Samsara review
Xbox Reviews

Samsara review

Samsara

From the more than 1000 available games on Xbox we don’t have anything like Samsara. This pretty straightforward point A to B physics game from developer Marker is their first original title in over six years. They previously made one of my favorite Windows Phone games, called AlphaJax.  Oh, and the game learns players to never follow a squirrel… but you’ll have to play the game to find out why. 

THE GOOD

  • In my childhood I loved to play with LEGO blocks, the game isn’t anywhere near the same experience but in Samsara you’ll have to play with blocks too! Placing them in the right way so the cute character Zee can reach the level exit. Sounds easy right? Guess again, this clever puzzle solving gameplay will boggle your thinking capabilities. Before playing I never thought that a game like this could become so challenging, the solution is always a few blocks away (most of the times between 3-6 blocks). Finally finding a solution often comes together with a “OMG how did I miss that!” feeling. Making it really rewarding to reach the level exit.
  • The difference between the up and down world are striking and a visual clash that makes the game really beautiful. The art style is simply fantastic and makes the game an eye-pleaser.  The same can be said about the cute playable character Zee and her other dimension version, it is hard not to care for Zee and feel intrigued by the other dimension.
  • Making a fun puzzle game is one thing, keeping it interesting and challenging is another. The developer did some clever gameplay tricks and original design to keep the block placement gameplay entertaining.  I really like that the developer doesn’t hold the player’s hand and forces you to experiment, resulting in some mind breaking trial and error but rewarding aha! moments.

Mixed Feelings

  • This is a pure puzzle game, you don’t even control the characters yourself. Your one and only task is to find out how to place the blocks so Zee and her other dimension self can reach the exit.  The developer did some neat tricks to keep gameplay exciting but this isn’t a game that everyone will enjoy because of the lack of control and “action”.  I do hope you try it out though, because  every minute spend in Samsara is worth it.
  • More than 60 levels, plus an inverted option gives the players enough content to last a few hours. This kind of game isn’t something that you will play for hours and hours but I did miss some kind of extra replay value. That said, I’m happy with what was available and it never became repetitive or boring.  It has Xbox Play Anywhere too by the way, so you can play on Xbox One and PC for one price.

THE BAD

  • Nothing worth mentioning. Well done developer Marker!


Samsara [Score: 8.6/10] Samsara is a perfect example how fun the puzzle genre can be. Full with aha! moments and some nice looking visuals. Character Zee found a place in my heart and I hope this little indie-game can find a way to many Xbox players, it totally deserves that.

Dev: Marker Publisher: Marker
Played on: Xbox One X| LifeisXbox received a digital review code, provided by Renegade PR. 

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