S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky vs Superliminal
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the second installment in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and yet is the prequel to the original game. In this game, a group of stalkers have unwittingly triggered an explosion of anomalies when they ventured into the heart of the exclusion zone - the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself, turning the entire zone into an unstable mess that continues to quake with anomaly outbursts. Stalker factions have also erupted, further adding to the overall chaos of the region.S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is essentially similar to the previous game, though it does have some significant improvements. For instance, the game is a lot more stable, which is ironic considering that all the storyline in this game talks about is how unstable the zone is. The weapons and armor in the game work better than in the original since they can, finally, be repaired. Artifacts are harder to find here but is a lot more rewarding and well, generally the overall setting feel a lot more realistic.
This is definitely a nicer game to play than its first game, but it's not really comparable to the third game of course. However, if you love the S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you might still want to consider buying all three games via its Steam bundle.
Superliminal
Superliminal is designed to challenge even the most avid of puzzle solvers, providing them with mind-boggling puzzles, the unique ability to change the size of objects based on depth in perception, and a story filled with heart.The game starts off with you dozing off at the couch in front of a TV showing a weird commercial about some dream therapy program that promptly landed you in a weird dream-like state in which you find yourself the subject of an odd scientific experiment. Thankfully, unlike the more surgical kind of experimentation which would definitely turn the game into a horror show, the scientist behind this experiment is more concerned about testing your mind and its ability to perceive, pushing it to its very limits.
Superliminal offers a nice variety of perspective-based puzzles for you to solve as you move from room to room in what seems to be a vast yet empty scientific complex. The puzzles here start off easy enough since the game does have to do its job of introducing the mechanics to you. The mechanics here mostly involve finding objects that you can manipulate (a.k.a. resize and reposition) and then use in the puzzle’s solution in order to move on to the next “level” or room.
Once you got a hold of the basics, the difficulty of the puzzles starts to ramp up and at times, you might find yourself completely at loss as to what you should do, as I did… and I’m ashamed to say pretty early on in the game. When the game says that “what you see isn’t always what you get”, it’s not kidding.
Superliminal is one of those rare, trippy puzzle games that either you get it or you don’t. Puzzle enthusiasts might find the game more than intriguing to take a crack at due to its unique perspective-based puzzles. The game may be short but the experience it leaves you is unforgettable!