I have always loved puzzle games and they’re great for your brain. They increase memory, they improve your problem-solving skills, in addition to uplifting your mood, and other benefits. Puzzle games are quite popular right now, but I have yet to find one as unique as the one we’re going to talk about today.

In Superliminal you are the silent, unseen protagonist who falls asleep at 3 AM while watching a commercial for Dr. Pierce’s Somnasculpt therapy program. The moment you fall asleep, you begin the program. Will it help you better yourself or will it be a nightmare?

The concept is pretty simple. The goal is to make your way through the facility by entering rooms that lock behind you. You must then use the objects in the room to escape. Sounds simple right? It’s not. The key is perspective. Now, the word perspective has multiple definitions, for this article we’re talking about this definition:

NOUN

1. the art of drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.

Confused? Don’t be. The game explains how this works by having you do different things with the objects in the room to see how they work. For example, pulling an object to you will make it smaller, while throwing the object up in the air above you, and allowing it to drop will make the object larger. You’ll have to look at each room differently in order to figure out the puzzle and you must interact with the objects in that room in different ways to find your way out.

Each room teaches you a new way to look at the puzzle in front of you. Because of this, there is a huge sense of accomplishment whenever you complete a puzzle and exit a room. it’s up to you to figure out how to change your perspective to find the solution. I’m not going to lie, I found some of the puzzles to be extremely hard. This was mainly because I’ve never played anything quite like this before. Once I got the hang of it, the puzzles were pretty straightforward and while some were time-consuming, they were not actually difficult.

The reason some of the puzzles were time-consuming was that it was sometimes difficult for me to figure out what the game was trying to teach me. This was not the game’s fault; this was completely me having an issue thinking outside the box. You must think outside the box to be successful at Superliminal.

I’m not going to give any spoilers here, but the setting for the game was really well done. There are sections that are creepy, and the environment looks the part. The music also contributed greatly to the atmosphere. The controls were simple, smooth, and there are multiple sensitivity settings that you can adjust to your liking. Playing it on the Nintendo Switch also allows you to take the game on the go, which is great for long rides or breaks at work.

I was really surprised by Superliminal. It’s a unique puzzle game with an interesting story, unusual mechanics, and a great atmosphere. I had so much fun playing around with the different objects to find a solution to a puzzle. Pick up a cube, throw it up in the air directly above your head, and allow it to fall? It will land as a new huge cube, corresponding to how big it looks to you. It’s wild, it’s crazy, and it’s incredibly fun.

The design of the levels, the colorful visuals, and the attention to detail is nothing short of spectacular. Even in the creepiest of dreamscapes, Superliminal draws you in and just feels good. Both puzzle game fans and those new to the genre will have a great time. I highly recommend it.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Superliminal was provided by Pillow Castle Games for this review.

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Superliminal

$19.99

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Unique Gameplay
• Colorful Environments
• Amazing Attention to Detail
• Funny Characters
• Challenging but Fun Levels