There aren’t a lot ofpuzzle games that have the same artistic expressionasViewfinder, which is why it won a BAFTA award last year, and soon enough you’ll have more ways to play it.
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That’s becauseThunderful and Sad Owl Studios have just announced that their first-person puzzle adventure game, Viewfinder, is coming toXbox Series X|Son August 12 with aNintendo Switchversion following this winter.
This announcement comes as the game celebrates its second anniversary since launching on PC and PlayStation, including a brand new trailer.
What is Thunderful’s Viewfinder?
If you haven’t played this BAFTA and UKIE Video Game Awards 2024 winner yet, I could honestly tell you that Viewfinder might beunlike any puzzle game you’ve ever seen. Imagine holding a photograph in your hand, placing it in the world and then walking straight into that picture. That’s the core magic of Viewfinder.
The game puts you in a first-person perspective where you can bring various photos to life that will challenge your perception of reality. Each image becomes a physical space that you can explore and creates mind-bending puzzles that will make you want to re-watchInceptionor any Marvel movies withDoctor Strangein it.
Apart from the clever and artistic game design, Viewfinder also weaves an emotional narrative that explores human relationships, change and overcoming loss. As you play through the game, you’lluncover mysteriesof why this strange world exists and what its founders left behind.
Lightning, Then the Thunder-ful
Thunderful have quietly published some interesting titles over the years.This Swedish company has theSteamWorldseries, Aska andLego Bricktalesunder their belt. They’ve also publishedHarvest Moon: One World under their subsidiary, Rising Star Games.
Apart from the clever and artistic game design, Viewfinder also weaves an emotional narrative that explores human relationships, change and overcoming loss.
It hasn’t been exactly smooth sailing for the Thunderful Group, though. Last year, thecompany announced a major restructuring programthat laid off 20% of its workforce. CEO Martin Walfisz cited over-investing in recent years as “unsustainable amid challenging market conditions” which led to staff reductions across their studios.
Fast-forward to today and the company has been busy as of late and is making quite a comeback with recent releases of new games such as Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Reignbreaker, Islanders: New Shores and now with Viewfinder’s expansion on the Xbox and Switch.
Honestly, if you love a good brain-teaser, Viewfinder might be up your alley because it offers something genuinely different in a genre that I could say often feels repetitive. There are not many puzzle games out there that try to be unique or offer a fresh experience and the ones that do are often just a side quest in a larger game.
Thunderful’s Viewfinder has been available for PC and PlayStation since 2023 andwill finally make its arrival on Xbox Series X|S on August 12 while Nintendo Switch players might have to wait a bit longerwith the port version of the game slated for a winter release.No specific date has been announced for the Nintendo Switch port release.
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