While it was quite remarkable what the original Switch was capable of pulling off, there were titles I remember playing on it where there was no question that the ports suffered greatly. Not only did they tend to look far worse than on other consoles, it also wasn’t unusual to see performance inconsistencies and other problems pop up that made them less than ideal to play. Now, with the power of the Switch 2 helping to substantially boost what the developers had to work with for a conversion, it’s nice to see a proper port of Observer arrive on a Nintendo system, but that still doesn’t make this a home run game choice by any means.

Observer has a very distinctive visual style and world that you play within, with a mix of futuristic technology, a society that’s a complete mess and run by corporate overlords, and what can typically be some pretty seedy places you’ll be working in. You play the part of an Observer, a futuristic version of an old-school homicide detective who leverages technology as much as his wits in order to break down crime scenes and find answers. His most potent tool though is his ability to essentially hack into people’s minds in order to unearth hidden secrets and potential clues.

These sequences are often unpredictable and can be almost nightmare-like at times, as you try to navigate through a mix of memories and the mundane, as well as a small variety of puzzles. These can also be hit or miss, sometimes taking the form of something as mind-numbing as a maze, but thankfully going in other directions as well. The thing is, it really does feel like the entire gameplay experience is counting on you being so gobsmacked by these brain hacking sequences that you’ll be content that so many other aspects of play are simply a bit lackluster. The main story beats and character motivations you run into often feel familiar, and despite how cool the technology you’re using can be, none of it feels put to great use, except as a slight shortcut at times. If you enjoy dystopian technological visions of a potential future, this may have some extra pull, but otherwise it doesn’t clearly rise to the level of demanding greater reverence.