Have you ever wondered what your neighbours get up to behind closed doors?
Well with the game Beholder it's your job to find out.
Because their business is your business.
You're put in control of 6 apartments.
The government's hired you to keep tabs of everyone who lives in the building.
So that means their jobs, their hobbies, their interests and of course, any laws that they
break need to be recorded.
The government makes up all of these wacky rules like rubber ducks are illegal and it's
forbidden to wear a blue tie.
But hey, what they so goes.
So when you report someone breaking the law, they're dealt with.
Severely!
Police don't muck about in this game.
It reminds me of The Sexy Brutal, where in that game, the music slowly builds up as something
dramatic is about to happen.
The same happens here, usually when the police bust in.
In a true creepy landlord fashion, you need to spy on all of your tenants.
This means peeping through doors.
And who knows what you might see?
Or you can sneak into rooms to set up security cameras and rummage through their belongings.
The only rule is, you can't be caught in someone's room.
That can kind of piss them off.
So you have to wait for them to go to work, or to go to the kitchen before you enter.
You have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure you're out of there before they come
back.
Of course, you don't have to report your neighbours.
Instead you could blackmail them, demanding money for keeping quiet about their crimes.
You could even just keep quiet out of sympathy.
By talking to all of these different people and by spying on their lives, you soon start
to learn some of their problems.
Plus your family has problems of it's own!
From dying children, to abusive relationships... the game covers some pretty dark topics.
Nothing's taboo.
You have to make some pretty tough decisions about what to do and who to help.
Perhaps telling the government that your son is a criminal, will actually help him out
in the long term.
Or what do you do when you're ordered to evict someone, without being given a reason?
Some of these tasks have a strict time limit.
You're juggling with people's lives, while racing against the clock to figure out what
needs to be done first.
Plus, money is limited.
So what do you spend your hard earned cash on?
Perhaps you need money to buy medicine.
And perhaps blackmailing people is the only way to get it fast enough.
It's a moral tightrope.
A lot of things fall into a lot of grey areas.
Sometimes, even when you think your doing good, fate has different plans.
Dotted throughout the campaign are some major events, ready to through a spanner in the
works.
And what people think they might need, isn't necessarily what's best for them.
It's up to you to decide.
As the story goes on, your tenants become more and more intriguing.
Eventually army generals and state officials are assigned to live with you.
And how you deal with these people, not only effects the end game.
It also has a larger impact on the entire world.
Your actions as a small time property manager can change history, start wars or even light
the flames of revolution.
So, big decisions then!
No pressure.
Beholder Complete Edition also comes with the Blissful Sleep DLC.
After a mix up with paperwork, the government believes that you're actually 85 years old
rather than 65.
That makes you too old to live and so qualify for the forced euthanasia programme.
As well as helping your tenants then, you've always got this dilemma hanging over you.
It takes place in the same building as the main game.
Obviously though all of the tenants are different, giving you a whole new set of problems to
solve.
The game is hugely re-playable, as every decision changes the entire story.
It's fun to go back and do things differently.
Perhaps you do a run where you're evil, one where you're good.
One where you work strictly for the government.
And one where you fight the power.
The bleak graphics suit this world perfectly.
Everyone looks unique.
But at the same time really they're all just faceless blobs.
And that's probably all they are to the government.
It's a tough hard life.
But play your cards right and with a bit of luck.
Who knows, maybe you'll one day be free.
Maybe.
Thanks for watching.