Where’s Samantha?

Listen to this post:

It’s through ordinary objects that we often find some of life’s most creative stories. For instance, imagine a piece of cloth. Upon first glance, it doesn’t seem like much. But when you think about it a little more, a piece of cloth can raise a lot of questions. Who made it? Where did it come from? What’s it going to turn into? What’s the secret life of that little bit of fabric?

Where’s Samantha provides an answer to that last question. The game follows George, a piece of cloth whose partner, Samantha, has been blown away by a gust of wind. He embarks on a journey to a land filled with puzzles, traps, and strange creatures to find her and bring her home safely. With each level, a new piece of the story is told, and George gets closer and closer to his lost love.

The game puts the player through 45 levels of puzzles that involve combining pieces of fabric to change weight and gravity, among other things, in order to press buttons, flip switches, and raise and lower platforms. Areas are often full of traps, such as sharp blades and pitfalls that you have to avoid. Miscalculate George’s weight and you could meet a nasty fate, so be careful! Luckily, every level has multiple checkpoints, so no worries about having to start over from the beginning every time you fall short.

As you move through each level, you’ll be tasked with collecting letters that help you further the story. Most of them are in plain sight, but as you get further they start to require a little extra effort. It’s nothing too intense, but figuring out certain switches can get a bit tedious. The satisfaction you’ll feel upon gathering a hundred percent of the letters will be totally worth it, though.

The story is sweet and simple. It’s meant to be whimsical and funny, and the narration by comedian Rufus Hound pulls you into the story and makes you laugh along as George finds himself in this wild situation. Upon completing the game, when the whole story is available in book form, I recommend listening to it all the way through. The narration is truly one of the biggest highlights of the game.

Enjoyable, challenging, and cute to boot, Where’s Samantha is a puzzle platformer that’s fun for all ages. The puzzles provide enough frustration to be interesting, while also not being so difficult they make you want to quit. The hand-drawn visuals have an amazing texture, as if they were actually made out of fabric. The plot is funny, heartfelt, and amazingly narrated. All around, Where’s Samantha is a well-woven adventure that knits together physics-based trials and comedic storytelling seamlessly.

About the Author: Sebastian Stoddard