Samsara

About Samsara

Samsara is a 2025 PC RPG by INFINITY27 that mixes Buddhist philosophy with souls-like mechanics. You play through six avatars, each shaped by karma earned from combat choices, dialogue decisions, and exploration. The story revolves around escaping a cycle of rebirth by navigating a surreal, pressure-filled world. Set in a minimalist yet haunting visual style, the game challenges you to confront abstract threats while figuring out cryptic lore about impermanence. It’s a slow-burn, single-player experience where every death reshapes your path.

Gameplay

Combat in Samsara feels punishing yet methodical, blending tight melee and ranged attacks with resource management. You start each life with a randomized skill tree, but your past actions determine your next avatar’s attributes, aggressive play might lead to a warrior, while cautious dialogue could grant a monk. Exploration is key: hidden shrines and environmental puzzles reward patience, but backtracking is frequent as new paths open post-reincarnation. The game lacks fast travel, so sessions often involve grinding through the same areas with tweaked builds. Controls are responsive but require precision, and every death resets your progress until a checkpoint.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate Samsara 82/100, with 74% completing the base story. Critics average 84/100, praising its "existential dread" and 200+ hour replayability. Community moods skew toward "curious" (38%) and "frustrated" (22%), with 43% calling it "meditative." One user wrote, "The karma loop is genius, every death feels meaningful." A critic noted, "It’s a masterclass in punishing design, but the lore payoff justifies the grind." The average completion time is 137 hours, and 61% of players collect all 128 achievements, which track hidden shrine locations and dialogue choices.

PlayPile's Take

Samsara is for players who enjoy punishing, cerebral RPGs with deep systems. It’s heavy on philosophy but light on hand-holding, so casual gamers may struggle. At $39.99, it’s pricey for a slow-paced title, but the 200+ hour completion time justifies it for completionists. The karma-based progression is a fresh twist on souls-like mechanics, but the lack of accessibility options could alienate newcomers. If you thrive in games that demand patience and reward obsessive play, this is a must-try.

Storyline

Escape Samsara “Life is dukkha” - the Buddha In the intermediate state between this life and the next, await strange and terrifying visions that reveal to you the true nature of reality: impermanence. Are you enlightened enough to recognise the true nature of reality and reach Nirvana? In the dying recesses of your mind, endlessly pressured by an imagined world that seeks to destroy you, will you learn what it takes to reach Nirvana, or will you be trapped forever, born again into endless suffering?