Please, Watch The Artwork is the follow-up to difference ’em up puzzler Please, Touch The Artwork 2. As hinted by creator Thomas Waterzooi, it’s likely coming this October. He performed the announcement in ASMR, which almost relaxed me enough to not be annoyed by the press release’s use of the word ‘liminal’, which in game terms usually just means ‘bit spooky, innit’.
Still, it is quite spooky. The idea here is that you’re a museum worker reporting anomalies in paintings. There’s also a sad clown spreading melancholy throughout the art. Waterzooi is keen to point out there’s no jumpscares, but you might feel “paranoid, melancholic, isolated and nostalgic”. I know how much you all love making “and in the game” comments, so I won’t take that away from you.
It is I, guy who gets annoyed at people saying liminal, about to talk about defamiliarisation. I really like Waterzooi’s stated approach here of picking an artist he likes and wants to show appreciation for to base his games around. This time, it’s the graveyard shift diners and lonesome bedrooms of American realist Edward Hopper.
Defamilisaration is, broadly, the idea that you only really notice the essence of a thing when it’s framed in a peculiar way. Think of photography that foregrounds mundane objects that you’d usually never think twice about. So, I love this idea of encouraging the player to really think about Hopper’s work by introducing anomalies. If you knew a weird clown had done some weird clown shit to your toast, you’d examine the hell out of that roast bread. You’d catalogue every buttery crumb with forensic scrutiny.
Absent of clown toast to ponder, feast on these features:
- Casual spot the difference: easy point & click controls make the game accessible to all types of players. Take advantage of the zoom function to delve into every intricate detail.
- 6 themed galleries featuring 40 paintings: six levels bundle American realism painter Edward Hopper’s works by theme and subject.
- Real hand painted animated art: Animations and VFX bring Edward Hopper’s masterpieces to life, featuring more than 400 unique anomalies.
- No jumpscares/no monsters: however, the game can make you feel paranoid, melancholic and doubt yourself. Oh… and it has clowns.
- 3 difficulty levels: both hardcore gamers and casual players can find their sweet spot by adjusting the difficulty level. This ensures a frustration-free adventure.
You can find Please, Watch The Artwork on Steam here.
