Embark on a quest across the galaxy and solve unique puzzles in a surreal and strangely musical point-and-click adventure game.
Samorost 3
Developer: Amanita Design
Price: $19.99
Platform: PC (reviewed), Mac
Monstervine was provided with a PC code for review.
Samorost 3 puts you in the shoes of a small gnome with a magical flute as he travels from planet to planet. Its controls are simple: click to move, click to interact, and drag a few key items from your tiny inventory to use them with the environment. Although it is the third entry in this point-and-click adventure series, it isn’t necessary to play the previous Samorost games to understand this one.
The story content is light, and the scant plot is really there just to give you a reason to travel from planet to planet, and to give you a final goal. It is told without any dialogue, but instead uses sounds and images to convey your objectives. In fact, there is no text within Samorost 3 at all.
While this heightens the atmosphere and increases the immersion, it alsos add unneeded obtuseness. For example, my early attempts to navigate the menu resulted in lost progress because I didn’t know I’d reached the “load game” screen, and I made it halfway through the game before learning an item I thought was a secret to be unlocked later is actually the in-game hint guide.
Many puzzles aren’t intuitive enough to solve without trial and error, which makes the guide a welcome addition. At the same time, a part of Samorost 3’s appeal is exploring each new world and clicking things to see what happens—especially since achievements are often hidden in innocuous actions.
The planets you visit are as strange as the puzzles. Although they’re often quite disturbing, they have a weird beauty at the same time, like an alien, nightmarish take on Dr. Seuss. From the puzzles, to the planets themselves, to the creatures that inhabit them, everything in Samorost 3 feels as though you’ve fallen into a magical universe that follows its own rules.
It’s a very musical universe, too. The gnome uses his magical flute to listen to sounds and often imitate them, which is key to solving several puzzles, but that isn’t the only time music comes into play. On one planet, you’ll work to get a group of amphibious creatures singing at the correct pitch to give you the item you need. On another, triggering a chorus of insects rewards you with an achievement.
Even the achievements themselves are musical. They play a melody when you click them in the game’s menu, and the song becomes more complex the more achievements you click.
Samorost 3’s bizarre puzzles mean it won’t appeal to everyone, but its uniqueness makes it an enjoyable experience—and there’s just something delightful about seeing your character cheer and dance when you solve a puzzle.
The Final Word
Although you’ll sometimes resort to trial and error, Samorost 3’s unsettling beauty and surreal atmosphere makes up for the frustration caused by its illogical puzzles.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
