Not Quite Picture Perfect
HIGH Some of the locations are visually stunning…
LOW …But the game engine makes parts of them look terrible.
WTF There’s an extremely pixelated SpongeBob sticker in one map.
While it’s common to find a photo mode in big budget or picturesque experiences these days, there aren’t many titles focused solely on photography. So, when I heard about Lushfoil Photography Sim, I had to check it out. Thankfully, it mostly delivers.
In Lushfoil Photography Sim, players are tasked with taking photos from specific viewpoints within various locales, starting with a lake in Italy before moving to scenes in Japan, the French Alps, the Himalayas, and more. However, photography isn’t limited to the “quests” and shutterbugs can often take whatever pictures are desired in this first-person mini-vacation.
As the requested pictures were taken, more areas opened up, and not only were there all-new areas to explore, there were also new variations of maps I already had accessible. For example, the first location had a later ‘winter’ version to explore, and each unlock provided me with new weather and lighting conditions for photos.
The locations are all well-chosen, giving a variety of environments to suit any aesthetic. The Castle Rock Beach and Fushimi Inari Taisha were among my favorites, due to how gorgeous and vibrant they were.
The main camera I used was the digital SLR (single-lens reflex) and I was impressed with the options included. Photo modes in video games generally offer basic features, such as aperture and shutter speed, but Lushfoil goes all-out and offers many options found in modern professional cameras, such as ISO brightening and darkening tools. This made my photo safari feel far more realistic than expected.
There were extra tools to find, such as a camera drone, which could allow me to take photos from a higher elevation. Beyond that. There were some neat ‘throwback’ items, such as a film-based SLR camera and a ’00s era point-and-shoot camera. I only wish I could have found a disposable camera!
Completing a single map’s requests unlocks a GPS that helps locate any remaining collectibles. For those who leverage it to 100%, taking every requested photo and finding every collectible unlocks a ‘god’ mode, which essentially allows players to change the weather and other settings.
While this is a great foundation for a photography-focused experience, there were quite a few issues with Lushfoil that hold it back.
For a title that’s all about the visuals, it was a surprise to find that the graphics tended to be iffy. For example, the map in France had many background areas that were flattened images, or that offered jagged textures when viewed from afar. Some textures also had some unintended effects, like artifacts on objects that moved around. Reflections on water would also not appear on taken photos. Further, bloom and fog tended to make things too washed out, and there was some smudginess on finished images.
While there were plenty of great scenes, there were also some locales that were boring to photograph, such as a decrepit house, surrounded by a sense of lifelessness. Also, throughout the experience there were never any people in any of the areas, and even animals were rare. It sometimes felt like I was photographing dioramas, not real places.
The menus also gave me issues. Glitches would occur regularly, such as selecting one image, but then seeing another appearing on-screen, especially when deleting images. While exiting and re-entering the menu did help, this was tedious and annoying.
Speaking of images, I could only save around thirty photos. This is an absurdly tiny number of images for a photo game, especially when some have to be kept while progressing toward unlocking new locations. Photos also act as one of the fast travel systems between locations, so I had to be selective with what I kept.
There were also a number of performance issues to contend with, the biggest being frame rate drops and stutters occurring when traveling. It was a consistent stutter every few seconds, and very annoying. Long load times also meant I had to waiting 20—30 seconds every time I transitioned to a new map.
Lushfoil Photography Sim has a lot of rough edges that need work, and it’s rather unfortunate, as many of the areas offer stunning views and photo titles in general are rare. There’s definitely a vision here, and I can’t deny that this photo safari has charm. However, for a title that only aims to do one thing right, that thing needs to be perfect — and it’s far from it.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Buy Lushfoil Photography Sim – Steam – Epic – PlayStation – Xbox
Disclosures: This game is developed by Matt Newell and published by Annapurna Interactive. It is currently available on XBX/S, PS5, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 9 hours were devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.
Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of E. The ESRB website states: “This is a simulation game in which players assume the role of a photographer taking pictures of various environments. Players explore locations around the world, photograph places and structures, and search for collectibles along the way.”
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game does not offer subtitles. There is no spoken dialogue. Text cannot be resized. This game is not fully accessible because text for tool tips and tutorials can be too small and difficult to read.
Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.
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