cyberpunk dystopia that Philip K Dick could be proud of.

    Edit : SORRY, there is no screen-tearing, it's actually a feature of the game when you forget to take your corporate-approved Synchrozine pill. Immersion 10/10 would take pill again.    … Expand
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 17, 2017
    8
    Observer
    Slow start but a great finish
    Observer is an about 6 and a half hr long cyberpunk styled psychological horror game where you play as detective Daniel Lazarski investigating an apartment building after he gets a call from his son adam, you spend the rest of the game trying to find out exactly what happened to your son and to the other murdered victims in this building.. This    Observer
    Slow start but a great finish
    Observer is an about 6 and a half hr long cyberpunk styled psychological horror game where you play as detective Daniel Lazarski investigating an apartment building after he gets a call from his son adam, you spend the rest of the game trying to find out exactly what happened to your son and to the other murdered victims in this building..
    This game is developed by the same team that made one of my most favorite horror games of all time layers of fear, so I was extremely excited to try this one out
    and admittedly I was very disappointed in the games first half…
    The first half to me felt like a door to door salesman simulator..
    youre just knocking on door after door until someone answers and you interrogate them to help you progress through the game
    Youre finding codes and throwing switched to access different areas and youll eventually find yourself investigating a crimescene, there are computers around with mini games within the game as well as documents to get you deeper into these characters, but this is where you do batman style scanning of the items at the crime scene trying to figure out exactly what happened to the victim
    but you can take getting information a step further
    you play as an observer.. youre able to plug into minds and see a distorted reality of your target to get answers buried deep in their conscious and subsconsious through a chip they have in their head, which is found by scanning them..
    these moments arewhere the game becomes great,
    a lot of puzzles and mind tricks and survival horror , shifting rooms much like the layers of fear games…
    and each one offers an intriguing and unique experience, stopping it from feeling repetitive like the investigator part of the game
    I didn’t necisarily find this game to be scary, but its definitely unsettling..
    and once you reach the end of that characters story things are blurry and you have to take a pill… this happens as you wander around the building for too long as well..
    im not really sure the point of this mechanic.. its just makes the game ugly, choppy, and hard to look at.. but it’s a thing and you have to look for these pills around the rooms.. but then youre back to being a door to door salesman..
    until finally youre not anymore..
    theres one final door to door section underground which is where I ran into the only bug during my play time where the night vision wouldn’t click off, thankfully this was fixed by backing out into the menue and coming back into the game…
    but the 2nd half of the game is very linear and is like one giant chunk of the mind hacking stuff and its great..
    shifting rooms, illusions, questions, answers, monsters…
    I much preferred going through these mind bending moments that made me fall in love with layers of fear so much…
    I was worried with the initial direction the game was taking, but the brilliant story telling pulled me through to the good stuff
    Who knows, maybe you end up liking the door to door stuff and finding codes and investigating areas..
    I didn’t.. and if you don’t I promise you that its definitely worth getting through the slow drag of the games first half and dealing with all of its knocking on doors, puzzles and switches to get to its 2nd half..
    Bloober Team delivers again with a great psychological horror experience
    I give Observer
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  5. WereSuricat
    Aug 15, 2017
    10
    wow a wonderfull game .. so weird !! in fact totally weird !! very cool. The graphic are pretty cool, not like a AAA game but very cool. The atmosphere wowww no AAA will try this because its too weird . And its for that reason I love so much this game . Because the dev go beyond ... and far beyond. A perfect game for all thriller, cyberpunk and psycho horror !! A little masterpiece :)
  6. AstiX
    Oct 18, 2017
    9
    This **** is **** insane! The amount of visual mindbending reaches madness levels and I loved it! Had the hairs on the back of my neck stand up each time I was doing a "mindscan". Absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring. The game also runs buttery smooth and without issues.

    The major issue I had though, is that for such a well developed game with so much devotion, they couldn't have    This **** is **** insane! The amount of visual mindbending reaches madness levels and I loved it! Had the hairs on the back of my neck stand up each time I was doing a "mindscan". Absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring. The game also runs buttery smooth and without issues.

    The major issue I had though, is that for such a well developed game with so much devotion, they couldn't have picked a worse voice actor for the main protagonist. His lines are delivered so lazily and in a monotonous voice that it kills immersion. Also having to stop in every 10 seconds to scan the area with every mode as to not miss anything kinda ruins the atmosphere and slows the flow.

    Looking forward to more from Bloober Team.    … Expand
  7. lipesg
    Aug 15, 2017
    10
    Is like Blade Runner meeting Layers of Fear. The atmosphere is insanely well crafted. The story makes us go forward. And the parts where we hack into the mind of people are just insane as Layers of Fear, with nightmarish visions and abstract things happening around us, the surroundings shifting, and we never know what to expect next.
    Bloober Team just did it again!
    I'm loving this game    Is like Blade Runner meeting Layers of Fear. The atmosphere is insanely well crafted. The story makes us go forward. And the parts where we hack into the mind of people are just insane as Layers of Fear, with nightmarish visions and abstract things happening around us, the surroundings shifting, and we never know what to expect next.
    Bloober Team just did it again!
    I'm loving this game just as I loved Layers of Fear.    … Expand
  8. kraenk
    Aug 16, 2017
    10
    As soon as I realised this game was made by some polish developers I got curious. By experience most developers from Eastern Europe always care a lot for a unique style, story and atmosphere and luckily I was not disappointed. A dystopian horror adventure with great character and a likeable protagonist!
    Do me a favour...watch the first hour or so in a let's play...if you like what you see    As soon as I realised this game was made by some polish developers I got curious. By experience most developers from Eastern Europe always care a lot for a unique style, story and atmosphere and luckily I was not disappointed. A dystopian horror adventure with great character and a likeable protagonist!
    Do me a favour...watch the first hour or so in a let's play...if you like what you see buy it! Small developers who dare to bring us experiences like that deserve to be supported!    … Expand
  9. Kamamura
    Aug 16, 2017
    3
    Despite the fact that the game borrows many props from the Blade Runner movie - eerie volumetric lighting, desolate future mixing futuristic looking tech with decaying old buildings, even Rutger Hauer's voice (who sounds really old and tired, and does not deliver the lines with much energy, to be honest), despite all that, and all the flickering, motion blur and distorted sound, the gameDespite the fact that the game borrows many props from the Blade Runner movie - eerie volumetric lighting, desolate future mixing futuristic looking tech with decaying old buildings, even Rutger Hauer's voice (who sounds really old and tired, and does not deliver the lines with much energy, to be honest), despite all that, and all the flickering, motion blur and distorted sound, the game fails to cover the simple fact that it has nothing to say. It drags you from one cheap jumpscare to another (especially during the scenes where you rummage through other people's minds), hoping to somehow impress, but it fails miserably.

