Observer

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 104
  3. Negative: 20 out of 104
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  1. CoreGamer1408
    Aug 25, 2018
    7
    What is wrong with the performance the frame rate drops and frame rate stuttering on the standard PS4? Coming off the back of just playing and finishing Soma by Frictional games I think they do the spooky/creepy walking simulator with a few puzzles thrown into the mix better. The lacking part is the main local which is just plodding around small tiny corridors knocking on doors talking toWhat is wrong with the performance the frame rate drops and frame rate stuttering on the standard PS4? Coming off the back of just playing and finishing Soma by Frictional games I think they do the spooky/creepy walking simulator with a few puzzles thrown into the mix better. The lacking part is the main local which is just plodding around small tiny corridors knocking on doors talking to people through just a intercom service. The game does kick up a gear now and again and that is when the Observer, becomes really stylish and interesting. 11/10 clever move for the developers getting an iconic cyberpunk actor from Blade Runner as the playable character in a cyberpunk game. When I really think about it? I bought the game based solely on the fact he was in it. I can't say I am disappointed with my purchase.… Expand
  2. fastdak25
    Aug 27, 2017
    6
    If I was grading this on PC it would be an easy 0 as it wasn't even functional. No in-game audio and progress froze before I could eve get out of my squad car. Refunded it immediately on Steam then bought on PS4. Still on my PS4 Pro it still had severe frame rate issues throughout the game.

    Game itself was ok at best IMO. Didn't really get a horror feeling, though there were a few    If I was grading this on PC it would be an easy 0 as it wasn't even functional. No in-game audio and progress froze before I could eve get out of my squad car. Refunded it immediately on Steam then bought on PS4. Still on my PS4 Pro it still had severe frame rate issues throughout the game.

    Game itself was ok at best IMO. Didn't really get a horror feeling, though there were a few cheap jump scares tossed in. Has a few areas where you must avoid a monster that pats around (typical horror game trope) almost exactly like in Outlast. A lot of the visuals were pretty crazy though, being high might make the game too much for you. Get it on sale, worth a walk through (80% of game is just a walking sim) if you're into the whole distopian, cyber-punkish scene.    … Expand
  3. Odogreviews
    Aug 29, 2017
    6
    Observer is an indie cyberpunk survival horror game that stars famed actor Rutger Hauer who is famous for playing Roy in Blade Runner. Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies of all time and as a fan of survival horrors games I was thrilled to play Observer. Sadly, Observer seems to get the cyberpunk atmosphere mostly down but suffers from frustrating gameplay sections at times and aObserver is an indie cyberpunk survival horror game that stars famed actor Rutger Hauer who is famous for playing Roy in Blade Runner. Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies of all time and as a fan of survival horrors games I was thrilled to play Observer. Sadly, Observer seems to get the cyberpunk atmosphere mostly down but suffers from frustrating gameplay sections at times and a plot that seems like it is going to tell a philosophical story but instead opts to tell a simple murder mystery rather than a thought provoking story that I was hoping for. Let’s start with the positives. Observer has pretty great visuals for an indie game. The graphics are detailed and gritty and show the neon soaked streets of the game’s setting of Krakow Poland. The game is also atmospheric and can be very tense at times putting the player on edge. Observer tells a very creative story about a world destroyed by a terrible war that caused Krakow to be the only remaining main city in the world. The city is controlled by a corporation that profited from the war. You play as Daniel Lazarski who is an Observer a special detective that works for the corporation’s police force who has the ability the hack into the minds of others. He is given an emergency call from his son telling him that he needs his help. Daniel tracks his son’s signal down to an apartment in the bad part of town and the mystery begins. Overall the story is good and toys with many interesting concepts such as what it is to be human, the dangers of technology, the threat of unchecked capitalism, and privacy in the digital world. The game is well written and the dialogue between the tenets of the apartment building are interesting and thought provoking. Despite the game’s twist and turns Observer ends on a basic horror twist ending and makes the events that have just happened feel meaningless. The gameplay in Observer is very basic which mostly gets the job done. The player is tasked with investigating crime scenes and hacking the minds of people throughout the game. The player can switch between Daniel’s two visions to organic or inorganic material. The gameplay will sometimes do something different and ends up failing such as hide and seek sections and scripted moments where you forced to solve puzzles which can be frustrating. The game also does a poor job of letting the player know where to go. Often the player is forced to just wander around and randomly button mash to see what will happen next. Observer is a decent experience that has a great atmosphere, plays decently when the game isn’t forcing failed gameplay experiments on the player, and tells a compelling story that sadly ends on a sour note.

    6/10: Above Average    … Expand
  4. SWERY_51
    Aug 22, 2017
    5
    As a huge fan of Blade Runner, this game seemed to be awesome. Unfortunatly, the atrocious framerate on base PS4 (sometimes it's not higher than 10 fps!) make it just completely unplayable for the moment. I hope a patch will correct that ASAP, right now, avoid it at all cost...

    (This review will be updated when the game will have a stable framerate)
  5. 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
  6. wesker2012
    Mar 6, 2019
    6
    Layers of Fear was one of my favorite horror games ever, so I really wanted to like The Observer. I love the graphics and Blade Runner atmosphere. The gameplay and pacing was not good though. The controls were under par too. Some of the nightmare sequences went on and on. I loved the visual effects in Layers of Fear, but in this game, it just gets repetitive. Great setting, but itLayers of Fear was one of my favorite horror games ever, so I really wanted to like The Observer. I love the graphics and Blade Runner atmosphere. The gameplay and pacing was not good though. The controls were under par too. Some of the nightmare sequences went on and on. I loved the visual effects in Layers of Fear, but in this game, it just gets repetitive. Great setting, but it needs better gameplay.… Expand
  7. arrivist
    Dec 8, 2022
    7
    An amazing mind-f*ck. Like your worst nightmare an acid trip combined. Observer is unique and a nice change from the usual mindless an badly written games. The developers clearly put a huge amount of work into it. It never gets dull or lets up.
  8. CamyVero
    Jun 7, 2020
    7
    This is a first-person horror graphic adventure, very much like the studio's previous works such as 'Layers of Fear', or like classics such as 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent', incorporating a very successful cyberpunk setting.

