Superliminal
Superliminal
Game
Game2023
Viewfinder
Developer Sad Owl Studios
Viewfinder is a puzzle video game developed by Sad Owl Studios and published by Thunderful Publishing. The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in July 2023, and for PlayStation 4 in December 2023. It released for Xbox Series X/S in August 2025 and for Nintendo Switch in December 2025. Viewfinder received generally positive reviews from critics. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
492 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
307 positive · 35 negative
95% range 86–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 307 | 35 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 51 | 3 | 70 |
| Mastodon * | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 5 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
6,515 of 7,026 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 247 yes, 32 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 279 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (12,720 of 13,453 positive).
The story and voice acting receive mixed reactions, with some finding them emotional and others offputting. [1][2][3][4]
Liked
Representative posts
- [17]
Viewfinder goes into the same pile of puzzle games for me as Superliminal and Maquette where the central concept became viral, the devs spent a few years making the game and instead of designing puzzles around the concept decided to ♥♥♥♥ around with visuals and a story and ended with something half-baked and half-assed. Viewfinder is a couple of notches above Superliminal for me which barely even tried to do …
- [1]
Wow didn’t expect to get all emotional playing this, the ending really got me. It’s a very fun chill game with a deep plot. The game mechanics are so unique. Plus you can pet a cat what more could you ask for!?
- [7]
This is on the edge of the recommend. The mechanics are sheer brilliance. Taking photos and replicating the scenery lets you do impressive things like even "cross section" the level. The gameplay & puzzles are good. Some optional challenges give you the best examples of meaty puzzle solving and maybe there could have been more challenges and exploration of the mechanics, but it's good overall. The aesthetics are …
- [15]
TL;DR flawed but original and memorable game that's worth a no-guide playthrough Some very offputting writing and voice acting, especially in the first couple of hours, but worth sticking with for the original and sometimes very clever/satisfying (though sometimes also annoyingly finicky) puzzle design & the extreme beauty and wonder in some of the later levels. Very very risky/dubious decision at the end to include …
- [2]
I'll give this a positive score because the gameplay is clever and engaging, but this game did not need any voice over dialogue, especially not the one it went with. It absolutely destroys the vibe.
Summarised from 34 of the 402 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Viewfinder talk about unique and innovative camera mechanic; those who didn't talk about too short and lacks difficulty. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Prior to release, Viewfinder won the UKIE UK Game of the Show held at the 2021 Gamescom. Viewfinder has received "generally favorable reviews" according to review score aggregator Metacritic. The game averaged an 84.95/100 based on scores from publishers (Excluding Polygon). Critics generally praised the puzzle mechanic but considered the game to be on the short side.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 492 · most liked firstIf you are looking for indie recommendations: Bramble: The Mountain King Dungeons of Hinterberg Caravan SandWitch Chants of Sennaar Blossom Tales 1&2 A Highland Song Crypt Custodian Return To Grace Lil Gator Game Crow Country MythWrecked Foreclosed Viewfinder Nine Sols Lunistice Blacktail Toem Neva
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewfinder goes into the same pile of puzzle games for me as Superliminal and Maquette where the central concept became viral, the devs spent a few years making the game and instead of designing puzzles around the concept decided to ♥♥♥♥ around with visuals and a story and ended with something half-baked and half-assed. Viewfinder is a couple of notches above Superliminal for me which barely even tried to do anything interesting around its concept beyond the first few levels and was even…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finished this game and solved all the additional puzzles. This is not something I would say of a game that I didn't find interesting or entertaining. I don't want to recommend against this game in general. I'm leaving a negative review because I wouldn't recommend it to myself. Because it is not what I imagined when I saw the trailer. I thought the mechanics in the trailer were very promising, but I assumed the game would start building upon them. I imagined one could make some seriously…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My highlights from Steam Next Fest, June 2026. The June 2026 edition of Steam Next Fest is now over! Participating in Next Fest is like searching through a giant pile of sludge, but I like getting my hands dirty. And now I'd like to share some of the cool games I tried over the past week. ## Bunderkin: The Ocular Eclipse This is a 3D platformer with a focus on stealth. You play as a young, mischievous dragon caught in a time loop as a major festival takes place in town. You supposedly take…
neutral · AI labelView post →apparently in the game Viewfinder there is a cat named Cait, which I found out just now in a very confusing and startling way through a dev update
neutral · AI labelView post →Thanks to @thunderfulgames.bsky.social for sponsoring this video on Viewfinder! youtu.be/Cm4_iJCcMrs
neutral · AI labelView post →Games similar to portal: - The Talos Principle 1 & 2 - Antichamber - Superliminal - Viewfinder - Manifold Garden Similar to Firewatch: - Umurangi Generation - Return of the Obra Dinn Other stuff that might interest you that I haven't seen already recommended: - Journey - Abzu - Exo One - Wytchwood - Cairn (tentatively. This game can get stressful) - Dinkum - Untitled Goose Game - A Lego game (Any of them. They all follow the same formula)…
neutral · AI labelView post →So..... consider this a lukewarm recommendation, worth a look only at a 70% discount or higher. Viewfinder is the epitome of marketability. Anyone can watch a few seconds of a trailer and be impressed and intrigued. Beyond that "whooa!" first impression, the game is all sizzle and no steak. It's short. The worldbuilding is dead on arrival. As a silent protagonist, you quickly realize that you're in a simulated world and that the people who created it were working on some kind of problem.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pro's: + Good puzzles + Interresting mechanics + Fun easter eggs + Filters + Ca(i)t Cons: - Really short (took me 5-6 hours for 100% of achievements, including breaks) - Low number of puzzels (73 in total) - Puzzles are quite easy to solve and mostly follow the same steps. - A lot of "yellow paint" - Not enough difficult puzzles (there are some that are called optional levels, but there are way to little) - Ending feels forced For me this feels more like a tech demo than a game. It has a lot…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The greatest thing that can happen to me on social media is making a game I love go viral. This time it was Viewfinder's turn.
