Superliminal Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Pillow Castle
Released 12th November 2019
Initially titled "Museum of Simulation Technology", Superliminal was made by Albert Shih, a student from the Entertainment Technology Centre at Carnegie Mellon University. Shih started development with four other ETC students before graduating and hired additional staff to help finish this project that began back in 2013. With motivation spurred by their inspiration from the success of Risk of Rain which was also made by a small team, Shih and his companions went on to make a puzzle game unlike no other, citing the tourist pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Valve-developed Portal as stimuli.
Story
The story of Superliminal is relatively shallow but it does have a charm to it. The narrative follows the player as they go to the Pierce Institute and partake in dream therapy, where they are supposed to be relieved of all negative emotions. The game begins with the story not being a central focus, but rather an explanation as to why you're capable of shifting realities and manipulating objects. However, it begins to slowly delve into a more story-based game, as it borrows tropes of walking down corridors or empty spaces and listening to dialogue. This shift does spoil the game's Portal-esque charm for me, as the player is expected to focus on a shallow narrative when previously they were in a puzzle-based sandbox. It's not a detrimental shift, but it's not a preferable one either.
Gameplay
The gameplay is creative and amazing. When I say this is a one-of-a-kind puzzle game, I truly mean it. This is because of how it seamlessly increases the boundaries of what games can do with a forced perspective. While in first person, it incorporates puzzles centred around optical illusions and forced perspective. For example, whenever an object is picked up, its size will scale to how the player has viewed it: the further away the object is viewed from, the bigger it is, and the closer it's looked at, the smaller it becomes. Very simple premise, but as shown in this 2-hour experience, a lot can be done with it. Not only are the puzzles ingenious with this mechanic, but they aren't unbalanced either - not too simple, not too difficult. The puzzles confidently tread the line between plausible and epiphany-striking.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of this game is incredibly comforting. It consists of mesmerisingly comfortable environments that in some cases feel "too good to be true" or are just genuinely relaxing. These areas are often complemented by the soundtrack's tranquil piano and quirky synth and this mix of audio and visuals is done really well. Superliminal's interchanging moods are often met with the perfect colour combination: the clinical whites help with defining the dream state, the horror reds establish a greatly tense atmosphere, and the comfortable oranges make the relaxed moments smoother. I don't have any complaints concerning the design, music, or performance of the game, it's all done really well with no noticeable fault.
Story - 7/10
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Good
An ingenious and comforting experience that has raised the bar for all future puzzle games.
