Beholder is a management sim and a moral quandary all in one. It’s easy to become consumed by the lives of Carl Stein and the apartment dwellers he’s been hired to spy on, with a story full of twists, turns, and terrible fates.
Beholder is a moral dilemma, an investigative adventure game, a strategic management simulator and an utterly gripping dystopian thriller all at once. In spite of its difficulty, it will simply not allow you to quit before reaching one of it’s multiple, bleak, heart-breaking endings. The atmosphere of oppression and state-run terror is palpable. A game for our times.
While replayability may not be the strong suit the price and the narrative definitely warrant several hours of play time.
Beholder is a fairly unique game of spying, decision making, and disaster avoidance. The story of a secret rebellion uprising against an authoritarian government has been told many times before, but at least government controlled property landlord is a fresh perspective on things. It won’t take you that long to complete, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and you’ll have a good time balancing all the things that need doing for those few hours.
Beholder delivers a tough experience from the narrative standpoint, and a challenging gameplay. The player will face hard choices, and will have to live with the aftermath of its decisions every single time. The graphic is appealing, though sometimes it feels like the burden that the player has to carry - especially with the high number of quests given at the same time - can be a little discouraging. However, this is an original and suggested game.
Beholder is able to make us feel guilty and stressed thanks to its atmosphere of oppression and extremely hard decisions. A great option if the player is seeking something different.
Beholder is based on a strong concept, and it has moments that land well, but it’s also held back by repetition and an unexciting script.
November 15, 2018
Beholder 2: the dystopian game will be released on December 5 on Steam. Read more