Review: Adventure of Samsara (Nintendo Switch)
Adventure of Samsara is a 2D action-adventure title developed by Ilex Games and published by Atari. That last part is important because this game is purported to be an ode to the classic Atari title Adventure. It also seems to pay homage to the likes of Prince of Persia with its parkour elements. It takes these retro inspirations and adds a modern spin, providing a metroidvania that manages to balance a concurrent feeling of classic and new.
In Adventure of Samsara, you play the role of the Solar Champion, a long-dead hero who’s been resurrected by the light of the Sun. What that actually translates to is that the world has been overrun by undead creatures, and you’ve been brought back to life to defeat them.
Things begin rather slowly, with a few simple levels designed to bring you up to speed with the controls and environment. This introduction is definitely slow-paced, but it does open into something much deeper the more you play. In other words, be sure to persist past the initial offering.
Apart from the usual running and jumping, it soon becomes clear that our hero has other moves at his disposal. For example, he can dash through enemies, which allows you to avoid attacks and retaliate from behind. This satisfying move is accompanied by magical abilities and upgradeable weapons. New abilities allow you to open new pathways and areas; the sprawling map expands, and the game continues. While there are a lot of metroidvanias out there, Adventure of Samsara certainly fits the bill, and uses those genre elements well.
Our hero feels quite solid, with a heaviness to his jumps. In other words, he’s not a nimble platformer. Coming to this from something like Hollow Knight can feel jarring at first, but I actually appreciate the sense of weight to this character’s presence; he’s portrayed as a large Viking-type warrior, wielding large, presumably heavy, weapons. This translates well in the gameplay. And, thankfully, our hero sports the ability to climb cliffs with a whip-like move.
This weight can also be perceived as clunkiness. Some enemy encounters can border on frustrating due to the lack of quick movesets. It’s easy to be hit by projectiles or flying enemies, for example, and be knocked off balance – or even off a cliff. Thankfully, the more you practise, the easier it becomes, and there is satisfaction in learning the ropes.
Graphically, Adventure of Samasara wears its retro inspirations on its sleeve with deliberately pixelated sprites. It adds its own unique flavor by adding lovely backgrounds to some areas, like a giant moon. There are also foreground elements like falling snowflakes that help bring this world to life. It balances its old-school look with some more modern touches to create a nice atmosphere.
The soundtrack emits subtle tunes during most of the gameplay, with stronger atmospheric tunes ramped up during boss fights. It generally suits the environment, though it’s perhaps not the most memorable score I’ve heard.
Speaking of boss fights, these epic battles are also present and accounted for, as you would expect with any decent metroidvania. The battles begin with a cutscene, again adding a modern twist to the retro style, along with some tough battles. Patience is key (another metroidvania staple), so be prepared to keep at it.
Overall, Adventure of Samsara is a true metroidvania. Sprawling maps, tricky combat, collectibles and upgrades; it has it all. Although things start slowly, it’s worth progressing past the initial intro to discover the deeper gameplay elements.
