6 Best And Worst Things About Observation | Observation Review (PC)
517Observation is described as 2001: A Space Odyssey if you played as HAL, but does that make for a good experience? We press lots of buttons, take a spacewalk and do battle with machines beyond our comprehension. From the unique setting and neat puzzles to the iffy sci-fi cliches, we look at the best and worst features in the final game.
Rock Paper Shotgun has a written Observation review over on the site, so these are the RPS video team’s Observation review - an Observation PC review to be precise. You may spot a few shots with Xbox controller prompts, but that’s only because we were testing both inputs. It’s comfortably played with either. Ever since we read early Observation impressions we’ve been excited for No Code’s latest game - the team behind Stories Untold (and with experience on Alien Isolation) like to tell stories that put weird machine interfaces at the heart of the tale. If you like pressing mystery buttons, Observation is for you.
The main Observation features are the ability to play as a disembodied AI and to explore a more realistic take on a space station. The first thing that jumped out during our Observation test is the lack of a traditional protagonist. SAM exists inside a network of cameras, sometimes escaping to a floating orb to explore more thoroughly. The puzzles are split between navigation, trying to get a camera wherever it needs to go, and then trying to activate the machine at the end of the trip. Even though it’s a relatively small world, you may find yourself hankering for an Observation walkthrough - but keep and calm head and SAM is hiding all the information you need to succeed.
If you’re asking how long is Observation, I’d say it’s a pretty packed six hours - the game’s pacing is very well handled. Even though you’d see Observation ending in just a day’s play, it certainly shows you a lot in that time. That said Observation game ending wasn;t quite to my liking - don;t worry there are no spoilers in the video, I took the meat of the capture from the first hour of play. Whether you’re playing on PC or Observation PS4, I think you’ll have a good time with it - I know some people have hit some bigger hurdles than others (the game doesn’t always explain your objectives as clearly as it could) and it soured it as a result. I see it as a bit of a bumpy ride, but one I fundamentally enjoyed.
If you’re looking for games like Stories Untold, this is definitely for you. If you are looking for something with more teeth - games like Alien Isolation - I’m not sure this will work as well for you. It’s relatively tame, despite the highly stressful situation. Hopefully this Observation game review has covered all the key points - if you have any questions about Observation PC, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. Oh, and do give it the obligatory like and subscribe if you haven’t already. We appreciate it!
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