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Viewfinder Video Game Review by a Photographer

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Exploring the Whimsical World of 'Viewfinder'

This past Spring, I embarked on a delightful journey through the whimsical world of 'Viewfinder', a puzzle video game that offers a unique experience from a photographer's standpoint. Unlike a traditional walkthrough or guide, this review delves into the game's mechanics, aesthetics, and overall charm through the lens of a photography enthusiast.

The game's changing art style, brought to life by the artwork you collect and place, immediately captivated me. Each level presented a new canvas filled with vibrant colors and intricate details, making it a visual treat for players of all ages. What truly stood out was the game's relaxing vibe, offering a stress-free environment where players can immerse themselves in the beauty of their surroundings without fear of failure.

For an in-depth walkthrough of the entire game, IGN has documented every level and hidden secrets thoroughly.

SPOILERS AHEAD - I will go into detail of the mechanics made available in each chapter, so only read ahead if you don’t mind spoilers.

Chapter one served as a standard introduction to the core features, gradually increasing in complexity as I navigated through puzzles and learned new concepts. You can see in the two images above the core concept of the game. You find and place 2D printed images into the 3D space, which in turn converts that 2D image INTO a 3D space and allows you to build paths through puzzles.

As the chapters progressed, so did the challenges, with each level introducing innovative mechanics that kept me engaged and intrigued. Chapter two, for instance, introduced the task of lining up layers of image slices, requiring precise positioning to unlock new areas—a mechanic that I found both challenging and rewarding. Below demonstrates that challenge, with the first image showing slices of an image broken across two sections, and the second showing them lined up. Once you find the right perspective and line up the slices, that view becomes your reality and you can pass through.

One of the highlights of 'Viewfinder' was the introduction of the camera in Chapter 3, which allowed me to unleash my inner photographer. Instead of just having to find images, you could take your own photos and place them. While I expected the difficulty to increase, I found myself breezing through this chapter, perhaps owing to my background in photography and inherent understanding of patterns and compositions. Below shows the first iteration of the provided camera, being stationary. Eventually you have a handheld one (in some cases) to take images more freely.

At the end of Chapter 3, they did what may be my most visually favorite effect. They filled puzzles with very convincing optical illusions, where a staircase from the view you enter a room at turned out to actually just be a flat wall. Kind of like 3D graffiti art. Here is one below, even with the illusion broken in the 2nd image, can you tell from the 1st image?

Chapter 4 introduced corrupted violet patterns and structures, adding another layer of complexity to the puzzles. These parts of the structure would not show up in photographs. Despite some initial challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed unraveling the mysteries of each level, sometimes resorting to Google for assistance—a testament to the game's ability to keep players on their toes.

This Chapter also introduced mirrors that would change the ‘filter’ of the entire reality, which required you to go through a certain series of mirrors to build the right type of ‘filter’ in order to pass through certain areas. You can see the mirror below, followed by how certain alignments would open up bridges.

In the final chapter, 'Viewfinder' introduced the 'self-portrait' mechanic, along with a timer mode on stationary cameras—an exciting addition that added a new dimension to the gameplay. As I navigated through the game's whimsical world, I couldn't help but appreciate the playful use of colors and the ability to apply 'filters' to the entire environment—a feature that became available after Chapter 3.

Last, not only were there many 'bonus levels' of increased difficulty and hidden items in each chapter to collect, but they had fun little areas within levels that were optional but super creative. Things like this barcode below that once placed let you walk into the 'forest' of the barcode.

 

As a photographer, I found myself drawn to the game's creative potential, often taking screenshots of beautifully composed scenes along the way. However, one feature I would love to see implemented is a 'photo mode', allowing players to freely explore completed levels and capture their own unique shots.

They did a fantastic job of adding new features throughout the Chapters, keeping you on your toes as layers of elements were added and the puzzles grew more complex.

In conclusion, this 6-8 hour game offers a delightful blend of puzzle-solving and artistic expression, making it a must-play for gamers and photography enthusiasts alike. With its playful charm and innovative mechanics, this game provides a refreshing experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression. It certainly piqued my interest enough to finish all 46 Steam achievements! Comment below if you have played Viewfinder and what did you think?

Featured Suggestions: Photo mode, Free-fly exploration, Additional lens types, Filters, Creative controls.

I’ll leave you with a gallery of images I took creatively throughout my playthrough. I can’t help but still be a photographer in a game and enjoy finding compositions. That is why I love it when games have a ‘camera mode’ that let you do some more advanced things like changing your lens, filter, depth of field, and more (Grounded does a great job of this).

Mixed Art Styles

Mixed Art Styles

They had a lot of fun mixing up the overall art style in certain levels, from paintings to at one point a pixel RPG game!
Sideways World

Sideways World

Yes this is the orientation I saw it.
Color to B & W

Color to B & W

I enjoyed getting to use B & W images as the source material in a color world.
Serenity

Serenity

They let you collect and change the 'filter' you see the world in. This was one ofmy favorites and I enjoyed taking still life shots like this.
Broken Image

Broken Image

Just another example of a broken image that becomes 3D once you find the right perspective.
2D to 3D

2D to 3D

And here it is after having discovered the right perspective, a peaceful scene.
Courtyard

Courtyard

Just another peaceful scene.
Through the Frames

Through the Frames

One of my favorite compositions, where you had to align multiple image fragments to build the final image.
Cat and Watermelon

Cat and Watermelon

This cat is through the game and this little play date was my favorite shot of him.
A Violet World

A Violet World

Loving the purple plants against modern concrete architecture.
A Cement World

A Cement World

Another calm scene, the architecture in these levels were quite fun.
Walking into Stonehenge

Walking into Stonehenge

Finding and placing this postcard made the Stonehenge in the letters become a 3D space to explore, so cool!
Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror

An abstract composition using the effect the mirrors made.
Space Collection

Space Collection

I didn't explain this, but each Chapter is connected by train and has a realm where you the enter each level by a machine. This is the colection of planets from one of the Chapters, a fun little scene.
Your Train has Arrived

Your Train has Arrived

One of the worlds and the train that takes you between chapters.
Reality Unravelling

Reality Unravelling

Towards the end, things start to float around and break.
Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time

You could get some more chaotic still lifes when objects were frozen in their floating positions.
The End

The End

The final scene of the game, very peaceful!

About the Author

Nicholas Klein

Founder and visual artist, specializing in all aspects of a businesses presence from imagery and video to graphics and web. A graduate of IPFW with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Concentration Photography as well as an Associates Degree in Business. His personal photography works are focused on landscape, travel, and aerial photography.