Samsara Room
- April 29, 2020
- Rusty Lake
- 4h median play time
Samsara Room is a first-person puzzle game set in a mysterious, ever-changing room. Players must explore the room, solve puzzles, and unlock new areas to progress. With its unique gameplay mechanics and atmospheric setting, Samsara Room offers a challenging and immersive experience.
Reviews
- Beautiful and varied level design and soundtrack.
- Puzzles are challenging but not impossible, providing a satisfying experience.
- Unique and intriguing storyline that keeps players engaged.
- Some puzzles can be confusing and may require hints or walkthroughs.
- The game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more.
- Occasional glitches can hinder gameplay, such as items not appearing or not functioning as intended.
- story412 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is often described as intriguing, surreal, and complex, with many players appreciating its depth and connection to the broader Rusty Lake universe. While some find the narrative confusing or lacking clarity, others enjoy piecing together its hidden elements and appreciate the unique storytelling approach that combines visuals and puzzles. Overall, the story enhances the gameplay experience, making it a compelling aspect for fans of the genre.
“The story, although a little strange, kept me intrigued and wanting more!”
“There's a beautiful story told alongside really fun puzzles and games.”
“The storyline is so intriguing and vague enough to keep me constantly enthralled, searching for clues to piece it all together.”
“Despite the voice in the video here, there's actually no voice in the game and no story.”
“It was very linear and had no meaningful conceptual story.”
“The story wasn't fulfilling.”
- graphics364 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their unique and captivating art style, which blends eerie and whimsical elements to create a haunting atmosphere. Players appreciate the consistency and quality of the visuals, noting that they enhance the overall experience and complement the game's intriguing puzzles and storytelling. Many reviews highlight the beautiful artwork and smooth graphics, contributing to an immersive and engaging gameplay experience.
“The mix between the regular art style and real-life images goes really well with the overall tone of the game.”
“The artwork is captivating and the puzzles are very interesting.”
“The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is alright.”
“While it was a really aesthetically pleasing game, I kept having a glitch on one part of the game that made it impossible to go on to the next part.”
“The graphics and the controls, I'd hate to see a bad glitch, and sadly there was a bad glitch; I never thought I'd see a glitch like this in such a great game, I was suddenly teleporting to rooms without my control, please fix this.”
“Some gruesome scenes and head-scratching graphics.”
- music257 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and calming qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to create a surreal and eerie ambiance, perfectly complementing the game's visuals and puzzles. Many players express a strong appreciation for the music, often describing it as beautiful, relaxing, and integral to their enjoyment of the game.
“The music is beautifully relaxing and the puzzles challenge you but not to the point it becomes impossible.”
“The music and atmosphere are so beautiful and calming.”
“The soundtrack is eerie and sets up the mood excellently.”
“The music has a very somber and unsettling soundtrack, and the art is very simple.”
“Repetitive piano music bugs me - I'd like to hear something maybe less melodic that doesn't get old so quickly.”
“The music is depressing.”
- monetization155 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 59 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is highly praised, with users appreciating the absence of intrusive ads. Ads are only present when players opt for hints, and they are generally short and non-disruptive, allowing for a seamless gaming experience. Many players express satisfaction with the game's free-to-play nature, highlighting that it does not rely on aggressive advertising or in-app purchases.
“I'm most impressed that this was a free experience from start to finish - no ads, no gimmicks.”
“No ads, no prompts to pay, no gimmicks.”
“Top quality puzzle game that's completely free with no ads!”
“The game is super fun and well thought out, but it is extremely frustrating when you need a hint, because the ads that come up stay up indefinitely and can't be closed without force closing the entire app.”
“One advertisement played mismatching my screen dimensions and wouldn't close after ending, so I had to kill the game and was denied the hint.”
“I am giving 3 stars because I couldn't progress even after watching 15 different ads for hints and watching the tutorial.”
- atmosphere144 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its unique blend of eerie and calming elements, enhanced by beautiful artwork and a captivating soundtrack. Players appreciate the surreal and unsettling ambiance that complements the clever puzzles, creating an immersive experience that draws them into the game's world. Despite some minor technical issues, the overall atmosphere is described as magical, intriguing, and a key factor in the game's appeal.
“The atmosphere, especially with credit to the music, is eerie yet calming, nicely balanced!”
