Viewfinder: Everything We Know

Sad Owl Games, an up-and-coming independent developer from the United Kingdom, has hit the ground running with an entirely new and unbelievably creative concept for a video game. It's remarkably elementary, and yet curious enough to make us want to delve even deeper for all the right reasons. What is it, you ask? Why, it's Viewfinder, of course.

So, what exactly is Viewfinder? Besides the recent Game Awards showcase which it popped up at, there hasn't been a whole lot of it. The good news is, a little rummaging about in the dark has given us the paints we need to drench the eisel. Curious to know more about it? Here's everything we've managed to scrape together since its formal announcement back in early December.

What Is Viewfinder?

Viewfinder is an imaginative adventure game by Sad Owl Studios, a UK-based independent developer founded in 2021. Its debut title will bridge vibrant worlds with an almost puzzle-like platforming experience, layers in which players must use an instant camera to capture moments, and then use the prints to create explorable illusions to progress deeper into the rabbit hole.

At its heart, Viewfinder will be an adventure game with the power to misdirect its players, and will also incorporate a wide range of puzzles for you to unearth, observe, and interpret. According to Sad Owl Studios, the game will be a “mind-bending first-person adventure game in which you can reshape reality by placing found objects into the world.” Curious to know more? Here's everything we know about its story, gameplay, and release date.

Story

So, has Sad Owl Games actually shed any light on the puzzle project yet? Well, not really, as it goes. Does this mean it'll be without a story? Not at all, but it does leave the room open for a lot of speculation. What we do know is this: you're in possession of an instant camera, and you're locked in a rainbow-infused utopia. Going by the puzzle-heavy gameplay, it appears the world is without a great deal of its features, which is where your instant camera comes into play.

It's evidently trippy, either way, and we're all for it. As for how the protagonist will go about fitting into this world or even getting out of it are two entirely different questions. Whatever the case, we'll be keeping a close eye on Sad Owl Studios for more details on idyllic puzzler.

Gameplay

The goal of Viewfinder is to travel across a wide selection of dynamic worlds. Using your instant camera, you must take snapshots of everyday objects and use their frames to unlock new portals and solve mysteries. It's your job, then, to mix and match your captured images and slot them into all the correct places. It's also your job to delve deep into real-life paintings and sew them back together by rearranging misplaced features, figures, and colors.

Gameplay-wise, Viewfinder doesn't strike us as being the most complex, which of course bodes well for those just looking to hunker down with a quirky and evidently colorful puzzler. Gauranteed, it's bound to satisfy a certain collective who'd much rather shy away from the hustle and bustle.

Development

Viewfinder is being developed by Sad Owl Games, and is being published by Thunderful Games. Initially revealed in the form of a concept trailer back in 2021, Viewfinder was quick to find stable ground. As a result, the project was lopped up by Thunderful, a firm know for publishing indie-led games, and immediately put into motion. Fast-forward twelve months, and Sad Owl Games finally revealed the work in progress at The Game Awards 2022, which aired on December 8, 2022.

According to the trailer, Viewfinder will be available for both ex-gen and current gen consoles and PC. If all goes according to plan, then we should catch another glimpse of the artistic project at some stage in early 2023. But as far as a release window goes, that's anybody's guess. 2023, hopefully.

Trailer

Sad Owl Studios brought the first official trailer of Viewfinder to the public eye at The Game Awards, a live event that took place on December 8, 2022. You can see the one and only reveal in the embedded video above. You can also check out the original concept trailer here.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Viewfinder is expected to release at some point in 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. There hasn't been any information about the game coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or Nintendo Switch, though it's believed that Viewfinder will be exclusive to PlayStation and PC for the foreseeable future.

At the time of writing, neither Sad Owl Studios nor its publisher Thunderful Games have mentioned anything about Viewfinder coming to PlayStation Plus as a day-one launch title. This is subject to change as time courses by, as it is with any indie game, but it has yet to receive a definitive answer. The same goes for its launch editions, which means we can only assume it'll come with a bog-standard version.

For more information on Sad Owl Games' Viewfinder, be sure check in with the developer's official social handle here. Alternatively, you can follow the official Steam listing here for more updates and the option to add it to your wishlist. Should anything new come to light before its release date, we'll be sure to slate it right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Did we miss anything? Will you be picking up a copy of Viewfinder? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.