Samson News

[p]Last time we shared an update, we answered some of the most common questions about Samson. Today, we’re shifting gears.[/p][p]We sat down with game designer Alex Williams, who leads the driving experience on the project, to take a closer look at how vehicles work in Samson. Drawing on his experience from Mad Max, Alex brings a strong, hands-on approach to vehicle handling and car combat. With so many of you asking how cars fit into the city and the wider gameplay, we’re diving deep into everything vehicle-related that’s on the road ahead.
Interested in Samson and its development? Wishlist the game on Steam, and join our Discord to get first-hand updates and chat directly with the developers: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG
[/p][p]What were the core inspirations behind Samson’s driving experience?[/p][p]Samson: A Tyndalston Story is set within the timeframe of the 90s, and being a team full of industry veterans growing up in the 80s and 90s, the action sequences of defining films from that era, such as Ronin & Heat is in our blood and vision too.

These inspirations come across in the attention to detail in how vehicles behave, with a sense of weight, physicality, and rawness. The player feels like a badass as they are ripping through the streets of Tyndalston.

Your team has prior experience working on vehicle combat systems. How did those past learnings influence Samson’s driving and car combat?[/p][p]Members of our team worked on Mad Max’s car combat, and we applied the lessons we learned over the years to the vehicle experiences of Samson - but tailored to the organic & tight streets sprawling through Tyndalston. Whether it’s pushing a car’s handling to its limits, chasing down targets and taking them down, or fleeing from the ever present enforcement of the city, we’ve got you covered!
[/p][p]Vehicles seem to be more than just a form of traversal in Samson, was it important for cars to function as tools in gameplay?[/p][p]Samson is a seasoned enforcer, a resourceful guy who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Reminiscent of John McClane from Die Hard, when the stakes are against him, in the heat of the moment, he will need to improvise with the things around him. Even if that means slamming his own car into another to take them down.
[/p][p]You mentioned a sense of weight in the vehicle experience. Can you elaborate?[/p][p]All vehicles in Samson: A Tyndalston Story are uniquely handcrafted, with their real-life inspirations helping to define how they should look and feel. We’re using the out of the box handling model and Physics from Unreal 5.7, and have applied real life data where appropriate for each vehicle’s physical setup to maintain their feel with a sense of authenticity and weight.

How did you balance accessibility with depth in the driving, especially when pushing cars to their limits?
The vehicles have been tuned so players of all abilities can have fun driving them, with each one, offering a different experience. However with depth to explore and inertia to manage when cars are being pushed to the edge of what their tires can cope with.

Having said that, we have also applied some of our own features on top of the base model to define our own handling DNA. For example, we developed a countersteer model to give the player some extra control with countering the momentum in a drift when they need it, allowing them to be able to finesse the movement of the car, without breaking the sensation of weight transfer. [/p][p][/p][p] Do different vehicles feel meaningfully distinct to drive?[/p][p]All vehicles in Samson follow the same base handling DNA. However, within that space they will be pushed to feel the way you would expect, given their real-life counterparts. Everyday civilian cars will feel safer than their modified racing variants, which themselves will vary from highly tuned rallycross versions, to beefier variants with heavy-duty engines that require more management when drifting around corners. Then there are larger vans that may accelerate at a slower rate, but can hit harder when at speed due to their sheer heft.

How does vehicle mass, speed, and physics influence car combat and destruction?[/p][p]Our approach has been applied to car combat too, with the relative speed and mass of the vehicles in an impact dictating the damage. Also, cars don’t just die. Like real cars, they are made up of parts, and each part can break down, changing how the car behaves, sometimes with deadly consequences. Tires can pop, reducing grip; wheels can be damaged, causing steering to be offset, and even come off completely, leading to barrel rolling takedowns at speed!

[/p][p]How about Law Enforcement? Are vehicles represented there?[/p][p]The Tyndalston Police Department is a force to be reckoned with and enforce jurisdiction within South End with a response measured to the corresponding crime. It’s one of the methods the city can react to the player’s actions, forcing them to improvise and manage accordingly as Samson pursues his own goals. Naturally, vehicles play a part in their presence with Police Patrols, Roadblocks, pursuing Police vehicles, which even includes helicopters that Samson must evade to avoid getting arrested.
[/p][p]If you enjoyed this deep dive, there’s more to come. Wishlist the game on Steam, follow us on social media for updates, and join our Discord to connect with the community early and chat with the devs: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG.

