Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Samotnik starts with a choice that looks harmless: pick the one empty square on a European-style 37-hole peg solitaire board. From there, every move follows the familiar rule of jumping one peg over another in a straight line, removing the jumped piece. You can move in four directions, and that simple restriction is exactly where the puzzle gets its teeth.

At first, you may play by chasing any available jump and enjoy the board thinning out. Then the consequences start to click. A jump does not merely remove a peg; it changes the routes available to every other peg, and a board that seemed open can become stranded in a few careless moves. The game’s satisfaction comes from learning to see several jumps ahead rather than reacting to the move directly in front of you.

There is no built-in win state to congratulate you, which makes Samotnik feel both admirably pure and a little unforgiving. One remaining peg is the traditional finish, but setting yourself a target shape is a smart way to keep the board from becoming a solved-once curiosity. Since you can restart whenever you like, failed experiments do not cost much beyond a little pride.

Graphics

The view is a straightforward top-down board of 37 squares and pegs, built to keep each legal jump easy to inspect. Freely changing the colours lets you settle on a look that is comfortable for repeated puzzle sessions.

Story

Samotnik has no plotted story, characters, or setting to carry you between puzzles. The entire drama is in the board state: a single gap, a promising sequence of jumps, and the moment you realize a needed peg can no longer reach its destination.

That absence suits the game’s meditative side. You are not being hurried toward a finale or distracted by a theme; you are left alone with a small problem that gets cleaner in appearance as it becomes harder to solve.

If you need a narrative hook, this will feel dry almost immediately. If you enjoy creating your own little arc from messy opening position to carefully planned end shape, the blank slate is part of the point.

Overall Experience

Samotnik is a modest but honest adaptation of peg solitaire. It does not try to decorate a classic with extra rules; it trusts the underlying puzzle, and that puzzle still has enough depth to punish impatience and reward deliberate planning.

The lack of a formal victory condition is its biggest limitation. Some gamers will miss a clear result screen and a sense of closure, especially after working through a difficult board. Others will appreciate the freedom to decide whether one peg, a particular shape, or simply a better attempt counts as success.

Give it a chance if you want a calm, compact brain-teaser and already enjoy the tactile logic of board puzzles. It is not a game you play for surprises. It is one you return to when you want ten quiet minutes of thinking, restarting, and trying to make one stubborn arrangement finally fall into place.

Retro Replay Score

6.5/10