Viewfinder, an upcoming puzzle adventure game about pictures and perception from developer Sad Owl Studios and publisher Thunderful Publishing, will officially launch on July 18th, 2023. Today’s announcement included a new gameplay teaser, which sets up the look and premise of the game’s visual tricks and challenges.
Viewfinder will be available on PC via Steam and the PlayStation 5, where you can wishlist the game now. There’s also a playable demo on the PlayStation 5 for curious puzzle fans. You can watch today’s new release date trailer on the PlayStation YouTube channel:
This game immediately calls Superliminal to mind, the hit puzzle adventure from Pillow Castle that successfully twisted reality through perspective. It forced players to get really creative, often through altering the size of an object or reexamining your distance.
Viewfinder already looks like a spiritual successor to that, but it replaces the urgency to escape with a more relaxing tone. Viewfinder’s world feels consistently peaceful because its theme is built on photography and artwork, which adds a feeling of comfort and creativity.
It also means that the potential visual styles are limitless, but the devs have taken advantage of that freedom in all of the most effective ways.
Additionally, the new trailer has a lot of nostalgia in it. There are childhood drawings, and it even plays in rewind with vintage VHS lines. It all adds up to something cozy, encouraging exploration rather than challenging the player as much as possible.
This should make Viewfinder more accessible than titles like Escape Academy, which recently announced a new DLC, though it’s a brilliant puzzle game too. It would be a delight to see Viewfinder be ported to VR later on.
You can read more about Viewfinder, Sad Owl Studios, and other new puzzle games by checking out the rest of our news section.
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