Reviews

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  MementoVivere

  Jun 25, 2022

  Great initial concept and very fun in couch co-op with another player, but not something I would strongly recommend unless on sale. Real funny for an hour, but then loses all momentum. The gameplay is totally absurd and starts out strong, at least when you're trying to cooperate with a friend and you're both horrible in trying to control Samuel's different body parts. Plenty of great moments to be had here - ie. Samuel faints yet again because of lack of oxygen (sorry, my bad!). Then after about an hour you realize the story isn't really going anywhere, and the gameplay gets dreadfully repetitive and uninspired. (Duke Nukem Forever comes to mind...) Feels a bit like the devs ran out of fresh ideas, and couldn't sustain the momentum as the game unfolds. The story is laughably thin, and although it seems to be part of the appeal, it also feels like the game wants me to take it seriously. The narration is a bit like Stanley's Parable and starts off pretty funny, but it can't sustain this and becomes less funny as you go. Very much on the nose humor, and some of the jokes are mildly funny at first - not so much the 20th time you hear it. There aren't many characters, but they're totally flat and just used for one-liners or in 'cinematics' to progress the story. Grab it if it's on sale and you've got a friend willing to cooperate, but I wouldn't really recommend it otherwise.
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  HeavenSloth

  Oct 2, 2022

  Samuel got problems
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  legit

  Oct 29, 2022

  stephen hawking simulator
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  𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐑

  Nov 23, 2022

  Death flip
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  Bibeep

  Mar 9, 2023

  About 10 min of novelty chaos coop gaming, but then the humour and gameplay is monotonous and tame. And the game play is forced through a specific scenario so it gets old fast.
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  blindstalker

  Oct 15, 2016

  [b]Friendly reminder: Don't forget to blink and breathe while reading the review![/b] If you enjoyed octodad, read no further and buy the game already. I started the game with my better half today and it's been so much fun already. We've been laughing and giggling non-stop, struggling with the basics of every-day survival breathing and blinking while managing to brush our teeth or to put some clothes on without dying. Of course the core gameplay only consists of pushing some buttons, preferedly in the right order to make the main character progress. But the game is so much more. It's more like a modern interpretation of slapstick, along with some dry humor and outstanding writing and narration. The only downside is the short duration (about 2 hours). I started watching some gameplay yesterday and almost decided not to buy the game, because it looked like an interactive film where it doesn't really matter if you push the buttons yourself or just watch. Ohh boy was I wrong. The main fun comes from the struggle to perfom a basic task like brushing teeth or peeing IN the toilet (not all over the place) and in the process forgetting the basic bodily functions like in- and exhaling, standing up straight or blinking. But don't worry, the narrator will remind you of it. If you can, try to play it in coop to increase the fun. A simple but great idea put together flawlessly. Thanks to the developers for the laughs and hats off to the narrator!
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  ElusiveOne

  Oct 16, 2016

  [h1][url=store.steampowered.com/app/504130/]Manual Samuel[/url] manages to be both hilarious and frustrating as it introduces a new form of "tedious fun" to the virtual theatre of the absurd.[/h1] Ludicrous humour is unmistakably its centerpiece, complemented with perfect narration and soundtrack, inspired 70's cartoon style, measured hashtags and attitude, and a fully original premise without equal. Every character is a marvel of ingenuity, from the gangsta-wannabe Death to the overly polite Hell police. The game has an excessively generous count of the word 'feces' but otherwise it constantly serves puns and antics worthy of the best absurd and carefree comedies. The whole concept revolves around the one idea of using ridiculously uncomfortable controls to perform the simplest tasks. Its originality makes it an instant classic but the novelty also wears off surprisingly quickly, leaving the player with annoying limitations and a repetitiveness that would merit a negative review under any other circumstance. Every section of the game offers something unique and most of them introduce their new ideas smoothly, perhaps with the exception of combat sequences. The final boss fight in particular is a trial and error of nonsense in a sequence that must essentially be memorized and executed perfectly. You don't so much fail as simply not succeed, so the game lets you easily retry until you get it right, without having to reload a checkpoint. Most sections are highly enjoyable and easy enough to be completed on the first try; only a few tenuous ones can be irritating. The game is also very short but its length is perfect for what's on offer. Manual Samuel is worth your time for its boldness and cleverness but it is as much fun as it becomes a strain to play (figuratively and literally). By the time it was over, I felt relieved, but also quite satisfied at having played and enjoyed one of the most unique games in existence. A game controller is highly recommended along with some level of dexterity and patience. Sense of humour not optional.
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  TLP

