Superliminal

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 49

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Superliminal is a truly unique puzzle game with original and cleverly designed puzzles, but its 20 minutes of revolutionary gameplay quickly fades away as the game turns into a walking simulator with superficial exploration.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 49

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 49

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Critic Reviews for Superliminal

Reviews

High Score - 90/100

Low Score - 50/100

Jake Hill (COGconnected)

87/100

“An original gameplay mechanic is hard to come by, and these shapeshifting puzzles feel like nothing else. The parts of the game that are derivative aren’t bad, just second best. The parts of the game that are original are extraordinary.”

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Cass Marshall (Polygon)

Not Recommended

“Perhaps there’s an angle from which Superliminal is a satisfying, Portal-style thriller, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find that angle. And as the game was so fond of reminding me, perception is reality.”

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Gareth Chadwick (TheSixthAxis)

8/10

“As confusing as it is entertaining, Superliminal constantly uses unique mechanics that go against your expectations, even once you’ve adjusted to what it did last time. It might be short, but it’s a genuine delight.”

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Read the Reviews (49 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Rubén Rionegro	90 / 100	11-15-2019	Superliminal is like that trip that you know is going to be short lived but you are still totally justified in doing it because you know it will be the best trip of your life. With a strange mix between Portal and The Stanley Parable, Superliminal proposes an introspective journey where visual beauty is taken to its maximum expression. One of those experiences you have to try at least once in your life.	Read review
Area Xbox	Unknown	7 / 10	07-23-2020	A really short experience, with a couple of side challenges that might pad it a bit, it is a bit on the minimalistic side but this plays on it’s favor it doesn’t fail to entertain.	Read review
Areajugones	Víctor Rodríguez	8.5 / 10	11-12-2019	Portal meets The Stanley Parable in a game that, although may fall short in some aspects, offers one of the most imaginative and surprising experiences of 2019. A true hidden gem for the puzzle lovers as well as a video game design masterclass.	Read review
AusGamers	Kosta Andreadis	7.2 / 10	11-20-2019	Walk up close and you'll find that it's now seven feet tall.	Read review
COGconnected	Jake Hill	87 / 100	11-19-2019	An original gameplay mechanic is hard to come by, and these shapeshifting puzzles feel like nothing else. The parts of the game that are derivative aren’t bad, just second best. The parts of the game that are original are extraordinary.	Read review
Cubed3	Drew Hurley	8 / 10	08-12-2020	It is usually easy to make comparisons with other games. Something along the lines of "if you liked this or this, then you'll like this as well." That isn't so easy for Superliminal, because there are simply no others like this. That's what makes this such an easy recommendation.	Read review
Cultured Vultures	Ashley Bates	7.5 / 10	07-07-2020	Though some flawed level designs and weak narrative hamper the overall experience, Superliminal is a mostly sublime puzzle adventure.	Read review
Destructoid	Brett Makedonski	8 / 10	11-12-2019	Still, Superliminal's satisfying every time a puzzle clicks. It sounds obvious, but that's the most redeeming trait a puzzle game can have. Sometimes it'll take you by surprise, sometimes you'll train your eye to see it coming. But analyzing a situation, exploring possibilities, and approaching it from unique angles never fails to be rewarding. Is that enough to offset the realization that you're starting from obtuse and working backward toward logical? It all depends on your perspective.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Dillon Sweeney	8 / 10	09-27-2009	As a metaphor for transforming inane frustration into gratifying solutions, Superliminal was a profound experience.	Read review
Echo Boomer	Unknown	Not Recommended	07-23-2020	A mind blowing concept that works in small quantities. However the novelty goes away fast when the unexpected becomes a betrayal of the past learned mechanics.	Read review
