• Platform: Xbox Series X
• Display: 55" HDR TCL TV (~8 ft viewing distance)
• Audio: 5.1 Pioneer Surround Sound (Large Room)
• Fronts: Vintage ~1968 KLH speakers
• Rears & Subwoofer: Modern Yamaha
• Display: 55" HDR TCL TV (~8 ft viewing distance)
• Audio: 5.1 Pioneer Surround Sound (Large Room)
• Fronts: Vintage ~1968 KLH speakers
• Rears & Subwoofer: Modern Yamaha
Note: Halfway through writing this review, Liquid Swords founder and CCO Christofer Sundberg released a statement announcing that the studio is closing down.
I spent a lot of time with Samson, but before I get to my 10-point review, I want to get two items off my chest.
First, for about the first third of my playtime, I wanted to quit. The flow of the game was constantly interrupted by what felt like too many tedious tasks: searching for random boxes or running missions that require you to ram enemies' wheels. Both mechanics drag. Thankfully, once I figured out how to pace and spread out those events, the game really blossomed into an enjoyable experience, though these missions are a far cry from the "90s action movie" tagline.
Second, this is a review of the Xbox Series X version. It runs smoothly, and I rarely had to restart the game (when I did, it was likely due to the Xbox's Quick Resume feature, which tends to hang up with most games). Reading reviews over on Steam, it's clear that bugs were the main gripe for PC players, and nothing tanks a game on PC faster than that. Fortunately, I found the game ran near-perfect on the Xbox.
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STORY: 4/10
A narrative does exist, but your mileage may vary on how quickly you get to it. At the start, the only story beat that matters is paying off your daily debt a few thousand dollars at a time. To achieve this, you are given a handful of jobs each day. Each job consumes "Action Points," meaning time is not continuous; it only advances once a job is completed or failed. I grew to love this game mechanic, but unfortunately, it starves you of story early on. The jobs that actually advance the plot are less financially valuable, which pushes the main narrative to the back burner.
A narrative does exist, but your mileage may vary on how quickly you get to it. At the start, the only story beat that matters is paying off your daily debt a few thousand dollars at a time. To achieve this, you are given a handful of jobs each day. Each job consumes "Action Points," meaning time is not continuous; it only advances once a job is completed or failed. I grew to love this game mechanic, but unfortunately, it starves you of story early on. The jobs that actually advance the plot are less financially valuable, which pushes the main narrative to the back burner.
Once you finally get there (after paying off the debt), the story is enjoyable. It dips into occult themes, a dark twist, but one where you still get to play the "good guy."
It's hard to miss that this game stems from a very specific memory. The protagonist reminded me a lot of my older brother, which instantly drew me in. However, what pulled me out of the experience was the complete lack of knives and guns. That doesn't mean every game needs them, but you can't craft such a specific, grounded world and completely ignore their absence. Ultimately, I came to view Tyndalston like that floating piece of Krypton where Supergirl came from (the older, better Supergirl that Samson McCray probably would have liked).
Yes, it's a gritty 90s city, but it exists in an alternate universe similar to our own.
Absolutely nailed. Once you lock into what is going on, everything makes sense, and it becomes genuinely fun to play. It feels like an actual video game with really smart mission and job design that makes sense. It is refreshing that there is no gray or traversing the map only to forget why your there. Reaching your daily debt total adds the right amount of pressure.
IN-GAME ART & DESIGN: 8/10
It looks good, particularly during the daylight hours. The nighttime scenes look great too, just a bit muddy. The city's design is interesting, striking a visual blend of Detroit, Houston, and Portland.
The cars are an absolute highlight for anyone who lived through that era. They are suitably clunky and boat-like, yet fun to swing around corners. Your Chevy-looking SS/Nova is fantastic and handles just as it should. A lot of care went into the visual identity of this game. They leaned fully into the gritty feel, even with the characters. Important to note: There are no children, old people, or families; everyone is a military-aged man or woman looking to fight (or get wasted).
Menus look great. Icons look fantastic. Both communicate what they need to. Only minor gripe here is how the story is presented on a grid underneath a script font. It's out of place and hard to read.
MUSIC & SOUND: 3/10
The thick, deep crunch of cars colliding and humans pounding each other with fists is satisfying, and the car engine roars follow suit (though there are no trucks in Tyndalston for some reason, just vans). The ambient city sounds and random chatter from the residents are serviceable.
The major miss here is the music. There is nothing about the soundtrack that works beyond trying to hammer home the gritty, warped tone of the game. For a studio named after lyrics from a 90s hip-hop group, this is an odd miss. The music might be technically competent, but tonally it is grating (synth). I tuned it down to a whisper after a few hours.
GAMEPLAY: 5/10
"Half-baked" is a good word to describe it. It's appreciated that quests are quick to access, a key ingredient in keeping a game fast-paced, but it is baffling how some missions require you to find hidden Amazon boxes behind boats and on roofs, or spend way too long trying to ram enemy cars. Eventually, the Takedown missions and the ones requiring you to safely outrun the cops with NPCs became my go-to highlights. I enjoyed the hand to hand fighting. It felt like Sleeping Dogs-lite. Any comparison to that game is a positive.
Aside from feeling like I accomplished a great feat by finally "figuring out" how to play the game, there isn't much emotional resonance here. You don't really get to know the characters all that much. It's what I like to call a "Game-Game," meaning it's purely focused on being a game. It might try to be more than that at times, but it offers little in that category. There are no close-up shots, no cutscenes, and very little emotion from the characters. It's very workmanlike.
LONGEVITY: 5/10
You get your money's worth, for sure. I may revisit it one day. Unfortunately, since there is no physical disc to remind me in the coming years that I even own it, it will likely just remain a digital thumbnail I scroll past.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: 6/10
Extra points for being a sub-AAA game that tries to punch above its weight.
X-FACTOR: 10/10
This represents my pure fun factor. I ended up having a great time with the game once I finally got a handle on its obtuse approach.
PROMOTIONAL ART & DESIGN: 3/10
Samson's old, weary head features prominently on the cover, but it doesn't match the character in the game. It's a basic flaw, and something I've written about often on this little site: artwork can be technically impressive while completely missing the mark on what it should convey. Samson in-game is a gritty Irish-American with a sister who has a traditional, unusual Irish name, but the guy on the cover looks like a 65-year-old pack a day Swede who has no family.
Total Score: 57/100
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Final Thoughts: Samson is a contradiction. It’s a sub-AAA passion project that demands patience, punishing you with an abrasive opening hours before it finally clicks. With Liquid Swords closing its doors right as this review was being written, Samson feels all the more bittersweet... a gritty, flawed, but genuinely distinct artifact from a technically capable team that might not have met the vision of the studio head. It may not be a masterpiece, and its rough edges will filter out casual players, but for those willing to crack its code, it offers a distinct flavor of old-school grit you won't find anywhere else.
questions, comments: ljbaby654@gmail.com