I never had the opportunity to play the original Observer game from developer Bloober Team back in 2017. So when I saw that the game was being re-released with updated graphics and even some extra in-game content, I became very intrigued to see what the year 2084 had to offer me in Observer: System Redux. From all of the reviews and awards that the original won, I knew that I wanted to play it. Then when it was described as a psychological horror cyberpunk game, I was instantly hooked. With the updated graphics, jump scares, and the crime scenes of the victims, it did not fail to live up to the hype.
The first thing that became apparent to me is that Observer: System Redux is a walking simulator/point-and-click horror cyberpunk adventure. The atmosphere is beyond incredible. You are drawn into this immersive world and it really made me feel like I was surviving in a nightmarish future. Sometimes it felt so real that it gave me the feeling that this may not be too far off from happening in our personal future. From the ideas of technology and biology living on an equal level to the futuristic cyberpunk devices and gadgets and the overall feel of the game, it’s evident that Blobber Team put a lot of time into cleverly designing this world.
In the game, you take on the role of ‘Daniel Lazarski’, a special class of cop in this cyberpunk dystopian nightmare, in which he is able to enter people’s dreams and glean information, a sort of terrifying interrogation technique, which has been called an ‘Observer’. Rutger Hauer is spot on for the role and does a great job portraying Daniel Lazarski. The main role of the Observers is to determine what happened during the last moments of a murder victim. This is determined by hacking their memory as if you could directly feel, see, and hear someone else’s perceptions through their senses. I was also able to confirm objects and bio-traces via certain scanners that you also have in you. Just a personal note: You should rescan the places you have scanned previously. Just like re-watching a movie you have seen before, you will always have a chance to see something you didn’t notice the first time you saw it.
The game also gave me a break from the main storyline with the minigames where you get the opportunity for many hacking jobs. These are often required to test your thought process and it personally gave me a lot to think through to solve some of these very difficult puzzles. I got the opportunity to hack keypads, which honestly you’ll find most of these answers for the number codes nearby. You just need to look around very carefully and thoroughly. You can sometimes also decipher all keypad’s codes by hacking them all or there was one case where I just had to do one and all the keypads became unlocked.
Observer: System Redux is a true walking simulator. There is no open world here or a combat system. Despite its simple gameplay, this is truly an immersive experience and even though there is not much of a replay value here, I would still play this very dark and engulfing game again with friends. The ending left me wanting more, and sort of came abruptly. I was hoping they would’ve expanded upon it, or improved it a bit from the original, but alas. Still, no harm there, as the journey was well worth the destination. Overall, I must say that if you are a fan of the original Observer, then you should defiantly grab this, as it was just such an awesome experience for me.
Observer: System Redux for the PC is a fantastic remake of the multiple award-winning video game from 2017. With the incredible graphics and the cyberpunk feel with the horror aspect, this is a great game to play to hold you over until a new Cyberpunk game is released. Observer: System Redux is available on Steam and Epic Game Store now for 2 different prices $29.99 for the original and $34.99 for the Digital. The PS5 and Xbox versions are also available now for $29.99.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Observer: System Redux for the PC provided by Bloober Team and Aspyr.