    There is no poetry combined with a brilliant soundtrack Blade Runner had, there is not deep theme to ponder about, it's an incredibly shallow show that in the end will give you only a headache from all the flashing lights.

    It's pretentious, it drags on without saying anything, it uses dark interiors and visual distortions to cover the fact that the levels and objects are lazily designed, and it has no meaningful gameplay.

    I understand why companies make walking simulators like this - it's cheaper, easier, there are no complex mechanics that must be debugged and balanced, but let's hope this style of games won't become the prevailing trend. It was so bad I did not even finish the game, which does not happen often.    … Expand
  10. Artemyster
    Oct 15, 2017
    10
    Отличная игра, сюжет, музыкальное сопровождение, графика - всё на уровне, а дизайн, стилистика игры - выше всяких похвал. Игра стала одним из моих любимых хорроров, на равне с Soma. Также, спасибо за скидку 25% для обладателей Layers of fear, игра обошлась всего в 400 руб.
    10/10    Отличная игра, сюжет, музыкальное сопровождение, графика - всё на уровне, а дизайн, стилистика игры - выше всяких похвал. Игра стала одним из моих любимых хорроров, на равне с Soma. Также, спасибо за скидку 25% для обладателей Layers of fear, игра обошлась всего в 400 руб.
    10/10
  11. James85
    Sep 1, 2017
    10
    Wonderful graphics. Very good story. Everything is positive. I play game for hours. Game borrows many from Blade Runner but currently we are missing many games of such type and quality.
  12. metatif
    Sep 10, 2017
    10
    I give 10 for the story, which in my opinion is excellent and something that I did not expected to when buying the game. Every one was speaking about cyberpunk, but the story and the way they shown peoples mind hacking is brilliant in my opinion.
    From the other hand this game has its weak sides too, but it is so creepy and second part of the game was real blow for my mind. Looking forward    I give 10 for the story, which in my opinion is excellent and something that I did not expected to when buying the game. Every one was speaking about cyberpunk, but the story and the way they shown peoples mind hacking is brilliant in my opinion.
    From the other hand this game has its weak sides too, but it is so creepy and second part of the game was real blow for my mind. Looking forward for next game from the Bloober Team. Another step up after Layers of Fear.    … Expand
  13. Pawelotti
    Dec 29, 2017
    10
    Cyberpunkian work of art. It makes you see things you people wouldn't believe. Enough said.
  14. Bluncheonmeat
    Aug 31, 2017
    10
    This game does a very good job of delving into the seedy underbelly of an archetypal cyberpunk dystopia. It feels like you've entered the sketchiest apartment complex you can imagine. The world that the devs created is bizarre, but surprisingly credible. You really get the sense that all the advanced tech that you see had been hastily retrofitted on top of the crumbling husk of theThis game does a very good job of delving into the seedy underbelly of an archetypal cyberpunk dystopia. It feels like you've entered the sketchiest apartment complex you can imagine. The world that the devs created is bizarre, but surprisingly credible. You really get the sense that all the advanced tech that you see had been hastily retrofitted on top of the crumbling husk of the modern world. The game also does a great job at exploring the possible (mostly negative) implications of cybernetics and technological advancement in general.

    My favorite parts of the game were simply when you are exploring the apartment complex and talking to the tenants. The conversations were very well done and the voice acting of Rutger Hauer creates an intriguing juxtaposition. I enjoyed the optional side-investigations as well. The neural interrogation sequences and the main storyline, while interesting, were not as engrossing as the other aspects of the game, in my opinion. Perhaps I need to think about those a little more before I can fully appreciate them.

