Viewfinder

Spellbindingly surreal and stimulating to the end, Viewfinder is the freakiest form of photo mode in which every snap is a happy one.

Viewfinder stretches its entrancing central mechanic in delightful ways, constructing an engrossing, yet brief, puzzle-adventure that shouldn't be missed.

Innovative puzzle design and truly astonishing visual trickery make this puzzle game a must-play-even if it doesn't quite have the space to make the most of its best ideas.

Viewfinder is puzzle game heaven. You’ll never look at a Polaroid the same way again, if you’ve ever looked at a Polaroid at all.

Sad Owl Studios has delivered a puzzling experience that's both instantly approachable and inventive enough to keep you guessing throughout. Viewfinder is simply wonderful – a breath of fresh air that shouldn't be ignored.

The entirety of Viewfinder, including completing its optional puzzles, only takes a few hours, but its brevity is a strength. The game has no unnecessary fat where you use familiar solutions to solve slight variations of puzzles you’ve already completed. Every level feels like it is trying out a new idea based on the core concept making it a consistently novel experience throughout.

Viewfinder is a puzzle game like no other. Its reality-shifting, mind-bending hook is constantly fascinating, and the directions it takes will leave your head spinning in the best way possible.

Having said that, some of the puzzle design here is excellent, and the core idea is strong enough to easily keep you going throughout. Setting aside the narrative, which is pretty forgettable, this is a largely impressive, compelling puzzle game with a truly unique gameplay hook.

It would be well worth your time to focus on this unique puzzler. Exploring a colourful simulation by manipulating the world around you through photographs, Viewfinder is a relaxed, compelling experience that stands out for its visual style and unique puzzle design. It's a journey worth taking, despite being hampered by the lower performance of the Switch 1.

Viewfinder’s innovative, clever puzzles and the satisfaction that came with solving them left me eager to face each challenge head on. Although the optional puzzles somewhat extend your time spent in the simulation, the experience felt relatively short overall. However, I can appreciate the time and effort that must have went into the thoughtfully crafted puzzles that are present in the game. Viewfinder’s unique gameplay mechanics encourage you to think outside the box, and the aesthetically pleasing spaces, intriguing lore, and surreal image manipulation left me wanting more. Despite its brevity, Viewfinder is a solid puzzle game that represents an elegant step forward in the puzzle genre.