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Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You review
Exceptional
by ShivaPerica

Игра Orwell основана на простом и, пожалуй, очевидном для каждого думающего человека факте: мир сложнее, чем кажется, за тобой следят, тебя контролируют, изучают и всячески используют. Кто-то мягче, кто-то жестче или совсем уж явно — но современный социум не живет личностями, он живет оценкой каждого гражданина как продукта системы. Продукт потребляет и потребляем этой же системой... круговорот продукта в природе!

Суть игры совсем не нова. Вопрос был только в подаче, и с ней создатели справились великолепно, сумев переиграть избитую тему с проверенными, но очень свежо зазвучавшими, нотками.

Мы играем за агента безопасности, волонтёра, иными словами — за стукача. Отслеживаем неблагонадёжных граждан, влезаем в их профили в социальных сетях, прослушиваем телефонные разговоры, разве что догола не раздеваем, в буквальном смысле. В выдуманном городе выдуманной страны совершен теракт. По ходу процесса виртуального «раздевания» подозреваемых, их друзей и родных, агент выходит на заговор более высокого порядка — и предсказуемо меняется сам.

Решения агент принимает единолично, хотя периодически возникает советчик в лице персонального куратора. Весь игровой процесс строится вокруг анализа текста по ключевым словами и аудио-записей. Всё то, что может пригодится, отправляется в банк знаний, оттуда же прокачиваются профили подозреваемых, составляются связи между ними и событиями, в которых они замечены. Несмотря на то, что визуально Orwell выглядит весьма скудно, процесс расследования затягивает не на шутку, а оторваться от игры — особенно под конец — вообще невозможно.

Из очевидных минусов: игра полностью на английском, причем на сложном английском.
«Can’t stop playing»
«Liked before it became a hit»
«Constantly dying and enjoy it»

Other reviews5

Orwell, or "I've never felt better and worse about prying into people's private lives!". A terrific storyline, endearing characters, and a pretty scary world. Many choices, many endings, a good life span... recommend.
this gamme is really good
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
Product received for free A Marketplace of a European-style city. Street Cafes, Shops, a Monument and Pigeons. People rush to the Bus, stroll into the Shops and walk their Ways as an Explosion shakes the Square, ripping passers-by to their Deaths. A Terrorist attack – and more are expected. There have already been Demonstrations in the past Against the Ruling party's new Security Law, now Violence and Fatalities. The Government is in Need of Explanation and, for the First time, is using the Secretly developed "Orwell" surveillance System, which is supposed to drive the Investigation into Cyberspace in Real time. As An Orwell player, you're one of those Investigators and thus Part of the Surveillance. Developed by the small Osmotic Studios in Hamburg, the Game Orwell depicts a World in which total Surveillance is commonplace and the Privacy of the individual has been sacrificed to supposed Freedom and Counterterrorism. On mere Suspicions, Profiles are created and data is collected, connections are drawn, And Dossiers are expanded. The Player's Job is to scour Websites, social Media and emails and transfer important Data to the Orwell system. The Player penetrates deeper and deeper into the Private Life of the Supervised persons and encounters the first Dilemma from The beginning: Once transferred data cannot be removed from the System. Every Action, every decision, every Fragment Of data has Consequences. At the Latest when Collecting the Data, the Player catches himself as he has his own Prejudices, sets preferences and prefers individual Figures. If a Character appears sympathetic, the Player may omit a spicy, potentially discrediting detail; In doing so, however, suspicious Persons pass on every discriminatory Detail. The Consequences of this are immediate and untaxable for the Player. The Inferences from the Data Fragments draw others in the Monitoring System, it is not the Player himself who links Circumstantial evidence and instructs Warrants. It therefore always remains for the Player, in addition to the uncomfortably voyeuristic aspect, the bland resonating Taste of Doubt. Heavily transmitted Data can lead to The Arrest of an Innocent or prevent an Attack. Data in Orwell decides the Future of Human Lives. Even though Orwell accepts the Need for a certain Degree of state Security Structures, the Game is based on a clear and persuasive Commitment to a free exchange of Opinions and a free Internet. At The same time, the Action illustrates how People are assessed and categorized On the basis of previous Actions and how unthinking statements can have a negative impact on the Future. With his political Message, which Developer Daniel Marx sees more as a Reminder to cautious handling of personal Data on the Web, Orwell recalls the banal, everyday Terror of Papers, Please, but without drawing an equally grim Dystopia. The World of Orwell is not a fascistoid Injustice State, but a modern, colorful Democracy. The fact that the Player is not a resistance fighter, but a Geavenary in the Apparatus allows him an immersive And multi-layered perspective. It is ultimately incumbent on him in which Direction and how strongly the Pendulum between personal Freedom and government Surveillance is. At the Same time, however, he cannot completely refuse to accept the System, since he himself is a Part of it and depends on its Success. (Full Review: "Orwell": Be the Big Brother [paginasecunda.wordpress.com])
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WELL that was an intense game. I'm super impressed with how it all ran (the mechanics were a little confusing at times but like. Persistence is key also the narrative was so good)
Summary: Although the beginning was slow, once you get past ep 2, Orwell is an amazing game. Full of moral and informational dilemmas.

Intensive: Orwell puts you, the player into to the position of big brother. You are an investigator with access to everything that you need. You decide what gets put into "The System" (AKA: Orwell) or what gets left out. Your actions or lack there of causes real consequences to the story. The characters develop in a way more like a novel than a game and the ending is (depending on what you have already discovered) quite a plot twist. Although you may have to restart the game at a point (It will be evident, saying what point would spoil the story). All in all, Orwell starts out slowly and builds up to an amazing story with a surprising end. You could spend hours just looking through all of the minute details of the characters lives.
«Liked before it became a hit»
«Sit back and relax»