Samsara's Adventure Turns Retro Dial Back to Some Extra Levels

When most people say their games are retro, they mean a specific era from NES to PlayStation. That era Pan covered the heyday of Pixel-Art gameplay and the emerging 3D Revolution. What is uncommon for gaming is to look back for inspiration when you go back to the earliest home console games. But that's exactly what Samsara adventure does, which makes for a strange blend of patterns and mechanics.

Samsara itself has a relatively long adventure history. The game was called the Kickstarter project in 2016 and is called Samsung Tower. It set a moderate (very precise, numerical) target of $48,561, but failed to reach one-third of that number. This may be the end of the story, just another indie game that never leaves the ground. But Brazilian studio Ilex Games continues to launch it until it lands in Atari, where it becomes a sci-fi branch of classic Atari 2600 gaming adventure classics. An Atari spokesman told me that Samsara's adventure was a marriage of both, a game originally envisioned by Ilex, but it has been woven into the story elements of the adventure to make it a part of that universe.

This fusion of inspiration means it brings visual similarity to the Atari 2600 game. Pixel art is large and blocky, with visual elements with flat colors that look reminiscent of those early video games while also looking more advanced and modern than anything the original Atari could produce. It's a retro pixel art fold, but by modernizing and modernizing this earlier version of pixel art, the look is stunning.

Likewise, the movement and combat itself reminiscent of adventure or Persian princes, or a more modern point of reference, Superb Brothers: Sword and Swing. Everything from your walking cycle to the sword’s swing is intentionally and chunky, matching the visual style. The Parry system reflexes quickly with powerful blow rewards, which is very necessary given the hero's methodical movement.

In this case, it is a silver medal, consisting of open maps that can be explored when unlocking more tools and options. I could only play a short guided demo with Atari rep instructing me where to go to maximize what I could squeeze out of time. But I feel that besides many modern silver war zones, there is a danger of lurking in invisible corners. I was warned that if I left like this, or I would have a quick ending – this approach would bring a refreshing old-fashioned sensibility that would allow us to get used to more directed and secure Metroidvanias in modern games.

The original Atari hooks, however, go beyond the look and feel of the game. Although Samsung retains the original plan for the sci-fi story that took place on Pluto, the partnership with Atari has already weaved the story hooks and Easter eggs in the adventure. In a short time, I found a dragon in the ruins of Pluto, and I saw such a small enjoyment. This combination gives the game a creepy, otherworldly feel that blends genre and continuity. It's all a promising start for a game about 10 years ago, and it looks like you'll never see the light of the day.

Samsara's adventure will be coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in 2025.