 One of the most imaginative puzzle games of recent years gives you control over reality itself, thanks to a simple polaroid photo. New ideas are a rare commodity in any medium but with video games their scarcity is not helped by the increasingly slow improvements in technology, which in previous generations were always the primary catalyst for innovation. Even when there does seem to be a new breakthrough, such as with the superfast SSDs of current gen consoles, they don't end up getting used for anything significant. To what degree Viewfinder relies on the specific abilities of the PlayStation 5 is not clear but its gameplay is certainly unique… but that's not always enough to ensure it's enjoyable. Like any good puzzle game, Viewfinder sounds weirdly complicated and unappealing when you explain it, even though in practice it all seems relatively straightforward. Sensibly, there's a free demo for you to try and learn the basics yourself, although one of the best features of the game is how it's constantly adding new ideas and concepts right up until the end. In theory, Viewfinder should be an instant classic and yet in practice it seems to do everything in its power to make itself seem as irritating and undercooked as possible. It is still an entertaining game but with more engaging storytelling and presentation it could have been something truly special. Viewfinder's central idea is not dissimilar to the perspective shifting Riddler puzzles from the Batman: Arkham games (and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice). In fact, those exact same puzzles do exist separately in the game, as if in homage. And since no idea is truly original, the puzzles are also reminiscent of older games like Crush and FEZ, which played with the idea of switching dimensions from 3D to 2D and back again. The main concept revolves around taking a polaroid photo, often of somewhere in the current stage, and superimposing it onto the world around y){kind=link}
One of the most imaginative puzzle games of recent years gives you control over reality itself, thanks to a simple polaroid photo.
New ideas are a rare commodity in any medium but with video games their scarcity is not helped by the increasingly slow improvements in technology, which in previous generations were always the primary catalyst for innovation. Even when there does seem to be a new breakthrough, such as with the superfast SSDs of current gen consoles, they don’t end up getting used for anything significant. To what degree Viewfinder relies on the specific abilities of the PlayStation 5 is not clear but its gameplay is certainly unique… but that’s not always enough to ensure it’s enjoyable.
Like any good puzzle game, Viewfinder sounds weirdly complicated and unappealing when you explain it, even though in practice it all seems relatively straightforward. Sensibly, there’s a free demo for you to try and learn the basics yourself, although one of the best features of the game is how it’s constantly adding new ideas and concepts right up until the end.
In theory, Viewfinder should be an instant classic and yet in practice it seems to do everything in its power to make itself seem as irritating and undercooked as possible. It is still an entertaining game but with more engaging storytelling and presentation it could have been something truly special.
Viewfinder’s central idea is not dissimilar to the perspective shifting Riddler puzzles from the Batman: Arkham games (and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice). In fact, those exact same puzzles do exist separately in the game, as if in homage. And since no idea is truly original, the puzzles are also reminiscent of older games like Crush and FEZ, which played with the idea of switching dimensions from 3D to 2D and back again.