Viewfinder Reviews
While Viewfinder will leave you wanting more, it is one of the best and most unique in the genre to come out in some time, with gameplay that never gets old as it repeatedly finds ways to surprise and impress. Whether you're a casual puzzle player or have experience, Viewfinder deserves a spot in the photo album of must-play titles of the year.
Having said that, some of the puzzle design here is excellent, and the core idea is strong enough to easily keep you going throughout. Setting aside the narrative, which is pretty forgettable, this is a largely impressive, compelling puzzle game with a truly unique gameplay hook.
Viewfinder lives on games of perspectives, of encounters between photographs and three dimensions, and does not disappoint.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Viewfinder seems harmless, like a little game that you'd happily put on the pile of cool games you'd like to play some day. But that would be a mistake. It offers much more than a simple puzzle game experience. Viewfinder is innovative in more ways than one. It tries to get a number of messages across, it tries things, it leaves us free while keeping us captivated by its universe, and it offers a fascinating visual journey to anyone willing to look beyond what the main art direction suggests. Viewfinder isn't just a fun game, it's a real little nugget. No matter how you look at it.
Review in French | Read full review
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.
Viewfinder is an ingenious puzzle game that wows at every turn, even if its sci-fi story stretches to find deeper meaning in its mind-bending photo hook.
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but stepping inside a picture is worth so much more. In what is the best game of the last decade, Viewfinder places theatricality, in the form of its mystifying world and its inventive systems, at the forefront of the experience.
Viewfinder is an incredible mind-bending puzzle game that never stops innovating and never stops being fun.
Viewfinder is a puzzle game that invites us to reflect on perspective, optical illusions, and the manipulation of reality. The puzzles are different and presented in an uncommon and innovative manner. The adventure also has a touch of mystery surrounding it, with old recordings hinting at something beyond just the puzzles. It's charming, entertaining, and just challenging enough.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Some occasional frustration with mechanics and personal expectations not met aren't enough to prevent Viewfinder from winding up an all-round terrific debut from Sad Owl Studios. Crafting a game that is confident not only in the ideas it wants to explore, but in the execution that underpins it all.
Viewfinder is a rare type of game that pops up with a concept and executes it magnificently from start to end. Though some will be disappointed by its length, it's undoubtedly a memorable experience and one I can wholeheartedly recommend.
At the price point, it is worth picking up, but if you have a tight wallet and want a game with a ton of hours of gameplay, then it is better to wait until it goes on sale. Unless you hate puzzle games, you will most likely enjoy this game and enjoy the variety of puzzles.
Viewfinder invents an entirely new kind of puzzle, then proceeds to flip it around and explore it from every possible angle. Despite a disappointing narrative, the creativity and character packed into that simulated world is inspirational and bloody good fun.
We definitely recommend it to all fans of inventive puzzles who do not need hardcore complexity and a powerful challenge for the brain. Connoisseurs of elegant level design - too. One of the most talked-about indie games of the summer of 2023 lives up to expectations, albeit not completely.
Review in Russian | Read full review
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.
Viewfinder satisfied my recent puzzle curiosity and my search for new mechanics. Perfectly executed.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
An outstanding first-person puzzle experience that stands out
Viewfinder is a delightfully fresh and enjoyable puzzler. The unique photo dropping gimmick is implemented perfectly, and repeatedly built upon over the course of the campaign. Some elements outside of the gameplay could have used work, but this is still a solid debut effort.