Technical Information

Developer: Pillow Castle
Publisher: Pillow Castle
Release Date: July 7, 2020

Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game in which you participate in an experiment and must solve puzzles to escape from a dream.

Final Considerations – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

It’s a simple game with textures that are far from realistic. In fact, the game doesn’t aim to create a strong sense of reality at all.
Your perception of size and perspective is constantly challenged throughout the game, with various optical illusions that play with angles and scale.

It’s a clean-looking game that doesn’t use a HUD. The only visible element is a small point in the center of the screen that indicates where your “hand” is positioned.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

Soft piano music accompanies you throughout the game. At no point does it create a sense of urgency, instead, it maintains a calm atmosphere so you can focus on thinking.

From the beginning, you are guided by a female voice that explains where you are and what actions you can take.
It’s a very enjoyable game in terms of sound design, with one exception: the alarm sound… (play it and you’ll understand).

Gameplay

From the start, you understand that you are part of a sleep experiment. There’s an underlying narrative that becomes clearer as you progress, but don’t expect anything elaborate, it mainly serves to justify the absurd and creative puzzles you must solve.

I was looking for a game on Game Pass that I could play with my husband, and when I say “play together,” I don’t necessarily mean co-op or split-screen. Superliminal seemed perfect, because two heads think better than one, and playing it with him was definitely the right choice. So here’s my suggestion: if you have the opportunity, don’t play it alone.

The puzzles aren’t particularly difficult. Since the gameplay mechanics are simple, the possible solutions tend to become clear over time. Even when playing together, many solutions felt predictable and obvious. There were only two puzzles that I truly couldn’t solve and had to look up in a walkthrough.

It’s fascinating how the game plays with optical illusions and explores the improbable and absurd. Everything feels like a surreal dream, including a section that even simulates a nightmare.

You can manipulate objects by increasing or decreasing their size. There’s no inventory system, all items remain in the environment.

The game uses automatic saves at specific checkpoints. If you get stuck and decide to continue later, you’ll have to restart from the last save point — which might not be exactly where you stopped — and that can feel a bit discouraging.

Replayability and Game Retention

It’s a very enjoyable game, perfect for relaxing while keeping your brain active. At no point did I feel tired or frustrated, the progression is well-paced. I’d say it’s ideal for players who don’t enjoy extremely difficult games.