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.
FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™
Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase
Pinpoint By Linkedin
Guess The Category
Queens By Linkedin
Crown Each Region
Crossclimb By Linkedin
Unlock A Trivia Ladder
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
21 minutes ago
- Fox News
Prince William brings surprise guest to international soccer match in sweet father-daughter outing
Prince William brought a surprise guest with him when he went overseas to watch England's women's national team compete. The Prince of Wales was photographed alongside his daughter, Princess Charlotte, as the two of them sat side by side during the final of the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in Switzerland. They supported England's women's soccer team, nicknamed the Lionesses. This occasion marks Charlotte's first overseas soccer match. A photo of the two of them at the match was posted on the royal family's official Instagram page, and fans were quick to point out how similar the young princess looks to her father. "Charlotte takes after her dad so much! The genes are strong ❤️ looks like a lovely day, go lionesses!" one fan wrote. "Totally copy paste from her daddy 😍," another commented. Others pointed out how great it was to see the father-daughter duo bonding, writing "Such a beautiful picture and it's wonderful to see Charlotte with her dad 😍👨👧," and "So sweet! Father daughter moment ❤️👑❤️." While this was Charlotte's first overseas soccer match, it was in no way her first time attending a sporting event. In August 2022, the Princess attended the Commonwealth Games alongside her parents, marking the first time she made a solo appearance with her parents, without her brothers there. At the age of seven, the princess stole the show when she was spotted making several funny faces among laughing spectators. More recently, Charlotte attended the Wimbledon men's singles finals with her father, her mother, Kate Middleton, and her brother, Prince George. She has attended the event in the past, sitting in the stands alongside her mother in July 2024. Prince William shared some insight into his relationship with Charlotte in April 2024 when he visited St Michael's Church of England High School. When speaking with students, the proud father shared his daughter's favorite joke. "I am here with the gang here talking about male mental health, and I've been asked to produce a dad joke. I was trying to channel Jack Whitehall because most of his jokes are pretty dad-like," he told the students, according to reports. "I think what I'll do is say a joke that is Charlotte's favorite joke at the moment, that she keeps telling me." He went on to tell a knock-knock joke. When the students asked "who's there," William responded with "interrupting cow," and before the students could finish asking "interrupting cow who?" William interrupted, saying, "Moo!"
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Woman Asks if It's ‘Petty' Not to Rearrange to Meet with Friends After Previous Plans Were Cancelled Twice
"Two nights now I have been ditched," the woman said of the cancelled plans A woman is on the verge of giving up on seeing her friends after their previous plans were canceled on more than one occasion. In a post shared on the U.K.-based parenting forum Mumsnet, the woman explained that she and two friends have been trying to plan a "wine and food night" together for weeks, but they've been forced to reschedule every single time so far. "We all have young children but managed to book in a date," the woman explained, adding that they decided the best place to host their small gathering was at her house. According to the woman, their group's plans were all set, her toddler would be in bed by 6:30 p.m. and her partner planned to meet a friend. However, she then received a text from her friend asking to reschedule. "On the day, friend messages around 12ish to ask if we can rearrange as she's not well. Fine. Sat in with [takeout] for one," the woman said. "The next day, however, she mentioned how her family had gone for a late lunch with other friends (on the day she canceled)." The Mumsnet user thought the cancellation was "a bit odd," but the trio locked in a new date to hang out regardless. As the next hangout date approached, the woman cleaned up her house again, purchased plenty of food and wine and her partner arranged to go out once more — before the friend suddenly canceled again, saying that she had accidentally double-booked. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Around 12 p.m., we get a message to say she has double booked, her partner forgot to mention his friend is staying over and would now be rude to head out for the evening," she recalled, adding that the friend immediately asked to rearrange their plans again. "She then messages to say they have tickets to an event now in the afternoon and excited to head back for food, games and drinks with her [partner's] friend for the evening and worried about [getting a] hangover," the woman continued of her friend. "Me and other friend aren't as close, so it doesn't really work for us two to carry on to be honest, and she didn't seem keen in the group message." The woman shared that she felt she had been "ditched" two nights in a row, especially considering her partner had gone out both nights as well. "I turned down other plans for today that came up a while ago!" she said, before turning a question over to the online community to answer. "[Am I being unreasonable] to not rearrange again?" she finished. "Is that petty?" Very quickly, the large Mumsnet community decided the original poster was entirely in the right to not want to reschedule, as she had changed her own family's plans multiple times to try and accommodate this friend. "That would p--- me right off," one commenter said. "She wants it, but you are having to host and clean your house for it to happen! If she suggests it again, say, 'OK — we'll come to you, as you're organizing it.'" "I can't bloody stand these people who consider every plan as tentative until the day of," another reply stated. "I'd tell her she's welcome to plan and host the next one, and you look forward to attending. And if you get a better offer in the meantime, ditch her with a clear conscience!" Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Vogue
an hour ago
- Vogue
Prince William and Princess Charlotte Share a Sweet Moment Cheering on England's Lionesses to Euros Victory
When England failed to defend a goal against Spain, both William and Charlotte showed visible distress, with William leaning in to share some words with his daughter. They talked animatedly with their Spanish counterparts during the game, enjoying the light rivalry which kept spirits jovial. When the Lionesses sailed to victory, they hugged each other and jumped for joy. Princess William wore a dark suit and subtly patriotic tie, navy with thin red and white stripes. Taking a leaf out of her mother Catherine, Princess of Wales's style book (who, when together, will often share lovely mother-daughter dressing moments), Charlotte opted to re-wear a frill-shouldered, navy polka-dot dress from Guess, which the young royal wore to Wimbledon last year. Kate Middleton often delves into her own archive of elegant tea dresses and structured tailored looks. When she joined the rest of the British royals for the Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle most recently, Kate pulled a Self-Portrait dress from her wardrobe that's proven to be quite a favorite. She'd worn the dress for both the 80th anniversary of VE Day and the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. It looks like she's passing that mindful sartorial sensibility down to Charlotte.