Eurogamer	Christian Donlan	Recommended	11-12-2019	This is a puzzling masterclass with a heart as well as a brain.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Claudio Cugliandro	7 / 10	12-12-2019	Overall, the Pillow Castle experience is therefore a well-built puzzle game, certainly appreciated by fans of the genre, but unable to rival the sacred monsters of the category in terms of inspiration, originality and power of the story.	Read review
Expansive	Sally Willington	Recommended	07-15-2020	Superliminal can be a decent challenge, but once it’s over, it doesn’t feel like a game you’d revisit in a hurry. It struggles to recapture that sense of wonder and magic. Still, for a short blast puzzler, this really does offer something different, and on the strength of that alone, stays memorable and lasting	Read review
Explosion Network	Dylan Blight	6.5 / 10	08-26-2020	Superliminal features a rather ingenious puzzle design, but it’s held back by the finicky nature of solving them.	Read review
FingerGuns	Greg Hicks	9 / 10	07-27-2020	A truly one-of-a-kind take on first person puzzle games, Superliminal may not be the longest game on the market. But what it lacks in length it makes up for in ingenuity.	Read review
Game Informer	Ben Reeves	7.5 / 10	11-21-2019	Puzzles range from clever to obtuse, and exploring these impossible spaces is incredibly compelling	Read review
Game Rant	Callum Williams	3.5 / 5 stars	11-25-2020	Superliminal is a compelling puzzle game with an innovative central mechanic, even if its brief campaign lacks a great story or much challenge.	Read review
Game Revolution	Alex Santa Maria	3.5 / 5 stars	11-12-2019	Despite a few limitations, Superliminal succeeds where it counts.	Read review
GameGrin	Danielle Winter	8 / 10	12-12-2020	The forced perspective game mechanic alone makes Superliminal an essential buy for those looking for a new first-person puzzler. Both mind-bogglingly clever and hilarious use of environmental storytelling, the potential to be a classic is limited by its short play time and unnecessary exposition.	Read review
GameMAG	Unknown	7 / 10	12-30-2019	Superliminal is 20 minutes of revolutionary gameplay, the feeling of which is gradually fading as the game turns into a walking simulator. An interesting story could pull the project, but beyond the concept of "it's all a dream" the authors could not move, not to mention the insignificant duration. Thanks to the musical accompaniment, which does not allow you to finally fall asleep from boredom. Perhaps by the console version, the authors will recognize their mistakes and add new content and puzzles to the game. I want to believe it.	Read review
GamePitt	Rob Pitt	8 / 10	07-29-2020	Despite my hate of the unfair and borderline impossible speedrun trophy, Superliminal is easily one of the most ingenious and clever puzzle games I’ve ever played. The way the game messes with your head as it introduces new mind-boggling puzzles is incredible and the first time you play the game you’ll be left in awe at how much the game plays with you. The experience itself isn’t very long and will leave you wanting more puzzles and maybe a little more variety in the solutions, but it’s an experience you’ll not forget due to how entertaining and unique the journey is. Fans of puzzle games will simply love this game and everything it has to offer.	Read review
GameSpew	Diggy	7 / 10	11-12-2019	Superliminal is fun. It may not be challenging, and it might not have a deeper message behind it, but it’s a hell of a ride – and on many levels it’s a technical masterpiece.	Read review
GameSpot	James O'Connor	8 / 10	07-16-2020	Superliminal is a perspective-focused puzzle game that is equal parts trippy and endearing.	Read review
GamingTrend	Lawrence Le	60 / 100	01-25-2020	Superliminal is a short, sweet, but superficial exploration of one the most interesting mechanics to find its way into a puzzle game. It excites with the possibility of what could be, but fails to deliver on the challenges its mechanics beg for.	Read review
GBAtemp	Ben Sellwood	7 / 10	08-12-2020	I really enjoyed this title. It caused me to think outside the box a few times, and gave me the impetus to proceed through its intriguing narrative. The use of forced perspective is absolutely genius to behold, but I feel that this is the prototype for something much bigger, more rounded, and more appealing in future. Pillow Castle is definitely one to watch as they have some really neat tricks up their sleeves.	Read review
