Beholder

its the kind of game where you need to know whats going to happen in the future, to ensure you make the right (un-intuitive) decisions. a pet peeve for me.

I really want to enjoy this game and I've tried, but it's so vague in what it wants you to do that you end up losing and having to restart constantly.

If you lose, you lose. That's pretty much it, back to square 1.

Beholder Review – A Grim Look at Surveillance and Morality
Rating: 6/10

Beholder puts you in the shoes of a government-installed landlord, tasked with spying on tenants, enforcing strict laws, and deciding whether to follow orders or help those suffering under an oppressive regime. The game gives players moral choices, each affecting how the story unfolds. Every character has their own personality, struggles, and secrets, making your decisions feel meaningful—at least at first.

A Dark and Unforgiving World
The game’s themes of surveillance, blackmail, and personal sacrifice create a unique and tense atmosphere. It’s heartbreaking when you’re forced to betray innocent people just to survive, especially when missions require you to tear families apart. The pressure builds as you struggle to balance following government orders, keeping your family alive, and making difficult choices that shape your fate.

Repetitive and Frustrating Gameplay
While the early game is engaging, things start to fall apart after a while. You’ll spend a lot of time grinding for money, whether to buy illegal items, pay off debts, or afford medicine for your sick daughter. Most quests only have one "good" solution, which forces you to replay parts of the game multiple times just to get the "right" outcome.

The biggest issue is the limited save system—the game only saves at the start of missions. This means you can lose hours of progress if you make a mistake or fail a task. By the time you figure out the best way to play, you’ve already replayed the same sections over and over.

I tried the DLC, but after five minutes, I shut it off—it felt like more of the same repetitive mechanics with little to offer.

Final Thoughts
At its core, Beholder is a short, thought-provoking game about politics, surveillance, and tough moral choices. It’s challenging at first, but once you get rich and no longer worry about money, the tension disappears. A little more randomness in the story could have made it more engaging instead of relying on trial and error.

Pros:
✔ Unique and thought-provoking premise
✔ Strong moral choices with real consequences
✔ Dark and tense atmosphere

Cons:
✖ Repetitive gameplay and quest structure
✖ Limited save system can be frustrating
✖ Becomes too easy once you have enough money
✖ DLC adds little to the experience

Final Score: 6/10

A game of morals - do you have them or not?

I'm enjoying the different pathways I can follow throughout the game. I am a terrible landlord and keep dying in multiple terrible ways - as do my tenants!

No issues so far with glitching but it did take me forever to get the hang of the controls when searching for evidence. It's not immediately obvious what needs to be noted so suggest you read some of the other reviews to give you the gist of it.

I don't know if I'll stay alive long enough to finish the game or this review. I feel like I'm being watched. In case of my death can you please remember to....................................

I saw my family crying. So my wife got a life sentence and my son was shot by the Kee Gee Bee

I didn't expect to kill or to be killed in a game like this. I'm merely a landlord. How could I possibly be killing almost every tenants in my building? This game has a dark sense of humor.
DLC Blissful Sleep is epic, a must buy. Can someone please lock Khan up? This person has to be the state most wanted criminal.
Blackmailing your tenants is your main source of income. It is an interesting concept but may feel repetitive later in game. This is my only complaint. I wish there were more ways to earn money.
Overall, I had a good time playing.

One of my favorite indie games out there. Great story, great characters and unique gameplay.

Very realistic simulator of the Russian life, reality and society.

I bought this game 5 years ago and stopped playing because of pandemic craziness. But I finally picked it up again and finished it this year. I highly recommend a guide to help with figuring out strategy and how you want to explore the many options/consequences in the game.

I turned in all my tenants and committed murder for an extra day's living.
Feel like shit, but I suppose it was for the greater good.
TEAR DOWN THAT CITADEL

My game has no in game text for some reason. Nothing on the main menu, nothing in the speech bubbles in game. Is there a fix for this? Nothing I have found online seems to help.

Addictive gameplay loop that is simple to pick up and increasingly stressful to perfect. Featuring a lot of genuine comedy to make the hopeless moral decisions more tolerable, the game never veers into full despair. Still, in an era of increasing surveillance, decreasing rights, and no clear path forward, this game feels both retro and depressingly ahead of its time. The way an authoritarian governments begins whittling down rights, from drug use and free speech, to apples and blue ties, is particularly effective in (current year).

Still, the most important thing is that the game is fun and replayable. And while some decisions feel 'unfair' that is the nature of the beast, and the game is short enough that you never feel truly shafted for an unforseen consequence.

