DISCOUNT (449r → 279r) Game Beholder - A Snitch Simulator For IPhone, IPad And Mac

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:17

The Alawar Entertainment studio became known for its "casual" projects, which became famous for unpretentious toys designed for inexperienced users. Therefore, when the release of the Beholder puzzle for iPhone and iPad was announced, they did not expect much from this novelty.

Beholder game for iPhone and iPad - a simulator of life in a totalitarian state

Download Beholder for iPhone and iPad (App Store)

Download Beholder for macOS (Mac App Store)

However, contrary to all forecasts, the developers released a game that does not fit into the main line of their projects. In contrast to the main products of the studio, Beholder turned out to be not a simple entertainment for the evening, the memory of which disappears immediately after the end of the game session, but a simulator of survival under the conditions of a totalitarian regime that is extremely relevant today.

So, we have to manage a certain Karl Stein, a simple hard worker, who suddenly got the position of house manager. When we check into a dwelling, which turns out to be a basement with three "rooms", we find a disturbing picture: the protagonist's predecessor is taken out of the room, put in a black car and taken away in an unknown direction. The authorities immediately warn that they will not tolerate violation of the established deadlines and disobedience to his orders. This is where our ordeals begin in an authoritarian system.

Naturally, not without direct and indirect references to well-known dystopias, both literary and play. The game is set in 1984 (a tribute to Orwell), and some of the gameplay and design features refer to the projects Papers, Please and This War of Mine. At the same time, Beholder is a completely independent product.

After settling in, we will have to serve the already settled tenants and look for new ones, but this is only a cover for the main activity: tracking and identifying violators of the laws and rules of an unnamed state. That is, you will have to spy on, write characteristics, denunciations, and sometimes substitute your tenants.

Officials churn out extravagant decrees almost every day: either wearing blue ties is prohibited, or ordinary apples are outlawed. For non-compliance with the innovations - prison or execution. At first, the game seems to be outrageously simple: hand over all violators and live as you live. But over time, the protagonist has an opportunity to choose: to convey and earn points of authority, or to help guests for material rewards.

And money will eventually acquire an epochal significance: not only does our hero have a wife and children who need to be fed, but they sometimes get sick, which requires finances for treatment. Then the son will fall in love and he will need pocket money to walk with the girl, even later the daughter will become seriously ill. With each new trouble, Karl and we, together with him, will increasingly feel the dilemma of moral choice.

You might think that in the end it all comes down to the obvious truths: do good and your good deeds will pay off handsomely. But the Beholder does not slide into empty moralizing. As soon as we help a suffering person, it can become even worse. And now, after such unexpected turns, the moment comes when the solution of the simplest problems becomes an extremely difficult process, because in the end the life of the hero himself or, even worse, his loved ones may be at stake.

As a result, in order to save loved ones, you will have to sacrifice the inhabitants of your home. To protect loved ones from death, Karl will have to personally buy up prohibited goods and toss them into the apartments of the guests chosen by the user. And it's not a fact that even in this case, everything will end well.

Помимо благоустройства дома, слежки за его жителями, написанием доносов и рапортов, помощи нуждающимся, главный герой будет сталкиваться еще и с революционно настроенными гражданами. Сдать их начальству – поставить под угрозу жизнь родных, помогать бунтарям – вызвать подозрение у чиновников. Как поступать – дело самого игрока.

The seemingly primitive gameplay on closer inspection turns out to be the most hardcore. You will definitely not be able to complete the game the first time. And therefore we will reveal a little secret: the most important thing in Beholder is money. They will become the guarantee of the life and health of relatives, despite the fact that as a result of the struggle for this illusory well-being, innocent people may suffer. Jungle law in action. Therefore, in order to obtain the required resources, Karl will have to steal, substitute, write phony denunciations and engage in other bad deeds.

This whole process is complicated by the absence of tips, tags, notes and other auxiliary elements. Sometimes the player may even need to write down some of the information received from the characters in order to use it later to their advantage. And this is not at all annoying, because all our activities have an excellent scenario basis. The design plunges even more into the abyss of totalitarian hell.

As already noted above, the first time Beholder will hardly be able to pass. However, in a few attempts, you can unravel the main secrets of the game and defeat it without significant losses. Not everyone will succeed in this, but it's definitely worth a try.