Camera Obscura is a puzzle platformer game that utilises photography as its core concept. What makes is stand out from the crowd is that the player isn’t limited to using built-in platforms, instead using a camera to create a temporary, solid image of the base layout to pave the way further. That’s pretty much it, but you really don’t need more here.

THE GOOD

• Photo shooting as the main mechanics is not something I’m familiar with, especially when it’s used to reshape the world instead of just capturing the views. When you use your camera, the current layout of platforms and obstacles is copied. The copy becomes a still, interactive image that gives you extra surfaces for a couple of seconds. This usually gives you multiple ways to beat a level, eschewing the linearity of solutions most games within the genre go with. The game is a great blend of platforming and puzzles, where you can test your dexterity, cleverness and reaction time. The difficulty level progresses at a proper pace, allowing you to hone your skills without throwing you into the deep end.
  
• There is a replayability factor in form of medals for finishing a level in a certain time limit, as well as mementos, which serve as collectibles that uncover bits of the story behind the protagonist and what motivates her to rush towards the danger that lurks in the mysterious tower you’ll be visiting. The medals and unorthodox mechanics make the game a decent choice for speed-running. And if you’re a trophy hunter, there’s a lot of hidden goodies to find when you take alternative routes instead of the shortest ones.
  
• There is a story in here. It’s not obligatory to follow and you won’t be missing on any information crucial to progressing if you don’t. Still, it’s a good addition, serving as a nostalgic background to the protagonist’s journey, and thanks to its inclusion, there’s four different endings you can get.
  
• In case you’re already done with your playthrough and want to challenge yourself further, there’s a built-in level editor and a level sharing tool. All your craziest ideas may come true with a little bit of work, and all your photography-related nightmares may materialise into reality with heaps of downloadable levels from the community creators.
  
• The game is laughably cheap. For two bucks you get to spend enough hours in game to call it a shameless steal. I honestly don’t get the price tag, it’s crazy! The madness!

THE BAD

• You can shape the world accordingly to your needs, but there are times (not often, fortunately) where you have to be overly precise with both the camera and movement. Considering that the layout copies only stay for a little while, it can be irritating to lose its perfect positioning because of one nanometre between you and success. This may lead to some frustrations, especially in case of people who aren’t particularly patient and/or skilled in platforming.
  
• Photo shooting is a great mechanics. But it’s also the only mechanics. Whilst with each level the game continues to get more and more challenging, you’ll be testing the same skill over and over again. Personally, I enjoyed it, but at the same time I can clearly see it as a completely legitimate reason to call the game monotonous.
  
• In a game that invites you to try speed-running its levels, it’s unforgivable to not have a timer. And Camera Obscura doesn’t have one. You can only see your run time after having finished a level, which goes strictly against the very idea of speed-running. This lack of means of comparability can leave you with a feeling of wasting the time you could spend on another try.

OVERALL
Great idea for the mechanics, good execution of said idea, a couple of issues that don’t take away from the overall enjoyability, decent retro-esque visuals, and a satisfying story that’s playing a background role. Camera Obscura is a nice game for puzzle enthusiasts and for those who love platformers – with emphasis on the former. There’s multiple ways to play it and technically endless opportunities for a challenge, with the level editor. The game’s not reaching to perfection and may seem too simple or lacking in flavour for some people, but you still get much more than what you’d usually get for such a price.