“The atmosphere is captured perfectly by the art and Victor Butzelaar's amazing soundtrack.”
“The atmosphere was offputting in such an enchanting way; the calm relaxing music, the cutesy wallpaper and art style, but then the creepy as hell undertones and certain objects.”
“It's missing the atmosphere... just like with the white door it feels like rewriting a good atmospheric game to fit into a series with blah puzzles :/ it's just like watching a good TV show turning terrible by the 5th season.”
“An exceptional puzzle game with an eerie and foreboding atmosphere.”
- gameplay119 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its smooth mechanics, clever puzzles, and engaging narrative, often described as a delightful blend of simplicity and challenge. Players appreciate the unique art style and atmospheric soundtracks that enhance the overall experience, while some note occasional frustrations with specific mechanics or puzzle complexity. Overall, the gameplay is considered a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.
“The gameplay feels a lot smoother, and I thought the scale puzzle was particularly clever.”
“Each room fit its theme in terms of the puzzle pieces, visuals, and mechanics.”
“These games are such a delightful combination of simple, easy to understand gameplay, with fun puzzles that often have odd and quirky yet macabre solutions, which keeps things interesting and unique.”
“Gameplay feels tasky in the beginning but the puzzles become somewhat more challenging and creative as the game progresses.”
“Gameplay is bottlenecked into a linear path, you can only do puzzles in a fixed order, only one specific action is next at any time.”
“The gameplay was easy enough to understand until you got to the final room, where the riddles and puzzles were a little convoluted.”
- emotional32 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players describe the game as a deeply emotional experience, often feeling a mix of calmness, sadness, and satisfaction throughout their journey. The storyline is praised for its heartfelt and touching elements, with many expressing that it evoked strong feelings, including laughter and tears, particularly at the end. Despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics, the overall emotional impact and aesthetic appeal resonate strongly with players, making it a memorable and meaningful experience.
“This game really spoke to me, aesthetically and emotionally.”
“Completing the game felt wholesome and somehow gloomy or sad by the end of it.”
“I cried after I finished the game.”
- stability21 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is a mixed bag, with some players reporting significant glitches that hinder progress, while others experience smooth gameplay with no issues. Many users appreciate the game's atmosphere and graphics, but a notable number have encountered bugs that can make it unplayable at times. Overall, the experience varies widely, with some enjoying a glitch-free adventure and others facing frustrating technical problems.
“The game works well and has no glitches.”
“I didn't have any troubles with the game; no glitches, just good fun!”
“So far, there are no glitches or any problems with it.”
“It's worth a shot, but keep in mind you may experience some glitches like I did that will stop you from progressing at all.”
“This game is so buggy it's impossible to play.”
“I love the Rusty Lake games, but I've had so many glitches at the feather level that it became unplayable.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated for its cleverness and subtlety, often blending creepy elements with comedic moments that elicit genuine laughter. Players enjoy the witty dialogue and amusing scenarios, finding the game both challenging and entertaining. While some critiques mention a lack of engagement, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to deliver a fun and humorous experience.
“I appreciate the cleverness and subtle humor.”
“This game gave me a creepy feeling, but also made me laugh 😂😂.”
“This game is gorgeous, thought-provoking, challenging, and honestly pretty hilarious at times.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it low due to its short nature, others appreciate the interconnected puzzles and hidden secrets that encourage multiple playthroughs, particularly for unlocking a secret ending.
“All of the games tie together in unexpected ways and have plenty of extra secrets, which makes for high replayability.”
“Fantastic game with replay value for the secret ending, absolutely hands down recommended!”
“Replayability is probably low, but for an escape room puzzle, this was a short and delightful experience.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The app demonstrates strong optimization, running smoothly and without lag on various devices, including the LG Stylo 1, indicating that it performs well across different hardware configurations.
“Runs smoothly without lag.”
“Another stellar performance!”
“I am using an LG Stylo 1; is this app not optimized for my device?”
“The game runs poorly on my hardware, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
“I frequently experience lag and crashes, which suggests that the optimization is severely lacking.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with puzzles that lack challenge and clarity, leading to a lack of motivation to continue.
“The puzzles aren't hard, so much as they are tedious.”
“Hugely tedious and not at all easy to follow.”
“Not even worth finishing, just tedious.”