Samsara Room is the latest adventure game by the creators of the Rusty Lake and Cube Escape series. It is an atmospheric point-and-click game that is a predecessor to the Rusty Lake universe. It comes with more puzzles, better graphics, and an immersive soundtrack by Victor Butzelaar. Samsara Room is the remake of their first game released under a different name. This edition was recreated for the 5th anniversary of the Rusty Lake series. 

What is Samsara Room about?

The game follows the events of Rusty Lake: Roots; the year is 1935, and William Vanderboom's cycle of life has restarted. As the player, your job is to travel through a portal in the room. You will need to enter several cubes wherein you will transform into an animal. This is in reference to the Sanskrit word, Saṃsāra, which means “wandering” or “world,” where there is a cyclic or circuitous change. 

This remake features more puzzles than the original release but still references the central story of the Rusty Lake series. The game begins with you - alone - in a strange-looking room. In it, there is a telephone, a mirror, a grandfather clock, and other objects that you cannot immediately recognize. The room, as well as your character, will appear differently depending on the object placed on the area of the portal. 

For example, a heart-shaped portal will present to you a completely normal room. A gecko-shaped entrance, on the other hand, shows the room upside down, and you’re standing on the ceiling.  In all instances, the room contains a clock, phone, cabinet, and a chest of drawers, though the different settings will change these objects in some way. More objects will appear only when the room is in a particular form. 

An absurd yet fun take on escape rooms

Samsara Room can throw you off by the concept and imagery, but it is a good point and click game. The gameplay is short, but it will keep you coming back by how fun and rewarding it is. Its story is tied to the lore of Rusty Lake, so you should play the other games in the series for a complete experience.