![]() ![]() The setting is so ordinary (at least to begin with) that it actually evokes a feeling of wonder at what you’re seeing… and a little bit of disbelief. Given what it’s actually doing it’s surprising to see it all run so smoothly and watching items grow and shrink before your eyes doesn’t get old. Don’t think that’s it’s completely random though, there is logic underpinning everything and there aren’t abstract leaps of faith needed to understand what’s happening. It manages to capture that real-but-just-a-bit-off feeling that lends an air of the surreal to the adventure. There’s nothing that can hurt you in your dreams, but that doesn’t stop you being put on edge with the unfamiliar and bizarre. The latter however is a great representation of the dreamlike quality of the game. There’s also the guiding robotic female voice and a feeling of dread and tension at times. Yes, there are rooms that act a bit like test chambers, there are behind the scenes areas to explore, and ultimately you break from the “chosen path”. Superliminal has a familiarity in the setup, and the comparison to Portal is the one that every first person physics puzzle game has to live with. It’s confident that you will know what to do with a little time spent to reflect and take it in from a new perspective. Not that there aren’t a few points that might genuinely stump when you hit a puzzle that’s not had any obvious build up. All the while Superliminal adds on new mechanics it never manages to overload the choices and headscratching is kept to a minimum. What about cloning items? Yep, it’s got that as well. It even gets paradoxical at one point forcing some real out of the box thinking to get any further. As you progress deeper into the dream and hit other levels it layers on additional mechanics to consider. ![]() Let’s start throwing in flat objects that look 3D, light and shadow being transposed, and the use of negative space. Got that your head around that now? Good. It’s not easy to explain without seeing it in motion, so check out the launch trailer for better representation. ![]() This means children’s blocks can become steps, chess pieces blocking the exit can be shrunk out of the way, and signs can be moved and used as ramps. That’s what you’re dealing with in this dream world – the size of objects is based on where you put them in the space. A box may look like it’s in the distance and out of reach, but maybe it’s really small and just a couple of inches away. In this world objects are both close and far away at the same time depending on your perspective. Is it small, or is it far away? The fundamental truth of the famous statement from Father Ted to Father Dougal is thrown in the bin here. Nothing is what it seems, and none more so than the size of objects. Only you can figure out how to wake up, assuming you can get to grips with the way perspective, light and shadow work in this unreal space. Being drawn to the sound of an alarm clock over and over again, forced to walk the corridors of your mind as you look for a way to escape, you’re guided by an unseen automated system and the occasional voice note from Dr. In reality something has gone wrong and you’re stuck in the dreamscape. By immersing yourself in their structured dream world you’ll understand what’s bothering you and come to a conclusion on how to move forward. You’re taking part in an dream therapy programme at SomnaSculpt – an institute that helps people resolve their issues subconsciously. That’s how Superliminal sets out its stall. We love a good narrative puzzler here at Codec Moments so this is right up our alley… or rather, down our corridor. It’s all about perspective, dreams and solving problems through taking a different viewpoint. Pillow Castle Games have crafted a story driven physics based puzzle game that will make Magritte art start to look sensible. Having given the PC community the joys of its unique adventure at the end of last year, Superliminal is now available on consoles and is waiting to melt your brain. ![]()
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