Every scene in this game could be hung on a gallery wall. The far-flung fantasy worlds in Samorost 3 are so beautifully composed they somehow look both stylised and photo-realistic at the same time.
Amanita Design’s signature art style is bursting with detail. It’s a joy to poke around these little self-contained worlds. To begin, you’re dropped onto a grassy, sparse forest rock of a planet. Rabbits gambol and graze, blossom drifts gently from the trees and strange deer-like animals dash in and out of the background.
You’re cast as a little gnomelike fellow with a magic trumpet and a curious mind. No-one here seems to speak the same language, but you'll get the drift anyway. Using your trusty brass instrument you can get a glimpse of what the other characters are thinking and piece together what to do next.
Just in the opening scenes, you’ll meet a grumpy old gnome tinkering with a broken spaceship; strange ghosts will sing you a little song; you'll clamber atop a mysterious golden deer and gaze into distant worlds with a rickety telescope.
It’s a strange world, but thankfully there’s solid logic behind the puzzles you solve. The game will naturally draw your eye towards people, places and things to investigate.
You’ll get stuck for a few moments along the way, of course, but try to resist looking up the answers online if you can; it only adds to the satisfaction if you arrive at the solution yourself.
Think creatively, keep an eye on the subtle environmental cues and decipher what’s being expressed by the oddball cast and you’ll get there. You’ll be rewarded handsomely; the more you see of Samorost 3, the more you're drawn into its charming and beautiful gameworld.