Samorost 3

Last updated
Samorost 3
Samorost3Cover.jpg
Developer(s) Amanita Design
Publisher(s) Amanita Design
Composer(s) Floex
Series Samorost
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, Android
Release24 March 2016 (Windows, Mac)
3 December 2016 (Android)
Genre(s) Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Samorost 3 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It is the third video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost 2 . It is the first game in the series that is full-length and with high-definition graphics. [1] The story takes place across five planets and four moons. The game was originally scheduled for 2015. [2] [3]

Contents

Samorost 3 has sold over 300,000 units as of February 2017. [4]

Development

The development started in 2010. Samorost 3 was developed by a team of about six people. Developers drew artistic inspiration from animated films by Czech directors like Karel Zeman, Jan Švankmajer, Jiří Barta or Břetislav Pojar. Another source of inspiration were films by Russian animator Yuriy Norshteyn. The game consists of 45 screens that were changed many times during development. [5] [6] Another important part of development was sound recording. It was created by people making weird noises in microphones. These people include Bára Kratochvílová and Miloš Dvořáček. Other sounds were created by Tomáš Dvořák as he used multiple instruments, such as a lollipop used to a strum, to create required sounds. Dvořák also composed the music for the game. [7] [8]

Samorost 3 was released on 24 March 2016 for Steam, [9] and 3 December 2016 for Android. [10]

Gameplay

Samorost 3 features gameplay similar to previous Amanita Design games. The game contains no comprehensible dialogue, only a system of animated thought bubbles and gibberish. The player controls Gnome on his journey through space full of planets, equipped with an inventory and a flute. He explores the environment, solves puzzles and collects items required for the obstacles that come in his way. He can also communicate with creatures he meets during his journey. The player can also use a flute that is required to solve some puzzles.

Samorost 3 features a walkthrough that can be accessed at any time by playing a minigame if the player gets stuck. The walkthrough is not in written or spoken form, but instead a series of sketches describing the puzzle at hand and its solution.

Plot

Samorost 3 starts when a magical flute falls near the Gnome's house. The Gnome decides to find out where it came from and sets out on a journey through the cosmos. He speaks to an engineer and asks him to build a toadstool rocket, which he builds by reusing parts found scattered on his home planet. The Gnome flies from planet to planet and meets multiple creatures whom he helps with their problems using the flute.

The Gnome eventually discovers two illustrated books and learns that the flute belongs to four monks. Not long ago, the monks were all at peace, until a giant orange space octopus arrived from a black wormhole and started consuming planets. The monks saw the octopus coming and consulted an engineer (the same one from the Gnome's home planet) to build a three-headed watering spaceship controlled by the flutes on the back of which they can fly, and a mechanical knight powered by a black orb with which to fight the octopus and save the universe. The knight dismembers and kills the octopus, then the knight goes to sleep on a moon, and the orb is locked away and protected by a guardian monk.

In the second book, one of the four monks uses his flute to create evil spirits, and the other three monks banish him for doing so. He secretly takes the spaceship and converts it into a three-headed fire-breathing mechanical dragon. Flying on the dragon, he snatches the other three flutes from the monks and casts the monks out of their mountain castle. However one of the flutes flew away, and this is the flute that landed on the Gnome's planet. He then uses the dragon to consume good spirits which he finds on other planets and then seizes the black orb so that the knight cannot be awakened to stop him

The Gnome eventually reaches the planet of monks, sneakily steals the black orb from the evil monk, and uses it to revive the mechanical knight who then slays the dragon. The Gnome celebrates by playing music with the remaining three monks, who reward him with the power to travel instantly across all the planets and returns the black orb to its guarded storage. The Gnome finally returns to his home planet to greet his dog.

Reception

Samorost 3 has generally been well received by critics. It currently holds 80/100 on Metacritic. [11]

The Washington Post called Samorost 3 "a strange and beautiful point-and-click adventure game." The review likened Samorost 3 to Loom as both games "feature a hooded main character (gnome) who channels magic out of music." The review praised the animation and surrealistic visuals. Another point of praise was a hint system that can spare players of frustration. The review finished with a recommendation for parents who "look for something to play with their young children." [19] PC Gamer reviewed the game positively and praised its surrealness, writing, "Samorost 3 is brilliant at times: Weird, wonderful, and a worthy next step in the evolution of Amanita Design." Destructoid highly recommended the game, stating, "[Samorost 3] is jam-packed with delightful characters, stunning scenery, and clever puzzles, so while it may be brief, it’s certainly time well spent." GameSpot praised the title's distinctive visual style, world, and soundtrack while criticizing its bland puzzles.