    Overall, I think this is a fantastic game. I've never played another game quite like it.    … Expand
  15. rogerxman
    Sep 1, 2017
    0
    I mean, to be honest, this game is a walking simulator which makes me sick. The illumination feels the game developer just chuck every filter in a unity plugin into the game. It is a harsh game.
  16. rodericrinehart
    Dec 10, 2018
    5
    The game had a good premise and looked like something I would enjoy. For example, I thought Soma had a decent story but mediocre gameplay and a slow first half. I thought Outlast 2 had decent horror but still was just a ok/good game. This game has cyberpunk and dystopia, but the gameplay is pretty atrocious. It absolutely definitely feels like a 20-year-old game, warts and all. I gave itThe game had a good premise and looked like something I would enjoy. For example, I thought Soma had a decent story but mediocre gameplay and a slow first half. I thought Outlast 2 had decent horror but still was just a ok/good game. This game has cyberpunk and dystopia, but the gameplay is pretty atrocious. It absolutely definitely feels like a 20-year-old game, warts and all. I gave it enough time to see if I would like it, but it was too much time, honestly. It was simply boring and reading the summary of the story was more than enough to escape the poor gameplay.… Expand
  17. kurt_russell
    Jan 27, 2020
    8
    More twisted than Oliver Twist eating a Raspberry twister during the movie 'Twister'.
  18. gold
    Jul 5, 2019
    10
    Да сюжет заезжен, да болит голова (в начале, далее нет), да не страшно, да симулятор ходьбы, но всё ровно увлекательно (нет, лучше интересно) и затягивает с головой. Симуляция помех, гличей, искривленний, багов, и т.д. отлична, сама графика на уровне. Музыки как таковой я не услышал (может плохо слушал, или эти гличи в звуке и была она).
    Итог: годный проект. 10/10    Да сюжет заезжен, да болит голова (в начале, далее нет), да не страшно, да симулятор ходьбы, но всё ровно увлекательно (нет, лучше интересно) и затягивает с головой. Симуляция помех, гличей, искривленний, багов, и т.д. отлична, сама графика на уровне. Музыки как таковой я не услышал (может плохо слушал, или эти гличи в звуке и была она).
    Итог: годный проект. 10/10
  19. Chrysler
    May 28, 2018
    10
    This game is one of the best out there,this proves overhyped games are nothing compared to a good indie one,I love this game so much,in the end the underrated prevail over the overhyped.
  20. ToMajonez
    Jul 27, 2018
    10
    The storytelling and visual art are excellent. This game is a masterpiece. PS: One of the best mini - games "With Sword and Fire: Spiders".
  21. RazorSamurai
    Jan 1, 2019
    5
    визуализация на высшем уровне, ни в какой другой игре вы не встретите эти эффекты

    смысл, лор, геймплей, выбор, диалоги вообще все пустая трата времени, это кинцо но и не кинцо и не игра такой какой она себя позиционирует полный шлак, общага сделана на отъебись, просто бродишь по комнатам и смотришь заскриптованные сценки с артхауосом где тебе в уши срут и происходит какафония эффектов.    визуализация на высшем уровне, ни в какой другой игре вы не встретите эти эффекты

    смысл, лор, геймплей, выбор, диалоги вообще все пустая трата времени, это кинцо но и не кинцо и не игра такой какой она себя позиционирует
    полный шлак, общага сделана на отъебись, просто бродишь по комнатам и смотришь заскриптованные сценки с артхауосом где тебе в уши срут и происходит какафония эффектов.
    типа это не игра и не кинцо чисто тебе даже тут делать нечего, самое обидное то что люди типа вау какая атмосфера какой глубокий смысл смотрите киберпук, типа машины нас захватят аааа 10 из 10, нет, это полный шлак для олигафренов    … Expand
  22. BulgarianCritic
    Mar 28, 2020
    10
    This is one of the greatest games and most interesting games that you can play.Everything in it is just amazing the voice acting is top notch the gameplay is interesting even though it's mostly a walking simulator and the story is pretty interesting.The environment is one of the best features that this game has because you understand the world only by hearing from its crazy insane tenantsThis is one of the greatest games and most interesting games that you can play.Everything in it is just amazing the voice acting is top notch the gameplay is interesting even though it's mostly a walking simulator and the story is pretty interesting.The environment is one of the best features that this game has because you understand the world only by hearing from its crazy insane tenants and by experiencing the insane and **** up things when entering their homes.The idea of societal isolation ruled by technology and giant corporations isn't something new but this game makes it incredibly well and interesting that will instantly get you hooked in the world and make you want to play and learn more about it and its inhabitants.An amazing game that makes you want to explore every corner the only bad part about it is that it's short.10/10… Expand
  23. Keskin
    Jul 5, 2020
    1
    ı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont likeı dont like
  24. martinpt
    May 12, 2019
    8
    Another masterpiece from Aspyr and Bloober Team

    Graphics: 8
    Music: 7
    Atmospheric: 10
    Story : 10
    Content : 8
    Controls : 7
    Gameplay : 10
  25. Mandulum
    Jul 30, 2018
    6
    Haiku Review: Track a murderer / Observing makes no sense, random / It is all so dark
    Favorite Thing: The story/investigation kept me going. That and Fire and Sword.
    Least Favorite Thing: Things were a bit too random. It felt like random for the sake of random. Date Completed: 2018-07-25 Playtime: ~ 6.5h Enjoyment: 6/10 Recommendation: I'm a soft 'yes'. Fans of horror or cyberpunk    Haiku Review: Track a murderer / Observing makes no sense, random / It is all so dark
    Favorite Thing: The story/investigation kept me going. That and Fire and Sword.
    Least Favorite Thing: Things were a bit too random. It felt like random for the sake of random.

    Date Completed: 2018-07-25
    Playtime: ~ 6.5h
    Enjoyment: 6/10
    Recommendation: I'm a soft 'yes'. Fans of horror or cyberpunk should find some enjoyment here.    … Expand
  26. PublicNuisance
    Jul 1, 2018
    8
    If you're looking for a cyberpunk walking sim then >observer_ is a great choice. It is in many ways a throw back to 80's sci fi right down to having Rutger Hauer as a voice actor. It had a great plot, good visuals, good performance and the few quirks it did have didn't overshadow the good parts.

    The gameplay is a mesh of walking sim in the exploring the apartment building that you are    If you're looking for a cyberpunk walking sim then >observer_ is a great choice. It is in many ways a throw back to 80's sci fi right down to having Rutger Hauer as a voice actor. It had a great plot, good visuals, good performance and the few quirks it did have didn't overshadow the good parts.

