The Watchers
- February 6, 2020
- Straight Back Games
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Watchers" is a survival horror game set in a remote observatory. Players must navigate through a nightmarish landscape, evading otherworldly creatures and unraveling a mysterious story. Utilize stealth and resource management to survive until dawn in this tense and atmospheric experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is a fun and challenging co-op puzzle experience that requires teamwork and communication.
- Players have reported enjoying the game with friends, finding it entertaining and engaging despite its difficulties.
- The game offers a unique blend of stealth and puzzle-solving elements, making it a good choice for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from frustrating mechanics, including inconsistent AI behavior and janky controls that can lead to repeated failures.
- Many players found the multiplayer experience to be problematic, with issues connecting to servers and inviting friends.
- The game is often criticized for being repetitive and lacking true horror elements, leading to disappointment among those expecting a more intense experience.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a mix of charm and frustration, with janky mechanics that can detract from the experience. Players often find themselves battling inconsistent enemy behaviors and poorly optimized stealth mechanics, leading to a test of patience rather than skill. Despite these issues, the cooperative aspect and engaging atmosphere provide a solid foundation for fun, albeit challenging, gameplay.
“Has story, uses teamwork, so fun with a partner, and has a solid amount of gameplay.”
“The gameplay is a series of gauntlets, where you have to get from point A to B while avoiding the enemies.”
“The atmosphere, the story, the gameplay, the direction - it's far superior.”
“If you look at the achievements, you'll see a steep falloff between a certain puzzle and the next; paired with that, you'll see more people have died 100+ times than solved the puzzle in question. That puzzle, and two poorly optimized mechanics leading up to it, are the problem with the game.”
“The first frustrating mechanic is avoiding the enemy's line-of-sight; sometimes enemies seem to have a complete 180-degree field of vision, while other times it seems restricted to a front-facing 90-degree angle.”
“The other mechanic that ruins the game is the inconsistency in which enemies can pass through doors and walls; in some areas, a wall is enough to stop them, while in others, the enemies reach or pass through them and kill you instantly.”
- story14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story features a cooperative gameplay element reminiscent of "Devour," but it suffers from repetitiveness due to the need to repeat missions upon failure. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and direction, others criticize the characters and voice acting as cheesy and subpar. Overall, the narrative is concise, spanning about 10 missions that can be completed in roughly 7 hours.
“Has story, uses teamwork, so fun with a partner, and has a solid amount of gameplay.”
“The atmosphere, the story, the gameplay, the direction - it's far superior.”
“If you like Devour, you’ll enjoy the similarities in storyline.”
“The story, the characters, the voice acting: cheesy and horrible.”
“It can become very frustrating, especially at the telephone quest when it's basically up to the game whether or not you pass.”
“My only complaint would be that it gets a bit repetitive after a while, as you'll have to do the same 'missions' over and over every time you fail one stage of the mission.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Issues such as enemies walking through walls and misleading hints contribute to a frustrating experience, leading some to describe the game as "absolutely broken." While some players find it enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus indicates that stability needs considerable improvement for a more playable experience.
“If the game tweaked its line of sight puzzles and the enemies-walking-through-walls glitches, it'd be way more playable and I'd flip this to recommended -- namely the shoe puzzle (as far as I can tell anyway, we didn't make it past that).”
“If one player crashes or freezes, the game will break.”
“Absolutely broken and miserable to play, the hints are very misleading and many glitches result in many frustrating deaths.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, providing a delightful balance between challenging puzzles and comedic moments that elicit laughter. Players have shared memorable experiences, particularly enjoying the amusing animations and the fun of playing with friends, making it a lighthearted and entertaining experience overall.
“A really good puzzle game that will have you pulling your hair out one minute to laughing your head off the next!”
“I played it with my best friend and we honestly could not stop laughing.”
“Animations for running and crouching are hilarious.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered subpar, with some users noting a comically poor aesthetic that may appeal to fans of retro styles. While not the best in quality, the visuals are deemed acceptable for a budget title, and the overall experience remains enjoyable despite the graphical shortcomings.
“For a budget game, the graphics are not bad.”
“The puzzles were difficult at first until you managed to figure out what you were supposed to do, and I love the older graphic style.”
“If you're game for comically poor graphics, dialogue that isn't clear if it's intentionally cliche or not, 'puzzles' that end up being how-fast-can-you-run by the final level, and an end-game that feels like it's out of a teen edgelord dream, pick this up.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is marked by a wild yet somewhat disappointing pre-credit ending, which players feel is worth enduring for the impactful post-credit scene that follows.
“The pre-credit ending was wild yet lowkey disappointing, but I'd go through all the emotional turmoil for the post-credit scene.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have noted significant optimization issues, particularly with a specific puzzle that causes a steep drop in achievement progression, as many users report dying over 100 times rather than successfully solving it. This indicates that certain mechanics leading up to this puzzle are poorly optimized, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
“If you look at the achievements, you'll see a steep falloff between a certain puzzle and the next; paired with that, you'll see more people have died 100+ times than solved the puzzle in question. That puzzle, along with two poorly optimized mechanics leading up to it, are the problem with the game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players feel that the game's replayability is hindered by frustrating line of sight puzzles and glitches, particularly with enemy behavior, which detracts from the overall experience. Improvements in these areas could enhance the game's playability and encourage more players to recommend it.
“The game lacks replayability due to its repetitive puzzles and predictable enemy behavior, making it feel stale after the first playthrough.”
“Once you complete the game, there’s little incentive to go back; the story doesn’t change and the challenges feel the same.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be manageable and not overly frustrating, allowing for a more enjoyable experience despite the repetitive nature of the task.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised as being exceptional, significantly enhancing the overall experience alongside the story, gameplay, and direction. Reviewers highlight its superiority in creating an immersive environment that captivates players.
“The atmosphere, the story, the gameplay, the direction - it's far superior.”
