Manual life.

Story:

You play as Sam. He's a rich spoiled guy that has everything handed to him and he only really cares about himself. After a really nasty date with his girlfriend he gets hit by a truck, dies and ends up in hell. When you arrive there you meet death who offers you a deal, survive 24 hours with your bodily functions being manual.

Manual Samuel is a very comedic and really funny story that is genuinely really funny at times and while the story is definitely not to be taken seriously, it's surprisingly charming and I had an absolute blast going through it's storyline and laughing at death, who is by far the funniest character in the game.

Graphics:

I also really dig the visual art style of Manual Samuel. It's a sort of cartoon aesthetic. Everything seems to be hand drawn and while usually I'm not too huge on stiff animations, here it's surprisingly works really well, with just the way you make Sam move being a very charming.

I also just love the design of the world and the characters. Death is designed in a like a douchy hipster skater which is hilarious and I also really love the amount of environments you go through, ranging from offices, your home and of course Hell all of them feeling like they're fully realized worlds.

Audio:

The audio design itself is mostly pretty decent. I'll begin with the voice acting which is pretty dang decent for the most part. Everyone does a great job with the characters, especially the narrator who is just absolutely great, but Death's performance while incredibly cheesy is probably my personal highlight, so basically the character steals the show for me.

The music and other sound effects are pretty decent. The music itself ranges from really good, to rather forgettable, but it's nothing bad. I think the final few levels had the best songs in the game, while the beginning levels don't have anything all too amazing. The sound effects are fine, everything sounds pretty decent and I have no real complaints with the audio design.

Gameplay:

Manual Samuel is supposed to be designed in a similar way to games like QWOP, where you the controls of the main character are supposed to be annoying to the player, yet it's not going for the rage difficulty of those type of games. As Sam you're going to try to live your life, one limb at a time.

Each levels brings a unique challenge you need to accomplish like getting ready in the morning, driving yourself to work, then you have to do some work and then there's things I won't spoil on the fact that the game is pretty short and the final few levels do get crazy.

I personally loved my time with each level and found controlling Sam incredibly simple yet still difficult. There are multiple other things you have to do like breathe and blink to keep Sam alive, which just adds to the complexity of the movement system, however the levels themselves are where the games biggest problems reside.

Generally the game begins pretty strong and is a ton of fun and it's still really fun through it's entire duration, but the games final few levels are just really poorly designed and not really all too fun, because of their tedious nature. The final boss, which is really cool from every other standpoint is just a very unfun from a control standpoint, as you have to juggle everything you've learned up until that point and it just doesn't really work as the game intends.

Verdict:

Manual Samuel was a pleasant surprise and I'm glad I had I went on this incredibly funny and bizarre journey. It's not without it's faults, but it's definitely one game which is just so unique that I have to recommend it. So go on and try to live a manual life.

Final Rating:
8.5/10

Pros:
+ Hand drawn art style is really pleasing to look at
+ Gameplay is pretty fun and each level is unique
+ Surprisingly good voice acting
+ Story is pretty funny and entertaining

Cons:
- Level design takes a hit in the final section of the game
- The final boss is incredibly tedious

If you liked this review please consider joining https://steamcommunity.com/groups/completingthebacklog and https://steamcommunity.com/groups/ImperialReviews

Manual life. Story: You play as Sam. He's a rich spoiled guy that has everything handed to him and he only really cares about himself. After a really nasty date with his girlfriend he gets hit by a truck, dies and ends up in hell. When you arrive there you meet death who offers you a deal, survive 24 hours with your bodily functions being manual. Manual Samuel is a very comedic and really funny story that is genuinely really funny at times and while the story is definitely not to be taken seriously, it's surprisingly charming and I had an absolute blast going through it's storyline and laughing at death, who is by far the funniest character in the game. Graphics: I also really dig the visual art style of Manual Samuel. It's a sort of cartoon aesthetic. Everything seems to be hand drawn and while usually I'm not too huge on stiff animations, here it's surprisingly works really well, with just the way you make Sam move being a very charming. I also just love the design of the world and the characters. Death is designed in a like a douchy hipster skater which is hilarious and I also really love the amount of environments you go through, ranging from offices, your home and of course Hell all of them feeling like they're fully realized worlds. Audio: The audio design itself is mostly pretty decent. I'll begin with the voice acting which is pretty dang decent for the most part. Everyone does a great job with the characters, especially the narrator who is just absolutely great, but Death's performance while incredibly cheesy is probably my personal highlight, so basically the character steals the show for me. The music and other sound effects are pretty decent. The music itself ranges from really good, to rather forgettable, but it's nothing bad. I think the final few levels had the best songs in the game, while the beginning levels don't have anything all too amazing. The sound effects are fine, everything sounds pretty decent and I have no real complaints with the audio design. Gameplay: Manual Samuel is supposed to be designed in a similar way to games like QWOP, where you the controls of the main character are supposed to be annoying to the player, yet it's not going for the rage difficulty of those type of games. As Sam you're going to try to live your life, one limb at a time. Each levels brings a unique challenge you need to accomplish like getting ready in the morning, driving yourself to work, then you have to do some work and then there's things I won't spoil on the fact that the game is pretty short and the final few levels do get crazy. I personally loved my time with each level and found controlling Sam incredibly simple yet still difficult. There are multiple other things you have to do like breathe and blink to keep Sam alive, which just adds to the complexity of the movement system, however the levels themselves are where the games biggest problems reside. Generally the game begins pretty strong and is a ton of fun and it's still really fun through it's entire duration, but the games final few levels are just really poorly designed and not really all too fun, because of their tedious nature. The final boss, which is really cool from every other standpoint is just a very unfun from a control standpoint, as you have to juggle everything you've learned up until that point and it just doesn't really work as the game intends. Verdict: Manual Samuel was a pleasant surprise and I'm glad I had I went on this incredibly funny and bizarre journey. It's not without it's faults, but it's definitely one game which is just so unique that I have to recommend it. So go on and try to live a manual life. Final Rating: 8.5/10 Pros: + Hand drawn art style is really pleasing to look at + Gameplay is pretty fun and each level is unique + Surprisingly good voice acting + Story is pretty funny and entertaining Cons: - Level design takes a hit in the final section of the game - The final boss is incredibly tedious If you liked this review please consider joining https://steamcommunity.com/groups/completingthebacklog and https://steamcommunity.com/groups/ImperialReviews