Observer is like a Neo-noir, Philip K. Dick-inspired fever dream. All the staples are there: a gritty cybernetic future, a gruff detective, an oppressive corporation, neon lights in a dark atmosphere, etc. If you are a fan of this aesthetic, then this would be a perfect game to hold you over until a new Blade Runner movie is released.

Observer essentially plays like a First-Person Adventure game with horror elements. There is no traditional action so you won’t be running and gunning. Instead, most of the gameplay is talking to NPCs and investigating scenes for clues. The pace of the gameplay is slow, but that’s not to say that there isn’t excitement and tension; there is plenty of both packed in here.

You play as Detective Daniel Lazarski, voiced by the Neo-noir alum Rutger Hauer. Having caught a case in an apartment complex, things start to go South quickly once you arrive. A body is found that maybe your son and then the entire complex goes on lockdown; this means both you and the killer have no way to escape. The premise is great, and along with the setting, hooked me immediately.

Investigating some… slash marks? Inside an apartment complex? Very strange…

The idea to have the game in one big apartment complex was great. It allowed for this world to be fully realized and detailed. After a while, I was able to navigate without the use of the map because I had become so familiar with the layout. The creation of the map was thoughtful. There are landmarks around like the lobby and the courtyard to orient yourself, as well as multiple signs and room numbers posted around to help. Also as a result of the confined map, I did truly feel trapped, even claustrophobic, at times.

Also, despite the focused location, the worldbuilding is wonderfully done in Observer. Through both the set dressing and the conversations, the developers have constructed a fully realized world. There are wires everywhere and the apartment residents don’t like to leave their rooms. There is a hierarchy, which seems to be determined by the overlord Corporation and there are talks of a calamity that happened. People have implants, sometimes a lot.

The conversations typically take place through these small video screens since people don’t like to leave their rooms

Speaking of the implants, Detective Lazarski has a bunch himself. These are the foundation for the investigative mechanics in Observer. You have the ability to turn on two different augmented vision functions. Electromagnetic vision will highlight any electronic devices and Bio Vision will highlight any biological substances. You can switch between these (and regular vision) at will, helping to find clues and solve puzzles.

You also have a DR-3AT implant, or “Dream Eater”. This allows you to jack directly into people’s minds and observe (get it) their memories. This is where some of the coolest experiences in the game happen. These sequences are trippy, surreal, and dark; like walking through someone else’s nightmares. You are able to navigate these memories to unravel more of the story, and they even have some puzzles included which need to be solved to progress. Definitely a highlight of the game for me.

An example of one of the trippy Dream Eater sequences

Observer can be tense and frightening at times. Since the pace is slow and it is not action or run-and-hide oriented, it is not like a traditional horror game though. Instead, Observer relies on surreal imagery, nightmarish atmosphere, and some jump scares to bring the horror. For me, this is a good thing. I enjoy horror movies but typically hate playing horror games. Playing Observer was more like an interactive movie or a virtual haunted house; creepy and chilling, but not anxiety-inducing.

The graphics are gorgeous and add to the immersion of this grimy world. However, the Switch seems to have a hard time keeping up with them at times. I experienced slowdown and frame drops on multiple occasions. Also, there are no traditional load times while exploring. Instead, you have to wait for doors to open while the content loads on the other side. So, there are some annoying technical issues here, but nothing was game-breaking.

There is some good tongue-in-cheek humor around as well

I did have some other concerns as well. The voice acting was very hit-or-miss. Some of it was done great, with well-written and well-delivered dialog. Other times, it felt forced and hammy. With a game that spends a lot of time on conversations, this can become a bit grating. Also, the conversation options didn’t seem to matter. When talking with people, you essentially just click through to exhaust all options. It would have been nice to have a bit more a mechanic here. It could have even promoted replayability. However, I ended up feeling like why did the developers even give me options if they aren’t going to matter? Why not just play it like a cutscene at that point? The detective vision and investigation mechanics were also lacking at times. Sometimes it felt great to hunt and find the clues, and other times I was driven crazy trying to look for that one thing I didn’t notice.

This game isn’t perfect by any means; there are issues. However, I’m such a sucker for the Neo-noir, cyberpunk aesthetic that I was able to see past much of it. The atmosphere, the mystery, and the cool, nightmarish brain-hack sequences propelled me enough to see it through. It would be difficult to recommend this game to anyone that isn’t a huge fan of this genre.

As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think in the comments! For another detective game, check out our review of The Raven Remastered. If you want to keep seeing ad-free content like this, please consider donating via Ko-Fi and Patreon. As volunteers, we appreciate all the support! Also, find us on Discord, Twitter, and our subreddit!