![]() ![]() It would go remiss without touching on the parallels between Superliminal and the influence left by its contemporaries. The game excels in its unexpected slapstick, tickling that little nugget in my brain where the convergence of what is fun, funny, and fantastically thought-provoking rarely gets stimulated. It pulled visceral reactions from me from unrestrained bursts of laughter, to hand-to-head befuddlement while I tried to comprehend what just happened. Though Superliminal might have missed the opportunity to go play with all the toys they’ve accrued, the true underrated genius of this title is how developers Pillow Castle used humour in their perspective pranks and gags woven into puzzles and environment throughout. And with a short runtime of two and a half hours, these grievances become more apparent by the endgame. Though there were times when the game turned into a point-and-click adventure hovering the reticle over anything and everything in hopes of solving through a blasé bout of trial and error. ![]() Luckily, the game isn’t ever overwhelmingly difficult. Did I feel good once I figured out those light and shadow puzzles? Not really. The intention was to deceive my perception after all, and deceive it did. My gripe with these puzzles was admittedly partly due to my inability to solve them as fast as I’d care to disclose, but also that the pay-off usually felt cheap comparatively to other types of puzzles. I will say that the introduction to the concept was spot on, being set within a nightmarish realm, framing the stage like a horror game. The closest I ever got to becoming frustrated with any of the puzzles, was whenever light and shadow-play were afoot. Like illusions, duplication is something I hoped played a larger role in the endgame expecting to chain each learned game mechanic in a crescendo of mind-melting magnificence… It was an interesting concept that had its purpose, even if it was a brief encounter. An absolutely brilliant addition that flows effortlessly with the aforementioned forced perspective trickery and something I wish saw more implementation during gameplay.Īt one point in the game, we’re given the power to duplicate objects. ![]() The game flirts with optical illusions every now and again, having the player angle their view on a specific point, be it from negative space or 2D art, to form the shape of a tangled 3D object. A key example being able to hoist a moveable object and adjust its volume depending on where the object is in relation to you and the environment: Expanding or shrinking the size of a dollhouse to reach the next area. The majority of the challenges come by way of toying with forced perspective. The only way to escape is through your subconscious, and manipulating your interpretation of reality as to keep control with the intention to wake up. However, the study goes awry and you come to find yourself imprisoned underneath the deep layers of your own dream cycle. Superliminal sees you as a patient at the Pierce Institute, a clinic dedicated to dream therapy - with subjects given tests during their lucid dream states. Most of the puzzles hide in plain sight, as to highlight the relationship between you and the space you inhabit. The title and logo alone suggest that the game’s modus operandi is to play with your idea of perception. ![]() Even whilst you’re still picking up fragments of your last mind-implosion the game will make a point to mess with you further - and you’ll love it. Based on that alone, Superliminal’s hyper-focus seems to revel in perpetually breaking your brain. What draws many of us into our fixation for first-person puzzlers, is the hope of catching those instances of absolute astonishment found solely within the game’s mechanics. Reviews // 12th Dec 2020 - 3 years ago // By Danielle Winter Superliminal Review ![]()
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