Beholder

Lore & Background

Beholder was developed by the Russian team at Warm Lamp Games, based in Barnaul, with work beginning in October 2015. The prototype originally included economic elements where residents paid rent and the player improved living conditions, but these were later removed. The game appeared on Kickstarter on April 26, 2016, seeking $25,000, though the developers never needed the amount and closed funding early. It was also introduced on Steam Greenlight, reaching 10th place among community-approved projects on May 9, 2016. A demo was released on Steam on October 6, 2016.

The game's story follows Carl, a government-installed landlord in a totalitarian police state. The state tasks Carl with spying on tenants, bugging apartments, searching belongings, and profiling residents to report anyone violating the law or plotting subversive activities. Players can choose to follow government commands or side with the oppressed people. Each character has unique personality and circumstances, and every decision affects the story's unfolding, leading to multiple endings.

A DLC titled Beholder - Blissful Sleep was released on May 18, 2017, in which the government mandates euthanasia for citizens aged 85 and older. The protagonist, Hector Medina, is about 65 but has his age erroneously corrected to 85. The player must choose whether to accept the 'Blissful sleep' or avoid euthanasia. Unlike the base game, Hector has no family except a cat and a 30-year-old son working on a northern railway.

Reader's Guide

Beholder received positive reviews from most critics for its PC and iOS versions, with praise for its controls, art style, and music. Eurogamer's Mateusz Zdanowicz noted that the gameplay is uncomplicated for adventure game veterans and called the plot setting combined with difficult decisions the title's strength. TouchArcade's Tasos Lazarides praised the easy controls on small screens and the game's art and music, stating that the many choices leading to different endings make it worth playing. However, GameSpot's James O'Conner gave a mixed review, praising the concept but criticizing repetitive gameplay and an unexciting script. Console ports received mixed reviews; Push Square's Gabriella Petty wrote that while the game's dystopian aesthetic and characters are strong, the player may feel forced down a path they did not choose.

The game won several awards, including Excellence in Game Design and Best Indie Game at the Minsk DevGAMM Conference 2016, Best Adventure Game from IGN Russia, Entertainment Category winner at GDWC 2016, Best in Play at GDC Play 2017, and Most Creative & Original Game and Best Indie Game at Game Connection America 2017. A sequel, Beholder 2, was released in 2018, followed by Beholder 3 in 2022 and a spin-off, Beholder: Conductor, in 2025. A live-action short film starring Evgeniy Stychkin as Carl was released on YouTube on February 1, 2019.

Did You Know?

• The game's prototype originally included economic elements where residents paid rent to the main character, but these were removed during development.
• The developers closed the Kickstarter campaign before its deadline because the requested $25,000 was never needed.
• A live-action short film for Beholder, starring Russian actor Evgeniy Stychkin as Carl, was released on YouTube on February 1, 2019.
• The DLC Beholder - Blissful Sleep features a protagonist who is about 65 years old but is mistakenly listed as 85, facing mandatory euthanasia.