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Observer system redux vs original5/31/2023 ![]() The graphical look of it is just fine, but nothing I can see owners of the original forking over more cash for a Series X version. To be honest, aside from the lighting, I could easily see this being played on my old Xbox One. Twice, I found myself not finding one single piece of evidence due to not pointing just right, and ended up leaving the area because I couldn’t figure out what I was missing.Īs far as the upgrades go with the System Redux version, I have no real comparison since I never played the original. I would have to be precise with my cursor and button presses to get things to activate and work properly. This also plays into the actual handling of the game. I was left wondering what I should do next a few times while investigating. Simplicity was the name of this game, and sometimes it was taken a bit too far. While it was never too difficult to find my way around, the layout and effects along with a sometimes-ambiguous direction had me wandering a bit too much for my liking at times. The game is a pseudo-open world but in the confines of the apartment complex. On top of that, Lazarski begins melding his memories with the person he is investigating, so I never knew what was exactly correct and what wasn’t, which was a main theme throughout the entire game – what’s real and what’s not? Not only am I going through the events of what happened to a victim, I am also going through their memories of key events and feelings throughout their life. These really push the limits to what Observer has to offer. ![]() The segments I’m talking about are the memory investigations that I talked about earlier. They occur during some really interesting segments of the game, but I did find them a bit tedious at times. The game relies on a few puzzles here and there and there are a few segments that will require the player to use stealth to get through some areas of the game as well. Lazarski is augmented with a few different vision sensors that allow him to examine electrical things and biological things in his environment. In fact, there isn’t much to the gameplay at all. The game itself is a first-person detective adventure. When he comes across a murder scene, he is now looking for the killer who just so happens to be locked in this apartment complex with Lazarski along with all the tenants. Lazarski is an “Observer” who has the ability and the authority to interrogate people using a mind-reading technique that allows him to “jack in” to the mind of a subject. In this time, humans regularly undergo digital and mechanical implant procedures that augment their senses and motor functions. For some odd reason, I never knew any of this, but now that I have played Observer: System Redux, I can say I’m glad I did.Īs Krakow police officer Dan Lazarski, played by Hauer, players are investigating an apartment complex in 2084. When asked to take on the next gen version of the game, I figured why not? To my surprise, not only is it developed by the Layers of Fear developers, but also stars the late Rutger Hauer. You don't need to be a cybernetic Sneak King to pass through these anymore, which allows you to get back to experiencing Observer's strengths before you get too bogged down in its weaknesses.I had always known about Observer, but never actually took the time to look into it. For one thing, the original's frustrating stealth levels have been reworked, and are much more forgiving than before. There are numerous little quality-of-life fixes made to the game that make it a leaner, more compelling, less mixed package. If you're coming to this for a completely new game, well, you're barking up the wrong tree.īut where System Redux differs in how much more easily it allows players to experience Observer's story. It's still a brisk narrative experience that unfolds in the same way, and it's still narrated with gravelly conviction by the late, great Rutger Hauer. While there are new story beats (very good ones, at that) woven into the main narrative tapestry, it's the same downtrodden and chilling tale of a cybernetic detective trying to figure out if his estranged son is alive. Sure, this is functionally the same game as the original from a narrative perspective.
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