Observer: System Redux Reviews
>Observer_: System Redux represents a solid improvement over the 2017 original and, therefore, a worthwhile upgrade. It’s a little too long for my liking, but it looks gorgeous at points and tells a terrific story that’s worth experiencing. With a reasonably friendly price, it’s also a relatively cheap way to show off your new toy. Absolutely worth a look.
Observer: System Redux is a very high-quality psychological horror title, and truly one-of-a-kind (not counting the original, of course). While it may not provide players with many of the normal horror tropes and mechanics—choosing instead to almost entirely submerge them in atmosphere alone—it still manages to create a consistently unnerving environment, happily coated in a gorgeous cyberpunk aesthetic. So long as you don’t mind a more hands-off approach to horror, System Redux will absolutely not let you down.
A graphical feast that seamlessly blends a multilayed, psychological horror narrative with heartpounding and intimate gameplay; Observer: Sytem Redux is an exquisite piece of cyberpunk fiction.
Observer System Redux looks great and thankfully plays excellently as well. The new content is nice to have and offers additional twisted and perverted happenings for Lazarski to uncover. The visual overhaul is pleasant, although a shame the game didn't include the original visuals as an option to toggle. That said, it feels fresh to revisit the game here after enjoying the original release in 2017. If you’re not a fan of walking-sims, then the pure assault on the senses might mean this could be an exception for you. It’s an engaging investigation, full of neat touches. The only negative, aside from not being able to explore more of the game world, are moments where progression forwards feels a little too-contrived or unclear, but this is a minor niggle. The core game, its character Lazarski and the world around him make for an exceptional journey for players that comes recommended for anyone with an interest in cyberpunk/sci-fi adventuring. Action gamers need not apply though.
Observer: System Redux is one of the more impressive definitive editions of the last few years. Bloober Team does an incredible job highlighting where Observer succeeded (storyline and graphics) and improving upon where it needed to (stealth gameplay and interrogation sections). Its success was perfectly timed with the release of new consoles, as Observer: System Redux is tailor-made to enjoy aesthetically.
When releasing a next-gen variant of a game, it’s always worth taking notes on the areas to improve upon. This can include adding new features such as improved framerates, upgrading visual fidelity, improving upon the gameplay loop, and even adding all-new features to the experience.
Fans of horror games looking to play Observer: System Redux for the first time will find an immersive and thrilling experience albeit with some odd jank here and there. Meanwhile, those who’ve already experienced the original may want to wait for a sale.
Observer: System Redux is an intriguing and thrilling dark cyberpunk adventure, finally graced by stunning graphics and some added content. It's got some performance problem and it's still missing the promised ray tracing implementation, but it's definitely a game to play on Xbox Series X.
Review in Italian | Read full review
If remaining a fundamentally flawed experience, Observer: System Redux is a gorgeously nutty dive down the sci-fi horror rabbit-hole, and an impressive show-piece for your new hardware of choice.
With the updated graphics, reworked gameplay mechanics, and new content, Observer: System Redux is a treat for those already familiar with it and newcomers alike. If you haven’t already checked it out, then now would be a good time to do so.
Observer: System Redux is an excellent presentation of the masterful environments that indie teams can create on newer hardware. Out the gate, Bloober Team has raised the bar of what we can expect to see graphically, but the gameplay portion of this supernatural adventure limits its overall appeal. Still, I can’t stress enough what a work of art this experience is through its narrative and brilliant sound design.
If you like police procedurals or walking sims, Observer: System Redux is essentially a collaborative wired hybrid of the two. Tying both these genres together, Redux’s augmented bulk is held in place by a murder mystery that consumes the bulk of this 6-8 hour game. If that sounds like your jam, Observer: System Redux is definitely worth a play - and it's incredibly pretty too. For everyone else on the fence, Redux's gameplay leaves a lot to be desired and is probably a better option to rent than outright buy.
The story is engaging and filled with noir goodness, the gameplay added to the feeling I was a memory hacking detective, and the visuals felt straight out of one of my favorite 80s movies. But the absolutely relentless and aggressive lights and patterns that invade the game a few hours in made it a hard game to finish. Because of this I still recommend it, but with a large and bold asterisk.
Observer: System Redux is the update of a title that tried to contribute "something" more to the "bland" walking simulator with dialogues loaded with references, a powerful visual narrative, different mechanics from what is seen in this type of titles and a dirty, oppressive and decadent setting closer to survival horror. It is undoubtedly a rare bird within narrative adventures and that now has a powerful facelift that puts the title of Bloober Team back on the front line and proves that the Polish studio is capable of making games. surprising.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Observer: System Redux is a remake that just so happens to also be the first for this new generation of gaming. Blooper Team and Aspyr have decided to remaster the psychological horror of Observer to take advantage of the new technology and power available with the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. This means that the cyberpunk world now features HDR lighting, support for 4K resolution, Ray Tracing and improved character animations.
Observer: System Redux offers some intestesting additional content with a new shiny coat of paint. However, we can't help but feel that the setting has quite a bit more potential than what the developers have chosen to reveal to us.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Observer: System Redux presents a really attractive and atmospheric world. Whether we consider the game as a reconstruction, remastering, remake or any combination of terms, it is without a doubt an example of an improved edition well done.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Observer: System Redux is a welcome update. At first I questioned why we were getting it so soon after the initial game’s release only a few years ago, but those concerns abated rather quickly. Small quality of life improvements to the gameplay make the experience less frustrating this time around, the additional missions are well-done and welcome additions and enough cannot be said about how much better the visuals look this time around. As someone who enjoyed the game when it first released, I did not regret my second time with it here. If you missed Observer three years ago and dig cyberpunk themes, you really do need to check this title out.
It certainly is a far better performing game now than it was on PS4 / XO a few years back, and the extra content more that makes this a must-play package. True, the next-gen launch lineup is competitive, and there’s lots of choice, no matter what genre you’re into, but if you’ve yet to experience this world and you’re looking for a good sci-fi story to sink your teeth into, you’ll have a fantastic time with Observer: System Redux.
There’s an expectation for next-gen remasters to be cash-grabs, but Bloober Team went beyond resolution upgrades. Observer: System Redux shares a similar release history with Blade Runner: a newer version releasing with extra content and impressive visual polishes. It doesn’t avoid all the pitfalls endemic of walking sims nor of this studio, but it deserves augmented respect like its closest inspiration eventually earned.