Observer: System Redux is out today for PC and Xbox Series X, but you might want to wait for its PS5 release later in the week — the DualSense controller is going to have some interesting features.
Bloober Team created Observer after it saw success with Layers of Fear. Since then, the developers have created Observer: System Redux, an upgraded version of the game with enhanced graphics for the launch of the Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles this week. Both versions of the game will be largely the same with one critical difference — the DualSense controller on the PS5 is going to make things a little scarier.
How Observer: System Redux Will Scare You With the DualSense
Many games have focused on how the PS5's DualSense controller will make games feel more realistic. Bloober Team, however, went a slightly different route, opting to use the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to make a game more terrifying.
Let's get the usual stuff out of the way: yes, there will be a rumble and yes the adaptive triggers will respond to situations in the game. Nearly every PS5 game of note is using the DualSense's features in similar ways, but the motivation behind them is somewhat different here.
The controller becomes an extension of the player’s senses.
One of the applications is using the adaptive triggers to provide resistance when a player tries to open a locked door, giving players the feeling of a door not wanting to budge. This is a neat feature on its own, but the feeling of a locked door takes on an entirely different situation when some cyberpunk horror is trying to murder you. The controller's rumble features will also be used in other subtle ways, helping players detect the presence of something else in the room with them.
Both the Xbox Series X and PS5 will have rumble features in their controllers, but the adaptive triggers are unique to the PS5's DualSense controller. This is essentially the first truly next-gen horror game (albeit a remake) for the launch of either console, and it shows how the DualSense can be used to make horror games scarier or more challenging. Imagine, if you will, being chased by an otherworldly force and finding it much more difficult to actually press the button that will save you.
It's ultimately a tiny part of the whole — the game is likely to be a great showcase for the potential of horror games on both next-gen consoles. You can scare the crap out of yourself by buying Observer: System Redux right now via the game's official website, but you might want to wait for the PS5 version if you have the chance to get it for that platform.
Do you think the DualSense controller will make horror games more interesting when compared against other platforms? What's the spookiest game you've played on console? Let us know in the comments below!
