Samson Isn’t a True GTA Clone, but Its Odd Roguelike Structure Lends It One Thing That GTA Doesn’t Have: Real Consequences

Cards on the table: Samson is glitchy. It’s janky. You’re as likely to fail a mission from getting stuck on some decorative bin bags as you are from being beaten to death. These are all issues that can be fixed, but only with the kind of rigorous update schedule that beleaguered developer Liquid Swords is unlikely to be able to pull off. So, in its current state at least, it’s difficult to recommend. I’m gonna do that annoying thing now that people in my line of work love doing: I’m going to contradict everything I just said with a big but. As in, “however”, not my ass. But (there it is), Samson offers such an interesting and unique take on the open world crime caper that it does warrant some consideration as a low-cost stopover on this last stretch of highway to the open world crime caper we all wish we were playing already. In short, Samson’s got a touch of roguelike about it. A roguelite, maybe. Diet Rogue, if you will. It’s “rogue-ish”. For a game that looks, in trailers, like your mum knitted you a copy of GTA 4 instead of getting one from the shops, it scarcely qualifies as a GTA clone at all. For a start, it’s not a power fantasy, eschewing the traditional petty criminal rag