Superliminal Review: What You Get Is Not Exactly What You See

Publisher: Pillow Castle/ Developer: Pillow Castle / Platform: Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch/ Release Date: July 7, 2020 There really is something about being thrown in a gauntlet of test chambers armed only with some strange weapon or gimmick to get you out. I can only think of a few games that precisely scratched that itch for me, like the Portal series or Quantum Conundrum. So enter Superliminal, a dreamscape where perspective is your only tool, and you’re just falling from one dream to another. A trippy experience, to say the least, Superliminal is a short but sweet game whose premise is enough to keep players entertained. Story Full disclaimer, there are going to be a lot of comparisons to the Portal series, specifically the first game. That’s because Superliminal’s narrative is very simplistic, reminiscent of the original Portal’s core focus on the puzzles. That’s not to say there isn’t a story. The premise of Superliminal sees players as a test subject in a sleep therapy study. After the initial orientation goes wrong, players are trapped in the dreamscape and have to use what they’ve learned to keep progressing and hopefully escape.

Once again, all really simple and played to comedic effect with lots of dry humor. Periodically, the player will hear from the test director, Dr. Glenn Pierce, and the test protocol itself. Both try to unsuccessfully walk you through making your way out of these dreams and wakin…