It’s always exciting to see great ideas devised during game jams come to life with full releases. Samsara was originally created for the Global Game Jam in 2015 but Skistad Studios knew they could make it into something more. The game focuses on a Buddhist monk who is going along the path toward enlightenment. Amazingly, they can even transform into each of the twelve animals from the Chinese Zodiac calendar which grants them new abilities as they traverse 2D platforming stages. Becoming an ox, rooster, or even dragon allows players to experience stages in different ways and solve puzzles. However, only four animals will be open for transformation per stage.
The art style of Samsara is fairly simplistic and colorful, a bit like paper cutouts. It definitely feels fitting with the game’s overall themes. Another smart design choice is the use of “modules” for levels. Each level is comprised of multiple modules which switch themselves around on occasion. This means levels are not 100% predetermined and allow for different playthroughs each time. In a similarly smart move the developers have a level editor which they’ll turn over to players so they can create their own modular stages. If all goes well, it’ll be implemented with Steam Workshop.
Samsara is a PC game currently asking for $3,500 of support on Kickstarter. This amount is quite small overall, so hopefully players flock to the unique concept. If you can’t back them but would still like to help out then consider upvoting the title on Steam Greenlight.
Track the progress of the Samsara Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
