Samsara Room Review

Samsara. Awakening in a strange room, we need to find a way out. In the room are familiar objects, a mirror with your shadowy reflection, a grandfather clock, a telephone. But the room also has weird objects. To escape the room, we need to get enlightened. The game takes place in 1935 in the aftermath of Rusty Lake: Roots. The game centers around the reincarnation of William Vanderboom through the Cycle of Life. As seen in the mirror, your person has become naught but a black shadow, as you go through the room solving puzzles in order to transcend to the next step, and the next step, and the next step… The game consists of loops where you wake up in the same room, but it is different. One iteration leaves your shadow with a fish for a head, everything floats and the room is filled with water. Another iteration has everything upside down. The different iterations are marked by an animal: the fish, the gecko, the worm and the bird. All plays a part with solving the puzzle, making you ready for your reincarnation – ending with you being reborn.

Samsara is a very short game, between half an hour to one hour’s playtime. It is also free, which is a big plus. The game was remade in 2020, and tied into the whole story of Rusty Lake. Considering it is free, you get an amazing game. The graphics are the ones we’ve come to love from the Rusty Lake series, odd and cartoony. The music score is no different, and ties beautifully into the game. The puzzles are sometimes really weird, and can be hard to figure out (as happens in the Rusty Lake series), but nothing too mindboggeling. The story is great, and a nice tie-in to the series as a whole. As it is free, there is no excuse not to enjoy this great piece of entertainment.