15 years later, Samorost 2 gets a surprise enhancement update
A whimsically AI-enhanced romp.
Remember Samorost 2? I don't, admittedly, but then I was only ten years old when the whimsical space gnome set off on his second adventure. Fortunately, now's the perfect time to check out the pint-sized sequel, with the developers dropping a surprise anniversary update bringing the stylish 2005 point 'n' click up to date with enhanced visuals, new sounds, quality of life improvements and full Mac support.
Starting as tiny Flash games, both Samorost and its newly-updated sequel predate this site by a good few years. Considering their age, this week's update is a welcome one, helping Samorost 2 feel more at home in 2020.
Arriving as part of the game's 15th anniversary, Samorost 2 has been updated to support widescreen resolutions. Visual assets have been upscaled in kind, with the devs using a "custom trained AI" to increase the fidelity. It seems to have worked well enough, too - Samorost may be old, but it still boasts the studio's wonderfully evocative mix of photo collage and hand-drawn characters.
It's not all visual, either. Sounds have been re-recorded, with your wee man now boasting "a wider range of vocal expressions". Saves have been overhauled, with an honest-to-god autosave replacing the original's level passwords. You can now zoom in on the environments, both the main menu and in-game UI have been overhauled, and the game now sports achievements and full Mac support.
Both Samorost 1 and 2 are rather short games, mind. It wouldn't be until the third game that our tiny space pal would get a full-length excursion, a "surprisingly difficult" game that John Walker (RPS-in-peace) nevertheless found bursting with delight in his Samorost 3 review. Even so, it's nice to see Samorost 2 get some love, clearing it of the jank that might make it an awkward play in 2020.