positive · AI labelView post →Wow didn’t expect to get all emotional playing this, the ending really got me. It’s a very fun chill game with a deep plot. The game mechanics are so unique. Plus you can pet a cat what more could you ask for!?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Disclosure: game provided by publisher] I have added Viewfinder to my Steam curator page! It's very, very fun. 👍 store.steampowered.com/app/1382070/...
positive · AI labelView post →trying to summon the indie game enjoyers with ✨ vibes ✨ and 🔥 titles: Everdream Valley Planet of Lana Viewfinder Sea of Stars Cocoon if these mean something to you, let’s be friends. 🕹️💫
neutral · AI labelView post →Helldivers II has won the Game of the Year award at the 2024 TIGA Awards. Other winners include Paper Trail, Still Wakes the Deep, Elsie, Hellblade 2, Viewfinder, and TLoU Part 2. (Read more: GamesIndustry)
neutral · AI labelView post →Hi Bluesky! During the last week of December, the Epic Games Store gave away two #puzzle games for free: We Were Here and Viewfinder 📸 The remaining puzzle #games in the diagram are available at a discount during #SteamWinterSale 🎮 Hurry! The sale ends in a few days! #Steam #game #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →at least it wasn't as bad as Viewfinder or whatever where it clearly would have been a cool vibe puzzle game with cool ambience but for some reason they added a character that goes 'WoAAoAoAoAHHH DID I JUST LIKE, WARP REALITY WITH A PHOTO??'
negative · AI labelView post →I enjoyed this game and the novel mechanic of the camera. However, as a puzzle lover it pains me that it doesn't fully exploit the mechanics in its levels: some of them appear isolated from each other for one or two levels and that's it. Also there are puzzles that are the same as the one before but easier somehow which was disappointing. The overall difficulty is pretty easy and accessible, for those who want something hard you won't find it here. I struggled with one or two puzzles at most.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warning: This review contains spoilers, read at your own risk! --------------------Safety Line---------------------------------- I could not beat this game, because it would delete the cat, and I care to much about cats to do that, so now I'm softlocked, plz help.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The puzzles are interesting, but I will not finish it because I have no choice to save the cat and I will not be emotionally exploited like this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really interesting game, with intriguing mechanics, but falls short in several respects. 1. It does not really fully explore it's mechanics. The puzzles, even in the 'optional' puzzle areas, are too easy, even when I can think of obvious ways they could have been more difficult. I found myself 'oversolving' puzzles more often than felt reasonable. This is exacerbated by the game overall being too short. I'm a little confused as to why, as it seems to have a fairly impressively robust…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Viewfinder, the remarkable picture-taking puzzle game from 2023, is on sale for around $16 on Steam. If you haven’t checked it out now’s a great time to do so - some of the tricks that game pulls off are just mindblowing.
positive · AI labelView post →Celebrate two years of Viewfinder with us! 📸 We're thrilled to announce it's launching on Xbox Series X|S on August 12th and Nintendo Switch this winter! Get ready to challenge your perception and view the world in unique ways in this award-winning puzzle adventure. Links below! #Viewfinder
neutral · AI labelView post →For a break from narrative-heavy adventures, why not Viewfinder? One of the most clever puzzle games I've ever played, this brain teaser will leave you scratching your head until you reach that coveted Eureka! moment. On par with the best puzzlers of the genre.
