In Beholder 4, players utilize Beholder 4 blackmail systems to gather compromising information on Ministry officials, exploit office secrets, and survive as a double agent working for the underground resistance. Developed and published by Alawar, the game challenges you to navigate the strict bureaucratic halls of a totalitarian State while secretly sabotaging its operations.
How Blackmail Works in the Ministry
As a young Ministry official, your daily routine involves processing citizen files, signing orders, and climbing the career ladder, but your true purpose lies in espionage. By exploring restricted offices and eavesdropping on conversations, you can uncover the private weaknesses and routines of your colleagues. Every employee hides a dark secret, and finding the right piece of incriminating evidence is the key to gaining leverage. Whether you peer through keyholes or crack open safes, gathering personal data gives you the power to manipulate coworkers to advance your underground objectives.
Gathering Compromising Information
To successfully execute Beholder 4 blackmail, you must actively investigate your targets using classic espionage tools. The game provides several methods to dig up dirt on the people around you:
- Explore the vast halls and restricted offices of the Ministry during your downtime.
- Peer through keyholes and eavesdrop on private colleague conversations.
- Crack safes, steal office keys, and forge sensitive documents.
- Plant listening devices in strategic locations to record conversations.
- Collect physical or digital evidence that exposes an official's illicit activities.
Balancing the State and the Resistance
The core tension of Beholder 4 revolves around playing both sides of a dangerous political conflict. The Ministry will task you with finding traitors within your ranks, while the underground resistance will pressure you to help those exact individuals escape. You can use your gathered intelligence and blackmail leverage to force officials into compliance, protect your comrades, or secure promotions that grant access to classified archives. However, every choice comes with severe moral dilemmas and alters how the narrative unfolds.
| Factional Goal | Official Duty | Underground Operation |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Objective | Maintain loyalty to the State and climb the bureaucratic ladder | Steal classified documents and sabotage operations |
| Investigation Tool | Arrest orders, surveillance reports, and desk files | Wiretaps, forged papers, and blackmail files |
| Risk Factor | Police apartment searches and immediate exposure | Betrayal by trusted romantic partners or comrades |
Surviving Apartment Searches
Once your workday concludes, the danger does not stop. Returning home with stolen documents means you must constantly manage the risk of sudden police raids. When the police knock on your door, you have only seconds to hide any incriminating items you brought back from the Ministry. You can stash evidence in air vents, under your mattress, or in other clever hiding spots around your apartment. If officers discover contraband during their search, you will need to talk your way out by lying, making excuses, or pulling rank.
Managing Relationships and Fragile Romances
Espionage in a totalitarian regime requires interacting with complex characters who have their own hidden motives. You will meet four very different women who either work for the State or belong to the underground resistance. Developing romantic relationships involves going on dates, learning their personalities, and helping them resolve personal problems. Because everyone hides secrets, trusting the wrong person can jeopardize your mission—especially if your romantic partner ends up on the opposing side of the conflict.
FAQ
What platforms is Beholder 4 released on?
Beholder 4 is officially announced for Windows PC via Steam, developed and published by Alawar.
How do you get blackmail material in Beholder 4?
You acquire blackmail material by exploring restricted Ministry offices, cracking safes, planting listening devices, and eavesdropping on colleagues to discover their personal secrets and weaknesses.
Can you play both sides in the game?
Yes, the gameplay centers around acting as a double agent who serves the Ministry by day while executing sabotage and intelligence tasks for the underground resistance by night.
What happens when the police search your apartment?
You must quickly hide stolen documents and incriminating evidence in hiding spots like vents or under your mattress before officers find them and arrest you.