Something about the clip for Behind the Frame immediately settles you down. It starts with a painter dropping her brush and, instead of getting it up right away, stretching gently. The scene is established by her sun-dappled abode, paintings on the walls, and beautiful flora on a table.
Behind the Frame is described as a “story-oriented puzzle game” by the developer Silver Lining Studio, and the gameplay appears to be a laid-back affair based on the video. You find pieces of an antique picture and piece them together. You paint your grouchy next-door neighbor and his cat. You brew an excellent cup of coffee. The game is played in the first-person view, allowing you to interact with various items in the area, which stand out merely because they are represented as 2D cell-shaded objects. Simple cutscenes are used to break up the action at times.
The aesthetic of Behind the Frames is something I truly like. Everything in this game, from the character design to the colorful sequences, reminds me of Studio Ghibli films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, and I believe we can never have too many games like that. If you agree, you can now add Behind the Frame to your Steam wishlist. There is no set release date as of yet.
