Viewfinder is a first-person puzzle game that challenges your perception with an amazing core mechanic. Basically, you can apply a Z axis to a 2D image to stamp it into his 3D space and get inside the image. In the beginning there are only specific pictures to complete each stage goal, but later levels give you a camera so you can take pictures of yourself to overcome the challenges. It’s a great concept, but it feels under-explored in this short experience.
The photo remains as expected until you layer it into a level. It will be inserted from any stamped perspective, replacing anything behind it. If you place it correctly, you can use the contents of the photo to reach the exit. Again, it’s a nice smooth-running mechanism, backed up by the ability to rewind time. This means that any action can be redone if something goes wrong.
The camera takes things to the next level because instead of being handed pictures, you’re given the responsibility of taking the pictures you need to move on. This is one of those puzzle games where he often feels like the solutions he comes up with are “wrong.” Finding clever ways to reach or enable exits makes you feel like a genius.
Later complications like the camera being placed in a set position and surfaces that cannot be erased with photos make the challenge go well, but generally the game itself feels a bit lost. Once you have a camera, it is not available for all levels thereafter. One subset of levels has to do with optical illusions, which is interesting, but doesn’t really fit the game as a whole. Many of the most memorable ones you can find are completely optional. Each chapter introduces a wide range of new gameplay issues, but the structure of the game can seem a little confusing and leave the impression that the concept doesn’t live up to its potential. .
That being said, some of the designs in this puzzle are good, and the core ideas are strong enough to easily get you through. Quite forgettable narrative aside, this is a compelling puzzle game with a very impressive and truly unique gameplay hook.
