Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You

simply. Brilliant.

Promising but really fell short of expectations. I can see what the story wanted to do, and the world-building was done in an interesting way. However, the mechanics of listening to conversations and reading chats was excruciating slow, which also turns me off from ever replaying the game to see the other endings.
Navigating through the system was also cumbersome, and the game turned out to be way more streamlined than I had expected.

This has a lot of positive reviews and for me it fell short. I think I might need to try this again. I didn’t play it long and mostly just felt a bit bored with this one.

Some people say that the internet and social networks are the worst enemies of dictatorial regimes. But what if that’s not the case?
In Orwell, you will take on the role of an investigator working for the government.
Your goal is to identify those responsible for a terrorist attack and to do so, you’ll have access to Orwell, a computer system capable of blurring the line between public and private information, allowing you to spy and if you choose, ruin the lives of your suspects.

Primarily, the game consists of choosing and collecting datachunks about your targets, which will eventually unlock other sources of information that will also provide additional datachunks or they may lead you to a completely different target altogether. This process is repeated until at least one incriminating piece of evidence is found.

Pros:

• The game’s concept is quite unique for a game
  
• Intuitive gameplay with investigative puzzles
  
• You can change the course of the events with your choices
  

• Very short, around 5 hours of gameplay
  
[*]Low replayability

2 + 2 = 5

First Playthrough:

A short neat game experience with an interesting dystopian espionage theme. Simple and straight forward game mechanics kept my engagement high throughout the entire first run through of the game. Overall story was enthralling given the intrigue and mystery surrounding a web of individually well written characters that share a common "Thought". The usage of dramatic and impactful audio queues during moments of revelation help to sell the importance of key information to the story and make them memorable.

Some negatives I find with this game is that in portions I tend to find myself feeling lost with what I should be looking for but the game does provide help icon hints to direct your attention to where you need to me, just sometimes those hints are not provided for every situation. Personally I find the ending to be a little too narrowing forcing you to choose between three separate paths and any of which leaves questions of the overall story unresolved unless you replay through the game till the end. This does encourage replayablity of at least three different experiences of the game, and with several side choices throughout, but still leaves a feeling, that after my first playthrough, doesn't leave me feeling completely satisfied.

Overall, for what the game is gunning to be, I'll give the experience an 8/10 despite my issues with the final act of the game.

Pretty good

So interesting as a concept, and it's executed very well. I'm a big fan of games where choices matter, and this is definitely one of those.

An incredibly satisfying game with so many layered themes with the writing and story. Questioning your own job, feeling for these people, seeing how their lives lead them to such grave circumstances and awful situations. Truly a story about humanity, and really taking a look at what it means to keep each other "safe"

Bom

het is erg leuk ook een beetje murder mystery opengegeven moment is het hele website spitten wel saai

super)

I was obsessed. Loved the multiple narratives.

worst game ive ever played

Decent games, until the writers need to write an end and suddenly the already questionable writing takes a nosedive.

Finished it in one sitting, was totally captivated
Unforgettable

Excellent value for it's money. Certainly if you have read and enjoyed George Orwell's books. On the surface a simple "read and make a choice" game, but it makes you wonder how this would work in our real lives (maybe it already is present without us being aware of it... I'm looking at you social media). I will revisit it in the near future.

Who freed the thots?

A nice 3-4 hour game with lore and a good story line! there's multiple endings you can try out and have the typical "good" and "bad" ending, but the bad ending is just as satisfying

Its just mindlessly clicking through highlighted text,
you can deactivate information, which made me believe i could play rebellious against the state, which does not work... as i just had to reactivate important stuff that incriminates the suspects to progress the game otherwise it locks you out with nothing to do,
so it makes it seem like there are a lot of choices to be made, but in the end you can if at all choose between green and slightly lighter green

overall the vibe and the texts are well made tho, but that does not make up for the rest

I thought the graphics would bother me, but they didn't at all. I wish the game was longer, and I wish it had the voices when you listen in on phone calls. Overall, I really liked the game.

Ever wanted to try yourself as a watcher of citizens in a dystopia?Well,this game is for you.Orwell:Keeping an Eye On You is an incredible narrative experience that makes you feel like a true investigator or a "Big Brother",call whatever you want it.The way characters are connected is masterfully done—every piece of information you uncover adds layers to their relationships, making them feel truly alive. As you dig deeper in the plot, you start questioning your own choices, wondering if you're really serving justice or just manipulating human lives. The culmination of the story is intense,keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end. If you love thought-provoking games with a strong narrative or you are just a fan of dystopias,not a lazy ass (because there is a lot of text for modern days people,lol)you should try this game.

great story writing. interesting game interface. fun way to spend a few hours on a meaningful game.

