Observer (video game)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Bloober Team |
| Publisher(s) | Aspyr |
| Composer(s) | Arkadiusz Reikowski |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Observer (stylised as >OBSERVER_) is an upcoming cyberpunk horror video game developed by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr for release on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 15 August 2017.
Gameplay
Observer is a survival horror[lower-alpha 1] video game played from a first-person perspective.[2][3] It is set in 2084 Poland following a "digital plague" that cost the lives of thousands, resulting in war and rampant drug use.[4] The player controls Daniel Lazarski,[5] a Cracovian detective of the Observers police unit tasked with hacking their targets' memories and fears with a device known as the Dream Eater.[1][3][6][7][8] Equipped with augmented vision split into Electromagnetic Vision—which scans for electronic devices—and Bio Vision—which scans for biological evidence[9]—he is able to analyse and highlight certain objects in his environment, which in a hacked brain is subject to active change.[4] Objects can be interacted with and examined. To exchange dialogue with non-player characters, a conversation tree appears to the player.[10]
Setting
After the megacorporation Chiron took authority over Poland and manifested the Fifth Polish Republic, a police unit known as Observers were put in control of the denizens with license to hack their minds. Drug and hologram addicts constitute as Class C and are cast off to live in tenement buildings.[11]
Development
The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 4.[12] Development began with the concept of a dystopian society embellished with 1980s and '90s references to Eastern European culture and architecture.[11] The ever-changing level design in hacking sequences features compression artefact effects.[4] The soundtrack was written by composer Arkadiusz Reikowski.[13] The involvement of Rutger Hauer, who plays the lead, was revealed in July 2017.[14]
Observer was revealed at the PC Gaming Show during the June 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo.[3] The game will be released on Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 15 August 2017.[4][5][11][13][14]
Notes
References
- 1 2 "Bloober Team Breaks Down the Psychology of ‘Hidden Horror’ in New Video for >observer_". Gamasutra. 23 June 2017.
- ↑ Purchese, Robert (13 June 2016). "Layers of Fear dev reveals creepy new cyberpunk PC game Observer". Eurogamer. Gamer Network.
- 1 2 3 Donnelly, Joe (17 June 2016). "Layers Of Fear Devs Reveal Cyberpunk Horror Observer". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Rock, Paper, Shotgun Ltd.
- 1 2 3 4 Davenport, James (28 February 2017). "The followup to Layers of Fear casts you as a mind-invading supercop". PC Gamer. Future plc.
- 1 2 ">observer_". Steam. Valve Corporation.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian (13 June 2016). "Observer is a cyberpunk horror game that explores the world of hackable nightmares". Polygon. Vox Media.
- ↑ Parlock, Joe (13 June 2016). "Observer is a cyberpunk horror game where peoples' fears can be hacked". Destructoid. ModernMethod.
- ↑ GameSlice. Observer Developer Interview. YouTube. Alphabet Inc.
- ↑ Purchese, Robert (26 June 2017). "Observer is a game about going through people's apartments - and ransacking their minds". Eurogamer.
- ↑ Observer Gameplay: Hidden Horror Developer Walkthrough. IGN. 22 June 2017.
- 1 2 3 Basaj, Rafal (23 February 2017). "Hack Your Fears in >observer_ for Xbox One". Xbox. Microsoft.
- ↑ Kayser, Daniel (23 June 2017). "Unreal Engine Developers Were Everywhere at E3 2017". Unreal Engine.
- 1 2 Basaj, Rafal (11 May 2017). "Observer Will Scare the Cyberpunk Out of You This Summer". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017.
- 1 2 Porreca, Ray (19 July 2017). "Observer to release August 15, star Blade Runner actor". Destructoid.