Sights & Sounds
- After playing through Cube Escape Collection, the visual presentation of the Samsara Room, a 2020 remake of its Flash-based prequel, did not register as a surprise. Like its sequel (and indeed, the rest of the Rusty Lake games), I wasn't a huge fan of the art direction, but did find the environments and their contents to at least be interesting to look at
- The music and sound design fulfilled their roles adequately but without much flair
Story & Vibes
- I'm grateful that I played this prequel after finishing Cube Escape Collection, or else I don't think I could have derived much from the story crumbs you inevitably bump into in the course of solving puzzles
- As you've likely gathered from that hand-wavy non-description of the narrative, there's not much to pick up on, and anything I could share would sort of ruin the fun of revealing the extra flavor this title adds to its sequel
- The vibes are dark, mysterious, and often quite strange
Playability & Replayability
- As is common for puzzle games in the escape room subgenre, there's a certain peculiar endogenous logic that is simultaneously absurd and not absurd at the same time. Why are you shoving a baby into a curio cabinet? I dunno. It worked out with the fish, so OBVIOUSLY it's meant to go there
- As with most puzzle games, not sure there's many reasons to check back in for a replay if you've seen everything there is to see
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Samsara Room was a fun little snack of a game that simultaneously enhanced and (slightly) spoiled my memories of Cube Escape Collection. This prequel is very similar to the "Seasons" entry of that compilation, but its central puzzle is more interesting. Sure, the clock from Seasons is a cool recurring centerpiece that moves the game along, but the curio cabinet in Samsara Room outshines it with its interesting effects on your environment
- It ran fine on the Steam Deck and was pretty easy to handle with the trackpads, but would have been a little little easier with a mouse
Final Verdict
- 6/10. More fun puzzling in a tidy 1-2 hour package. And, hey, it's free, so the price is right
- After playing through Cube Escape Collection, the visual presentation of the Samsara Room, a 2020 remake of its Flash-based prequel, did not register as a surprise. Like its sequel (and indeed, the rest of the Rusty Lake games), I wasn't a huge fan of the art direction, but did find the environments and their contents to at least be interesting to look at
- The music and sound design fulfilled their roles adequately but without much flair
Story & Vibes
- I'm grateful that I played this prequel after finishing Cube Escape Collection, or else I don't think I could have derived much from the story crumbs you inevitably bump into in the course of solving puzzles
- As you've likely gathered from that hand-wavy non-description of the narrative, there's not much to pick up on, and anything I could share would sort of ruin the fun of revealing the extra flavor this title adds to its sequel
- The vibes are dark, mysterious, and often quite strange
Playability & Replayability
- As is common for puzzle games in the escape room subgenre, there's a certain peculiar endogenous logic that is simultaneously absurd and not absurd at the same time. Why are you shoving a baby into a curio cabinet? I dunno. It worked out with the fish, so OBVIOUSLY it's meant to go there
- As with most puzzle games, not sure there's many reasons to check back in for a replay if you've seen everything there is to see
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Samsara Room was a fun little snack of a game that simultaneously enhanced and (slightly) spoiled my memories of Cube Escape Collection. This prequel is very similar to the "Seasons" entry of that compilation, but its central puzzle is more interesting. Sure, the clock from Seasons is a cool recurring centerpiece that moves the game along, but the curio cabinet in Samsara Room outshines it with its interesting effects on your environment
- It ran fine on the Steam Deck and was pretty easy to handle with the trackpads, but would have been a little little easier with a mouse
Final Verdict
- 6/10. More fun puzzling in a tidy 1-2 hour package. And, hey, it's free, so the price is right
4 Comments
@RedBackLoggd, No, it's a single player puzzle experience. Although now that I'm thinking about it, a multiplayer escape room game that mimics real-life escape rooms could be a pretty cool concept
Indeed, good reveiw.
*review
RedBackLoggd
1 month ago