Observer

Observer is a wonderful game from start to finish. It is both fear-instilling and intriguing. So, if you're looking for a horror game that is visually striking and insightful enough to warrant self-reflection, Observer is a wonderful choice.

An audio and visual tour de force, Observer doesn’t pull any punches. It would appear that Layers of Fear was simply foreplay for Bloober Team; a warm up for the full-on craziness that Observer is. Combining investigation, exploration, stealth, puzzles, and a near constant barrage of horror, Observer is a meticulously created game that rarely puts a foot wrong. If you think you have the stomach for it, this could be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

While the long, immersion-breaking load times and repetitive nightmare sections are disappointing, horror fans will still find a game worth sinking their teeth into with Observer. Observer's story is reason enough to play the game to completion, but even those that aren't driven by the disturbing cyberpunk tale may still enjoy its puzzles and compelling crime scene investigations. Overall, Observer is a step up from Bloober Team's previous effort, Layers of Fear, and cements the studio as one to watch for horror fans.

The gameplay in these scenes is mostly focused on light, environmental puzzles with the rare ‘don’t get spotted by this creature’ moments. Looking at the right part of a room, walking in the right sequence of doors and even occasionally connecting multiple objects together as imagery symbolism bombards the player in a dream like manner. This can be problematic, but the environmental design by Bloober Team does a great job at directing the player where they need to go. Audio, lighting and good level structuring shine as I rarely felt lost even when the rooms around me were a labyrinth in layout...

Last year, Bloober Team delighted horror fans all over the world with Layers of Fear, a very good first person horror game featuring a rather disturbing story and characters as well as a setting that can only be described as the true stuff of nightmares. Now the team is back with yet another first person adventure game which addresses some of the issues of Layers of Fear while providing a setting and a story that can potentially be even more interesting, depending on the player's taste. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to enter the twisted world of Observer.

>observer_ is a wonderful futuristic Cyberpunk adventure game with plenty of detective work that adds the occasional scary thrill. The story is well written and the interrogation scenes are a wild, fun, vivid psychedelic ride.

Observer has some really noticeable issues, including some iffy voice acting, lame stealth segments, pixel hunt puzzles, and crashing issues. However, it's saved by better puzzles, some great imagery, and a story that is worth paying attention to.

Observer is a good psychological horror game with some minor road blocks that ultimately hold it back. Still, if you are looking for a horror game this summer, you could do far worse.

Observer has an original premise: a first-person cyberpunk detective experience with a side of psychological horror. It sounds like an intriguing combination but how well does it all come together? Let's take a look.