Bystander

About Bystander

Bystander is a single player simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Egor Magurin and was released on December 15, 2017. It received negative reviews from players.

Bystander is an opportunity to become an agent for tracking the network during totalitarianism. Your task is to search among other people's correspondence on the network those that contradict the current laws, copies of which you will receive by fax. Follow the new laws, look for the hidden meaning in each phrase and, of course, report violations!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

22%Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

graphics1 negative mentions

Challenging and fun gameplay, with potential for expansion.
The foundation of the game mechanics is laid, indicating room for future development.
The price is considered fair for an early access game.

The game is filled with bugs and does not follow its own rules, leading to frustrating gameplay.
There is a lack of variety in the messages, with many repeats occurring early on.
It is often compared unfavorably to 'Papers, Please', with many reviewers feeling it is a lesser imitation.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The gameplay is noted to be similar to other titles, but it suffers from numerous bugs even after leaving early access. While the game has a solid foundation and interesting mechanics that could be expanded for greater challenge, it is still considered to be in an early stage of development. Players are encouraged to review gameplay videos to make an informed purchasing decision.
- “That game has much more interesting mechanics and takes better advantage of what it's trying to do than Bystander does.”
- “The game is really in early stage but the foundation of game mechanics is already laid and can be expanded for more challenge.”
- “I already have the gameplay videos uploaded; you guys can make a choice to buy or not.”
- “Overall, the gameplay is similar, but the game is clearly filled with bugs, even months after it exited early access.”
- “The game is really in an early stage, but the foundation of the game mechanics is already laid and can be expanded for more challenge.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for lacking depth and engagement, with users recommending "Orwell" as a superior alternative that effectively explores themes of government censorship and offers a more compelling narrative.
- “If you want a game that explores government censorship of the internet with an interesting story, I recommend getting 'Orwell' over this!”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The graphics are generally well-received, though some users report occasional glitches, which may be attributed to individual hardware issues rather than the game's design.
- “Some glitches here and there, but that may be my graphics card.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Overall, users report experiencing occasional glitches, though some attribute these issues to their own graphics card rather than the game's stability itself.
- “Some glitches here and there, but that may be my graphics card.”