God is a Geek	Gary Bailey	8 / 10	11-12-2019	An excellent puzzle game with a fun sense of humour, and an important and surprising message behind it.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Kyle LeClair	3 / 5 stars	11-12-2019	Superliminal has a unique concept for a puzzle game and nice and trippy visuals to accompany it, but alas, that's the majority of what it has going for it.	Read review
IND13	Rahul Shirke	4 / 5 stars	04-18-2020	Superliminal is a little more clinical and flat than it deserved to be, but it’s still a spectacular, perception-bending experience that everyone needs to try. It sparks joy, and that’s a lot in itself.	Read review
Jump Dash Roll	Rob Kershaw	8 / 10	07-15-2020	Superliminal will challenge and confound but never punish. Pillow Castle's debut is inventive and occasionally mind-boggling, a short but engaging feast for fans of optical illusions and lateral thinking.	Read review
KeenGamer	Andy J. Dobeson	8 / 10	11-10-2020	What do you get when you cross the mechanical structure and minimalist aesthetic of Portal with the self-conscious thematic drive of The Stanley Parable? You get Superliminal, an innovative and striking narrative experience, complete with mind-bending puzzles. Remember – perspective is everything!	Read review
Merlin'in Kazanı	Ahmet Özçilingir	72 / 100	11-25-2019	Superliminal plays with your perceptions while you play with it	Read review
Nintendo Life	Oliver Reynolds	8 / 10	07-07-2020	Will Superliminal resonate with everyone as much as it did with us? Possibly not, but regardless, if you’re looking for a game in a similar vein to Portal, you’ll be right at home here.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Joel A. DeWitte	8.5 / 10	07-07-2020	Superliminal is a breath of fresh air, the kind of game you want other people to play but don't want to talk with them about until you've both experienced it. An unassuming package on its face that as you peel back the layers, will be filled with surprises and gratification as you find out what point of view it wants you to see the puzzle from. With a moral to its story that is uplifting during a time which we could all use a new perspective, Superliminal is one of the more inventive games on a Nintendo platform today.	Read review
PC Invasion	Andrew Farrell	5 / 10	11-12-2019	Superliminal seems like a great game at first. The perspective mechanics on display make a fantastic first impression, but the game's design falters as it goes on. The weakness of the puzzles and unevenness of the overall game drag it down in the end.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Chandler Wood	8 / 10	07-14-2020	Superliminal’s final message is one of growth and discovery within the self. It’s about feeling proud of your ability to think outside the box and uncover the unconventional solutions to its bizarre puzzles. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but its bold and unorthodox approach to the puzzler genre helps it stand out. In an era of increasingly longer and bigger games, Superliminal’s brevity is a nice palate cleanser, even if I hope a hypothetical follow-up does more to explore its out-of-the-box and perception defying nature. If Superliminal caught your eye, let curiosity get the better of you. While it may not quite be cohesive enough to break into the pantheon of top-tier puzzle-games, it’s a conceptually fascinating adventure through the shifting reality of the mind that never allows your expectations to settle.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Sebastian Hawden	7.5 / 10	07-28-2020	Beautiful, well-written and a truly unique experience. Even if you will only play it once due to its format, it is truly worth a go. Superliminal's puzzles are very cleverly made and the game will constantly challenge your visual and mental abilities. If nothing else you will come out the other side with a slightly different perspective on approaching life's many problems.	Read review
Polygon	Cass Marshall	Not Recommended	11-12-2019	Perhaps there’s an angle from which Superliminal is a satisfying, Portal-style thriller, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find that angle. And as the game was so fond of reminding me, perception is reality.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Ivan Nikolai Barkow Castilho	70 / 100	07-21-2020	Superliminal is a puzzle game that will challenge your perception. It has intelligent challenges, but at the same time it has very simple mechanics and a short duration. In a maximum of three hours you will finish the title for the first time, and what remains after that is to improve your time on puzzles that you already know the answer.	Read review
