Photographer here. I've followed this game for quite some time and also tried the demo a while ago. It's a well-thought-out photography simulator, but I can't quite recommend it due to the environments.

The game has a lot of bloom, which makes it a little hard to photograph certain subjects. I struggle to find good subjects that appear natural, which limits my freedom with camera settings. Whenever I try to find something to photograph, it can be difficult to make it look "nice" since the game already feels very filtered. I could overlook this if there were built-in photo editing, but as it stands, the photography mechanic feels like “manual, but actually auto.” I wish there were a setting in the game that allowed you to adjust the environment's hue. There's a filter option in the camera setting, but can only be viewed in the camera's viewfinder.

I didn’t get far into the game, but the Australia environment is a prime example of this. The sand feels too orange, the water too blue, and the shadows are too dark—lots of detail gets lost in the shadows and highlights. I often have to rely on heavy filtering, trying to "undo" a lot of the saturation that's already cemented into the environments. This is an example of the filter issue that I'm talking about. The body of water does not match the sky.

In addition to the color saturation, the earlier environments' skyboxes feel very plain. The skies all look like one solid color, with no clouds, and occasionally, there are birds. The lack of detail in the sky detracts from my ability to take scenic images of the environment. An ability to change the skybox, weather, or time of day, is locked behind god mode, and is a feature that must be unlocked.

Levels are locked from the start, encouraging exploration for hidden objects. While I understand this extends gameplay time, I often find myself focusing on a scavenger hunt for items rather than the primary focus of the game: photography. This is fine, but I wish a few more levels were available at the start. I do like that some locations have pre-photographed scenes that you have to find. It would be great if there were a journal or something similar so I could look back at the photos I’ve taken, rather than just going to a pic of these subjects from the camera roll in-game.

I left the Discord after seeing the developer get defensive over negative feedback. I understand how easy it is to focus on negative feedback over the positive, but saying things like "man you suck" and "don't tank my review score" doesn't come across as professional.

Edit: Spelling

While I do agree with the dissenting reviews that mention the frustration of not going in with the full knowledge myself that the game would have progression gating, I've found my issues with it to be waning over time and I'm actually quite enjoying the photo objectives. It's making me go around the maps and dig into cracks and crevices I probably otherwise wouldn't have and it's presented a fun challenge of trying to take a "better" photo than the one presented in the objective.

I do wish that there was some kind of way to access all of the game's features and locales from the get go but if this is the way it was meant to be, then so it shall be. It hampers my enjoyment a bit as some of the later unlocks in levels are really fun but it hasn't made me stop playing. Quite the opposite in fact. I think the issues people have with the game will be generally sorted out once guides and walkthrough videos become the norm online and people no longer have to sometimes aimlessly wander trying to find this or that objective/"thing".

On the whole though, as a person with very minimal IRL camera experience outside of the one in my pocket, I've found the game to present a fun and unique experience that I've waited a decently long time for. There's nothing quite like it available anywhere else on the market and with the detail and passion put into this game, I don't know if there will be another for quite some time. I've had my gripes with the gating as mentioned before, but the feeling of discovering new areas that suddenly present a flurry of photo opportunities has yet to cease putting a smile on my face.

This is definitely not going to be for everyone, know that going in. If you're looking for a game with everything unlocked and the ability to just go around at your leisure taking photos everywhere, you'll be frustrated. But if you're willing to meet the game halfway and wander around taking in the sights, you'll find there's more to the game than meets the eye at first glance and you'll be in for some breathtaking views.

And yes! The game is taxing! I play at 1440p with a 3070ti and a 5700x at maxed out settings and DLSS on (I think, the game obfuscates some settings which is slightly frustrating) and the game hovers between 50-90FPS depending on the locale and location within it. So, be warned. If you want to play the game about taking pretty photos with pretty graphics, you're going to have to accept lower frame rates on less than ideal hardware setups or bump down the graphics. This is one of the few cases where I'll absolutely advocate throwing VSYNC on at your lowest acceptable FPS and playing through it. The visuals are far worth the performance especially once you have some of the unlocks. Trust me.

Overall so far, if I had to give it a score, I'm at a 4/5 with my time in so far. Not exactly what I expected but also so much more in different ways. Definitely worth checking it out if you're even a little bit curious.

TLDR; The progression gating is frustrating, yes. But exploring the locations is worth the time and effort for the amazing views you get and the photos you can take later on. It's not for everyone but if you think it's for you, give it a shot. You'll know within an hour if you're in or not.

P.S. Please make the menus less simplified and a bit more granular. A head bob slider perhaps? The ability to toggle on and off the post processing in pieces, not by pre-selected choices. Perhaps some of this is how it is due to the visual makeup of the game and adding in that granularity would ruin the visuals, but the option to ruin the visuals would at least be welcomed. Or perhaps some kind of differing quality options for in and out of camera view? I'd happily traverse the world at 120FPS with the game looking worse if I could easily have it load the highest settings possible when pulling out the camera, even if there was hitching and loading involved. Just some food for thought for the developer without knowing how feasible that would be. Feel free to respond and tell me IDK what I'm talking about lol

Take pictures and relax

This is the first time I've seen a game on UE 5 that is absolutely stable and it has a ton of content at the start.

Matt did a great job on the game, it's not empty, there are lots of locations, lots of cameras, and lots of great pictures that you'll take.

Just sit back and enjoy for an undeservedly low price.