positive · AI labelView post →This was the first painting I did for Viewfinder, in an attempt to capture the high level feel for the game.🍩#viewfinder
neutral · AI labelView post →Hot take: I probably would've enjoyed the game more without a story and without the cat. Overall, I am glad to see first person puzzle games getting more experimental in the indie scene, this truly was a puzzle game like no other that I have played thus far.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game #33 of 2026 Viewfinder I'm not a huge fan of puzzle games but this stands out above many other games, it's surprisingly good and only very slightly overstays its welcome! It's only £5.99 on Steam right now, well worth grabbing.
positive · AI labelView post →Did you hear? Viewfinder is coming to Xbox next week! To celebrate, we're offering one lucky person the chance to win: 📸 Xbox Series X|S 📸 Viewfinder Game Key gleam.io/L9Sg7/viewfi... Ends August 11st. Good luck!
neutral · AI labelView post →Absolute cinema. Out of hundreds of games I've played, this is in my top 5. P.S. you can pet the cat
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The trouble with the writing being so shockingly poor is that you just disengage altogether from the narrative elements, and then this game becomes just a puzzler like any free Sudoku in your newspaper. Which is fine. But you expect a good deal more than that for the full €25 asking price, especially when it's not exactly challenging either so not a particularly good puzzler. But it's a fun hook/gimmick. It's worth a fiver, probably, if you're piqued and see it on sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was excited to get to play this game after seeing the trailer ages ago, and thought from my first impressions seeing it that the mechanics were kind of genius. As an artist and hobbyist photographer, the photography/visual-centric themes really clicked with me. So, with a heavy heart, I gotta say I was extremely disappointed with Viewfinder after playing through it. Don't get me wrong, the game is built soundly, i encountered maybe one bug that i used the rewind feature to get out of,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My only complaint is that this game could be a little harder considering the complexity of the mechanic in itself, it had a lot of potential for really hard, head-scratching puzzles, even if they were only optional. Nonetheless, the mechanic is really unique, the art is beautiful and the story, unexpectedly, is surprisingly good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ゲーム「Viewfinder․」の最初のハブ The first hub from the game Viewfinder․ World: Viewfinder Artist Hub Author: Ikeiwa @Ikeiwa vrchat.com/home/world/w... #VRChat #VRChatPhotography #VRChat_world紹介
neutral · AI labelView post →Played a bit of the demo today, and indeed this game is really impressive! If you liked Portal, Superliminal, Manifold Garden, Viewfinder, etc give this a try!
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewfinder is #EpicGames' twelfth free game for the holidays, and it's a great puzzle game to enjoy on the #SteamDeck: steamdeckhq.com/viewfinder-i...
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewfinder is a good but easy puzzle game. I 100% the game at 5.7 hours, breaks included in the time. The three big disappointments are that the game is too short, too easy, and the story/dialogue is embarrassingly terrible. Seriously, do your ears a favor and mute the dialogue and remove subtitles. Because the central mechanic is so compelling, it's a significant letdown that the runtime is so short. There is no challenge mode or puzzle that genuinely tested me. For 24.99, there is a lot…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey everyone! I'm Matt Stark, I'm the game designer on Viewfinder by Sad Owl Studios
neutral · AI labelView post →I'll give this a positive score because the gameplay is clever and engaging, but this game did not need any voice over dialogue, especially not the one it went with. It absolutely destroys the vibe.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was really enjoying this until the level that makes you have to do a bunch of challenges all in a row on a timer. Pretty tedious to have to replay the challenges again and again just to have a shot at the later ones. And the timer just feels so out of place with the rest of the game that was so peaceful. I love the core gimmick of the game though. Very cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzle adventure game Viewfinder is coming to Switch on December 3 www.dekudeals.com/items/viewfi... It's fantastic and you should absolutely play it if you haven't yet!
