“Viewfinder”, developed by Sad Owl Studios, an independent game team from the UK, has been widely praised by players for its gameplay of using the camera’s field of view and playing with perspective and space. It also successfully won the best game award at the Indie Game Award 2024.
[The following contents are all from press releases provided by the manufacturer]
Looking out the picture window at the world, what do you see? “Viewfinder”, developed by the British independent game team Sad Owl Studios, uses the camera’s field of view to play with perspective and space. Its unique gameplay has not only won praise from players around the world, but also successfully won the best game award at the Indie Game Award 2024. Recently It also won the double recognition of the Best British Game and IP Award at the British Academy Game Awards. The team shared that the members believe that photography is a process from 3D to 2D, and also a 2D to 3D, and the game is captured through a photography lens The 2D finished product will also become a 3D portal to another space, leading players into a magical and timeless puzzle game world.
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As a puzzle game, in addition to charming spatial structures, such as mechanisms, objects, scenes, etc., the game must also have media that allow players to get closer to the world. Gwen Foster, commercial director of Sad Owl Studios, pointed out that with the rapid development of mobile phone camera functions , taking pictures wherever you go seems to have become a national sport, so the team chose photography as an important element. Among so many tools that can capture images, they believe that the function of Polaroid is more intuitive. In addition, there are also other features in the game. Equipped with a printer, players can print blueprints, design drawings and other items to add to the gameplay.
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“The chair is the key!” In order to prevent getting stuck, many puzzle games on the market have prompt mechanisms. However, “Viewfinder” does not have any text prompts. Instead, it provides a chair. When the player hits a wall, he just needs to sit on it. While sitting on the chair, you can go back in time and constantly review everything in the past. Through repeated inspection and trial and error, until the problem is solved, Gwen Foster emphasized that the goal of the game “Viewfinder” is to allow players to pass the level and continue to move forward to the next stage. But compared to other puzzle games, if you make a mistake and you have to start over again, the “chair” in the game provides more options. Players will eventually have to solve the puzzle in front of them, but before that, you can do whatever you want. attempt.
The game has constructed a small world for players to solve puzzles at will, because the gameplay of “Viewfinder” is up to the players to choose. Among them, there are also Speedrun players who are willing to challenge the limit and pass the level. The team members laughed and said, looking at the Speedrun players, they are using their imagination beyond imagination. The speed and unexpected way to quickly solve puzzles and pass levels, everyone found it very interesting.
Received the “very meaningful” award from Shuhei Yoshida. Members and players are looking forward to planning the next step.
Sad Owl Studios was founded during the outbreak of the global COVID-19 epidemic. Team members were located all over the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Philippines, and other places. Most of the partners relied on remote work. Although they were committed to developing puzzle games, the members’ They have a wide range of hobbies. For example, some people like Japanese RPGs, others like shooting games, and some friends love animation the most. Although their interests are very different, everyone has a common goal, which is to do something cool and work hard. A good game, Gwen Foster said with a smile, and the final result is “Viewfinder”.
“This is a very important award for the team!” The team said with a smile. It is a rare opportunity to travel across the ocean to participate in the Taipei International Game Show. It is an honor to win the best game of the Indie Game Award 2024. It is a great opportunity to be independent from Sony Interactive Entertainment. Game Initiative Director Shuhei Yoshida received the award. Gwen Foster emphasized that everyone was really surprised and happy, especially since the team had received a lot of positive encouragement from Mr. Yoshida in the past, which makes winning this award even more meaningful.
Talking about the plans after winning the award, since Sad Owl Studios has completed the PlayStation version at the end of last year in addition to the original Steam version, it hopes to continue to promote it on different platforms such as Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Gwen Foster said frankly that the team We conducted a questionnaire survey on players to understand the community’s expectations. Unexpectedly, players expressed high interest in DLC virtual downloads, VR virtual reality, sequels, etc. In response to the public’s affirmation and continued attention, team members In addition to being surprised and excited, I also feel that I have a heavy responsibility on my shoulders. I will continue to plan, and please look forward to it.
