Screenbound blends 3D first-person and 2D sidescrolling

At Summer Game Fest, Crescent Moon Games showed Screenbound, a self-styled "5D" platformer that asks players to navigate a first-person 3D space while also watching a 2D sidescrolling view on a Game Boy–like handheld. Clips of the game’s unusual blend of perspectives have racked up millions of views on social platforms, the visual trick drawing attention even from people who haven’t played it.

The handheld isn’t just a gimmick: certain objects and paths appear only in one dimension, so progression often depends on shifting focus between the two views. In one demo moment a balloon hovering over a chasm is visible only on the 2D screen; trusting that view lets you grab the balloon’s string and float across a gap that looked impassable from the 3D perspective.

Creator Josh Presseisen says Screenbound grew out of multiple prototypes and the idea of a second-screen handheld.

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