Kill Screen called Samorost 3 "The best adventure game in years". The review praised the design of the game world and its visuals. The game was also praised for its explorative gameplay that gives players a feeling of exploration. [20]

Kotaku included Samorost 3 in its list of titles with the best video game music of 2016. [21]

Samorost 3 was nominated for the 13th annual Global International Mobile Gaming Awards in 2017. [22]

Samorost 3 is nominated for 6 Czech Game of the Year Awards. It was nominated in categories Best Game, Best PC/Console Game, Best Audio, Best Game Design, Best Story and Best Visuals. The winners were announced on 10 February 2016. [23] Samorost 3 has won in 3 categories - Czech game of the year, Czech game of the year for PC/Consoles and Best audio. Samorost 3 was the most successful game at the Czech Game of the Year Awards show of 2016. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">František Fuka</span>

František Fuka is a Czech computer programmer and musician. He currently works as a film translator, preparing English-language movies for Czech release. He is known also as a film critic, publicist and commentator.

<i>Samorost</i> 2003 video game

Samorost is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. The first game of the Samorost series was released in 2003 for free on the Amanita Design website. Two sequels were released, Samorost 2 in 2005 and Samorost 3 in 2016. The game was remastered and released on May 20, 2021, for Windows and macOS for free. iOS and Android ports were also made.

<i>Machinarium</i> 2009 video game

Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook, on 10 May 2012 for Android, on 6 September 2012 on PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network in Europe, on 9 October 2012 in North America and on 18 October 2012 in Asia, and was also released for PlayStation Vita on 26 March 2013 in North America, on 1 May 2013 in Europe and on 7 May 2013 in Asia. Demos for Windows, Mac and Linux were made available on 30 September 2009. A future release for the Wii's WiiWare service was cancelled as of November 2011 due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.

<i>Samorost 2</i> 2005 video game

Samorost 2 is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. Released for Windows, OS X and Linux on 8 December 2005, the game is the second video game title in the Samorost series and the sequel to Samorost. On 5 November 2020, the game received an update with enhanced visuals, brought fullscreen support & replaced level codes with a level select system. This version also received iOS & Android ports.

Amanita Design is a Czech independent video game developing company founded in 2003 by Jakub Dvorský and headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. The company has created award-winning games including Machinarium, the Samorost series and Botanicula, as well as educational and advertising minigames and animations, all using Adobe Flash. Clients include BBC, Nike and The Polyphonic Spree. Since Pilgrims (2019) and Creaks (2020), the company has been using Unity to develop its games. Amanita Design currently operates in several smaller teams, each developing a game of their own. One of them is the upcoming cardboard-built adventure Phonopolis.

<i>Botanicula</i> 2012 video game

Botanicula is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. The game was released on April 19, 2012, for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was later ported to iOS and Android.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakub Dvorský</span>

Jakub Dvorský is a designer and video game creator from Brno, Czech Republic. In 2003, he founded Amanita Design, a small independent game developing studio based in the Czech Republic.

The video game industry in the Czech Republic has produced numerous globally successful video games such as Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and the subsequent ArmA series, the Mafia series, Truck Simulator series, the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series, the Samorost series and others. There were 300–400 video game developers and around 30 video game companies focusing on video game development in 2014. In 2017 it was 1,100 developers and 47 companies. Video games are also considered by some experts to be the country's biggest cultural export. The video game industry did not enjoy a good reputation and was unsupported by the state until 2013, when the Ministry of Industry and Trade started to seek ways to kickstart the economy. By 2014, programs were planned to support the video game industry. Another problem is a lack of video game development specialization at any university.

<i>Chameleon Run</i> 2016 video game

Chameleon Run is a 2016 action game developed by Hyperbolic Magnetism and published by Noodlecake Studios. It was released for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Nintendo Switch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DVA (band)</span> Czech musical duo

DVA is a Czech alternative rock music duo consisting of the siblings Bára Kratochvílová and Jan Kratochvíl. DVA have described their style as "folk music of nonexistent nations", which consists of a mix of tango, cabaret, circus, pop, beatboxing, freak folk, and acoustic electro, among a variety of other eclectic styles. The lyrics of their songs are made up of nonsensical words that mix German, Hungarian, and Swedish, among others.

<i>7 Mages</i> 2016 video game

7 Mages is a 2016 video game developed by Napoleon Games. It is the third installment in Gates of Skeldal series. 7 Mages a tactical, turn-based game with that focuses on musical magic. Each character has a tune they can play to directly affect anyone within earshot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czech Game of the Year Awards</span> Annual award

Czech Game of the Year Awards are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in video game development in the Czech Republic. The awards began as part of Gameday Festival in 2010, but became independent from the festival in 2017. The awards are organised by the České Hry association.

