Viewfinder

 PlayStation 5
Viewfinder Image
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

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  • Summary: Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.

    About the game Viewfinder is a mind-bending first    Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.

    About the game

    Viewfinder is a mind-bending first person adventure game in which you can bring pictures to life by placing them into the world.

    • Reshape Reality. Beyond photographs, bring paintings, sketches, screenshots and postcards to life while reshaping the world

    • Exploration is learning, the player will learn the secrets of the world, the reason why it exists, and the freedom to create. Explore multiple hub worlds that are all cohesive and encompass similar, but complex, differences.

    • Experience as much as you want. Viewfinder’s Narrative is player driven and will be an approachable experience to someone who just wants to play and solve puzzles, and a rich well thought off world to a player who wants to learn more.

    • Find the answer to the impossible, once you step in the world of Viewfinder.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Eurogamer Poland
    Jul 17, 2023
    100
    The inconspicuous title from Scottish Sad Owl Studios is not only one of the best narrative puzzlers ever, but also a dark horse in the race for Game of the Year title. Playing Viewfinder is a fun intellectual challenge and at the same time an artistic experience.
  2. Slant Magazine
    Jul 17, 2023
    90
    The background music that plays in each of the hub worlds is jazz, and it’s just as intentional as any of the photographs. Jazz is filled with spontaneous moments of harmony, which turns out to be the main ingredient and lure of Viewfinder. This is a game that, as you retrace the steps of four disparate people who did their best to save humanity, lets you riff along the way.
  3. ZTGD
    Aug 10, 2023
    90
    Viewfinder is a unique game that begs to be experienced. I do wish it was available on more platforms as everyone needs to experience this unique puzzle game. I could not put it down until the end and I cannot wait to see what this team accomplishes next. There is so much here that impresses, it never overstays its welcome, and the technical achievement will be talked about for years. Definitely play this game if you have the means.
  4. GameSpew
    Jul 17, 2023
    80
    If you’re a fan of first-person puzzle games, Viewfinder should be considered essential. Sure, its story leaves something to be desired, and some of its puzzles don’t quite hit the mark. But even the worst of the bunch keep you engaged enough to see this clever little puzzle game through to the end. Never outstaying its welcome, Viewfinder has left a lasting impression on us.
  5. PLAY
    Sep 6, 2023
    80
    With such a strong central mechanic, you could forgive Viewfinder for setting it and forgetting it – but it doesn’t, iterating and surprising with each level. [Issue#31, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Finger Guns
    Jul 24, 2023
    80
    Viewfinder is a point-and-shoot puzzler that just clicks. The reality-shifting photography mechanic is an exceptional feat that rivals Titans in the genre. The overall presentation only improves Viewfinder as it lets the gameplay shine, whilst matching its quality for the most part. The story could’ve been more outward to give more motive but an overall excellent puzzle game.
  7. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Jul 17, 2023
    60
    It’s ironic that a game all about breathing life into pictures can’t breathe life into its own core mechanic. Witnessing a flat picture expand into something tangible or using photography to reposition the existing stage is a technical marvel that hardly goes beyond being just a visual spectacle. These systems deserve much more than that, but, like film lacking contrast, it’s underdeveloped and only a faint outline of what it should be.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. illescasDaniel
    Aug 16, 2023
    10
    Amazing game, very enjoyable; nothing like I've tried before, as epic as Portal!
  2. P-Daniele
    Jul 28, 2023
    9
    dal primo trailer in cui il titolo si era mostrato la sensazioni di trovarsi di fronte ad un nuovo the witness erano molto forte, madal primo trailer in cui il titolo si era mostrato la sensazioni di trovarsi di fronte ad un nuovo the witness erano molto forte, ma fortunatamente il titolo prende in prestito solo lo stile di alcune ambientazioni, per poi creare un titolo veramente unico.
    la narrativa non è la parte preponderante del titolo, ed è più una cosa di contorno che ci farà proseguire nei vari livelli, per conoscere i pensieri dei vari personaggi che hanno creato questo mondo assurdo per cercare di risolvere un tema molto attuale quello del cambiamento climatico.
    viewfinder non è un titolo che punta sulla difficoltà, o sul cercarti di farti capire come proseguire, ad eccezione di alcuni livelli facoltativi.
    in questo titolo affronteremo dei livelli molto contenuti come dimensioni, dove dovremo capire come proseguire tramite meccaniche sempre sorprendenti da scoprire, basate principalmente sulla prospettiva.
    come detto il titolo non offrirà mai sfide impossibili, e il fatto che i livelli non saranno enormi permetterà di giungere quasi sempre alla soluzione senza impazzire.
    quello che però il gioco vuole fare è sorprenderti in ogni singolo livello, con trovate sempre nuove e interessanti, quindi il tiolo è più un gioco che vuole farti vedere le sue idee, piuttosto di un titolo che ti vuole mettere in difficoltà. un titolo che ti sorprende già dal fatto che ha aggiunto una cosa specifica solo per sorprendere quelli che hanno deciso di provare la demo.
    principalmente in gioco si suddividerà in due meccaniche principale, trovare le foto e posizionarle, e dopo aver ottenuto una macchina fotografica che ci permetterà di fotografare qualsiasi cosa e metterla dove volgiamo.
    quindi se ci troviamo di fronte ad un baratro ci basterà trovare la foto di un ponte per passare, ma se non ci sono foto potremo fotografare direttamente un muro inclinarlo e usarlo come se fosse un ponte.
    la struttura dei livelli risulta essere studiatissima, dato che dove posizioneremo una foto tutto quello che c'è dietro la foto andrà completamente cancellato, per essere sovrascritto da quello che noi decideremo di mettere, riuscendo quindi a creare un titolo che si basa su questa particolare meccanica, e che questa meccanica non rompe tutto, non permettendoci di rovinare i livelli e semplicemente impressionate.
    è inutile dire che mi sto trattenendo molto sulle cose che si possono fare, proprio per evitarvi di rovinare la sorpresa, sulla quale il titolo si basa molto.
    quello che posso fare è ovviamente consigliarvi è di dargli una possibilità, e scoprire di persona cosa il titolo ha da offrire.
    voto 93    … Expand
  4. Chromaticaa
    Jul 30, 2023
    8
    One of the most unique gaming experiences I've had in a long time. The perfect cozy weekend game!
  5. royalguy07
    Aug 28, 2023
    6
    A Simple Concept with manageable puzzles in a peaceful setting. The mechanics of the game are simple and intuitive to learn and master. TheA Simple Concept with manageable puzzles in a peaceful setting. The mechanics of the game are simple and intuitive to learn and master. The puzzles ascend in complexity but never really take longer than a couple minutes to solve. If you are stuck it is almost always because you are overthinking the simple solution. The background story feels a little bloated and irrelevant, stakes are laid out but there is no real reason to care about them.… Expand
  6. Ska-Tea
    Aug 18, 2023
    6
    Gotta give it to this game,

    It ain't Portal, but its such a Mind bending experience that comparing it to the amount of work would be    Gotta give it to this game,

    It ain't Portal, but its such a Mind bending experience that comparing it to the amount of work would be laughable. As the game progresses you have new challenges culminating in a time trial that ends the game too soon. There was this one level that put you in levels on levels in this picture quest, that I loved, but as soon as they scaled back and did picture teleporting, they dropped the ball on a game that could have been a mind bending experience. They gave you a lot in the beginning and then kinda scaled back to rehash old challenges.    … Expand
  7. PS-KING
    Sep 8, 2023
    0
    C'est quoi ce jeu ? On dirait un game sur les Nokia des années 90! À éviter à tout prix.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2023
79
#79 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

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