A number of my favorite games are RPGs with finite endings, and I’m thinking that an in-depth lore / world, and the unpredictable challenge of battles / combat might be the tipping factor.Īdmittedly, after that long spiel, I not sure what sort of note I was planning to end this post on. Though, a compelling story and varied enough gameplay might be enough to offset a linear plot, perhaps. Pull up a non-commentary 100% run, kick it up to 2X the speed, and you can breeze through the entire game in an hour or two. Why bother spending money on or investing time in a game, when all the player’s choices are fixed, and when there is only one or a finite number of endings? Just watch a playthrough. So, a lack of replayability makes it incredibly difficult for me to recommend that others pick up the game. Sometimes there’s a DLC, a sequel, a prequel, a spin-off, or a spiritual successor, but there’s very little additional content for the fixed amount the player’s paid for that one game. Once the ending is reached, that’s pretty much it, full-stop. The other thing with linear story games is the lack of substance-driven updates / patches. Amusing and confounding as those endings are, once they are thoroughly explored, it purges any reason to pick up the game again. The Stanley Parable, despite its multitude of choices, still only has a finite number of endings. Superliminal, Portal, Quantum Conundrum – I would consider lacking in replayability thanks to a linear plot development, but still decently entertaining games in terms of story and first-time gameplay. To clarify, replayability has minimal effect on whether I like or dislike a title. Where it falls short, where every linear story falls short, is replayability. Superliminal has a positive, heart-warming ending. However omnious anything appears, there’s little to fear. A doorway may appear to lead out into the vast sky, but the sky is then revealed to be a human-sized cardboard cut-out. A die may appear fragmented from one angle, but complete and interactable from another. A chesspiece may appear small when held by a nearby table, but may appear large when held up against a far-off wall. Many of the mechanics in Superliminal rely on the player changing their in-game perspective. Those fond of The Stanley Parable, the Portal series, and Quantum Conundrum might enjoy this one as well. The path to progress isn’t always laid out, so players must create their own by manipulating interactable objects. What begins as a guided therapy test, turns into a mischievious little exploration, then – an anxious escape as both the environment and the narrator become more and more unreliable. In Superliminal, the player traverses several dreams, always seeking the exit. Hence, “Secondhand Thoughts.”Īlso, there will be non-hidden spoilers.

Even though I never had control of the game, I still found its content thought-provoking enough to warrant sharing. Thus, gameplay-related satisfaction, frustration, and revelation doesn’t apply in my case. I did, however, watch someone else complete it.

I did not purchase Superliminal or play through the game. Tags: First-Person, Walking Simulator, Puzzle, Linear Storyįirst, a mini-disclaimer.

Perception is not reality superliminal