  Oct 21, 2016

  A light hearted and enjoyable experience despite some sections feeling like they drag on slightly too long, It certainly feels like a very well polished game for an Indie and it made me laugh on multiple occasions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkaZ6n0Bpbo
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  AbyzouDev

  Nov 19, 2016

  It's always a surprise when you see a game that looks like it'll be a horrible ragefest, but turns out to be the most unique, charming and hilarious little game you've seen in years. Very short, but honestly I don't think it needed to be any longer. I'm waiting until I can play co-op with someone to try that mode out. If there's one fix I'd suggest, it's that the player could use a reminder of how to switch gears in the driving sequence. That's the only part I had to look up a walkthrough on. Overall, worth every penny. Would absolutely recommend to anyone who wants to kill a few hours. I would LOVE to see some DLC or something, anything to expand on the concept for anyone who's beaten the story~
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  UNKEMPT

  Apr 27, 2017

  Solid game. Art style is great. Humor is pretty good. I enjoyed this game a lot. Probably a solid 8/10. Only complaints are that the timing sequences seem to have some kind of input lag and the last boss fight is kind of annoying. Still worth picking up though.
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  Zhong Xina

  Jun 26, 2017

  A hilarious short interactive story, the final boss battle is incredibly annoying though.
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  Nictuku

  Jun 30, 2017

  Samuel dies, but is allowed to go back to life on one condition: that he must perform every single function on his body manually for 24 hours. He has to breathe manually and blink consciously. Walking is not intuitive to him, and he can barely talk; when he does, he sounds like a complete idiot. I almost refunded this game because I already experience these things every single day in real life. Why should I have to endure it during leisure time? But in the end—spoiler alert, I guess—at least the 24 hour period ends and you go back to normal. So thank you, Manual Samuel, for letting me know what it feels like to be normal again. The sardonic British narrator is a nice touch too. My life isn't narrated by a British gentleman, but rather by some sort of ape? I'm not sure, I've never seen him, but he sounds incoherent and makes it difficult for me to fall asleep. Overall this game is a perfect 10/10. It made me laugh so hard that my sphincter almost left my body along with its contents.
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  Pennycook

  Sep 18, 2017

  [i]Manual Samuel[/i] is built around a simple mechanic: each button on your controller maps to a different part of Sam's body (right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg) or bodily function (breathe in, breathe out, blink), and you must guide him through a number of simple tasks by following on-screen prompts. In co-op, it's more complicated: half of Sam's body is assigned to each player, and even simple tasks like walking require close coordination to pull off. The game itself is quite funny -- its take on the personification of Death particularly so -- but a lot of the laugh-out-loud moments in the early levels stem from mistimed button presses and lack of familiarity with the controls. Such failures become less funny and more frustrating as the game progresses, but never enough so that we wanted to stop playing. [i]Manual Samuel[/i]'s controller support is great, and worthy of an honourable mention. My wife and I played with one Steam controller and one PS4 controller, and the game was smart enough to show the correct button prompts from different controllers for different players. This small touch was very much appreciated, and something that I wish more developers took the time to do properly.
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  Sorrien

  Nov 6, 2017

  Starts off relatively fun, but the game mechanics only get more frustrating instead of becoming more complicated or more interesting. The game has no concept of input lag, or cancelling actions. None of the animations you start can be interrupted, so there is no room for any error in timing or room to adjust for your mistakes. Instead of feeling like a manual samuel, it feels like clunky samuel.
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  pinkpinnn

