>observer_ , a descent into the hell of the mind [Game Review]

Technology's ability to isolate us from what makes us human is at the heart of many horror stories. While pacemakers allow people with bad hearts to continue living, it doesn't preclude the possibility of other internal modifications that could change how we see, or how we think - maybe for the worse. If scientists can grow organs to replace our damaged kidneys and cancerous stomachs, maybe they could create chemical compositions to make us more docile, or. And Facebook and social media allows us to connect to others but it also allows us to hide away from the world, to avoid taking risks, to filter our social interactions to the point of complete isolation from conflicting ideas.

At the heart of >Observer_ is this fear of isolation, that not only has technology infiltrated our living spaces, but also our hearts and minds and infected us in ways that we don't quite understand. We've become victims not just of physiology, but of engineering. And those that would seek to control or oppress us can use those technological tools to enforce their will.

Observer_ is a first-person cyber-punk horror videogame about a dystopian future in 2084 Poland. The similarities to Bladerunner are immediately obvious, nonetheless because the main character is voiced by Rutger Hauer, who was the titular villain Roy Baty in the Bladerunner Movie. But also because of the dark and gritty landscape, the punk glitter of rusty neon and dirty rain and mysterious computers.

The game is developed by Bloober Team, who is also the developer behind the psychological horror game about an obsessed painter called "Layers of Fear." Like Layers of Fear, Observer's attention to detail is stunning. The environments are dark and claustrophobic, but lovingly crafted. Each room that you enter feels unique, and is a master-class in level design.

The game starts out when you're in police cruiser, and you receive a message that your estranged son is nearby, and in trouble. You end up at a run-down tenement where you find a murdered man in your son's apartment, and your son missing . The tenement is put on lock-down and you're trapped inside with the murderer. Luckily, you're part of a taskforce called the neural police, with the ability to deep-dive into people's minds and observe their memories, dreams, and fears. You're also, like most people in this world, bio-mechanically engineered and not entirely human. You're equipped with both electromagnetic and bio vision which can assist you in searching out crime scenes.

Most interactions with other humans in the game are through screens (With the exception of the apartment's custodian) which furthers the isolation your character feels. And the humans you do encounter are often crazy - lost in obsessive dreams, hallucinations, or sickness, cut off from everyone. Nothing feels completely human. Nothing is warm or safe. There is no relief from the obsessive and unrelenting darkness that permeates the game.

Where the game really shines is in the neural dives. You enter the minds of people and traverse their haunted nightmarescapes of memory and fear. Memories are never linear, and you have to move through not only the memory itself, but through that person's pathologies. Monsters stalk you through the twisted mazes of their minds. You enter gorgeous and surreal landscapes. You confront the deep and overwhelming psyches of the ordinary person in this world - dejected and rejected human beings, filled with fear, struggling to survive while clawing through their own neuroses. You see how everyone around you has a rich inner life with its own mythologies.

Observer_ is not an ordinary horror game. There are rarely any jump scares, no combat, and few encounters with monsters. But it creates a deep and unnerving environment which will strike anyone who sees the possible horrific implications of technology, and the dark places it could take us.

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