There is something deeply unsettling about places that feel familiar yet eerily off, and Liminal Exit leans into that discomfort with both feet.

Developed and published by LittleRedDread, this surreal walking simulator traps you in looping corridors, flooded hallways, and unsettlingly empty rooms, testing not just your attention to detail but your sense of reality itself. It looks and feels like it’s inspired by The Exit 8 and Pools; it’s a slow-burn dive into the uncanny, where every flicker, misplaced object, or warped shadow might be the only clue to escape.

Liminal Exit throws you headfirst into a surreal, dreamlike world that plays on the uncanny and the unknown. The game doesn’t hand-hold or over-explain itself, and you’re dropped into what feels like an endless maze of liminal spaces where something always feels just a bit off. There’s a constant sense of being watched or followed, and the deeper you progress in the game, the more reality seems to bend.

The plot of the game is super minimalistic and left open to interpretation, allowing players to create their own story through environmental clues, eerie anomalies, and unsettling transitions. The game is all about the atmosphere and the psychological tension it creates. 

You’re main focuses are observation, exploration, and decision making. You’re tasked with identifying and reacting to subtle anomalies in the environment. Some are super obvious, and others you barely notice if you’re not taking notice, which is a massive test of your attention to detail and memory.

I found myself painting scenarios and double-guessing myself more than once, which sometimes worked in my favour and other times bounced me back to the start of the game, which made me more frustrated. There are some light puzzle-solving elements to the game, but the real challenge is navigating the unknown and keeping your nerves intact as the game will increasingly crank up the psychological pressure.  

The controls were super simplistic, which honestly made the game far more enjoyable. You’ve got your standard movement with W, A, S, and D, just like 99,9% of PC games, and you’re interactions were handled with a simple left click. Holding shift lets you run, which came in handy when you wanted to speed-run through the levels.

I found myself doing that more than once after making a dumb decision and being bounced back to the first level. The straightforward control scheme meant there was no learning curve, allowing me to focus entirely on the atmosphere on each level and decision-making without being bogged down by clunky mechanics. 

I was a little on the fence with the sound design in this game. At times, it did a great job of building the immersion and adding a layer of tension that elevated that eerie atmosphere. Other times, though, I found myself wishing I could mute it altogether. The sounds your character makes when simply walking become repetitive, and if you make the mistake of touching water, the sound it makes you want to turn the game off. It was that off-putting.

The walking noise added to the overall sense of frustration with the game, particularly when a wrong decision was made, creating a subtle psychological pressure that worked in the game’s favour. I would have liked to hear some more distinct audio cues for anomalies, or even the occasional well-timed jump scare to shake things up a little. Overall, the audio was quite simplistic, which worked in the game’s favour. 

I was genuinely mesmerised by the graphics in this game, which played a huge part in building a more eerie and immersive experience. The visual presentation was almost cinematic in quality at times; it barely felt like I was playing a game and watching something on TV. The environments looked stunning, and unless you got uncomfortably close to a wall or some tile textures, it was easy to forget you were in a virtual world.

One small gripe I had was the default head-bobbing effect, which quickly became distracting and nauseating. Not only was it annoying, but it also added an unnecessary layer of blue to the game, making fast movements disorienting. If you turned around too quickly, you’d often have to stop for a second just to regain visual clarity. Thankfully, I was able to switch it off in the settings, as it was something I was not a huge fan of. 

Liminal Exit is a haunting, minimalist experience that thrives on discomfort, uncertainty, and eerie familiarity. It does not rely on traditional storytelling or jump scares to pull you into the game. It builds tension through atmosphere, subtlety, and psychological unease. With its simple controls and stunning visuals, it allows you to lose yourself in a world that feels wrong but also recognisable.

Whilst the sound design can be used with a little polishing and variety, and the head bobbing effect feels more distracting than immersive, the core gameplay loop of spotting anomalies and making calculated decisions offers a gripping challenge and an enjoyable experience.

Written by: Hayden Nelson