Observation Reviews
While it could have done more with its central concept, Observation is a terrific, thrilling adventure game and a superb follow-up for No Code. The blend of the realistic workings of space exploration along with more bizarre elements is perfectly executed and creates an engrossing story with a haunting atmosphere that you'll want to see through.
Observation is without a doubt one of the best puzzle games of the year. You'll be instantly drawn into the story within the first few moments of being S.A.M. and become completely enraptured.
No Code takes sci-fi survival horror in a different direction using clever gameplay design and a powerfully uneasy story to drive the experience. It's not perfect for all gamers, but for those brave enough to stick with it, they will find some special.
Despite those occasionals falter — and a somewhat polarising, disappointing ending — I was desperate to complete Observation to get to the bottom of its mystery.
Observation is a chilling and enthralling space-bound horror game, allowing players to act out their best HAL 9000 impressions through a great story.
She never seems to give any hints or suggestions and it was frustrating to get stuck on a puzzle because I didn’t have any idea of what to do or because SAM’s cursor had just missed a crucial puzzle object I needed so I didn’t realize that I could even interact with it.
Observation uses the unfathomable vastness of space to wonderful effect, conjuring a palpable sense of both isolation and dread that rarely falters across the six or seven hours it'll take for you to see it though. Minor quibbles with some aspects of the storytelling and a couple of quality of life issues don't detract from what is an engrossing adventure that thrills far more frequently than it frustrates.
Making the player the mainframe in this 2001-inspired sci-fi aboard a space station gone wrong is inspired
An exquisite atmosphere and fresh premise make up for some slightly obtuse puzzles. Observation brims with ideas and images that fill your head.
Observation is an intriguing, sometimes terrifying, sci-fi thriller. Exploration and puzzle solving, combined with a great atmosphere, create a unique tribute to some classic movies such as Alien, 2001 A Space Odyssey, MOON or Gravity.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Observation is a sci-fi thriller that puts you in a situation quite unlike any other. You never quite know what to expect, but the writing is solid enough to make sense even at its most unbelievable, and the characters of Sam and Emma really grow on you. A few niggly navigational hiccups and a couple of dull puzzles can break the immersion a bit, but even so any sci-fi fan should have a look at Observation.
Observation, a creepy space-station thriller in which you control an AI, is equal parts mysterious and compelling. And, it looks amazing.
It's not that Observation brings revolutionary mechanics to its gameplay or narrative, but what makes this a special project is the incredible execution and use of the interactive nature of video games to tell an intriguing Sci-fi thriller. It may sound cliché, but the in-game situations are so well implemented and contextualized that you really feel as an important and operative part of this story.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A stylish, understated, and subtly chilling psychological thriller with a compelling mystery at its core.
[Observation] tells a captivating, sci-fi story that kept me playing from start to finish in one sitting. Getting to experience it from the view of a space station AI was different from what many other games out there offer and it avoids letting it’s exploratory gameplay grow stale by mixing in interesting and fun puzzle gameplay.
An amazing, unique and genuinely mind-bending entry into the science-fiction genre, Observation draws on its distinct set-up to pull you into a mystery set deep in space. It's existential dread condensed into roughly six to eight hours of gameplay. Discounting the sometimes buggy levels, it has everything you could ever ask for in an original sci-fi title: an intriguing premise, a foreboding theme, and an AI player character, whose motive eludes even yourself.
Observation tells a thrilling sci-fi story that keeps me engaged all the time. I strongly recommend this game to everyone who loves science fictions.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Observation combines weird sci-fi and cosmic horror with clever adventure gameplay and amazing atmosphere.
Observation is a game that changes the codes. You are not the hero of the story, you have no decision to make, you follow orders and do everything possible to make sure Emma survives. This approach may not have worked, but here it is completely the opposite. We felt involved in the story, doing our best and trying to solve the puzzles as quickly as possible to find out what happened next, move forward. Served by an irreproachable narrative, Observation will take you on an adventure worthy of the great science fiction productions.