Most games I have played in my lifetime have usually started with some sort of tutorial or given aids, with a future option to disable them. One thing I can’t recall however was the last time a game required me to control every aspect of my character’s life to ensure they manage to make it through the day as the norm. I mean, difficult titles are out there, we’ve all seen them, but how many require you to do more for the protagonist than you do for yourself? Perfectly Paranormal plan to do just that with Manual Samuel on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Manual Samuel will have players controlling Sam – a young, good looking, wealthy and formerly healthy guy – through everyday human activities for a day. There is however a slight twist; you need to help him regain his life as he knew it once more.
The easy life that Sam was living is ended by meeting an oncoming lorry face to face in the street; Sam’s life quickly changes. A meeting with death informs him that he is no longer among the living, but there is one way in which he can get his life back and all it’s going to take is living an entire 24 hours of life doing every bodily function manually – whilst impressing his girlfriend and boss in the process.
Taking place over eight unique levels of increasing difficulty, Sam must go through 24 hours performing everyday tasks to progress. Admittedly for a guy living life with a butler for every service this was going to be challenging, but for Sam this is more than simple chores. After all, before you can master your job you must first master getting to it. Of course, leaving the house requires you to hone the basic skills first. Breathing, blinking, standing, walking, cleaning, drinking, eating, coughing, talking. Wait! Are you dressed yet?
With a slight knowledge of basic bodily functions, progression is met with new things to learn, all whilst maintaining control of everything learnt in previous levels. For example, driving Sam to work, which must be done manually, must be done in between breathing, blinking and following death’s orders to ensure no elderly folk are bowled down along the way. This is just one of the many slapstick scenarios that Sam will encounter.
Each level in the game is open for both solo and co-op gameplay, and my first few hours with the game have been spent playing through on solo. But those looking to bring a friend along for the dexterous adventure will be happy to see the option there. Multiplayer has players each controlling different bodily functions, which can be assigned before play commences to ensure everyone knows their role.
Should you have managed to remember all the different things required to stop Sam falling to the floor, with the face of an off-colour grape, well enough to have completed the level, then your next challenge is the other game mode available… Time Attack. Yes, if dropping to the floor like you’ve just had a hard night on the town isn’t enough then Time Attack will be more than enough to have you going back for some classic ‘one more go’ action. Bronze, Silver or Gold medals are on offer for those able to master the controls well enough to challenge the impressive level times.
Manuel Samuel will be released on the 11th October for PS4, and the 14th October for PC and Xbox One. Watch out for its release and our full review soon.