<i>Dark Train</i> 2016 video game

Dark Train is a 2016 puzzle adventure game by Paperash Studio. It was released on 25 October 2016. Dark Train is described as an atmospheric adventure game with unconventional game mechanics. The game uses elements of steampunk and noir fiction mixed with fantasy elements.

<i>Ylands</i> 2019 sandbox game

Ylands is a 2019 adventure game developed by Bohemia Interactive.

<i>Chuchel</i> 2018 video game

Chuchel is a 2018 video game developed by Amanita Design.

<i>Horké léto</i> Video game series

Horké léto is a point-and-click video game. Developed by Czech studio Maxon, it was published in 1998 by JRC Interactive. A sequel, entitled Horké léto 2, was developed by Centauri Production and published in 1999 by JRC Interactive. A third game Žhavé léto 3 ½ is an action/adventure/driving game developed by Centauri Production and CINEMAX, published by Akella in 2006, which although unable to use the characters and titles of the first two games was related and rounded off what was effectively a trilogy. Žhavé léto 3 ½ was published in English, Spanish, French and German as Evil Days of Luckless John and in Russian as Сорвать Куш.

<i>Creaks</i> 2020 puzzle-platform video game

Creaks is a puzzle-platform game developed and published by Amanita Design. It was announced on 9 October 2018. The game was released on 10 July 2020 for iOS and macOS through Apple Arcade, followed by releases for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows on 22 July 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floex</span> Czech composer, musician, and artist

Tomáš Dvořák, known professionally as Floex, is a contemporary Czech composer, clarinetist, producer, DJ, and multimedia artist. He is best known for his work with indie game studio Amanita Design.

<i>Pilgrims</i> (video game) 2019 adventure video game

Pilgrims is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Amanita Design. The game was released for Windows, Linux, and iOS on 6 October 2019, and Nintendo Switch on 3 November 2022. Pilgrims was one of the first games distributed through Apple Arcade.

<i>Happy Game</i> 2021 video game

Happy Game is a point-and-click adventure game video game developed and published by Amanita Design. The game was first released on October 28, 2021 for Microsoft Windows and macOS via Steam and Nintendo Switch, and was later released for iOS and Android on Feb 2, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Allin, Jack (2011-03-28). "Samorost 3, Botanicula now growing in Amanita Design studios". adventuregamers.com. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  2. ↑ Priestman, Chris (2012-03-24). "First Screenshots From 'Samorost 3′ Excavated". diygamer.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  3. ↑ "Samorost 3 na sedmi planetách, Botanicula v únoru". games.tiscali.cz (in Czech). 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  4. ↑ "Českou hrou roku 2016 je Samorost 3 od studia Amanita Design | Kultura". Lidovky.cz. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Baker, Chris (14 March 2016). "Jakub Dvorsky on creating the richly detailed world of Samorost 3". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Dobrovský, Pavel. "Samorosti z Prahy - pohled pod pokličku pětiletého vývoje Samorost 3 od Amanita Design - Games.cz". Games.cz. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Chalk, Andy (17 May 2016). "Samorost 3 'sound design' video reveals the magic behind the music". pcgamer. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (20 May 2016). "Samorost 3 audio recordings are more ridiculous than Samorost 3". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Save 55% on Samorost 3 on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
  10. ↑ "Samorost 3 - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
  11. 1 2 "Samorost 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Samorost 3 Reviews". OpenCritic .
  13. ↑ Mattsson, Peter (25 March 2016). "Review for Samorost 3". Adventure Gamers . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  14. ↑ Davis, Ben (25 March 2016). "Review: Samorost 3". Destructoid . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Butterworth, Scott (28 March 2016). "Samorost 3 Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Cunningham, James (31 March 2016). "Review: Samorost 3". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  17. ↑ Chalk, Andy (24 March 2016). "Samorost 3 review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  18. ↑ Valentin, Christian (2 September 2016). "Samorost 3 review - Another gorgeous adventure". Pocket Gamer . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  19. ↑ Byrd, Christopher (2 May 2016). "'Samorost 3′ is a strange and beautiful point-and-click adventure game". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  20. ↑ Chandler, David (24 March 2016). "Samorost 3 is the best adventure game in years - Kill Screen". Kill Screen. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Hamilton, Kirk. "The Best Video Game Music Of 2016". Kotaku. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
  22. ↑ "Samorost 3". International Mobile Gaming Awards. Archived from the original on 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  23. ↑ "Nominace - ČESKÁ HRA ROKU 2016". ČESKÁ HRA ROKU 2016 (in Czech). Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  24. ↑ "Českou hrou roku 2016 je Samorost 3 | ČeskéNoviny.cz". www.ceskenoviny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 February 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.