Parents' Guide to Beholder

This strategy title could've raised very important questions, but its linear structure and weak pacing barely scratch the surface. In a country that rewards betrayal and punishes kindness, what kind of person would you be? You'll find out as the replacement manager of a government-run apartment house. You'll monitor your tenants both visibly and covertly and report any suspicious activity. Sketchy as that sounds, it's easy to do at first, since staying in the government's good graces means you stay alive and your family receives food, shelter, medicine, and other important perks not available to the common public. If only things stayed that easy.

As time goes on you get to know your tenants, even befriend them. You share pleasantries, worries, household items. They come into your home. Then it comes: the call telling you to evict one of your friends by whatever means necessary -- threats, blackmail, even planting illegal contraband. Do you do it, ignoring the trust you've built and keeping your family safe? Or do you refuse the directive and risk losing everything? Before Beholder is done, you'll be sorely tested through choices that become increasingly gut-wrenching. Sadly, the tension is often undermined by sections of dead air and bugs that prevent objectives from completing the way they should. Worse, certain choices made early on can seriously hamper your later progress. Although these mistakes can be fixed in subsequent playthroughs, the linear storyline isn't really compelling enough to encourage multiple run-throughs. Ultimately, flawed presentation undermines what could have been an excellent tool for asking important and politically timely ethical questions.