NKWD referencja????

This game was a completely new experience for me and I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot after playing for almost 40 hours.

A fun little experience, pick up on sale though definitely not worth $14.

Difficult in the beginning and unapologetic about it, fits with the theme though and I found it fair once I got the hang of things. Can be quite hectic and some of the decisions were engaging enough. Got the regular ending and was satisfied enough. Won't be doing any of the others.

Screw the political truck section though. If your game encourages me to mute all of my damn audio just to not listen to it, I would not necessarily call that a good idea.

Jak dla mnie, jedna z najlepszych gier, jakie miałem okazje zagrać. Ścieżka dźwiękowa, jak i fabuła to same plusy tej gry, chodź i fabuła dobra to niestety krótka.

gg

Good game

Game is obviously good enough it had a number of sequels but I just simply didn't really enjoy it. Maybe the easier difficulty is more enjoyable but when normal is written as "the way it's meant to be played"; and you feel rail roaded into demoralising options, it's just not fun. This is compared to Papers, Please! or This War of Mine, which I found more enjoyable but similar themes.

Overall rating probably 6-7/10?

PROS:
-Really neat concept.
-Gameplay enjoyable if incredibly difficult.
-Great character writing. Lots of good emotional moments.
-Interesting plot. Liked the development of things.
-LOVE the artstyle and music.
-Overall, I had a good time playing. My qualms are more minor issues.

CONS:
-It's a little TOO difficult. Like, I genuinely do not know how you are meant to deal with the early on bit where you're required to pay 35,000 in-game money.
-...Translation issues? I don't know if they were specifically meant to come off that way ala Papers Please, but there's a lot of awkward phrasing.
-Protagonist is an asshole in ways that aren't relevant to the story. I'm fine with the robbery and blackmail and everything else, but the random bullying of the mute tenant and being sexist towards the feminist tenant was a bit of a weird moment.
-Ironic considering current events, but the evil government becomes kind of unbelievable at times. That last one is a very minor suspension of disbelief quibble, and is more referring to the government banning fish and apples.

Pretty fun storyline, and also a bit challenging. DLC really adds to it

i like it

Ah yes, Beholder, the ultimate feel-good game where you get to live out your dream of being an overworked, underpaid, morally bankrupt landlord in a totalitarian regime. Who doesn’t love the thrilling experience of spying on people, reporting them for owning a book, and deciding whether to let your own family starve or sell out an innocent tenant for a quick buck?

.

yes

Interesting narrative.

Played Papers, Please to death and want something else that's similar? This is the game for you. While the comparisons with P,P are rightfully earned, this game does something radically different, with you being the administrator of an apartment building instead of a border control officer, so you will have to spy on your tenants and report any illegal activity, forcing you to be creative (install cameras, peek through keyholes, plant evidence and blackmail people) and not get into a flow-like routine of checking papers like with P,P.

But for all its creativity and uniqueness, sadly it's very much a diamond in the rough compared to P,P. My biggest gripe is that there is no manual saving at all, which WILL cause unwinnable situations, forcing you to start a new game, which is always annoying. However, I can't deny the rush you get from coming out on top in a difficult choose-between-two-evils-kind of situation by effectively beating Beholder at its own game, and ending up with everyone happy, by exploiting mechanics and save scumming like there's no tomorrow. Make no mistake, this is definitely not how the game was supposed to be played or enjoyed (it's a game about tough, impossible choices and having to live with the consequences after all), however I feel that there will come a point where you will just say "To hell with it" and start reloading saves, because the game just keeps beating you, so keep that in mind. Another criticism I keep hearing is that the game doesn't explain stuff very well to the player, which isn't true in my opinion: the game explains the fundamental mechanics to you, the rest is up to your creativity and outside-the box-thinking (for exapmle, when I discovered that you can sell the cameras you get from the state on the "black market" for big sums I felt like a genius).


So in conclusion, this game is worth your time. It has soul and passion behind it, and it nails the 1984 totalitarianist vibe just keep in mind that it isn't as refined mechanically as Papers, Please.

P.S. Sorry if I compared the game too much to P,P, it's just that it's the most similar mainstream to game Beholder on the market

Not my game, certainly too dark for my taste, and I would also argue that the game does not do a very good job in explaining what to do. Very easy to mess it up. I can see how someone with a darker taste could like this game, but this was a reality for tons of people (even if it weren't, I don't like to play evil/"someone forced to do evil" roles), so it's just not sits with me well.