  Dec 30, 2017

  [b] The fun did not last long [/b] The game started off promisingly with humorous jokes, narrations and awkward movements. But the charm faded and everything went downhill quickly after the third chapter. If you're playing on a keyboard, the controls will be a nightmare more than a challenging fun. I gave up on the last boss as it felt very buggy and the input lag was absymal.
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  Yogi

  Jan 5, 2018

  It`s definetly good game for people who likes new game mechanics. Pros: [list] [*]New game mechanics [*]Good implementetion to story. [/list] Cons: [list] [*]Short 2.9 hours for me. [*]Don`t think i replay it soon [/list] Recomended on a sale.
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  The Horror Network

  Jan 18, 2018

  Manual Samuel is the tragic tale of an unlikeable rich fart named Samuel. All is well and fine in his world until his girlfriend finds his obnoxious behavior completely intolerable, to which she smashes him over the head with a bottle and he gets scalding hot coffee in his eyes. With distorted vision, Sam ends up walking out into the middle of oncoming traffic and, not so unfortunately, dying. However, he ends up making a deal with Death that allows him to come back to Earth; the twist being that he must control all of his bodily functions manually for 24 hours. Some have compared Manual Samuel to the notoriously difficult QWOP, I personally like to think of this title as QWOP on muscle relaxers and sedatives. The controls, whether on keyboard or controller, aren't terribly difficult, but they can cause some brain-twisting confusion every now and then. Players can control Sam's inhaling and exhaling, left and right arms and legs, and his blinking. They are then tasked to do every day things such as brushing teeth, getting dressed, taking a shower, driving a car, and annihilating foes in a giant mech suit; all the while rememebering to breathe and blink. The art direction is pretty plain, on par with a lot of newer flash games that can be found on places like Newgrounds. The soundtrack on the other hand is extremely inspired and fun to listen to. Likewise, the voice acting is pretty good. Overall, the game is very mediocre in both appearance and execution, with the only saving grace being the funny dialogue and narration. Death himself can be somewhat obnoxious most of the time, but he still has some decent one-liners every now and then. Over the course of about two and a half hours, Manual Samuel provides some brief entertainment. It's a game that's best left played in small doses, as it's not interesting enough to hold one's attention for extended periods of time. Gamers who are looking for more punishment after the main course is over have the ability to partake in timed challenges. Two player co-op is also a thing, where each person controls different parts of Sam's body. While it's not worth the $10.99 CAD full price, grabbing it at half-off on a sale isn't a bad idea. [h1]Rating: [b]3.0/5.0[/b] - Average, can take it or leave it.[/h1] The Horror Network [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore
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  Vaesive

  Apr 11, 2018

  This game is just hilarious fun. The basics are pretty simple but the devs came up with some fun and interesting ways to switch them up or make them more interesting. The writing and animation is really what made this game stand out. There were a few time where I intentionally[spoiler]let Sam's spine relax so it'd fall down and his torso would flop all over the place (looking like he was doing a crazed version of "Thriller") just because it cracked me up. Or make him "walk" when he's doing the splits.[/spoiler] I definitely enjoyed the game. The bosses were a bit obnoxious but that's probably just because I am bad. The rest of the game (even the car part) I nailed but holy crap the bosses ruined my day. I haven't tried the Time Attack or Multiplayer modes yet. If you're looking for a 2hr-ish one-off that is just goofy fun, this game may scratch that itch. You can watch my livestream gameplay of the game on my [url=https://youtu.be/TOpvw0dGk8Q]YouTube Channel[/url]
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  Feenyx

  Jul 20, 2018

  Very funny game: The story was a blast! And it made me realize how lucky i am to be in total control of my body.
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  Nert

  Aug 24, 2018

  Good for a laugh right up until the bosses which have zero concept of fun design; tedious, obnoxious, not amusing or fun to play, or even fun to watch someone else get frustrated at. Most games with bosses expect you to slowly learn the patterns and get around them maybe 3 times, this expects you to do the same hoop jumping dozens of times, most of them in quick succession with very difficult quick time events, failiing any will reset your progress. Who possibly thought this was a good idea? To clarify, this game is great fun for 90% of it, and that's what I'm recommending. it's just the final 10% that isn't worth the time