It is a crime that there is no VR version for "Viewfinder"
Viewfinder plays with perspectives and human perception. The game would be even better in VR.
Viewfinder was revealed last week at the Game Awards and will be released for Playstation 5 and PC in 2023. There are no plans for a VR version, but Viewfinder seems tailor-made for that medium.
Your tool is a magical camera. In the game, you explore a mysterious universe where you can place photos, paintings, sketches, screenshots, and posters in the world, which then merge with reality and become walkable spaces.
"This unique mechanic delights in the way it plays with perception, evolving in surprising directions that keeps players challenged with every new puzzle they encounter," the studio writes. See the first trailer to get a better idea of this unique and intriguing gameplay mechanic.
Viewfinder seems like it's made for Virtual Reality
The game is embedded in a story, during which you'll uncover the secrets of this universe and the reason for its existence. At least, that's what the studio promises, besides several worlds that are all interconnected and have similar but complex differences.
The seamless transition from 2D to 3D, your gaze blurring the line between what is image and what is world: Viewfinder offers sophisticated plays on human perception and would have a much stronger impact in virtual reality.
After all, what medium is better suited to explode the framework we know from painting, photography, film, and video games, and conversely to raise awareness of the fact that what we see is not objective reality of any kind, but also only perception, only image?
Viewfinder's publisher has VR games in the works
Viewfinder is designed by Scotland-based Sad Owl Studios, founded in 2021 and dedicated to creating visually and intellectually challenging games.
The publisher is Sweden's Thunderful Group, which invested in virtual reality in 2020 and acquired VR quality studio Coatsink, which is currently working on several VR games. Maybe my dream will become a reality and the publisher will one day give us a VR version of Viewfinder. I've asked lead game developer Matt Stark if he would be interested in a VR port and will update this article if he responds.
For those interested in innovative VR puzzle games, Shadow Point, Maskmaker, and A Fisherman's Tale are similarly charming titles. Also check out our list of the 22 best stress-free VR games.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
