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We hooked up with Observer System Redux to observe the re-release on the Xbox Series X platform. In this review, we cover the major improvements to Friv2Online Games Studio cyberpunk horror game developer Friv2Online and their impact on gameplay.

If Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves, is new age for the cyberpunk genre, then Roy Batty's face is its retrovawe. As it happens, my literary guides to the world of sci-fi dystopia were the works of Philip Kindred Dick, and the cinema cemented my acquaintance with Blade Runner, based on one of his most notorious novels.
So to see and hear Rutger Hauer here, in this wired and fear-tangled world, and even as a protagonist, was in itself a huge treat for me. I missed the first incarnation of Observer, and when I came back, the developers announced its re-release. It was definitely worth waiting for it, and in this article I will outline why.

First, Observer is created according to the genre's most ticklish paradigms. It unapologetically tears off all the glossy templates of technological progress, revealing a frightening number of ugly consequences. Modest in essence the space of the friv game literally bursts from the abundance of metaphors, allusions and dystopian scenarios of the near future.
Your character, Daniel Lazarski, an elderly law enforcement officer with neurodiversity augmentations, finds himself isolated with the residents of an apartment building in the slums of Krakow in the not-too-distant future. The cop tries to find his son, and stumbles across a bloody trail indicating that the killer is still in the building.
Using interfaces for biological and electromagnetic scanning, interviewing possible witnesses, and occasionally tapping into the minds of the occupants with the help of a "dream eater," Dan has to descend into the very essence of technochorror. And let no one be misled by the status of observer - in Observer the player is destined for the role of the protagonist.

I won't go into the plot intricacies of Observer, as some of them are well known from the initial 2017 version of the project, and for others they will be the leading motive for familiarizing themselves with the friv game. I'll just note that all of Bloober Team's work is saturated with an atmosphere of existential angst, but this particular one imprinted a particularly painful mark in my mind.
Each of their products is a sound and visual representation that attacks all the senses of the player with stimuli at once. And in my opinion with Observer, the developers have reached the apogee in their craft. The methods remained the same, but if before the creepiness was caused by scrimmers and sur, then here the players are influenced by the environment and circumstances.
The pressurized corridors of an old, mangled house are lavishly blotted out with noises and compositions that scream of loneliness and degradation. Each questioned resident, each new scene will gradually build up a critical mass of tension and an obsessive sense that something is sneaking up behind us step by step. If you stop suddenly, you can sometimes even distinguish how it belatedly freezes ...

System Redux adds three new scenarios that utilize areas of the building not previously used. All three are woven into the game in the same way as other sidequests, and do not differ in length from them. The first one, "Her Awful Symmetry", Dan stumbles upon as soon as he crosses the threshold of an apartment building. The search for a tenant who leaves makeshift altars in the hallways will lead the players to a very unexpected denouement.
The second story, "Intermittent Signal," will arrive on Lazarski's computer during the main investigation. In order to find out who is so desperately crying out for help, the cop will need access to the basement. The final task, "Apple from the Apple Tree," will add to the Watcher's to-do list after his visit to the tattoo parlor.
The plot of each story could have been the basis for an episode of some mini-series in the social science fiction genre. Which one succeeded better depends only on your perception. One thing is for sure - the new content is definitely relevant and interesting. It's a pity that there are only three scripts.

The developers stated that they slightly changed the mechanics of stealth, breaking electronic locks, and interacting with doors. The last two items have indeed become much more convenient. Regarding the "hide and seek game", it still significantly increases the stress level. But I see it as a necessary evil, like a well dosed dose of adrenaline.
Dan's computer now keeps track of all the nanophage patient cards you collect as the friv game progresses. The number of checkpoints has also been greatly increased, and when you exit, the system notifies you how long ago the last progress record was made.
The appearance of the characters and their animations have undergone a significant overhaul and look much better now. Concierge Janus has not only had his face changed, but his workspace has also been redesigned. The new model of the former soldier looks much more modern.

The main advantage of System Redux is the modified visuals, and about it, as I managed to notice, the fans' opinions are divided. After some study of gameplay clips from the old version of the friv game, I decided to join the supporters of the innovations.
Mainly because the retexture fleshed out the environment with the specificity needed to get the full benefit of 4K. The rethinking of the color scheme, in my opinion, was undertaken for practical reasons. The picture turned out to be more believable, and the enabled HDR greatly aggravates this impression.
Improved effects of haze, water vapor and dust are also in the merits box. But the most notable asset of the updated Observer is the redesigned lighting. It is the light that determines the final mood of all the frames, directs the player's gaze and emphasizes the details of the levels. Perhaps, here Bloober Team outdid themselves.

I was very surprised to come across a partial lack of localization in one of the new quests. It's about a personal computer, which must be used to complete the quest "Intermittent Signal". Players will have to perform a number of manipulations with it, related to the information recorded on the hard disks. There is a surprisingly large amount of text, so players unfamiliar with English may have difficulty.
Well, perhaps the main problematic point is that when you turn on the 4K mode on Xbox Series X begins regular drops in frame rate below 30 FPS at the stated sixty. This is a very unpleasant drawback, which can greatly spoil the mood of owners of next-generation consoles. In addition, there is no ray tracing support in the XSX version of the friv game.
The re-release was definitely in favor of Observer System Redux. The developers brought to mind the game's bumps, improved the immersive experience with a much improved visuals and even diversified the world with new events, but I still have questions about the optimization.
In any case, if you haven't played this project yet and you own a new generation console, I don't see any compelling reason to buy the 2017 version of the game for familiarization.

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