2023's Most Brilliant Puzzle Game Finally Comes To Switch And Xbox
After years of being a PlayStation console exclusive, the most inventive game of 2023 — and, arguably, the cleverest puzzle title in years — is finally coming to Xbox and Switch in 2025. With it, a whole new raft of players will see why this debut from a plucky Scottish developer managed to completely bend gamers' minds.
Viewfinder, created by Sad Owl Studios, is celebrating its second birthday in style by announcing its arrival on Xbox Series X/S on August 12, with its inevitable and long overdue Nintendo Switch release coming this winter.
Published by Thunderful Games — a label known for backing some pretty damn good and thoroughly offbeat indie titles (like Cursed to Golf and LEGO Bricktales) — Viewfinder sits alongside bonce-warping stablemates like 2020's Superliminal and 2021's Maquette. However, it builds on these experiences to deliver some genuinely incredible mechanics that push the boundaries of reality, but also make you appreciate just how clever the developers' minds are to even come up with these ideas in the first place. It certainly warranted more awards than it received, even if it did get a couple of deserved BAFTAs.
The core mechanic of Viewfinder revolves around your camera, which you use to take photographs that reshape your bizarre world. Early on, you place pre-made images into the environment to unlock new paths; as you progress, you take and use pictures to overcome obstacles, experiment with perspective, or retrieve seemingly impossible-to-get items. Viewfinder introduces its ideas at a steady pace, letting you freely experiment while consistently making you feel challenged, but not necessarily frustrated.
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Its story is light-touch and unfolds in fragments, with audio messages, journal entries, and a soft-spoken AI cat named Cait offering a surprisingly soothing context to the strange simulation you're exploring. While the narrative never quite hits home — even though it has its moments — Viewfinder has a quiet charm that complements its bizarre yet introspective tone.
There are occasional stumbles, including the odd visual hiccup, a relatively short runtime of around five hours, plus an uneven difficulty curve — though this final 'problem' will be based on how your brain is wired for logic — but in any case, these issues are easy to overlook given the wider, stunning experience.
There are no details on pricing just yet, but it originally cost $25, which is a solid price point, even if it can be completed in a couple of nights (and what nights you'll have). If you're still unsure, check out my original review from 2023; it landed on my 2023 indie GOTY list at #8, but in retrospect, it really should've been in the top five.
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