Observer Reviews

Observer is ranked in the 75th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2017

Observer is light on action/gameplay but offers an extremely deep story with interesting cyberpunk world-building and some bizarrely creepy dream images to keep you up at night. The voice acting is shaky more often than not, but the story is worth the price of admission.

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6.2 / 10.0
Oct 12, 2017

Observer is one of those games that not everyone can communicate with. If we ignore game-play issues, Observer is definitely worth experiencing once. Having said that, before you start the game, you need to know you’d better not compare it with other games with similar genre as you’ll get highly disappointed!

Review in Persian | Read full review

10 / 10.0
Dec 16, 2018

Observer is a wonderful game from start to finish. It is both fear-instilling and intriguing. So, if you're looking for a horror game that is visually striking and insightful enough to warrant self-reflection, Observer is a wonderful choice.

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50 / 100
Feb 25, 2019

Observer is a good title. Good story, a solid core, and a great setting. Simply, if you can play anywhere else, the experience will be more satisfying than on Switch.

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Unscored
Aug 18, 2017

Observer is a good game. It lasts between 6 and 8 hours that will surely be short given the low difficulty, but we recommend to play it.

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89 / 100
Aug 21, 2017

Through the grimy neon-lit world of 2084 Karkow a cautionary tale of augmentation, war, and suffering blend together to make the Observer an exciting tale.

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6.5 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2019

You’ll play the game as Dan Lazarski, a sort of cyber-detective operating in a dystopian future world full of augmented humans...

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5 / 10.0
Mar 20, 2024

All told, Observer showcases the quintessential cyberpunk world, offering a bleak glance at a future that oozes distrust, oil, and injustice from every pore. The visuals, even on the Switch, are impressive, and portray a world so dingy that it’s borderline uncomfortable. Creeping through the jumbled mind of Dan Lazarski (Hauer) is oftentimes legitimately troubling, but despite the effective styling and a well written score, the experience is severely hampered by sluggish controls, unclear storytelling and an almost complete lack of gameplay.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 20, 2017

Observer crafts an intriguing and richly detailed futuristic world but it's let down by awful performance issues as well as some drawn-out and tedious segments.

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PS4Blog.net
ThaRaven403
8 / 10
Oct 11, 2018

For a walking simulator game, it's one of the best I've had the chance to play. The story is rather short but has enough stuff to do as you scan, and hack to keep you going until the end. Bloober Team have improved with this release when compared to their previous game, and I definitely look forward to seeing what they do next!

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7 / 10.0
Feb 7, 2019

Even with its many flaws, the superb voice acting and serviceable story were still an entertaining playthrough. A linear horror-mystery thriller is a bit niche, but if that's what you're into, Observer is a title still worth picking up. If nothing else, it gives us a glimpse of what the Switch is capable of, and it will hopefully be the beginning of a trend of pushing the handheld to its limits.

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8.8 / 10.0
Feb 22, 2019

Observer is a beautifully crafted thriller from Bloober Team that creates a riveting story by blending the horror and cyberpunk genres. Its captivating narrative serves as an excellent vehicle for detective work and puzzle-solving. The cyber-noir aesthetic is upheld by character development, rich world-building, and convincing voice-acting. Whether you've played it before or are playing it for the first time, Observer is deserving of your time and money. However, the Nintendo Switch port falls short in comparison to other versions of the game because of its frustrating graphical resolution when docked. While Observer is highly enjoyable in handheld mode, not being able to fully enjoy it when docked eliminates half of the Switch's format. If a Switch is all you own, then absolutely look into Observer. For those with other consoles, I'd recommend grabbing the game on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One first. Overall, Observer still manages to shine through as an excellent addition to the horror genre.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Mar 2, 2019

Observer could have been more. It has style and exceptional art direction, a creative premise but flaccid and unimaginative gameplay. Maybe this comes with the territory when it comes to walking-sims or first-person adventure games, but there really is no excuse for the lack of imagination because much older games have found ways to keep things fresh while adventuring. There is very little attention to detail when it comes to interaction and player-choice. Observer should have been like playing a pacifist run on the original Deus Ex.

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80 / 100
Aug 14, 2017

Observer features remarkable trips through fictional minds that unsettle and terrify without relying on excessive jump scares. The nightmares contrast wonderfully with an atmospheric and detailed cyberpunk world that is always fascinating to explore.

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Gamers Heroes
Johnny Hurricane
Top Critic
7 / 10
Aug 15, 2017

Observer is a good psychological horror game with some minor road blocks that ultimately hold it back. Still, if you are looking for a horror game this summer, you could do far worse.

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GameSkinny
Top Critic
Aug 14, 2017

As it turns out, the future is not bright in this neo-noir detective game with a horror twist.

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90%
Aug 14, 2017

Combining investigation, exploration, stealth, puzzles, and a near constant barrage of horror, Observer is a meticulously created game that rarely puts a foot wrong. If you think you have the stomach for it, this could be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

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7 / 10
Aug 22, 2017

Some interesting story moments and a fantastic performance by Rutger Haur manages to elevate Observer from a medicore to decent experience.

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BaziCenter
Milad Dehdashti
Top Critic
8 / 10
Aug 22, 2017

Despite some flaws, Observer is a great example of sci-fi horror adventure with superb sound design, brilliant technical and artistic visuals, amazing narrative, and engaging atmosphere. If you are a fan of the genre, you should try it.

Review in Persian | Read full review

78 / 100
Aug 22, 2017

Observer has excellent graphics, interesting gameplay and horror which plays with the gamer's fear and psychological through the memories found along the game. Although there are framerate issues in some moments of the game, it doesn't make Observer a game not to be played by the ones who love horror games and the cyberpunk universe.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review