Superliminal, the perspective-warping puzzle game, comes out next week

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The perspective-warping puzzler Superliminal made a good impression when we previewed it earlier this month: Lauren found it a little more conservative than she expected, especially when compared with the 2014 tech demo (it's been in development for quite awhile), but overall the combination of increasingly abstract first-person puzzle designs and dry, Portal-style humor showed a lot of promise.

A release date hadn't been set at the time but developer Pillow Castle Games announced today that it's coming on November 12. Along with that date, we've also got a new trailer that showcases some of Superliminal's bizarre gameplay, and how it uses distance and perspective as a mechanic. 

It also lays out a (very) little bit more about the basics of the story: After falling asleep in front of the television, you suddenly wake up—except you don't. Welcome to Dr. Pierce’s Somnasculpt dream therapy program.

Unsurprisingly, especially for a game that draws Portal comparisons, there's a bit of a sinister undertone to it all, too. The colors are bright and the music upbeat, but that voice in the background insisting that "you will rectify this failure immediately" makes it clear that there's more going on here than your typical snooze fantasy.

Superliminal will be available for $17 on the Epic Games Store, but can be had for a 15 percent discount until November 18.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.