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ReviewRated
Size definitely does matter
around with it. If our view of the chess piece
becomes closer, the object is effectively growing.
By moving around and looking at things from
new angles, we can change shapes and sizes,
or even conjure objects from thin air by lining
up perspectives.
Some levels stop you from taking objects;
some play with light, others replicate the object
by clicking on it to produce hundreds of copies
of that item. There’s a very loose story playing
along in the background, but most of the ‘wow’
moments come from the puzzles themselves,
or their outcome. You might click on an object,
expecting it to act as it had on previous levels –
for it to replicate and force you to, again, change
your perspective. It feels too simple to just say
‘Superliminal is remarkably clever’, but perhaps
that’s the best way to say it. Superliminal is
remarkably clever.
Early examples of puzzles include decreasing
the size of an object to squeeze it through a
gap into the next room, where a switch awaitsInfo
ReviewGENRE
Puzzle
FORMAT
PC
DEVELOPER
Pillow Castle
PUBLISHER
Pillow Castle
PRICE
£15.99
RELEASE
Out nowSuperliminal
ReviewRated
REVIEWED BY
Daniel Lipscombehat is Superliminal? On the
surface, it would be easy to
say it’s a puzzle game which
taps into the vein opened by
Portal and games of that ilk.
This is justified to some extent. It’s certainly a
puzzler, and it’s played in a first-person view.
The character we control is trapped within a
science experiment and puzzles are solved by
thinking laterally. It’s not necessarily a linear
journey, but there are no branching pathways.
There’s plenty of humour, some creepy
moments, and a few minor frustrations along
the way. So yes, Superliminal can be easily
compared to Portal, or specifically Portal 2, with
its lashings of wit. However, rather than playing
with portals or swapping colours, here it’s all
about perspective.
Our hero is trapped within a sleep experiment
about dreams – Inception minus the DiCaprio –
and we become stuck in a loop, moving through
many levels of subconscious to find the ‘exit’.
To do this, we solve puzzles, and they vary wildly.
Perspective is used throughout – it’s always the
key to the level’s doors. Let’s say a chess piece
sits on a table. We can pick it up and moveHIGHLIGHT
The way Superliminal messes
with your perceptions is a
definite highlight: you’ll click
on an object and get to know
its weight and heft, only to
click on the same object later
and watch as it crumbles into
dozens of smaller pieces. In
Superliminal, there’s never a
comfort in knowledge.
Exits are clearly marked, but
using them takes more skill
than you would think. And a
little bit of manipulation.
Alarm clocks are just as important as
chess pieces. They reinforce the sense
that you’re in a dream, though they
are used a bit too often at times.W