![]() As I say, it’s definitely more thriller-esque than horror, but that’s not to say that there aren’t a good few jump scares. There’s a lot of creepy imagery and audio going on, and even eventually some uniquely presented stealth sections too. Each of the few we do are different and bring to the party tricks and effects seen across Bloober Team’s other titles, such as when we enter a room to find there is no exit, so we’ll need to spin around before the room changes entirely and we’re suddenly running down a corridor a la Layers of Fear. These sequences are both the best and most confusing things in Observer. While a lot of the scanning is simply to fill out the world and story, upon finding a dead (or almost dead) person, he is able to hack into their mind and try to figure out what happened to them. When searching a scene it is vital to swap between them to find everything and also pay close attention to every little detail as some of the clues can be almost microscopic and are easily missed. He is able to scan environments and people using either Electromagnetic or Bio Vision one to search for tech clues, the other organic clues. This detective work forms the bulk of Observer’s gameplay. We play as Daniel Lazarski, an Observer detective – part of a force set up after a virus called the Nanophage caused war and rampant drug abuse – who is able to hack into people’s minds in aid of doing his job. ![]() I’m not sure how much it’s making use of truly next gen features, but what is here works excellently. This remade version does look stunning, with plenty of nicely detailed rooms and areas to see, and some excellently lit scenes that heighten the tension. The fairly condensed area in which the game is set still manages to squeeze in plenty of neon, holograms, and automated droids in among some truly grotesque imagery, while later areas go full force on the tech side of things, almost reminding me of the underground labs of Resident Evil. There’s plenty of cyberpunk-y visuals and themes, with body augmentation – and the effects it can have on people – a big part of the package. Bloober Team are well known for their horror titles in recent years ( Layers of Fear, Blair Witch) but Observer tends to skew more towards thriller than those titles. I’ve not played the original release, so came in here fresh having only really seen a short trailer or two. On the other, I came away from it bewildered about what was going on, amid some odd technical issues. Reviewed on Xbox Series X using code provided by the publisher.The Observer is an interesting title on the one hand, it is absolutely dripping in atmosphere with this Redux version layering on some stunning visual effects that really increase the immersion. Observer: System Redux is available now on PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC. A little too reliant on jump scares for my taste.Some great tension builds towards the ‘scare’ moments.Great world building and lore background.A strong visual upgrade on an already great looking game.While the original nailed the aesthetic of a cyberpunk future’s ghetto, the next-gen version also offers raytracing, animation improvements, and some tweaks to the somewhat underwhelming stealth sections that really help make them more playable and fun. The remaster offers up new side cases that flesh out the plot a bit, helping show a bit more of the backstory of the world and what it’s like to be one of Poland’s ‘Class C’ citizens. ![]() The timing on this release seems almost too on point, as the plot features a KPD detective – voiced by the late Rutger Hauer – who is in the opening stages of investigating his son’s call for help when the building is locked down by a plague called Nanophage. Anshar provided art remastering and gameplay improvements, along with some new content for the port to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, along with a PC version. The team is currently working on The Medium, planned to launch with the Xbox Series line of consoles but now delayed into early 2021, so they tapped Anshar Studios to remaster Observer for next-gen consoles as Observer: System Redux. Layers of Fear was a creepy delight, followed up by strong releases in Observer – read that review here – then Layers of Fear 2, and finally their interpretation of Blair Witch. The decrepit setting of Observer's futuristic cyberpunk ghetto was already strong, but better textures and lighting in Observer: System Redux really take it to a new level.īloober Team, a Polish game developer, has been around for 12 years and put out several games in a variety of genres, but it wasn’t until they switched to horror that they really found their groove.
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