    The gameplay is a mesh of walking sim in the exploring the apartment building that you are trapped in, solving puzzles and some stealth portions where you have to sneak by monsters who can insta kill you. qThe exploration parts were really well done as there is a good amount of lore and backstory that can be found on the soceity, tenants of the building and present events. The puzzles were pretty well done, most are straight forward and only a couple tried my patience. The stealth portions are a little annoying at times because I found that if I left the game and re opened it the last checkpoint could sometimes be farther back then it should have been when I was close to a monster. I know I saw the game saving but if I quit and came back in I started back further than I was before. This only seemed to be around the monster bits.

    The visuals were pretty good. The game has good lighting and great art direction. Some things like the blood look kind of strange and the skin of people looked strangly fake but overall it was above average. The game had an alright set of options. You could adjust between two types of AA, a toggle for SSAO, support for Vsync and 7 other options to play with. ALT-Tab also gave me no issues. It does lack certain things such as an FOV slider, manual saves and was locked to 60 FPS. If there is one thing I dislike about being locked to 60 FPS, aside from it not putting my 144hz display to use, is that when locked to 60 I find games often times drop down in to the 50's a lot rather than stay at a smooth 60. >observer_ had this issue as well.

    I played on Linux and can say it was a well done Linux version. Overall the game ran great maxed out, only the random odd rops into the 50's every so often. It will need a beefy CPU though as back wehn I had my FX-9590 my typical FPS was in the 40's pretty much all the time but my Ryzen CPU fixed that. The game only uses 1-2 CPU cores so performance per core matters a lot. My top CPU usage while playing was 38% and was usually closer to 15-20% for the bulk of my playthrough so having a ton of cores doesn't matter. My total system usage for RAM was 2.5GB-3GB while playing so you won't need tons of RAM either, just a beefy CPU and GPU if you want to max it out. It also never crashed once on me.

    My system:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 18.1.1 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Solus 3 | Kernel 4.17.2-78.current

    My score: 8.5/10    … Expand
  27. Dannystaples
    Jul 14, 2019
    6
    It's alright.
    The controls are pretty annoying. Panning cameras around takes what feels like several lifetimes. Controlling the little bot things is just terrible. It moves around slowly and feel like there is input lag all the time. So you just end up bouncing off the walls everywhere you go.
    The waypoint and navigation system in the game are broken. It will tell you you need to go    It's alright.
    The controls are pretty annoying. Panning cameras around takes what feels like several lifetimes. Controlling the little bot things is just terrible. It moves around slowly and feel like there is input lag all the time. So you just end up bouncing off the walls everywhere you go.

    The waypoint and navigation system in the game are broken. It will tell you you need to go through doors that don't open and it doesn't acknowledge vents which you need to go through to bypass the closed doors. So many hours in this game were wasted wandering around wondering how to get to where I needed to be.

    The story leaves a lot to be desired as well. It's basically 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stupid alien obelisk and all.

    And just like 2001, it has a totally and utterly incomprehensible ending. 2001 gets something of a pass for its ending because that film was undoubtedly ahead of its time and it more than made up for it with the cinematography.

    This game's cinematography has been seen many many times before. It doesn't get a pass for being average. Yet it still seems to think it deserves a ridiculous cliffhanger ending.

    No you don't deserve that, you simply didn't finish the game. Why were the timelines crossed over? HOW did they get crossed over? What were they trying to achieve. Why did they select Emma specifically?

    None of the questions were answered but unfortunately the answers were the only thing that mattered in this game because frankly everything else was average.

    Yet we didn't get the answers so alas the game will remain average. I gave it a 6 because it was very pretty and frankly being in orbit around Saturn will always be frigging awesome.

    Also correct me if I am wrong but I don't think you know how momentum works. When the ship is entering Saturn's atmosphere at the end you did a burn to try and get it free again. It doesn't work so decide the jetison the arm modules. This will reduce the mass of the ship sure but you would THEN need to do another burn in order to get yourself back on track. But you didn't. Or at least you didn't tell us you did.

    Yet we are supposed to believe that the remaining ship managed to get itself out of Saturn's atmosphere and all the way back to Earth without a second burn. No. Just no.

    Also how the hell did she end up on the ground outside of the ship? Even being thrown out of the module when it landed would have splattered her on the rocks.

    Then she SOMEHOW merges with an AI and is presumably programmed to start that process all over again for reasons that are never explained.

    Basically just wasted six hours of my life.    … Expand
  28. matgaj
    Dec 21, 2018
    6
    Observer is a walking simulator. Disguised by cool-looking visual effects and opening doors to spooky rooms, but still. The game lasts for about 4-5 hours but in my opinion, it stops being fun to play after maybe 2. From this point, you just want to finish it as quickly as you can to see the ending and get answers to your questions. You stop paying attention to the ambience of spookiness,Observer is a walking simulator. Disguised by cool-looking visual effects and opening doors to spooky rooms, but still. The game lasts for about 4-5 hours but in my opinion, it stops being fun to play after maybe 2. From this point, you just want to finish it as quickly as you can to see the ending and get answers to your questions. You stop paying attention to the ambience of spookiness, flickering textures and countess jump scares.… Expand
  29. nitorita
    Apr 15, 2020
    9
    Wow, this game blew my mind. I had no idea what I was getting into, and reviews gave me mixed expectations, but as soon as the game began and I reached the very first room, I knew it was going to be good.

    Now before I begin, a short warning. This game is full-blown horror. If you do not want to play a game that could seriously give you nightmares or give you a panic attack, take a pass    Wow, this game blew my mind. I had no idea what I was getting into, and reviews gave me mixed expectations, but as soon as the game began and I reached the very first room, I knew it was going to be good.