    The strength of the game is its story, almost a science fiction film with elements of horror. It has some easy to solve puzzles and a linear development with few    This is a first-person horror graphic adventure, very much like the studio's previous works such as 'Layers of Fear', or like classics such as 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent', incorporating a very successful cyberpunk setting.

    The strength of the game is its story, almost a science fiction film with elements of horror. It has some easy to solve puzzles and a linear development with few secondary ramifications.

    Good game to finish in a rainy weekend.    … Expand
  9. Bakoluk
    Aug 31, 2021
    5
    Graphics 7/10
    Playability 5/10
    Entertainment 4/10
    Story 6/10
    Overall 5/10
  10. Blood8282
    Feb 23, 2019
    7
    By the creators of the horror game 'Layers Of Fear', Bloober this time take the player into a dystopian future in which a major corporation rules society. Mainly taking place inside an apartment block, in the most run-down part of the city, a police officer goes looking for his son. The awesome cyberpunk atmosphere, great script and intensely psychedelic passages while hacking intoBy the creators of the horror game 'Layers Of Fear', Bloober this time take the player into a dystopian future in which a major corporation rules society. Mainly taking place inside an apartment block, in the most run-down part of the city, a police officer goes looking for his son. The awesome cyberpunk atmosphere, great script and intensely psychedelic passages while hacking into people’s minds make it a fresh and enjoyable horror experience. However, while the game makes you think at first you'll be solving puzzles to advance in your case, you soon realize that this is mainly a walking simulator. I hope they make a sequel that includes deeper gameplay.… Expand
  11. painava
    May 21, 2020
    7
    Big improvement from Layers of Fear! Engaging story, good gameplay mechanics and cool visuals. At some point I felt like there was too much going on and felt there were too many nightmare sequences.
  12. AbuAyoub
    May 3, 2020
    6
    I liked the atmosphere a lot, great soundtrack and the sound effects in some particular areas were splendid.

    It is like an a walking simulator, but with much more depth to it. I would recommend it, but be aware that there might be some glitches trophy-wise. I has to do a second playthrough to achieve the Platinum, but should be doable in one. Also the game crashed on me a few times. But    I liked the atmosphere a lot, great soundtrack and the sound effects in some particular areas were splendid.

    It is like an a walking simulator, but with much more depth to it.

    I would recommend it, but be aware that there might be some glitches trophy-wise. I has to do a second playthrough to achieve the Platinum, but should be doable in one.

    Also the game crashed on me a few times. But other than that it was a great journey!    … Expand
  13. hileger
    Jan 19, 2023
    5
    обсЁрвер хуйня визуал будто на ссали на ебло мылом и от этой игры (умер рутгер хауэр) постскриптум ДА Жалко было этого добряка !
  14. Awanka
    Feb 27, 2021
    7
    A fascinating dark journey into a futuristic dystopia where technology is used to control, oppress, and exploit almost every facet of life. I had put off playing this for quite a while because I didn't know what to make of it from the descriptions. It's definitely not what I expected. Reminds me a bit of Soma with its claustrophic techno/steampunk atmosphere. The first half of the gameA fascinating dark journey into a futuristic dystopia where technology is used to control, oppress, and exploit almost every facet of life. I had put off playing this for quite a while because I didn't know what to make of it from the descriptions. It's definitely not what I expected. Reminds me a bit of Soma with its claustrophic techno/steampunk atmosphere. The first half of the game starts off very strong. The game is very atmospheric, and the setting is ingenious in its environmental storytelling, which speaks of people suffering quietly and beaten down, ruled by sociopathic corporations that don't care about them. Playing the game, there is an ominous feeling of constantly being surveyed, and a voyeuristic thrill exploring other people's homes and horrific secrets. This game is blacker than "Black Mirror" as it references cannibalism, organ farms, and child abuse. The walls are covered in holograms that show brilliantly subversive and disturbing advertisements.

    The second half of the game was less interesting for me. This game was developed by the same people who did Layers of Fear, and if you've played that game, you have a good idea of what it's about. You enter surreal visually impressive and schizophrenic dreamscape sequences which involve taking a linear path forward and experiencing various sequences, kind of like a haunted ride crossed with an escape room. When you get stuck, you must experiment trying different things until you find the "trigger" to allow you to continue to the next sequence in the simulation. Often this involves ping-ponging back and forth randomly wondering what the trigger is supposed to be, and it can be frustrating. These are interspersed with some bad stealth sections similar to the games Soma and Amnesia(There has to be a way to make these more engaging.)

    I was worried towards the end that the storyline was becoming sappy and cliched, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. 7/10 for being kludgy, frustrating, and a bit buggy, but also dark, disturbing, and original.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. DualShockers
    Dec 12, 2017
    85
    The beauty of its terror is that it is not earned cheaply.
    Read full review
  2. The Digital Fix
    Oct 18, 2017
    60
    A beautifully realised and often harrowing cyberpunk tale let down by repetition and gameplay which is both simple and frustrating in equal measure.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 15, 2017
    90
    Bloober has constructed a little game with a story that feels so much bigger than most Triple-As will manage this year. [Nov 2017, p.92]
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