Wishlist now: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p] After all the hype from the announcement, we’ve seen your questions — and we love the enthusiasm. We’ve put together this FAQ to answer some of the most common questions we’ve been getting about SAMSON. From pricing and platforms to gameplay and tone, this should give you a clearer picture of what kind of experience we’re building.

Interested in SAMSON and its development? Make sure to wishlist the game! And if you want to get first hand information and talk with the developers, head over to our discord: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG

How much will the game cost? As an independently developed and published title, we don’t have the overhead of a large organization — just the core development team. This gives us the freedom to set our own price. At $24.99, we hope players will be encouraged to give it a try and discover an experience that truly punches above its price point.
[/p][p]When will the game be released?
We are aiming for an early 2026 release. We will share a specific date closer to launch. [/p][p]
On what platforms will the game release?
PC will launch first and consoles will follow later. As a small team, launching on PC first lets us deliver the best possible version without spreading ourselves too thin. [/p][p]
Is there multiplayer?
No. Samson is a single-player experience.

Microtransactions?[/p][p]No. We believe that when you buy the game, you get the game. 
[/p][p]Localization?[/p][p]We will cover EFIGS for launch and aim to add additional languages as we continue to support the game. Localization will focus on text elements only, including menus and subtitles; voice acting will not be localized.

What are the minimum/recommended PC specs?
Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system[/p][p]OS: Windows 11[/p][p]Processor: 6 cores[/p][p]Memory: 16 GB RAM[/p][p]Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 20-series or AMD 60-series card[/p][p]Storage: 15 GB free space
[/p][p]What kind of content rating / maturity level can players expect (violence, moral themes, etc)?[/p][p]Samson is a mature game that will include drug use and sexual depiction. Violence, crime, and moral ambiguity are part of the world. The game does not glorify these things, but it does not shy away from them either.
[/p][p]How long has the game been in development for?[/p][p]Christofer Sundberg founded the studio in 2020 and the team started to come together in late summer / fall of 2021, when we moved to our first studio space in Nacka, Sweden. The experience we are releasing is built on systems, assets, and ideas developed over the last five years.

When can we expect to get a gameplay trailer?[/p][p]All of the footage in our announcement trailer is shot in the engine. We are working on future dev diaries and gameplay deep dives that highlight Samson’s key aspects. Stay tuned! 
[/p][p]
How will performance and optimization be handled (especially since visuals appear ambitious)? [/p][p]Performance in an open-world game is always a challenge and something we have had our eyes on from the very start of the project. We have built on our team's experience on other open-world games, and we have had great support from Epic.
[/p][p]Linear? Mission-based?[/p][p]Samson is a mission-based game with a clear overarching story. You are free to approach missions in different ways, and the world supports and encourages exploration. However, the experience is structured and intentional, rather than endless or sandbox-driven.
[/p][p]Is the game a fully open world, or a more focused, narrative-driven world with limited areas?[/p][p]It sits between the two. You have freedom to move through the city and explore, but the world is designed for density, pacing, and purpose. We value meaningful content over sheer size.[/p][p]
How long will the game be? Is it a short, intense experience or a long campaign? [/p][p]While completing the main story will take roughly 10 hours, we anticipate players will spend 25 hours or more exploring everything the game has to offer.[/p][p]In Samson, your journey goes far beyond the core narrative. Will you be able to pay off your debt? How you approach this challenge is entirely up to you, as you navigate the city, interact with its inhabitants, and uncover its secrets. Players can take on a variety of vehicle-based jobs, including high-stakes hits, underground races, and daring getaways. The game also offers opportunities for theft, hand-to-hand combat, and tailing missions to gather critical information, delivering a rich and diverse gameplay experience that extends well beyond the main storyline.[/p][p]Taking on jobs will give you valuable information and knowledge and also allow you to develop your gameplay skills to be more successful and make better choices in the storyline. 
[/p][p]How is it like Mad Max and how does it differ from it? What can I as a Mad Max fan expect to like with Samson?[/p][p]If you like vehicle combat, physical driving, and fights that feel heavy and personal, you will feel at home. Samson is set in a grounded, modern city. The tone is more intimate, more urban, and more character-driven. Progression is steady, and the game is designed to be fun from the start, not only at the end.

