Superliminal PS4 Review – Wow, I have just returned from one of the strangest video game journeys I think I have ever been on. Superliminal, which I knew was a bit crazy beforehand, is actually, really, really absurd. Developed by Pillow Castle, Superliminal is a game about solving problems, perspective and the ways our perspective can be affected by various external stimuli. It’s part puzzle game, part sensory exam and a massive piece of constantly shifting modern art.
Superliminal PS4 Review
Welcome To The Madhouse
If you look up Superliminal in the dictionary, you get the following; of, pertaining to, or involving conscious awareness; above the threshold of the subconscious. This statement perfectly describes this game. In Superliminal you are taking part in a dream therapy program that constantly plays with your mind, defies your perception and constantly keeps you on your toes.
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One of the things I really liked in Superliminal was the way it constantly changed the rules of the game. Once you had learned a puzzle solution, it may come up in the future but just as quick as you exclaim ‘Oh, I know this one’ you get kicked on your face by the design of the game. Just as you go to move an object, you fall through the floor, end up upside down and wonder what the hell is cracking off. It’s the constant surprise and shifting solutions that kept me playing until Superliminal’s conclusion.
Voices In Your Mind
One of the other things I really appreciated was the two voices that accompanied you through this weird, perspective-based nightmare. You had Doctor Pierce, who was usually the voice of reason behind what was happening to you and a lady’s voice, who If I remember correctly is nameless and was the system admin type character. They were both funny and well written throughout and without spoiling too much, some of their dialogue and the ways they interact with you is very, very smart.
In the same vein as that, as the game progresses, everything from the load screens to visual clues in the game, really come together to show how well this experience has been made. They blend together to tell a great tale of how people approach their problems and I really took something away from the whole experience. It made me think about my mind and how I approach things in real life; not many games do that and it was so unique and stimulating.
Most of the puzzles involve perspective manipulation of some sort and using that perspective to move or change boring, ordinary objects. Whether it is increasing the size of objects by moving them closer or farther from you or shifting objects around in uncanny ways. It is all very clever and well thought out. Every room I entered made me think, “what madness am I now being thrown into?” It was equal parts exhilarating and unsettling – especially in the few rooms that took me a while to solve.
Superliminal And Sublime
Superliminal is a game that is very hard to get across through the medium of text alone, it is a game that unless you play through it, you will not fully understand what it is by reading about it. It is an amazing experience but oddly not one that I would not like to play again. It is one of those games that you play once, have a great experience but unfortunately, has very little replayability. This, along with the freaky nature of the game, leaves you with lingering bitter-sweet emotions.
Graphically, Superliminal is sublime. The whole experience is crisp, clear and it has a very abstract color palette. It is like walking through a piece of perspective art by someone like Escher but with a modern color palette like something by Banksy or Andy Warhol. It is truly magnificent and the way the game toys with color, perspective and light truly drills home how amazing the art style is. Not just as something amazing to look at but also a tool to create puzzles and to toy with your subconscious.
Sound-wise there is not much to say about Superliminal really, your senses are so visually occupied by what’s happening onscreen that the music just fades into the background. It’s soft and melodic, good for a puzzle game, it is just not very remarkable or memorable. As I said earlier I did relish both the voices that accompany your time within this uncanny world, both very funny, well written and witty throughout.
Seeing Things From A Different Perspective
On the whole, I really enjoyed Superliminal. However, due to its format, I probably will not play it again. It is an experience like no other and will truly mess with your senses. The game is well made, well written and will be one I remember for a while. It also has a very good message that gets relayed to you over the course of the game and it really did make me think about how I approach my problems in real life. Not many games do that and it was a refreshing and uplifting thing to occur while playing a video game.
Superliminal is out now on the PS4.
Review code kindly provided by the publisher.
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