    Now before I begin, a short warning. This game is full-blown horror. If you do not want to play a game that could seriously give you nightmares or give you a panic attack, take a pass on this. The game presents itself in the media as a first-person adventure, but it is definitely not as simple as that. If you've played Amnesia: The Dark Descent before, you'll know what to expect from this.

    >observer_ is a cyberpunk horror where you play as an augmented detective trying to find your son. The game does not hold your hand, pushing you to put your sleuthing to the test and to solve the puzzles it throws at you. It gives you just enough hints to get you going, and then you have to figure out the rest.

    One major element of the game that stands out is the atmosphere. You are supposed to be this invincible cop, but you never feel that way. You feel human. Once you enter a victim's mind, you feel your heart racing as you try to see how much you can stomach before you have to take a break. Jump scares exist as well, but they're far from cheap. They're timed in a way that you'd never see them coming.

    This game is an underrated gem that people who like horrors and mysteries should definitely try. It's not easy, and keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire time, but the journey's rewarding. The eerie environment genuinely sends chills down your spine and makes you uncomfortable throughout. It may not be perfect because of some strange moments, but it definitely deserves a high score, hands down.    … Expand
  30. TanSula
    Apr 22, 2018
    9
    Научную фантастику я люблю, читал Азимова, Филиппа Дика и других известных фантастов, смотрел кучу фильмов, ну и игры в этом жанре тоже стараюсь не пропускать, поэтому Observer купил сразу же. Запуская игру, я ожидал типичного линейного хоррора на 6/10, а получил чуть ли не лучшую инди 2017 года.
    Observer - это психологический хоррор в сеттинге киберпанка с элементами детектива, с    Научную фантастику я люблю, читал Азимова, Филиппа Дика и других известных фантастов, смотрел кучу фильмов, ну и игры в этом жанре тоже стараюсь не пропускать, поэтому Observer купил сразу же. Запуская игру, я ожидал типичного линейного хоррора на 6/10, а получил чуть ли не лучшую инди 2017 года.
    Observer - это психологический хоррор в сеттинге киберпанка с элементами детектива, с бесподобной озвучкой (Рутгер Хауэр подарил голос главному герою) и хорошим и интересным сюжетом. Действие игры происходит в общежитии, в котором проживают проститутки, наркоманы и просто отборное быдло (хотя есть и более-менее адекватные люди), прогуливаясь по зданию, мы будем видеть кучи мусора в коридорах, полнейшую антисанитарию, надписи на стенах, разбитые туалеты и другие прелести жизни в трущобах, в общем, с мрачной атмосферой жизни в антиутопичном киберпанковом будущем всё в порядке. Графика в игре неплохая, но не более. Геймплей не сильно отличается от Layers of Fear, никаких перестрелок и боёв с монстрами, мы просто ходим по этажам и разговариваем с жильцами, расследуем убийства (изучаем место преступления, улики, проникаем в сознание людей) и пытаемся узнать, что вообще происходит. Основная история и второстепенные квесты интересные, хотя, конечно, никаких новых идей в сценарии нет, всё это уже было в книгах, фильмах и играх (в той же SOMA поднимаются похожие темы). Рекомендую Observer всем любителям сюжетных инди-игр, киберпанка и хорроров.    … Expand
  31. Archound
    Oct 26, 2017
    8
    Very good. Stunning VFX. Good voice acting and atmosphere. Unfortunately, plot lacks of depth. Furthermore, an excellent idea of speaking through "viewfinder" was not fully utilized.
  32. RagingPoet
    Aug 23, 2018
    8
    Observer captures the essence of Cyberpunk perfectly with gorgeous and bleak visuals and amazing level design.
    Exploring the Stacks and talking to its tenants is hands down the best part of the game.
    But the 'nightmare' levels are not very good: they are very linear and have annoyingly twitchy visual effects. Observer overall creates great sci-fi horror atmosphere, but spoils it from    Observer captures the essence of Cyberpunk perfectly with gorgeous and bleak visuals and amazing level design.
    Exploring the Stacks and talking to its tenants is hands down the best part of the game.
    But the 'nightmare' levels are not very good: they are very linear and have annoyingly twitchy visual effects.

    Observer overall creates great sci-fi horror atmosphere, but spoils it from time to time with extremely lame jumpscares.    … Expand
  33. sidex100
    Jan 11, 2020
    9
    Great game, I liked everything.
    For the money, the game offers a great story, clear gameplay and an amazing atmosphere.
  34. SinitarGaming
    Aug 19, 2018
    9
    Ever imagined yourself the Blade Runner meetting atmospheric horror and then, built into the first-person detective game where protagonist is voiced by Rutger Hauer himself?

    Observer is an another hidden gem of Cyberpunk genre. A first-person pshycological sci-fi horror. The world of Observer is a true dystopia - gloomy and bleak world suffering from scars of war, pollution and    Ever imagined yourself the Blade Runner meetting atmospheric horror and then, built into the first-person detective game where protagonist is voiced by Rutger Hauer himself?

    Observer is an another hidden gem of Cyberpunk genre. A first-person pshycological sci-fi horror. The world of Observer is a true dystopia - gloomy and bleak world suffering from scars of war, pollution and self-destruction, half-dead dirty cities and millions of people, dragging on their existence in tiny flats, with cybernetic implants, holograms, drugs, or all this together trying to escape the disgusting reality.

    You are a Daniel Lazarski, an observer - a corporate tool, a dog-sniffer. You're the one who arrives when crime is made and there are no evidences....or....they are deep inside half-broken mind. You are diving deeply into memories, fears and gallucinations of the victims and murderers, trying to get infromation you need to stop another crime...or to find your own answers.

