Adventure of Samsara harkens back to an Atari classic

Atari recently announced Adventures of Samsara, a new Metroidvania that’s a spiritual successor to 1980’s Atari 2600 hit Adventure. Developed by Ilex Games, Adventure of Samsara presents a world brimming with lore, most of which is discovered through exploration and battle. I had the chance to play it behind closed doors at Summer Game Fest 2025 Play Days.

Adventure of Samsara immediately stood out to me with its vibrant pixel environments. As players traverse different dimensions, they’ll find unique, richly detailed biomes. I spent most of my demo in a snowy biome. We’ve seen plenty of indies make a meal out of the retro aesthetic, and Samsara does it in a way that also pays homage to Adventure. Fans of the Atari 2600 game can expect to find plenty of references and easter eggs in Samsara’s enemies and structures.

I was impressed with how this 2D metroidvania marries combat and platforming to challenge players. There’s a parry system that takes some getting used to, but once you do, it automatically retaliates with a powerful swing. It was instrumental in taking down the boss I played during the demo. Much like a Soulsborne game, patience is key as you observe and memorize enemy patterns, only striking when the time is right.

During the demo, I unlocked a small flame that followed me around. I could use the right stick to move it around within my radius, activating it to destroy environmental hazards. The protagonist is able to wield such a power because they are a Solar Champion, “a long-dead Plutonian resurrected by the primordial light of the Sun.” That phrase alone begs several questions, and I got a taste of the lore and worldbuilding while interacting with NPCs in the game’s main hub.

The metroidvania genre has been incredibly popular in recent years, but Adventure of Samsara felt visually distinct and mechanically unique enough that I’m curious to see how the full game plays when it comes to consoles and PC later this year.

This preview is based on an early demo played on-site at Summer Game Fest: Play Days. The final product is subject to change.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_