Love, Sam Review

*Contains Spoilers*

A Surprisingly Spooky Love Story

I have to admit, when I started this game, I didn’t expect it to be quite as spooky as it was. It starts innocently enough - awkward girl moves to a new town, meets boy and becomes infatuated with him. Just when you think you’re dealing with your average high school romance story, things take a swift turn and you begin unraveling a tale of longing, jealousy and revenge that will have you asking questions until the very end.

The majority of Love, Sam consists of reading diary pages, each one revealing more about Sam’s life, the people around her, and a dark descent into madness. One thing the game does very well is hide bits and pieces of the story in plain sight, waiting for you to put the puzzle together. Even after completing the game, I found myself looking back, realizing that some of the answers were there all along and I just didn’t make the connection.

The scares in this game are intermittent and subtle, which make each moment all the more eerie. Sometimes you’ll catch something out of the corner of your eye, see something out of place, or hear something you were not expecting and it makes you feel a sinking sense of vulnerability that will keep you looking over your shoulder.

My first playthrough took me around 2.5 hours and I was surprised to discover that the first ending I received is not the only possible outcome. A few instances throughout the game require you to make decisions (mostly “yes” or “no”), and those decisions impact you and those around you. The replayability gives players something to look forward to as they try to uncover what might have been.

Overall, I really enjoyed playing Love, Sam. It was clever, kept me interested, and the eerie moments were well placed and effective. I highly recommend this game if you’re looking for a short and compelling indie horror experience you can play again and again.

[Lady played Love, Sam on PC with a mouse and keyboard]