Push Square	Stephen Tailby	7 / 10	07-23-2020	It might not push its core concept to the absolute fullest, but the overall experience is a charming and enjoyable one.	Read review
Reloading BR	Felipe Mesquita	8 / 10	11-14-2019	Superliminal is a hard game to talk about without being able to go deeper into the details of why the experience turns out to be so brilliantly designed, but trust me that this is a curious and clever game, that also carries an unexpected dose of positive messages by the end.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Sin Vega	Recommended	11-15-2019	It’s an accomplishment, and it’s certainly better and more original than the vast bulk of games in the physics-gimmick subgenre, but I respect it a lot more than I like it.	Read review
SelectButton	Kevin Mitchell	9 / 10	11-26-2019	The more profound life lesson that Superliminal attempts to convey throughout becomes quite apparent in the final monologue from Doctor Glenn Pierce in the last few minutes of the game. Not only does it connect everything that you have done in the game with a higher purpose and meaning, but it has connected with my own life. Perspective is a powerful sentiment and one that many take for granted. Dropping an enlarged exit sign over two pressure plates to open a door is one thing, but understanding how you can become a better person, by looking at all the possible angles and outcomes, is a life lesson I was not expecting from a video game. Some may walk away from this game, thinking it was just a game, but I would say that they missed the theme entirely. Bravo, Pillow Castle Games.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Jett Vincent Sia	6 / 10	07-15-2020	Superliminal is quite therapeutic in my opinion and it was probably designed to be so. I believe this game would be great to recommend to people who are facing difficulties and are afraid to face them head-on. While Superliminal is a very unique puzzle-solving game it’s execution leaves much to be desired but at the very least its message at the end comes in quite clear.	Read review
TechRaptor	Max Moeller	5.5 / 10	07-16-2020	Superliminal fails to justify itself or its themes and ends up as a rote puzzle experience you'll be fine to forget.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Gareth Chadwick	8 / 10	08-10-2020	As confusing as it is entertaining, Superliminal constantly uses unique mechanics that go against your expectations, even once you've adjusted to what it did last time. It might be short, but it's a genuine delight.	Read review
ThisGenGaming	Justin Oneil	8 / 10	07-14-2020	Superliminal is the type of puzzle game that I would full heartedly recommend to fans of games like Portal. While it doesn’t have as interesting of a story as something like that it does feature a pretty unique puzzle design concept that had me constantly thinking in new ways. If you’re looking to spend a couple hours thinking outside the box then Superliminal is your game.	Read review
Use a Potion	Daryl Leach	9 / 10	07-09-2020	Superliminal offers a puzzling experience that isn’t only unique and ingenious in design, but also a hell of a lot of fun to play. Best of all, it really feels at home on the Nintendo Switch, with the port offering slick visuals that certainly make the game’s weird and wonderful world a sight to behold in the palm of your hands.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	8 / 10	07-15-2020	If you enjoy optical illusions and perspective-altering puzzles then Superliminal is definitely a must-play experience.	Read review
WayTooManyGames	Heidi Hawes	8.5 / 10	07-17-2020	It’s a short game, taking about two to three hours to complete depending on how long it takes you to figure some puzzles out, but it’s well worth your time. I would also recommend playing it all in one sitting as that will make the whole experience more impactful.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Falling asleep at 3AM, you close your eyes to the cheesy commercial of Dr. Pierce’s dream therapy program. You wake up in an unfamiliar environment, only to realize that you’re stuck in a dream – a dream where perception is reality. Welcome to Superliminal.= Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game inspired perspective and optical illusions. Players tackle impossible puzzles by thinking outside the box and learning to expect the unexpected. This game features a wonderfully subdued world, an intriguingly voiced narrative, and things that are really weird.

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