Beholder: Conductor

相比前作，玩法出现了创新，我以为3代就要江郎才尽了，但也有缺陷，前期乐趣足，后期有一种被剧情牵着鼻子走的感觉，如果感兴趣可以把前作玩一下，这样再遇角色时会有不一样的体验

Coming out 2 years after the disappointing ending of the Beholder trilogy, Beholder: Conductor is a spin-off of the fundamental ideas seen in the franchise, that I found really did the game's universe, character and lore justice. Like the name of the game suggests, this game has you playing as a conductor/spy on a Soviet-style train through a journey across the fictional, nameless state only known as 'Our great state', a totalitarian regime in which every action is scrutinized and everyone is a step away from getting executed for treason. [h2]Gameplay[/h2] Beholder: Conductor is a simple 2D, point-and-click adventure game that isn't afraid of its simplicity. During your trip, you will be tasked with spying on the passengers and reporting them to the... less than friendly authorities. Every part of the game takes part within the train or the stations without an exception, and yet the gameplay did not feel stale at all. With the vast amount of characters and new laws being provided that get more and more strict and insane as the game goes on, I always had something to do, and when I didn't, there is a convenient Fast Forward button to fix the dead-air. The gameplay can be boiled down to around 3 parts: Spying on the passengers, looking through their luggage and then reporting your findings. Spying on the passengers is simple, just paying attention to them will allow you to gather info to build a profile on them containing their habits, mannerisms etc. If that isn't enough to build a full file, you can snoop into their things when they are not looking with a unique and tense mini-game that never failed to entertain. Collecting information on these people will allow you to report your findings to the authorities and if they were found doing or carrying something illegal, they can also 'forcibly' disembark. While this is the foundation of the game, there are also quests that you can pick up from those same passengers to allow you to get money or authority, since running out of either of those is either a near-loss(former), or instant game-over(latter). These quests also fill the role of the window into the story and personality of these characters, which I must note, are really fleshed out for the amount of screen-time they have. Speaking of which, the game is just over 4 hours long while doing almost all side-quests and so it doesn't overstay it's welcome and the gameplay loop doesn't have time to get boring, yet the characters are able to shine despite their short life. Personally, I find the idea of snooping around other people's business to find out their story, to profile them, to be very interesting, and this game adds the satisfying spying-reporting cycle seen in the original game as the cherry on top. [h2]Presentation[/h2] Honestly, when I first saw the pixelated graphics, I was worried about how the game would be able to convey the simple mystery and darkness present in the first two game, since those relied on dark lighting and shading to convey that feeling. I was gladly surprised, however, to see just how much the graphics complement the game and its atmosphere; not once did I feel like the pixelated graphics held back the game or the narrative. The game uses this frankly beautiful pixelated style that somehow manages to show off all the right things. The train has very distinct wagons, representing the different social classes, ranging from almost dilapidated wagons to luxurious cabins in first-class. The pixel graphics nail this perfectly even with less polygons. The soundtrack is a love-letter to the first game of the franchise, using the same chord progression, while also adding some flare to it that I adore. Music always seems to reflect the stage of the game you are in, and never did I feel like it could be done better. Hat's off to the audio design time once again. In terms of performance, I expect every PC to run simple pixelated graphics, and so, naturally, the game ran butter smooth. Also, in my entire playthrough, I did not encounter a single bug, be it visual, audio or anything else. [h2]Story[/h2] Here is my favourite part of the game; the story. It is, like the Steam tags suggests, a story set in a Soviet-inspired totalitarian nation that is stripped straight out of George Orwell. The atmosphere is thick and gloomy, even in the bright areas, and there is this sense of an omni-present gaze on every action you take. As the conductor of the train, you will meet every passenger and their backstory, some of which may be familiar to returning fans. These characters are fleshed out well, and they all have distinctive personalities and motives behind their quests and dialogues. Their stories intertwine often, and so do their quests. The story has some surprising twists and turns along its run-time, and the abundance of characters will keep you busy. The game also incorporates the choices matter idea, and, while not as strong as the original beholder, some options you take in the game, especially during the start and end of the game, [b]will[/b] change the story. Whether you were compassionate or ruthless, helping or cold, it will show up at the end, maybe even sooner than that. The protagonist is really a blank canvas and you will give him the flavour he needs with your choices. The story is always flowing with the gameplay, guiding the game along new wagons as you unlock them, and making sure characters get enough attention to show their personalities well. However, the story does hinder the game a little bit, and I will touch on that now. [h2]The Cons[/h2] One complaint I have about the game is the fact that the gameplay seems to be sacrificed for the favor of the story after the half-point mark. That satisfying and tense snooping around becomes obsolete, since the story takes centre-stage. The reason why this doesn't kill the game is simply the story; it's that good that it is able to carry the game by itself for around 30% of the game. So while gameplay wise, the game dried up instantly, the story kept me invested to the end. Another thing is more a comment about the general fanbase: Beholder: Conductor is a very on-rails experience (pun-intended). While that may not be an issue for me, the fans of the first two games loved the way you had multiple ways of dealing with the questlines. This game, rather, has a more straightforward and curated approach to 'choices-matter'. So, the hitman-style, open-ended gameplay of Beholder 2 isn't here. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] I strongly recommend Beholder:Conductor for its unique take on the dystopian world the franchise has built, as well as the intricate characters it presents. This, however, may not be the game for those who liked the original trilogy and it's open-ended design philosophy, since the approaches are more curated and clean-cut than before. Nevertheless, this game manages to capture the dense and dark atmosphere of the first games while also breathing new life into the concept that I so enjoyed on previous titles and now this game as well.

Билетики пожалуйста

Симулятор российского контролёра

A very solid entry into the Beholder series. While it is technically a spinoff, it might actually be my favorite Beholder game. It has all the typical elements of a Beholder game (a straightforward regular job followed by the less straightforward not-technically-a-job-but-can-make-you-lots-of-money of sticking your nose in everyone else's business) but the new setting really added something to the gameplay. I enjoyed the added time pressure of passengers disembarking the train at different stations. Also you can adopt a cat. Really, that's enough reason to buy it. TL;DR: if you played and liked the previous games then definitely buy it. If you've never played a Beholder game, then it is a good introduction to the series. Recommend.

Beholder: Conductor приятно удивил. Атмосфера давит с первых минут, моральные выборы реально заставляют задуматься, а геймплей не даёт заскучать. Да, игра короткая, но оставляет сильное впечатление. Отличный спин-офф в духе серии.