    Observer made a masterpiece work in plunge player into the bleak and blurry reality of cyberpunk dystopia, gallucinations and madness. During the walktrough, protagonist is struggling more and more between about investigating the crime and his own family problems, trying to find his long ago disappearead son. Did Adam really called you or it was just an another hallucination, fed by melancholy attack and critically low level of stimulators in your half-mechanized body? Are you really sure that diving into memory of a maniac, you will not change yourself even a bit? After everything you saw, are you still thinking you are doing a right job, or you're just a blind pawn in the paws of corporation - same blind and crazy as everyone else around you?

    Through dark and ambient wordlspace design, high psychological pressure, amazing soundtrack, thrilling detective elements, jumpscares and sudden perception of disturbing and sometimes disgusting facts - Observer will make you remember such titles as Matrix and Ghost in the Shell, and give you an amazing plunge into intriguing, terrific reality, one of the possible scenarios of how our own world can evolve if we will let technological progress control ourselves.    … Expand
  35. Grachechkovski
    Jun 2, 2019
    8
    A virtuous indie horror game from the creators of "Layers of Fear".

    The spirit and style of the developers can be felt in this game, compared to the previous one (also passed earlier). However, it didn't spoil the experience of the game. The psychedelics are great, and even in the setting of cyberpunk it looks great and original. The plot is typical detective, but I will not say that    A virtuous indie horror game from the creators of "Layers of Fear".

    The spirit and style of the developers can be felt in this game, compared to the previous one (also passed earlier). However, it didn't spoil the experience of the game.
    The psychedelics are great, and even in the setting of cyberpunk it looks great and original.
    The plot is typical detective, but I will not say that a trivial and primitive. In my opinion it would be possible to expand it a little bit as some moments are presented too crumpled.
    I am glad that there are two endings here.

    Compared to the company's previous game, there was more madness in it, because there's a story about an artist and it's more skillful. But I expected that it would be just as cool here. Cool, but not enough. Although it can be compensated by the amazing cyber-punk atmosphere and entourage.

    Total: 7 severed heads out of 10.
    It is possible and necessary to play.    … Expand
  36. Gelaos
    Jul 11, 2021
    6
    I started Observer expecting it to be a dark cyberpunk adventure game. And it was exactly that. Blade Runner-like setting and captivating atmosphere are by far the best thing about this game. Also, Rutger Hauer does an excellent job as the main protagonist. Story-wise the game is okay, but gameplay could be better a bit however. Sometimes it wasn't exactly clear what to do or where to go,I started Observer expecting it to be a dark cyberpunk adventure game. And it was exactly that. Blade Runner-like setting and captivating atmosphere are by far the best thing about this game. Also, Rutger Hauer does an excellent job as the main protagonist. Story-wise the game is okay, but gameplay could be better a bit however. Sometimes it wasn't exactly clear what to do or where to go, which caused me to roam blindly. Observer is overall a decent adventure, although little rough around the edges.… Expand
  37. Lumic
    Mar 3, 2022
    0
    don't mix politics and games, how do you treat us the way we treat you, now I know what kind of company you are and how you deal with players, I will never buy your games again
  38. fernadoJadan
    Jun 29, 2020
    8
    Una interesante propuesta de terror con Cyberpunk, una historia buena y que siempre te deja con la incognita para seguir avanzando, y los momentos de las pesadillas son una locura total, tanto por lo visual, lo macabro y bien pensados que son los segmentos.
    No innova en nada, tampoco tiene muchas mecanicas, pero con lo poco que propone el juego se desenvuelve notablemente.
  39. PeakZach
    Jun 20, 2020
    3
    This game is absolutely stunning and fun to look at and explore. Unfortunately, the robotic futuristic world also affects your character's sense of vision and with the memory plug things get trippy quite fast. This leads for an exciting play, at first. However, realizing this is the bulk of the game, with either wayy too difficult puzzles that have no bearing connection, or puzzles thatThis game is absolutely stunning and fun to look at and explore. Unfortunately, the robotic futuristic world also affects your character's sense of vision and with the memory plug things get trippy quite fast. This leads for an exciting play, at first. However, realizing this is the bulk of the game, with either wayy too difficult puzzles that have no bearing connection, or puzzles that are too easy to be even considered one. The play becomes boring and effortless and the memories/experience leads to headaches and motion sickness trying to live through the otherwise haunting/terrifying experience that would have been such a thrilling journe.… Expand
  40. GoodMorningAss
    Jan 18, 2021
    7
    Great game, great graphics, great cyberpunka climat. I have lot of fun playing observer
  41. Sarcastic_Devis
    Feb 24, 2021
    8
    Un'autentica sorpresa. Dalla partenza un po' lentina, si passa poi ad atmosfere tetre e d'impatto, storia intricata al punto giusto, e personaggi caratterizzati alla perfezione. Le uniche cose che non mi hanno convinto fino in fondo sono le scenografie un po' riciclate e tendenti al claustrofobico, e il gameplay a cui ci vuole il suo tempo per abituarsi (in particolar modo con l'hacking).Un'autentica sorpresa. Dalla partenza un po' lentina, si passa poi ad atmosfere tetre e d'impatto, storia intricata al punto giusto, e personaggi caratterizzati alla perfezione. Le uniche cose che non mi hanno convinto fino in fondo sono le scenografie un po' riciclate e tendenti al claustrofobico, e il gameplay a cui ci vuole il suo tempo per abituarsi (in particolar modo con l'hacking). Oltre alle due perplessità che ho, è un gioco che mi rispolvero spesso e volentieri. Non vedo l'ora di provare la versione System Redux.

