That’s cool, were you at Double Fine or EA? Was there a reason why they weren’t so open about the RTS? StarCraft 2 was just around the corner so I don’t think it was an issue with the genre.

I got used to Raiden during my MGS2 playthrough, since he still plays similarly to Snake. Brütal Legend was more drastic with a complete change in genre.

The story definitely felt like it was aiming to cover all the hot-button political issues in the U.S. at the time, such as immigration, racism, police violence, drug counterculture, and religious extremism. But I feel the developers’ French background limited them to a more surface-level treatment of these themes. The cult subplot, in particular, comes across as how a more secular European perspective might view the American evangelical movement as a sinister threat in the same category as the other societal ills the game covers.

Yes, Portal and The Stanley Parable are definitely high bars, but I feel Superliminal actively invites those comparisons through its similarities in structure, tone, and presentation. When a game so closely follows in the footsteps of its influences, I think it’s fair to examine where it succeeds and where it falls short in comparison.

That said, I get that my review may come across as a bit harsh, which is why my final score still places it toward the upper end of my 4-7 range for mid games—I do think it’s a worthwhile experience for fans of puzzlers despite its flaws.