The latest Steam’s Next Fest offered us a lot of free demos to discover. Many eagerly-awaited titles were enjoyed by gamers, and one of the most impressive was Viewfinder, a beautiful and unique puzzle game with a pretty creative concept. The gameplay is so charming that it quickly received a high number of positive reviews, and the success is well deserved.

What is Viewfinder?

Developed by Sad Owl Studios, this game puts you in a lovely, almost utopian environment. Equipped with an instant camera, you can shape the world around you. Take pictures and change your surroundings to create a new passage, open the closed doors, or climb to unreachable places. It’s hard to put in words what the gameplay is about, so it’s better to say that Viewfinder is an adventure game that needs to be experienced and felt.

This narrative single-player journey offers not only innovative brainteasers but also lore, as you get to uncover the world’s mysteries. Portal and Superliminal have similar mechanics, however, Viewfinder proposes another approach of using visual illusions and different dimensions to modify the environment. Blair Witch was also doing something of this sort where you had to use the camera and rewind past events.

Is Viewfinder has replayability?

While the gameplay is beyond doubt outstanding, the puzzles lack complexity. As soon as you get the solution (and it happens quickly), you know how to reach the next level. This said, Viewfinder doesn’t offer high replayability, but you can still enjoy rediscovering it again after some time. More than that, if you want to get 100% achievements, you’ll need to replay it to find all collectibles.

Is Viewfinder worth buying?

This impressive puzzle game is something that you should absolutely experience at least once, especially if you are into the genre. The whole concept is so delightful that it won’t leave you indifferent. On the downside, Viewfinder is pretty short, as you can beat it in roughly 4 hours. But rest assured, this reality-shaping adventure will surely be worth your time and money. Hopefully, Sad Owl Studios will enrich it with various levels and more difficult puzzles in the future.

Conclusion

Viewfinder is a pure example of a bright idea becoming successful thanks to a genial concept. Even though it may lack depth and content, this beautiful and unique puzzle game has a strong potential that developers should uncover more. With adorable visuals and relaxing music, such independent project can definitely compete with more popular titles.