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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: SUPERLIMINAL
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Your progress is saved automatically when you pass a checkpoint. Although nothing progresses without your input, you can still pause the game by pressing ESC to bring up the games menu. Time needed per session:You can make a lot of progress in just a few minutes, but you may want to give yourself at least fifteen minutes to play around with the different ways of messing with physics.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians Although there are some moments that are meant to be scary, theres nothing to really be concerned about in this game. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/superliminal_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/superliminal_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/superliminal_2.jpg)
Game Overview
SUPERLIMINAL may not be the longest game, but if you think about it, neither was Portal - and in my opinion, these two games have a lot in common. Both feature physics defying puzzles, an AI whose programming doesnt exactly help you, test chambers, and the occasional diversion through places subjects were never supposed to visit.
The main difference between them is their core mechanic. Portal, unsurprisingly enough, was about placing portals on different surfaces to move around in cool and unusual ways. SUPERLIMINAL, on the other hand, is all about taking a different perspective - literally. In this game, everything is exactly as it appears.
For example, if you need to make an object smaller, then move away from it before you pick it up. To make something larger, just move closer. Youll always be able to pick up objects, regardless of how close you are to them, so this allows you to manipulate their size in weird ways. You can also position objects by holding them in different places - some of which should be impossible with real world physics - but again, this is about playing with perspective: what things look like is more important than what makes sense.
Of course, this isnt just a bunch of strange puzzles. This game has a short story that ties everything together. Put simply, youve volunteered to help a group called SomniaSculpt with their sleep experiment. They are attempting to create an artificial form of lucid dreaming that can be used to provide a new type of therapy. Naturally enough, things dont go as planned as your trip through the Standard Orientation Protocol goes off course, resulting in you getting lost in the dreamscape.
Getting lost in a dream doesnt really sound like much of a problem. However, youre soon informed by SomniaSculpt that the human mind isnt strong enough to survive prolonged exposure to unreality. In order to save yourself and get back to reality, youll need to work with Dr. Glenn to find a way to trigger the Emergency Escape Protocol before this happens.
Unfortunately, there are at least two problems with this. The first one is that SomniaSculpt doesnt completely understand the nature of their own technology, so youre left to fend for yourself much of the time. The other problem is that SomniaSculpts AI assistant isnt able to cope with this situation either, as everything thats happening is outside of its programming. Thus, it keeps trying to correct the situation in its own way, which causes many more problems that it solves.
Now, while Id definitely recommend giving this game a go - especially if you loved the original Portal - Im not so confient about its pricing. As good as this game is, it doesnt feel like its worth the full $20 asking price. So my advice is to wait for a sale to role around and pick it up then.
The main difference between them is their core mechanic. Portal, unsurprisingly enough, was about placing portals on different surfaces to move around in cool and unusual ways. SUPERLIMINAL, on the other hand, is all about taking a different perspective - literally. In this game, everything is exactly as it appears.
For example, if you need to make an object smaller, then move away from it before you pick it up. To make something larger, just move closer. Youll always be able to pick up objects, regardless of how close you are to them, so this allows you to manipulate their size in weird ways. You can also position objects by holding them in different places - some of which should be impossible with real world physics - but again, this is about playing with perspective: what things look like is more important than what makes sense.
Of course, this isnt just a bunch of strange puzzles. This game has a short story that ties everything together. Put simply, youve volunteered to help a group called SomniaSculpt with their sleep experiment. They are attempting to create an artificial form of lucid dreaming that can be used to provide a new type of therapy. Naturally enough, things dont go as planned as your trip through the Standard Orientation Protocol goes off course, resulting in you getting lost in the dreamscape.
Getting lost in a dream doesnt really sound like much of a problem. However, youre soon informed by SomniaSculpt that the human mind isnt strong enough to survive prolonged exposure to unreality. In order to save yourself and get back to reality, youll need to work with Dr. Glenn to find a way to trigger the Emergency Escape Protocol before this happens.
Unfortunately, there are at least two problems with this. The first one is that SomniaSculpt doesnt completely understand the nature of their own technology, so youre left to fend for yourself much of the time. The other problem is that SomniaSculpts AI assistant isnt able to cope with this situation either, as everything thats happening is outside of its programming. Thus, it keeps trying to correct the situation in its own way, which causes many more problems that it solves.
Now, while Id definitely recommend giving this game a go - especially if you loved the original Portal - Im not so confient about its pricing. As good as this game is, it doesnt feel like its worth the full $20 asking price. So my advice is to wait for a sale to role around and pick it up then.
Points of Interest
Outside the box thinking
Once youve started to get the hang of the different ways perspective plays tricks with the games physics, the puzzles themselves become fairly easy. The hard part is identifying what can be manipulated, and where youre supposed to go next. If you reach a dead end or a puzzle doesnt seem solvable, youre probably putting too much thought into it.
Extra Modes
Completing the story unlocks two other modes: a challenge mode where you replay levels from the story while trying to stay within a limited number of manipulations and jumps, and another version of the story mode where you can listen to the developer commentary. The former is much harder than youd expect, but since you can restart an area whenever you want, its still pretty forgiving.
Hidden surprises
Theres no outward indication that players should be looking for these, but there are in fact a number of blueprints and several chess pieces hidden throughout the game for players to hunt down and collect. Finding them all will net you some achievements.
Steam community features
Players can earn a set of Steam trading cards while solving these puzzles, but most of you will likely be more interested in the 27 achievements on offer. Very few of these have to do with game progression, so plan on trying a host of different and unusual activities as you move through the dreamscape.
Perhaps a more important feature is the games built in level editor and Steam Workshop integration. This allows players to make and share new dreams with each other, potentially creating an infinite number of dreams for fans to explore.
Perhaps a more important feature is the games built in level editor and Steam Workshop integration. This allows players to make and share new dreams with each other, potentially creating an infinite number of dreams for fans to explore.
Short
The entire game can be completed in less than two hours, assuming that the mindscrew-y physics dont cause you much trouble. In my opinion, this is Superliminals biggest weak point, as youre not given a lot of time to play with the different toys its giving you. On the plus side, its just the right length for the story it wants to tell, so any additional content would need to be some sort of separate mode. Like the challenge mode, but with many new puzzles.
Concerns and Issues
Blood, scary scenes
As you progress into the dreams, youll eventually encounter your minds dark side, which is brought to life via a dark and scary theme. Theres even what appears to be blood smeared on the floor.
However, by the end of the chapter, its revealed that there was never anything to fear at all - even the blood is just red paint.
However, by the end of the chapter, its revealed that there was never anything to fear at all - even the blood is just red paint.
Moral of the Story
The story mode ultimately builds towards a simple truth: nearly any problem can be solved by stepping back and looking at it from another perspective. Often, we get stuck trying to make a specific solution work, when it was never the solution for the problem were facing. By staying calm and looking at things from different angles, better solutions can become apparent and we can overcome almost everything.