It’s a world of little freedom, no trust, sad stories, and impending war.
It’s a world where if you know your place, you might just be able to live your life without any trouble.
Beholder 2 by Warm Lamp Games and Alawar Entertainment released for the PlayStation 4 on the 22nd of October, throws you in to this world with little fanfare. It just simply is – a reflection of what it must be like to live in such a reality. Your protagonist, Evan Redgrave, has just recently gotten a job in the communist ministry, a coveted position by many citizens, just after his father died. After quickly discovering your father’s death was no accident, Beholder 2 becomes more complicated.
In Beholder 2, there are critical decisions that must be made. You can dutifully follow orders, and most likely eventually rot in your menial job, or try to work your way up to the top. The latter comes with consequences, tough choices, and distasteful outcomes. It’s clear after playing just a few hours that Beholder 2 is not a game for the soft-hearted. This cruel world does not offer happy endings, although you might try your hardest to create some.
The people in the government are manipulative, twisted, and untrustworthy. Anyone could report you for the slightest misconduct, resulting in termination in the harshest sense of the word. So you, Evan Redgrave, toughen up, because something happened in this Government and your father died because of it.
From the very beginning, the music of the game sets the tone. Ominous and haunting, the strings sent a shiver down my spine in apprehension as the title appeared on my screen. The graphics achieve the same result. Simple yet beautiful, the artwork encapsulates the complicated nature of the game. Everyone is black and white, stark against a faded colorful background.
Some inspiration for the game is clear: Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, both highly acclaimed dystopian novels that depict how silence and controlling governments aren’t all that they seem. Reflections into our own society are prominent as well.
Gameplay-wise, I was impressed. Beholder 2 utilizes a choose your own adventure style of game play, allowing you to decide exactly how to make your way through the government and uncover the secrets that hide inside the belly of the beast. Branching choices are also involved in dialogue and outside adventures that may or may not advance the tasks set for you.
While at your job, a goal is to gain ‘Authority,’ or clout. This clout allows you to climb the work ladder, persuade others to tell you information, or let you get away with crimes, just to name a few options. Just be careful to balance your Authority accumulation, coworker manipulation, and self-interests with your ticking clock, as most actions have a price in terms of time. You can only accomplish so much in a day.
All the characters in Beholder 2 are unique and interesting in their own ways. They each have their own personalities that allow them to survive (or not) in their government jobs; they each have their own motivation; they each all play an integral part in hopefully advancing your own career, if you’re the exploitative type. The dialogue at every turn is clever, full of back story, and world building. Cold humor also laces almost every word, providing the type of laughs that people living in this supposedly black and white world might appreciate.
After the initial start, the storyline might stagnate as you succumb to the tediousness of your job of processing citizen requests and get adjusted to how life will be like from now on.
But after you get the hang of how to act and use your intelligence to get what you want, the story takes off.
As mentioned, Beholder 2 has a lot to offer, but it’s dark. Playing nice will only get you so far, and this is a zero-sums game. With every gain you achieve, someone lost something, be it an apartment, their job, or their lives. But you have the end in sight, whatever that may be for you, and that’s what matters… right?
A mix of mystery and dark comedy, with a twist of Soviet/Orwell inspired landscapes, Beholder 2 is quite an entertaining game. It will make you question your morals, your goals, and your government.
And there’s no going back.
A simply amazing game, Beholder 2 will provide you with many hours of entertainment if you have the guts to stomach the narrative.
End score: 9.5/10
Check Out the Beholder 2 Video:
For more information, please visit here. Beholder 2 is also available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam.
PlayStation 4 Review
I'm Zepora, a junior at UC Berkeley studying Economics. I grew up attached to my Game Boy playing the Pokémon games, but now I turn to my consoles as break from school work when I'm not busy with lacrosse. I prefer RPG's with a some action, such as Elder Scrolls and Assassin's Creed (which is my favorite franchise) but am also known to play Super Smash Bros until 3am with my friends.
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