Superliminal is a surreal puzzle video game released in 2019 that heavily employs optical illusions, depth perception, and forced perspective as the main mechanics behind the puzzles. For example, objects can be picked up and moved towards or away from the player; when placed back down, the object is scaled to the size it was originally perceived as when the player interacted with it. The player is a participant in a dream therapy program at a research institute but becomes trapped in a recurring dream cycle. As the player progresses, the study’s overseer comes from above and guides them on how to escape the dream.
The eeriness and surreal quality of the game was enhanced by trippy depth perception dynamics. I feel that the dreams I have are usually quite odd in that there is usually one thing that is off that tells me, oh this is a dream (e.g. if I’m driving, the brakes of the car don’t work; if I’m laying down, the bed is too short for my body; if I see something misplaced on the ground, I might fall through a trapdoor underneath me if I choose to pick it up) – and I definitely got that general feeling of “off-ness” along with a strange lack of trepidation that usually accompanies my own dreams. The depth perception mechanic of “everything is as it seems” felt wrong to wrap my head around but it also felt so smooth, familiar, and right. It gave me the thrill of solving puzzles, the fascination in its novelty, and the familiarity in that it did feel very much like I was floating in that space between dream and reality.
A few miscellaneous notes: I appreciated the first few rooms where the mechanic was gently introduced, which simultaneously inspired awe and allowed me to learn the rules and mechanics of the game. Additionally, as someone who is keen on sound design, I appreciated the abrupt changes of music (e.g. light jazz into a yawning, ominous ambient soundscape) as I entered, left, and transitioned between different rooms. The choppy abruptness was extremely unnerving and odd, which catered well to the game’s generally eerie, liminal-space-like feel.
Here’s a clip of me playing: superliminal
