"SAMSON" Gets Only 4 on IGN! Why Did This Open World Game Flop?

When an open-world action game is helmed by developers associated with Just Cause and Mad Max, players naturally raise their expectations. Liquid Swords, the studio behind SAMSON, along with the name Christofer Sundberg, already evokes the idea of “the return of the old-school action sandbox.” Unfortunately, IGN’s verdict today was very straightforward: 4/10, and the core issue is not that the concept is flawed, but that the final product is clearly not up to standard.

Judging from the review, SAMSON is not without its merits. IGN acknowledged that it has created a sandbox world with impressive detail and a strong atmosphere. In particular, its 1990s noir sensibility, street-level visual texture, and environmental detail clearly show the team’s investment in art direction and world-building. On top of that, its homage to the early roots of 3D action gameplay gives it a retro direction that would normally be very appealing to players who favor a hard-edged single-player experience.

The problem is that a visually striking city does not automatically make for a fun game. IGN specifically criticized SAMSON for having a large number of bugs, repetitive mission design, and a 1990s setting that was never truly turned into a gameplay advantage. As a result, the initial sense of freshness wears off quickly, and the experience easily slips into something mechanical and dull. More seriously, the review mentions that story missions can even stop refreshing midway through, directly resulting in corrupted saves and making the game impossible to complete. This goes beyond “lack of polish” and becomes the kind of experience-breaking issue that directly destroys player immersion.

IGN also noted that SAMSON reminded them in some ways of 2025’s MindsEye. Comparisons like this are actually quite damaging, because they suggest the problem is not an isolated mistake, but a broader gap where “the concept sounds right, the presentation looks good, but the actual experience keeps falling apart.” Even though this week’s update has already fixed quite a few issues, the most critical game-breaking flaw that prevents completion still remains, which means the answer to whether it is worth buying right now is still a cautious one.

If you are drawn in by the world-building, visual atmosphere, and old-school action-movie vibe, I would recommend waiting and seeing rather than rushing to pay for the premise alone. The reason is simple: the biggest fear for an open-world game is not mediocrity, but instability in the overall experience. Once saves, mission chains, and progression pacing start frequently breaking down, even the strongest stylistic packaging cannot save its reputation. For a title with a strong indie sensibility that also tries to deliver a large-scale sandbox, SAMSON is a textbook example this time around: ambition may attract attention first, but what truly determines success or failure is mission density, system polish, and the most basic requirement of all—the ability to actually finish the game.