Samorost 2

Jul 25
2007

I’ve been meaning to write about Samorost 2 since way back before it won Best Web Browser Game at the Independent Games Festival. If you haven’t seen this game yet, I recommend you go check it out right now. You should be warned, however, that it may take a good 30 minutes to complete the first chapter, and it’s incredible hard to stop playing once you start.

There are a number of things that I think make this game really great:

• The art is amazing. I love how these little worlds are collaged out of photographs and drawn elements. It really feels like a strange alien world. The design of the little floppy-eared character is superb too. He’s simple, but conveys a lot of emotion through his movements and his little grunts. Which ties in nicely to my next point…

• There is no text or dialog to guide you. I love games with no instructions. It makes the game more immersive because you are never taken out of the game world. I also like that the game could easily be played and understood by anyone, regardless of which language they speak.

• The game cannot be lost. Sure, you might get stumped by a certain section and give up, but what I mean is the player can never take the game to a state from which it can’t be won. There is no situation where you cannot progress forward in the game because of a previous choice you made. This element of the game is enhanced by the small self-contained levels. The player always knows that the solution to their problem is never more than one or two screens away.

• A lot of little things can be affected. Even elements that are not relevant to the game can often be manipulated. This helps create a feeling that the player is truly interacting with the game world. It also makes the game more difficult, because it makes it less clear which actions will produce a meaningful outcome and which are just for show.

• Very affordable. Only $6.90 for a downloadable version of the entire game. I also liked that they don’t skimp on the demo version. You can play the entire first chapter for free online. It has many levels and really gives you a good feeling of the game before you have to decide if you want to purchase it.