Observer has been released in varied forms now, originally released in August 2017 and then again on next-gen hardware with new title Observer: System Redux back in November of last year. You can read Gaming Cypher’s PlayStation 5 review of that HERE. Now at last the ‘System Redux’ edition is finally available on previous gen consoles, better late than never!
Observer: System Redux is an upgraded and expanded upon version to what was originally released in 2017. This is the edition that you’ll be getting from here on out if you will be purchasing the title on either PS4 or PS5. Bloober Team, the company behind horror game titles such as Layers of Fear 1 and 2, and Blair Witch took a different horror approach for this game. Set in a very cool and inventive cyberpunk-like world, this game plays out more like a psychological thriller. To add to this cool recipe, you also get an amazing lead actor who lends his voice and looks for the role, none other than the Blade Runner star, the late, great Rutger Hauer.
Having never played this game before and knowing the actor passed away in 2019, it was surreal getting a chance to play as him, not only that, but in one of my favorite roles he’s played in several years. You play a character named Daniel, who is an observer, which is more or less like a police detective. These observers have special tools that are unique in solving mysteries in this crazy cyberpunk future, such as hacking brain implants and multiple different viewing modes. Electromagnetic vision and bio vision help the player study crime scenes in different ways to find the clues necessary to progress the story and/or solve a mystery.
The game does a great job introducing these mechanics with its compelling story. Daniel heads to his son’s apartment who may have just died an awful death. Due to the violent nature of the crime, Daniel is hopeful the body he finds is not of his son’s. You are now invested in finding as many clues as you can to figure out what happened. Not only does the narrative brilliantly compel you to want to find out what happened, it sets a great stage to get the player to understand it’s mechanics.
There is one control mechanic that I struggled to get used to, which was the one to open doors/cupboards. Something that should be as basic as clicking a button they go the extra mile and make the player move in the same direction the supposed door opens. Which sounds simple enough, but I found it to be a bit on the wonky side.
Not wanting to spoil anything, all I can say is the story, its characters, and the overall journey of this game is great and I highly recommend it. I hear the PS5 version of the game takes advantage of the Duel Sense controller, and Bloober Team has announced that with a purchase of a PS4 version you get a free PS5 upgrade. I enjoyed the game so much I’m inclined to play it again with the PS5 version. If you’re a player who knows you’re only going to sit and play the game just the once and that’s it, then perhaps the PS5 version is the way to go. But I know there are thousands of PS4 gamers out there who haven’t upgraded yet and I still give the PS4 version High recommendations, plus you will have the PS5 version waiting for you later.
8.5/10
You can check out the Observer: System Redux Accolades Trailer here – https://youtu.be/xFuMt6fVLcg
For more information, please visit: https://observersystemredux.com/
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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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