Manual Samuel
Release Date: October 14, 2016
Developer: Perfectly Paranormal
Publisher: Curve Games
Price: $9.99
one part QWOP style control scheme
one part Stanley Parable style narrator
one part nepobaby schadenfreude
one part burnout humor (pairs well with the intellectual wit of the narrator)
one part Hell
I very much enjoyed playing Manual Samuel, a short game full of jokes and a surprising amount of variety for what seems like a basic gimmick. The controls are challenging enough to require full attention but messing up will no doubt yield you hilarious outcomes as it did for myself.
The humor comes in many forms and I would guess at least some of it will hit with every player. I liked all of it, and especially the portrayal of Death, a hoodied reaper who just wants to hit a kickflip and impress the female horsemen War.
The story is not afraid to go full tilt boogie, and why the gameplay never gets stale with time flying by. I would definitely be interested in a sequel or spin-off, or anything by these developers replicating the experience. Writing this makes me want to play it again.
8/10
CM 3/27/25
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