neutral · AI labelView post →Finished Viewfinder tonight, really cool puzzle game that gets a bad rap for one really corny line at the start Thankfully for the rest of it you have Cait instead and he’s awesome
positive · AI labelView post →Taking pics in Viewfinder. Great game, horrifically bad writing and dialogue. Onto Silksong. Also took some pics of your mum
neutral · AI labelView post →It's interesting comparing this to two games inspired by rumors about this game, *Superliminal* and *Viewfinder*. Superliminal takes the idea of capturing an object as it appears and then moving it somewhere else, using matched perspective to manipulate scale. It's directly similar to F-Stop, but without the awkwardness of the camera and with much more mechanical depth since puzzle depth is more than just 'move object remotely'. Viewfinder takes the interface, the camera snapping photos, but…
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewfinder is a weird one. The game is pretty short, but I still found myself getting bored with it fairly quickly. The puzzle mechanics change with each chapter, but the difficulty basically stays the same for the whole game. So don't expect it to get much harder as you go. Visually, it's also kind of strange. It looks clean, but at the same time it can feel messy. Still, it's definitely a well-polished game. There is a story, but I didn't care about it at all. It felt more like something…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to love this. Weirdly falls short in the most important way. Like the core mechanic is so neat and it feels like there was so much to explore with its mechanics but ultimately never really fulfills that promise. It feels a little bit like they were holding back, like they didn't want to make it too challenging or didn't have enough confidence in their ability to design good puzzles. For all that, the game never stops feeling like a tech demo. A very very very cool tech demo though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is on the edge of the recommend. The mechanics are sheer brilliance. Taking photos and replicating the scenery lets you do impressive things like even "cross section" the level. The gameplay & puzzles are good. Some optional challenges give you the best examples of meaty puzzle solving and maybe there could have been more challenges and exploration of the mechanics, but it's good overall. The aesthetics are nice, interesting and cool levels. Straightforward, but nice relaxing vibes. So…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An impossibly average game. * The puzzles aren't particularly difficult, but some of the optional challenges were enjoyable. * The design is nice, but nothing more. * Optimization could be better for graphics like this, but overall it's fine. * The plot consists of unbearably boring audio recordings and notes where schizophrenics talk about either their feelings or pseudoscientific nonsense. * The best part of the game is the optional challenges and the challenge to unlock all achievements in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good morning Gamescom! We're in the Indie Mega Booth showing off the Viewfinder demo. If you've already played the game please come by and we can talk about how CAIT is the cutest
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewfinder is good if you want a game where you need to figure out how to get through each level.
positive · AI labelView post →While the storytelling was not that great and the characters where not very well written (except for the cat ofc) Viewfinder is a very satisfying game. The puzzles are very intuitive and rather on the easy side, the design is great and the experimentation even greater. It's interesting to find ways to solve the puzzles with as few steps as possible especially towards the end. Will always remember Cait fondly!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🔴 Going LIVE on Twitch!!! I'm starting a new puzzle game!! ... well, I say new... I'm pretty sure I've been meaning to play this for over two years now LOL let's check out VIEWFINDER!!! www.twitch.tv/LirieLirie #LirieLive #VTuber #Twitch
neutral · AI labelView post →Not a terrible game by any means, but suffers from a pretty critical issue. Let's use metaphor for a second. If I present you with a hedge maze, a complicated one, you can reach the end of the maze in a lot of ways. You can climb on top of the hedges and just walk along that way, you can move around the outside and just walk through the exit, you can bring a chainsaw and cut a big hole through the maze. Of course, you can find the single correct path through the maze too. Viewfinder is a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically a copy paste of last week. Silksong with a touch of Elden Ring. Oh and I did start up neat puzzle game, Viewfinder. It's neat! Hyped for Hades 2 this week! Stay well y'all!
positive · AI labelView post →looking forward to when someone makes a Viewfinder-type game where wherever the player puts yellow paint is where they can climb
neutral · AI labelView post →Interesting art game, but brainy puzzler it is not. The beginning of the game feels very tedious and ends up being a walking simulator with no substance. Maybe it gets better, but the intrigue isn't there to continue.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing this while it's 40°C definitely makes the whole "the real world is too hot to live in" aspect of the game real RELATABLE.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Viewfinder is a really creative and absolutely beautiful looking game, would absolutely recommend on those merits alone but I also enjoyed the puzzles!
positive · AI labelView post →Hope you all had a great New Years celebration! Let's put this year into perspective and puzzle around in Viewfinder! CAW! Live now at twitch.tv/jaybirbgames
neutral · AI labelView post →BLAWNKMAS continues, and I think we're going to FINISH Viewfinder tonight!! Which means I'll need a new game for Thursday....and I think the Minecraft fans are gonna like what I have planned. ⛏️ BUT THAT'S NOT TONIGHT. See you at 5 PM PT! > twitch.tv/blawnk < [ #vtuber #viewfinder #indiegames ]
positive · AI labelView post →I beat a game! I completely forgot about Viewfinder after its announcement until it was added to PS+ this month. I love a good puzzle game and the way this game plays with perspective. It reminds me a bit of Superliminal, another underappreciated puzzler. Spoiler-free +/- review to follow!
positive · AI labelView post →hub world from the very wonderful game viewfinder~♥ World : Viewfinder Artist Hub uploaded by Ikeiwa #VRChat #VRChatPhotography #VirtualPhotography #VRChat_world紹介 #VRChat_world #ShockyReport vrchat.com/home/world/w...
neutral · AI labelView post →
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