    8/10    … Expand
  42. SetPatrone
    Jul 29, 2020
    9
    Only giving it a 9 because I would have loved more npc interaction. While yes you get a lot of dialogue with tenants through the doors, you only see too few actually moving npcs. Its not your average horror game, you need to be active in exploration, reading everything and making sure you understand otherwise you wont get that feeling that "this might be our future one day" vibe. NotOnly giving it a 9 because I would have loved more npc interaction. While yes you get a lot of dialogue with tenants through the doors, you only see too few actually moving npcs. Its not your average horror game, you need to be active in exploration, reading everything and making sure you understand otherwise you wont get that feeling that "this might be our future one day" vibe. Not everyone will be interested in actively searching in order to be creeped out, you need to be a detective here. Story is strong and mind bending, plus there are little side stories that you can find, they will make you question many things especially your role in the story even your own beliefs irl. Replay-value is lacking, but I found myself enjoying he 2nd and the 3rd time as i found many more details and mini stories while taking my time with the main story.… Expand
  43. bandinisvevo
    Aug 7, 2019
    9
    Este juego es magnífico. Creativo, inteligente, magníficamente diseñado y dibujado, con una historia estupenda y un ambiente sobresaliente. De veras bueno. Un ejemplo de cómo los videojuegos pueden llegar a ser, de hecho, una forma de expresión profunda y adecuada. Explorativos, sugerentes, nuevos. No puedo dejar de recomendarlo. En serio. Mucho mejor que muchas películas de cienciaEste juego es magnífico. Creativo, inteligente, magníficamente diseñado y dibujado, con una historia estupenda y un ambiente sobresaliente. De veras bueno. Un ejemplo de cómo los videojuegos pueden llegar a ser, de hecho, una forma de expresión profunda y adecuada. Explorativos, sugerentes, nuevos. No puedo dejar de recomendarlo. En serio. Mucho mejor que muchas películas de ciencia ficción. A la altura de memorable… Expand
  44. AllNewSuperfake
    Feb 26, 2021
    6
    This is not a video game. It's an interactive 9/10 cinematic with all the interactivity of a video recorder.

    It's quite linear. There are no real puzzles to solve except for figuring out where the next PLAY button is. It might be opening a door, or scanning a book that is inside a drawer, you might have to walk a few steps or just turn around, but I never really felt like I'm    This is not a video game. It's an interactive 9/10 cinematic with all the interactivity of a video recorder.

    It's quite linear. There are no real puzzles to solve except for figuring out where the next PLAY button is. It might be opening a door, or scanning a book that is inside a drawer, you might have to walk a few steps or just turn around, but I never really felt like I'm investigating or figuring something out. There is only ever one solution to every problem, and it therefore rewards patience and nothing else.

    However, as far as video-recorder-mechanics go, "Observer" has quite a few, just like it has some very pretty aesthetics and sound.

    Having played this after Cyberpunk I'd even go as far as saying that they understood way better what a dystopia looks like, and made it lot more inhospitable, messy and dark. Observer's cyberpunk is not stylish and cool, it's poverty is crushing and ugly, and it's technology has become a prison for it's citizens. It's claustrophic, hostile and outright depressing (and I recommend it for that) and has excellent voice-acting and sound design on top of that.

    It would however do much better as an actual film or animation that let's those qualities shine.

    The plot doesn't gain anything by being permanently on pause while you stumble through it's dark, glitching setpieces looking for the next scene to play. Dialogue choices, while seemingly plenty, don't really change anything, and there is no replayability. While the actual cinematic you are "playing" shames the likes of David Cage by being engaging, better paced and way better narrated, it's still that.
    So if you like this kind of "game" this is borderline a must-buy; even with some nitpicks about the controls it would be easily a 9.

    To me it still felt like watching a let's play where I had to do all the work, and I'd rather see the movie, so it's only a 6.    … Expand
  45. Matii888
    Sep 17, 2019
    7
    Basically Blade Runner: The Game! Well realized cyberpunk world with great atmosphere, story and mystery. The only thing I dislike about the game is the "dream" sequences... They feel really cheap to me and not on par with the regular gameplay.
  46. Crimert
    May 18, 2020
    8
    I enjoyed this game a lot! I can advise this game to anyone who likes "Psychological Horror"! 8hrs on record.
  47. Chubac
    May 13, 2020
    8
    Great mix of cyberpunk and horror. Rutger Hauer gives a great voice-performance.
  48. hoanns
    Jan 31, 2021
    4
    Felt cheaply made, cypberpunk effects are over the top with annoying effects everywhere. Didn't play for long.
  49. AsGOGO
    Aug 3, 2020
    8
    This game was quite literally out of this world.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  50. skamz
    Nov 13, 2020
    7
    I'm a big fan of Bloober games, having just finished the Layers of Fear series and then moving on to Observer. This game definitely feels like a "level up" compared to those. Graphics in this game are incredible and, in Bloober fashion, there's a big focus on cinematography and hyperrealism. Suffice to say, it's very gratifying eye candy, for the most part. The problem is that some of theI'm a big fan of Bloober games, having just finished the Layers of Fear series and then moving on to Observer. This game definitely feels like a "level up" compared to those. Graphics in this game are incredible and, in Bloober fashion, there's a big focus on cinematography and hyperrealism. Suffice to say, it's very gratifying eye candy, for the most part. The problem is that some of the mindhacking sequences are really difficult on the eyes, and frustrating. I don't really want to spend the time to solve a puzzle in a dimly lit room with flashing strobe lights, thanks. Also, while this is a "walking simulator", it's more difficult than the Layers of Fear series, and I had to look at the walkthrough instructions at multiple points in the game. The game has extremely dense visual effects (on the level of Control, without all the explosions), and it's a litle funny how at times I'm not sure if it's my playstation being slow, or my character needs a fix of his cyborg-juce to replenish his senses.

