Managing a tenement building is difficult, especially when we have to collaborate with repressive authorities to monitor the occupants. Beholder is a fascinating creation that puts you in tough situations.
The action takes place in a universe reminiscent to George Orwell’s “1984”. We begin the experience by going to the building we will be managing. The state assigned us the task, and we were told to start working right away. So, your wife and two children along you wind up in a gray, unremarkable flat in a drab tenement home. At first glance, the life of a manager appears to be simple. The first objectives are straightforward and straightforward. You must install a camera in someone’s flat and obtain information about one of the occupants. We must make a report or contact the ministry after finishing the responsibilities assigned to us by the authorities. Sometimes it ends with a police raid on the individual we’re after’s flat. After less than an hour of gameplay, things begin to become more difficult.
In principle, the overall purpose is to unquestioningly spy on, inform on, and serve the dictatorial regime. However, when we come to know the inhabitants, we begin to feel sorry for them, particularly when they are selflessly polite or helpful to us. I couldn’t just dismiss the wife’s spouse since he was a disgrace to the authorities after she needed a specific frying pan and a renter offered me hers without reluctance and with good intentions. So instances emerge in which we must make decisions: should we faithfully follow the guidelines while ignoring the renters’ dissatisfaction, or should we seek alternate solutions? This second choice, on the other hand, may cause us troubles and necessitates more labor. It would be easier to blackmail a particular processor into leaving the tenement dwelling, but our human impulses urge us to assist the elderly guy in obtaining documentation that will allow him to avoid confrontation with the brutal security forces. However, we cannot always allow ourselves to feel sorry for ourselves since we must also care for the family. When the daughter becomes very ill and you need money for expensive medicines, we will not hesitate to extort money from the inhabitants in return for keeping their secrets hidden.
Such quandaries and balance of numerous options are Beholder’s biggest benefit, especially in the later phases. The mood is also excellent, thanks to the gray-brown surroundings and the strange, black character models, which, despite their austerity, have personality. Everyone who has played traditional adventure games will find the gameplay simple. Everything is done using the mouse – gathering information, interacting with items and individuals. The controls are simple to use.
Beholder is an intriguing and odd title, however it does not provide anything particularly noteworthy in terms of mechanics. The appeal of this independent production comes from an intriguing narrative paired with the necessity to make difficult decisions.