As the old adage goes, a picture paints a thousand words. A picture can create a thousand paths in Viewfinder, the upcoming first-person puzzle adventure game from Sad Owl Studios and Thunderful.
“Chase perception, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera,” reads the game’s Steam page blurb, where you capture Polaroid-style photos scattered throughout a series of vibrant levels, hold them aloft, and twist reality to your will by using them as a means of accessing new areas. It’s pure brain-teaching, head-scratching, mind-melting fun that leaves you cursing aloud in defeat and punching the air in triumph.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Dead Space will undoubtedly dominate the Game of the Year conversation in the months to come. I think Viewfinder should also be at the top of the list if we are considering smaller, independently-made ventures that are smart and unique.
Viewfinder begins simply before becoming increasingly complex, as most games of this type do. A photograph is grabbed, held up, clicked into place, and walked through. With the help of narrative-light items, each level consists of making your way between two points, then exiting via a teleporter at the end. Right, so far, so indie puzzler?
As soon as the end-of-level teleporters need surplus battery packs, each of which must be hidden elsewhere in the enclosed space, things become a lot more complicated. It may therefore be possible to circumvent a locked gate by taking a photograph of an archway. Innocuous photos of high-rise buildings can be turned on their sides and used as bridges to reach higher ground. There is even the possibility of using an Instagram-friendly sunrise shot to eliminate a wall from a building, allowing access to otherwise enclosed spaces. You have to think outside the box, sometimes literally, as you nip and tuck and tear up the world around you to move on.
It’s actually hard to discuss what makes Viewfinder so special without spoiling it since these eureka moments are so prevalent. I could talk you through each set-piece, or you could watch someone else do it, but this is a game which requires first-hand experience (so many mistakes) in order to fully appreciate it. Viewfinder’s intuitive, perspective-shifting puzzle work wowed me so many times in its first half-hour alone that I can’t recall the last time a game did that to me. With signposting in mind, Portal and What Remains of Edith Finch are excellent headline examples. However, the comparisons are justified because Viewfinder keeps you on your toes relentlessly – especially given how chilled out the rest of the game is.
You may find yourself stepping into an art work instead of a still photograph at one point early on. In one, rough penstrokes are used to create edges, while in the other, impressionist-like compositions are used. There follows a cartoon landscape aping the Simpsons, followed by a pencil-drawn world that would impress a preschooler. Another section of the game has you repeatedly entering the same photo in a sequence that echoes the late, revered graphic artist M.C. Escher; another level requires you to photocopy several stills to reach platforms far away.
The Braid-style rewind mechanic allows you to retry any specific set-piece you desire, regardless of whether you fall into the abyss or accidentally wipe out a teleporter. Failure at any point – falling into the abyss or accidentally wiping out a teleporter – can be reversed with the click of a button. Although this serves primarily as a safety net, it also encourages you to get creative, experimenting with how certain photos can affect the world around you. My experience has been that messing around on purpose often led to that sought-after eureka moment – where I’d get close enough to a solution by accident that I could then refine it on purpose.
Having said all that, my recommendation is that you get hands-on experience with Viewfinder whenever possible. For now, it sits with an ambiguous “2023” release date, but it will be released on PC through Steam, and PS5 and PS4 when it’s ready. Viewfinder is smart, cool, and thought-provoking in all the right ways. There’s also a wee Scottish cat who guides you along the way. There is no way I can recommend it highly enough.