    That being said, the visuals in this game are really top-notch, and if you're into walking sims, I would definitely play this one.    … Expand
  51. ErayTellezi
    Nov 17, 2020
    7
    Bir apartmanda geçen, cyberpunk temalı, korku türünde dedektiflik oyunu. Birçok açıdan Blade Runner filmine benziyor. Hatta karakterimizi seslendiren kişi filmin efsanesi Rutger Hauer. Ana hikayesi fena değil, yan hikayeler güzel. İnsanların beynini hacklediğimizde oyun çok başarılı bir korku oyununa dönüşüyor. Buralardaki ses efektleri ve bilerek koyulan glitchlerle sağlanan birbirindenBir apartmanda geçen, cyberpunk temalı, korku türünde dedektiflik oyunu. Birçok açıdan Blade Runner filmine benziyor. Hatta karakterimizi seslendiren kişi filmin efsanesi Rutger Hauer. Ana hikayesi fena değil, yan hikayeler güzel. İnsanların beynini hacklediğimizde oyun çok başarılı bir korku oyununa dönüşüyor. Buralardaki ses efektleri ve bilerek koyulan glitchlerle sağlanan birbirinden farklı atmosfer epey etkili. Dedektiflik kısımları da fena değil.… Expand
  52. FRIST_008
    Jun 14, 2021
    9
    Очень необычный симулятор ходьбы, по всюду веет киберпанком и нуаром. Если вы фанат хоть чего-то, то берите. Я ненавидел киберпанк и любил нуар про старых детективов. В итоге этот детектив своим голосом затмил вообще всю игру.Очень необычный симулятор ходьбы, по всюду веет киберпанком и нуаром. Если вы фанат хоть чего-то, то берите. Я ненавидел киберпанк и любил нуар про старых детективов. В итоге этот детектив своим голосом затмил вообще всю игру.
  53. OldManGamerOMG
    Feb 2, 2021
    3
    This has been an interesting experience. While I did not completely dislike the game, I found the audio and visuals to be chaotic and overall ruining the experience. The story seems ambiguous, which could be due to the writers/developers not knowing what direction to take the story, or that they did not want to give away a possible sequel game yet to come. In short, Observer is definitelyThis has been an interesting experience. While I did not completely dislike the game, I found the audio and visuals to be chaotic and overall ruining the experience. The story seems ambiguous, which could be due to the writers/developers not knowing what direction to take the story, or that they did not want to give away a possible sequel game yet to come. In short, Observer is definitely a niche game.

    The gameplay feels a bit rough around the edges, leaving much to be desired in clarity of what is expected of the player in utilizing the controls and their end goal. The inconsistent interaction with the surroundings leads to many moments of uncertainty, if something was no completed, or if you were wasting your time fiddling with the environment. For example, the tattoo shop has several items which are delightfully detailed and interacting with them accomplishes nothing, while the stereo and other computer is just background without any ability to interact with.

    The character interactions are lackluster. While it is good for a laugh at first, the door to door interactions become tedious. The linear quest input from the interactions often felt forced. When considering this is how they are talking to an identified police officer, it also comes off as a group of people who clearly have no respect nor fear of the law, or maybe they do not believe he is with the KPD. Either way, it felt like he was shrugged off at best, and at worst, disrespected completely. Perhaps that is how law enforcement is treated there, which if that is the case, then it was on point.

    I found the environment to be repetitive to a fault. This game reuses the same area and effects over and over, until you can remember every detail of the same wall/door/lock/laundry machine and so on. There is a very limited variation to the presentation of this game. Even the same tin can of food to be found over and over, opened exactly the same and to the same not completely open top each time. This was made painfully impossible to miss when going through certain sequences where the game has you going through some kind of brain sequence, which I would describe as a bad trip on drugs.

    The worst part of this game, for me, was the blandness of the main character. He could have been a speak'n'spell, and it would have come off about the same. I would describe him as a morbidly depressed and suicidal individual, who was just going through the motions of life.

    I do not recommend this game, due to the audio becoming headache inducing, visual being lackluster at best, and a complete lack of character development. The only positive was the ambiguous niche story, which could be explained in a single paragraph.    … Expand
  54. Voin_Vereska
    Dec 18, 2020
    9
    Понравился главный герой которой исполни хороший актер Рутгер Хауэр. Хороший симулятор ходьбы. Продуманный киберпанк и концепция . Минус беготня от монстров и много мигающий фигня в глюках.
  55. FakeHaouken
    Mar 12, 2022
    9
    Great sound design, breathtaking visuals and a truly captivating story. The game is rather short at about 7-8 hours but it never fails to amaze with its creativity during that time.
  56. pizzastation
    Jun 10, 2022
    0
    This is a horror game?
    The Bloober Team has created another boring walking simulator.
    They started destroying my eyes as well as frustrating.
  57. Reviewer13
    Feb 5, 2023
    9
    An incredibly well crafted and immersive horror story within a cyberpunk setting. Truly had me gripped in from start to finish. Some minor annoyances with the gameplay but didn't detract from a thoroughly enjoyable gaming experience.

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best PC Game of 2017
50
#50 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
15
#15 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 43
  3. Negative: 1 out of 43
  1. RPG Fan
    Nov 12, 2018
    79
    A brilliantly unique experience later soddened with unusual game design decisions.
    Read full review
  2. Adventure Gamers
    Nov 20, 2017
    80
    Bloober Team’s >observer_ marries cyberpunk and body horror tropes into an intense, disturbing sensory feast, for the most part successfully.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Oct 30, 2017
    80
    During 8 hours I spent with Observer I never felt that the developers’ creativity is waning. [10/2017, p.45]
See all critic reviews »