Beholder: A Utopian Fable of Big Brother Watching and Questionable Morals
Introduction:
Indie developer Warm Lamp Games and publisher Alawar Premium's Beholder is worth your time and consideration. The game, which came out in 2016, puts players in the position of a landlord in a dystopian society and tasks them with spying on tenants, making tough decisions, and navigating a convoluted plot. Allow me to introduce you to the world of Beholder.
A Dismal Future:
The game takes place in a dystopian totalitarian regime where the government has complete power over its residents' lives. A player assumes the role of Carl Stein, a gloomy apartment building's state-appointed landlord. Carl's job is to keep an eye on the locals, report any suspicious conduct, and enforce the law as set out by the government.
Morality and Free Will:
A major focus of Beholder is on player agency and moral decisions. Decisions made by players during the game will have far-reaching effects. There is an ongoing moral conflict between showing allegiance to the tyrannical government and showing empathy for the tenants. These decisions have consequences and may lead to a variety of game outcomes, making for a more engaging and replayable experience.
Intrigue and Observation:
The game's primary mechanics include secretly monitoring residents, searching their apartments for illegal substances, and reporting those who break the law to the appropriate authorities. Everyone who lives there has their own background, secrets, and motivations. The suspense of the game hinges on your ability to uncover these secrets and make strategic use of the knowledge you gain.
Complicated Personas:
The tenants in Beholder aren't one-dimensional stereotypes; instead, they're rich people who have their own hopes and worries. By learning about their challenges via conversation, the characters in the game become more three-dimensional. Because players might develop relationships with certain tenants while retaining doubts about others, each encounter has weight.
Presentational Elements:
The visual style of Beholder is one of a kind and remarkable since it merges 2D art with cinematic noir. The unpleasant and anxious mood is heightened by the darkly lit settings and dramatic music, fully immersing players in the dismal reality.
Choices and Their Repercussions:
Decisions in Beholder have repercussions that extend beyond the tale itself. They have the power to change the destinies of individual tenants, the course of the story as a whole, and Carl's own fate. The game's various endings and branching routes urge players to try out new approaches.
Recognition from the Experts:
The challenging gameplay, ethically gray options, and engaging story of Beholder earned it high marks from critics. Players' assumptions about authoritarianism and surveillance were tested, and the game was applauded for this.
Expansions and Follow-Ups:
The popularity of Beholder prompted the creation of a sequel, Beholder 2, as well as a number of downloadable content packs that deepened the game's themes and narrative.
Finally:
Beholder is an engaging and ethically taxing adventure game that places players in a future society rife with monitoring, secrets, and tough choices. It stands out among independent games because to its engaging story, nuanced characters, and gray moral choices. The morality, surveillance, and authoritarianism themes of Beholder make for a compelling and memorable gaming experience.
- System: 10.10+
- Processor: Intel Core i5 – 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256 MB