Absolutely horrid game. Beyond being a kind of weird political piece. It does not feature a proper way to save the game on demand, so you can be locked into an unwinnable game state due to how the game autosaves and be forced to replay the entire game up to that point. Just for that I could never recommend this to anyone.

i like spying on people

fun and interesting

12 подкидываний яблок соседям из 10комнатного дома.
120 продаж крыс за несколько монет из 100 тысячного счета за очередную беду в вашей семье.
Сына в шахту, дочь на тот свет, а старика вечно работать в архиве, несколько лет думая, а стоило ли его тогда спасать...

Definitely one of my most favourite games. All of the characters have very deep stories and the game overall has interesting themes, referencing history. I like the setting a lot and despite the music being quite simple, it fits a lot to the atmosphere and shows a lot what Beholder game is. The game mechanic is very fun too and the artstyle is pleasing for the eyes.

I have also played the other games which I highly recommend checking out too. I am looking forward for the new Beholder Conductor as well.

Beautiful RPG with many options and many methods for completion. The theme and setting are glorious and the atmosphere is eerie the entire time. Poor Carl.

Too much demoralization, too little real choice. If you do not choose between two chairs forced you by impossible conditions, then you already lost. Papers, Please was much more clever in this.

BEHOLDER

Pluses:

Minuses:

OVERALL:

Great Iconic franchise, I highly recommend it

no se que pensar

Beholder is an absolute gem for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking games that challenge your ethics and decision-making skills. Set in a dystopian world where you play as a landlord tasked with spying on tenants for a totalitarian government, the game artfully combines strategy, storytelling, and morality in a way that few games manage to achieve.

From the moment you step into the grim, oppressive atmosphere of the apartment building, the game immerses you in its richly detailed world. The art style is stunningly minimalist, with a dark aesthetic that perfectly complements the oppressive tone of the story. The haunting music and sound design further pull you into the game's bleak reality.

Gameplay Highlights:

Engaging Decisions: Every choice you make matters. Do you report a tenant for illegal activity to protect your family, or do you turn a blind eye and risk your position? The moral dilemmas are intense and often heart-wrenching.
Strategic Gameplay: Managing resources, time, and relationships adds a layer of complexity that keeps you on your toes. Balancing the demands of the government, your tenants, and your own family is no small feat.
Dynamic Storytelling: The branching narrative and multiple endings provide excellent replay value. Each playthrough feels unique, encouraging you to explore different paths and outcomes.
Why It Stands Out: What sets Beholder apart is its ability to make you reflect on your own morality. It's not just about winning or completing tasks—it's about what kind of person you choose to be in an unforgiving world. Few games strike such a perfect balance between strategy and storytelling, making every moment impactful.

Verdict: Beholder is a must-play for fans of strategy, narrative-driven games, or dystopian settings. It’s a unique experience that lingers in your mind long after you’ve put down the controller. I can’t recommend it enough—if you’re ready for a game that challenges both your mind and your conscience, Beholder is the perfect choice.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)

It`s quite a shattering game, which emotional impact keeps player`s attention at high rate (and not only because it is about spying). Would definitely recommend to fans of "simulators" genre, the game often strikes with difficulties of maintaining a stable life and making moral choices. Also would warn that the game can leave depressive impressions. As to its anti-utopia setting, I guess, so I haven't had problems with that.

A game about a totalitarian police country in a horribly unfree state, made and released by the Russians. Hm. In the point shop there are various dystopian things with names like "REVOLUTION". They must've really loved 1984 and really disliked their home country.

10/10, This perfectly conveys the spirit and atmosphere of nearly totalitarian Russia, immersion in the game makes you consider yourself a weak scum.

Love the art and kinda hard

Stunning! It feels like you're living in `1984` or `We`

代入感很强

Got the point of the game pretty quickly, but gameplay is really unforgiving and explanations are quite poor at the begging. Played a few hours (struggled) and left the game

Fun game that lets you sell out your own family to be government simp. Not as challenging as people have said, even without a walkthrough. With its save system being very forgiving even in "Government Elite" mode and how tenants catching you in their homes have literally zero consequences, period, it's actually pretty easy to do a trial and error and figure things out eventually.

I think my favorite part is still the freedom of choice though to either "do the right thing" or just go full asshole chaotic evil.

Glory to the ministry

This game is something else. Very very very good all of the three games.

A Landlord Working For The State

Final Score 78/100 Ranking C+ Tier