This... game... makes... the.... unforgivable... sin.......... of... having... its... finale.................... consist... of... a... plodding... text... conversation......... among.... NPCs... that... slowly... updates...... at... the... speed... of... molasses... enjoy... twiddling... your.... thumbs........ no.... you... can't.... skip........ ZzzzZZZZzzzzzZZZZzzzzzz.....

This was a fantastic game! The mechanics are simple, but the story and characters are dynamic and interesting. I'm excited to replay it and see what other outcomes I can get.

A pretty deep and well-thought investigation simulator, a good take on Orwell, would recommend for people who are not afraid of games that mostly consist of reading :)

Does a really great job at emulating the feeling of digitized research, amazing example of capacities of form emulation within simulation video games. As a style, the game commits to the bit 100%; every little detail is made to immerse you in the feeling of a dystopian cyberstalking program. The writing is good, very good even, but the dialog is mid at best. This is because they have to try to emulate how people speak over text while also trying to convey game-based hints, and it just isn't super realistic. Because you are so profoundly immersed in the form and structure of the game, certain narrative elements that break it hit really hard. It is clear that narrative beats have been thought out with the player in mind, and have a reflective capacity that make some of the endings really fun. The balance in interactivity is really enjoyable as well; as a player you feel constrained in such a way that the choices you do get to make feel really huge. Overall very compelling!

Great game, very interesting story

I wish there were a rating between recommended and not recommended. Like a 'Eh, maybe?' option. This game is very well designed with a great UI and intuitive progression. You do make some decisions and those decisions do have a pretty big impact on the story, but that is also where the bulk of my criticism comes from.

The decisions that make a huge difference feel incredibly arbitrary, so instead of feeling like you're investigating and making decisions, it feels like a game of guessing what the *developers* want you to do. It also railroads you into things I don't agree with and wouldn't choose to do, but if you don't do them you get stuck or really bad things happen. The guy you interact with (your point of contact) is very volatile and makes weirdly intense decisions off of very limited information, which can entirely screw up your game if you're going for the best results for everyone involved and it can be really hard to tell when he's going to do that.

Initially I tried to play cautiously, withholding information I felt could be abused, and that ended up with people dying. So I quit where I was and restarted the whole game (boring, because this game is not very replayable) and had to try a few times before I figured out exactly what was causing the issue. Then I thought I better understood the game so I continued, only to find that I gave *too much* information to them which resulted in more deaths.

It just doesn't feel like a game where the goal is about making the *best* decisions, it feels like a game where the goal is making whatever decisions the devs want you to make, and that's too much random guesswork to be fun for me. I stopped playing after Chapter 2 because I was tired of trying to read their minds.

Keep an eyes on YOU.
Joke. This game does not.
Be sure. Noone analyze YOUR actions.
Noone does...

I was looking for an investigative experience similar to Roottrees, and I got it, kinda. Love the graphics and interface, but the gameplay is too linear. I can get over the fact that it hits you over the head with its message, but what broke it for me is that it forces me to make "choices" I don't agree with (else it doesn't move forward).

Minimal gameplay. Just read, click, drag and drop. I personally don't mind it but just want to point it out for those who might.

I like the concept of the game (spying on people's lives) but I don't feel particularly connected to any of the characters, so I don't feel torn at moments when I have to make the "hard" decisions. Even though my choices did matter to the story and these characters, they didn't matter to me personally as much.

The opposite example would be OneShot, where I developed a very deep connection with Niko and was actually sad about how my actions might affect them. Granted, I was following Niko the whole time in OneShot whereas here I'm learning about everyone, but it still makes me wonder if the writing could've made me more attached to the characters and made the story more impactful to me.

I enjoyed the game very much, it was captivating. Although it is more of a Story you just follow and the actual "puzzles" and the evidence gathering is very simple and sometimes even a bit annoying.

Great game for a short play-through and it seems to have very different endings depending on your choices as far as i could see.

Short, but strong. It was entertaining all the way through and every little twist made me quite anxious. In any case, I liked the game, story-and-gameplay-wise. Also, long live Delacroix!.

Loved the story and the telling and all the references to 1984.
It's more book than game as the decision you have to make are rather small.

it is a really fun game but it is short. i liked it very much.

