<s>
Observer	B-Application
(	O
stylised	O
as	O
>observer_	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
psychological	O
horror	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Bloober	O
Team	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Aspyr	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
in	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
versions	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
upgraded	O
and	O
expanded	O
version	O
called	O
Observer	B-Application
:	I-Application
System	I-Application
Redux	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2020	O
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
,	O
for	O
Amazon	B-Operating_System
Luna	I-Operating_System
in	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
in	O
July	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
follows	O
Daniel	O
Lazarski	O
,	O
a	O
detective	O
known	O
as	O
an	O
Observer	B-Application
,	O
who	O
can	O
hack	O
people	O
's	O
minds	O
as	O
a	O
method	O
of	O
interrogation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
team	O
of	O
around	O
thirty	O
developed	O
the	O
game	O
using	O
the	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stars	O
Rutger	O
Hauer	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
also	O
in	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
primary	O
influences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
received	O
generally	O
favourable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
is	O
a	O
psychological	O
horror	O
video	O
game	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
Daniel	O
Lazarski	O
,	O
a	O
Krakowian	O
detective	O
of	O
the	O
Observers	B-Application
police	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Equipped	O
with	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
vision	I-General_Concept
split	O
into	O
Electromagnetic	O
Vision	O
—	O
which	O
scans	O
for	O
electronic	O
devices	O
—	O
and	O
Bio	O
Vision	O
—	O
which	O
scans	O
for	O
biological	O
evidence	O
—	O
he	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
analyse	O
and	O
highlight	O
certain	O
objects	O
in	O
his	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Objects	O
can	O
be	O
interacted	O
with	O
and	O
examined	O
,	O
while	O
dialogue	B-Application
trees	I-Application
are	O
used	O
for	O
speaking	O
with	O
non-player	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
mini-game	O
called	O
With	O
Fire	O
and	O
Sword	O
:	O
Spiders	O
is	O
accessed	O
through	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
can	O
also	O
read	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
2084	O
Kraków	O
,	O
Poland	O
after	O
the	O
nanophage	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
digital	O
plague	O
"	O
that	O
cost	O
the	O
lives	O
of	O
thousands	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
war	O
and	O
rampant	O
drug	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Chiron	O
,	O
a	O
megacorporation	O
,	O
took	O
control	O
of	O
Poland	O
and	O
manifested	O
the	O
Fifth	O
Polish	O
Republic	O
,	O
a	O
police	O
unit	O
known	O
as	O
Observers	B-Application
was	O
put	O
in	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
denizens	O
with	O
license	O
to	O
hack	O
their	O
minds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Drug	O
and	O
hologram	B-Algorithm
addicts	O
were	O
made	O
Class	O
C	O
and	O
cast	O
off	O
to	O
live	O
in	O
tenement	O
buildings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
morning	O
,	O
Observer	B-Application
detective	O
Daniel	O
Lazarski	O
receives	O
a	O
call	O
from	O
his	O
estranged	O
son	O
Adam	O
,	O
whose	O
caller	O
ID	O
is	O
traced	O
to	O
a	O
tenement	O
building	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daniel	O
is	O
urged	O
to	O
manually	O
override	O
the	O
signal	O
that	O
caused	O
the	O
lockdown	O
,	O
releasing	O
Adam	O
from	O
the	O
building	O
's	O
private	B-Protocol
network	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adam	O
asks	O
that	O
he	O
be	O
hosted	O
in	O
Daniel	O
's	O
Observer	B-Application
mind	O
to	O
save	O
what	O
is	O
left	O
of	O
his	O
son	O
;	O
if	O
Daniel	O
accepts	O
,	O
Adam	O
takes	O
full	O
control	O
over	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Kraków-based	O
Bloober	O
Team	O
,	O
a	O
staff	O
,	O
at	O
times	O
exceeding	O
thirty	O
members	O
,	O
developed	O
Observer	B-Application
with	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
began	O
with	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
changing	O
the	O
setting	O
from	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
previous	O
title	O
,	O
Layers	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fear	I-Application
,	O
to	O
a	O
dystopian	O
society	O
embellished	O
with	O
1980s	O
and	O
'	O
90s	O
references	O
to	O
Eastern	O
European	O
culture	O
and	O
architecture	O
,	O
and	O
adding	O
in-game	O
propaganda	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
the	O
Soviet	O
Union	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Influences	O
included	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
,	O
Cyberpunk	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
comic	O
books	O
;	O
all	O
used	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
distinguish	O
itself	O
from	O
American	O
and	O
Japanese	O
cyberpunk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ever-changing	O
level	O
design	O
in	O
hacking	O
sequences	O
features	O
compression	B-Algorithm
artefact	I-Algorithm
effects	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
involvement	O
of	O
Rutger	O
Hauer	O
,	O
who	O
plays	O
the	O
lead	O
,	O
was	O
revealed	O
in	O
July	O
2017	O
:	O
Hauer	O
had	O
previously	O
starred	O
in	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arkadiusz	O
Reikowski	O
composed	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
Akira	O
,	O
Ghost	O
in	O
the	O
Shell	O
and	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Przemek	O
Laszczyk	O
,	O
with	O
whom	O
Reikowski	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
2015	O
video	O
game	O
Kholat	B-Application
,	O
provided	O
additional	O
ambient	O
music	O
like	O
the	O
tattoo	O
parlour	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
15	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
launched	O
for	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
on	O
24	O
October	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Techland	O
published	O
a	O
limited	O
edition	O
in	O
Poland	O
;	O
Limited	O
Run	O
Games	O
released	O
a	O
physical	O
version	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
July	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
on	O
7	O
February	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observer	B-Application
:	I-Application
System	I-Application
Redux	I-Application
,	O
a	O
version	O
featuring	O
more	O
story	O
content	O
and	O
enhanced	O
visuals	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
on	O
10	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
on	O
12	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Amazon	B-Operating_System
Luna	I-Operating_System
on	O
25	O
March	O
2021	O
and	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
16	O
July	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
Observer	B-Application
received	O
generally	O
favourable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informers	O
Javy	O
Gwaltney	O
wrote	O
"	O
Observer	B-Application
makes	O
the	O
most	O
of	O
its	O
fusion	O
of	O
cyberpunk	O
sci-fi	O
and	O
terror	O
"	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
minimalistic	O
setting	O
as	O
something	O
that	O
distinguished	O
it	O
from	O
other	O
futuristic	O
stories	O
.	O
</s>
