Gritty car chase game Samson looks like a spiritual successor to Driver

Announced last month, Samson is a gritty action-adventure game from Liquid Swords, a studio made up of ex-Avalanche Studios developers who worked on the Just Cause series and the underrated Mad Max game adaptation.

Set in the 1990s, the story sees you take the role of Samson McCray, a skilled getaway driver who returns to the city of Tyndalston. As well as shooting and fistfights, driving is a core part of the game, and the trailer showcases plenty of car chase set pieces.

In a new developer diary, Liquid Swords explains how Samson’s action sequences are inspired by gritty 1990s action films like Ronin and Heat. From sports cars to vans, every vehicle you drive is “uniquely handcrafted” with distinct handling characteristics adapted from real-world data, with weighty physics reminiscent of the Driver games as you slide around corners.

For example, civilian vehicles will feel “safer” than modified sports cars, which range from “highly tuned rallycross” to “beefier variants” with heavy-duty engines that “require more management when drifting around corners.” Vans, on the other hand, will have slower acceleration, but can “hit harder when at speed due to their sheer heft.”

While the driving will be accessible, Liquid Swords says there is “depth to explore and inertia to manage when cars are being pushed to the edge.”

During the game’s high-speed chases, a countersteering system will give players extra control when drifting, allowing them to “finesse the movement of the car, without breaking the sensation of weight transfer.

Describing the philosophy behind Samson’s vehicle physics, the team believes that “driving is meant to feel physical, tense, and rewarding, not disposable or floaty.

The team has also applied their experience from developing the Mad Max game in Samson’s car combat, with the speed and vehicle’s weight affecting damage during impacts. Parts can also break down and affect the vehicle’s behaviour: punctured tyres will reduce grip, while damaged wheels will offset the steering and eventually come off.  

In response to your crimes, police patrols will chase after you, deploying roadblocks and calling in helicopters. Sadly, multiplayer chases won’t be possible as Samson is single-player only.

As for the location, Samson is set in a dingy city, but it’s not a fully open world. Instead, while you will have freedom to explore, the game is “designed for density, pacing and purpose” according to the developer. A 10-hour-long story will centre on the main protagonist taking on jobs from getaways to street races to pay off their debts and save their family.  

Samson is set to release on PC in early 2026 for $25, with a console release to follow later on unconfirmed platforms. With its focus on cinematic car chases and weighty vehicle handling, Samson looks like it could scratch that new Driver game itch.