It took 5 hours to complete and because you can't restart mid-game it has limited replay value unless you are willing to do the whole thing over again. So I am glad I didn't play full price. But at a discount: easy buy. Great game.

this game is actually so fun i deserves more recognition. i bought it when it was on sale because it reminded me of killer frequency and not for broadcast (great games check those out) but i would GLADLY pay 20$ for this.

Orwell is literally one of my favorite games of all time. As a point and click puzzle narrative adventure, the dystopian world it paints is really interesting. It puts you right in the seat of someone working within a government surveillance system, and the parallels to real life are chilling.

The game tackles the themes of government control and spying against there own people, in a way that feels both immersive and unsettling. You have to investigate people with almost no oversight, digging through chat logs, websites, and personal data, presented in beautifully designed 2D interfaces that feel just like the internet we use every day.

The gameplay revolves around finding and selecting highlighted bits of text. You decide which ones to submit, shaping the story as you go. This leads to multiple endings, where you can either side with the government or help those you're investigating. And, of course, there are tons of clever Easter eggs referencing the real Orwell.

It's a short but incredibly well crafted game, and I can’t recommend it enough.

story is kinda thought-provoking and the good thing is that the conclusion is your call
nice read!
(oh yeah, avoid this if you dislike reading)

As a George Orwell fan, I adored this game I think it is a great showcase of many of the themes Orwell wrote about in 1984. The use of terms from the novel and the overall concept of government interference and supervision are utilised well. I am always for a good choices matter game, and its fun to see what way the story will go depending on what information you choose to disclose. It's also interesting to be the one spying, working for the government, another similarity to 1984.

I do have one issue, and its the inability to speed through text. To get all the achievements you need to go back and replay chapters, and even on full speed the text message and call speed is slow. It would be nice if you could speed it up, as it can be annoying waiting for it to finish.

Otherwise, its a fun game that doesn't take too long to complete. I am excited to play the sequel.

This game gave me quite the unique experience. It's sorta a "Choices matter" type of game where you get to decide the ending. I honestly wish I paid full price for it I thought it was that good. I can't really describe the experience and I think you would really just have to play it for yourself to know that.

I liked it a lot. Definitely some clunky UI, the inability to skip forward or load an episode makes it impossible to replay. A few glitches where it switches to a tab you didn't click on, or won't show the preview of a datachunk when you hover on it. Wish I could poke through the world a little more! It just isn't worth it though. I bought it for something like 2.50 and it was well worth the price.

I really don't think I can recommend this game. Instead of actually investigating it just highlights bits and pieces of information for you to drag over. But on top of that, lots of critical information isn't able to be recorded until the game recognises that it's important. All the characters are incredibly unlikable. Sometimes the government assistant can be really dumb.

An interesting experience with a fair bit of outcomes not only for the ending but certain key events as well.

Side note: I imagine this is what its like to be a wagie at Blume in the Watch Dogs universe

Very interesting game, where you need to figure out what is going on with a "terrorist" group vs a "orwellian" style government where you are on the inside of the government and using a tool to survey the public and invade their privacy.
Very interesting topic and choice of gameplay to explore it.

Only real complaint i have is that replaying the game and getting all the different endings for the characters are a pain in the butt. Wish there was some easier way to do this. The game itself took me around 4-5 hours the rest was just speedrunning through the game to get the different endings/achievements. So yeah it's not a long game but it feels perfect in it's length if you just want to play through it once, and live with whatever choices you made, if not it becomes a bit of a chore.

Still recommend it though.

Okay. I cannot even begin to get into how good this game is. It is AMAZING! Great storytelling, intuitive gameplay, actually fun, and very interesting! It deserves to be recognized. It's awesome down the very last moments.

A very good idea for a game, fun when thinking about it. In action, the game is a mess. I have no obligation to care about any of these characters, and the game is so poorly made I had to get walkthroughs to find simple, tiny pieces of information that are practically irrelevant. I was hoping for a fun, papers-please type of gameplay. Instead I wasted 3.9 hours on a headache of a game, one with cringey dialogue and little valuable story that relies on the characters being stupid.
Overall, 0/10, boring and frustrating game. Go play a good detective game that will make you actually care about the characters, like Disco Elysium.

great story and interesting plot. Lot's of reading though. Could use some dialogue

A investigative game where you click on every blue box you see. meanwhile an investigation is probably happening god knows you aren't investigation it tho. luckily the manager mansplains the investigation to you after every third click