Given that Christofer Sundberg – who founded Avalanche Studios and was the creative lead on the original Just Cause games – is behind Samson, will fans of Just Cause see elements in Samson that resonate with that legacy?[/p][p]Yes, but not in the obvious ways.[/p][p]If you liked the physicality, the sense of momentum, and the idea that systems should interact rather than be scripted, you will recognize that mindset in Samson. Driving that feels weighty, combat that relies on space, timing, and improvisation, and a world built to react rather than just host missions.[/p][p]What you should not expect is chaos for its own sake, exaggerated spectacle, or copy-pasted mechanics. Samson is more grounded, more focused, and more intimate. The legacy shows up in how the game is built and how it feels to play, not in surface-level similarities.

Will there be skill trees or progression systems? What sort of customization is there for the main character’s abilities? [/p][p]There will be skill-based player progression. We have focused on providing skills and perks to support different play styles and to encourage players to explore all facets of the game.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Can you drive all the vehicles?[/p][p]Yes. You can drive any vehicle, though stealing one may attract attention. You cannot drag civilians out of cars. That line is intentional.
[/p][p]How does the driving feel?[/p][p]Driving is central to Samson. Vehicle handling, weight, and impact have been developed for a long time. Different vehicles behave differently and suit different playstyles. Driving is meant to feel physical, tense, and rewarding, not disposable or floaty.

[/p][p] [/p][p]How reactive is the game world? Do factions, police, or NPC’s change their behaviour depending on player actions?[/p][p]Law enforcement escalates based on your actions. Civilians react to what you do and how you behave.  For example you need to watch out if you steal a parked car, if the police are nearby, they will spot and pursue you. They’ll escalate their efforts as you try to shake them off, making for an intense experience, testing all of your skills and knowledge about the city to escape. [/p][p]The city responds. It does not just sit there.

Will there be difficulty settings or adjustable “pressure / consequences” levels (e.g. options for less punishing gameplay)?[/p][p]We let the player decide what they feel comfortable taking on, in terms of challenge. But we will not give you global difficulty settings. We believe it makes for a better experience if players play the game we built and it is on us as developers to make sure that a wide range of players gets on board and can enjoy it.

How much interaction can we expect from/in the world with NPCs and items?
If you bump into a person, they will comment, if you drive carelessly they will avoid you as you come charging. If someone gets injured, people will walk up to them. If you attack someone, they will either fight back or run off. So you need to think about what you do, since you never know what the reaction or consequence will be.

Police chases and tension? Law enforcement is something to respect. Chases escalate, pressure builds, and mistakes matter. The goal is tension, not spectacle for its own sake. [/p][p]What's combat like? What kind of combat does the game use - melee, driving, stealth, or all of the above?
We consider the combat to consist of hand-to-hand combat, melee weapons, opportunities in the environment and when in a car. We have put a lot of effort into the car brawling as well as the melee combat. There is no style, just function and purpose. Grab a nearby wrench or position yourself so that a pile of bricks falls on top of your enemy or lure them close to a ledge and throw them over the railing.
[/p][p]How “gritty” or realistic is the combat?
Regardless of whether you engage in car brawling or melee combat, damage will be visualized, and the attacks carry weight. It is combat with consequences, and things will break around you, including you and your enemies.

Can you use weapons?
Yes, we have a large variety of melee weapons, but they’re part of the environment rather than a loadout you equip. In Samson, a stack of tires, a wrench or a car can be considered weapons. We want to provide you with opportunities and leave ample room for creativity. The goal is to stay alive, and it is up to you to decide what means to use. Different environments will present you with unique opportunities and challenges. You can store a weapon in your trunk to be better prepared for your next encounter, or you can utilize what is available around you.
[/p][p]Curious about SAMSON and where it’s headed? Make sure to wishlist the game here on Steam, and stay tuned for upcoming dev diaries and behind-the-scenes updates. And if you want to get the latest news firsthand - or chat directly with the developers - join our Discord: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG [/p]

If you're a fan of gruff blokes punching goons and putting the pedal to the metal in muscle cars, Samson looks like it'll be up your alley. It's the debut game of Liquid Swords, the Swedish studio founded by former Just Cause and Mad Max developer Christofer Sundberg, and mirrors the gritty open-world destructive mayhem both of those are known for.

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