In our review of Machinarium [$4.99] back in 2011, we were stunned by its aesthetic beauty, but also the incredible narrative and puzzle design, describing it as "a treasure, judiciously and efficiently designed, with not a single pencil-drawn sprite out of place". At the time, Machinarium transcended virtually every point-and-click experience on the App Store, and Amanita Design's next iPhone release Botanicula [$4.99 (HD)] took the elements that made the former title so memorable, and expanded these into an equally beautiful natural premise. Samorost 3 [$4.99], which has released today on the App Store for $4.99, continues this progression, and is arguably Amanita Design's biggest and most impressive game to date, as you traverse some incredibly detailed environments across nine unique and varied alien worlds.
Samorost 3 continues the general concepts of the eponymous series, which debuted in 2003 on PC. While the trademark Amanita aesthetic is present, with a amalgamation of photographic and hand drawn visuals, Samorost 3 expands on its older siblings to provide some absolutely breathtaking locations with the same thought-provoking point-and-click puzzle gameplay. You star as a 'curious space gnome', and are tasked with travelling across the cosmos to find the origins of the magical flute that grants your character their powers. While inherently simple - areas are normally dominated by only a few points of interest amidst the lush backdrops - this attempt to a...