Samson proves there's still room for smaller Grand Theft Auto-style sandboxes – I just wish this one was better

Open-world crime sandboxes allow you to indulge in selfish chaos without consequence. Few have understood the assignment as well as Rockstar, who, through Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, has perfected felonious fantasies for players who wouldn't so much as knock down a sandcastle in the real world. During the Xbox 360's reign, studios of all sizes took their shot at the medium – think Saints Row, Mafia 2, Sleeping Dogs – but, now, Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to land unopposed.

Liquid Swords, the studio founded by Just Cause creative director Christofer Sundberg, proves there is still space for developers to iterate upon the formula without having a workforce the size of a small army. Its debut game, Samson, is the Drive to Grand Theft Auto's Heat – trading sunshine and sophistication for brownstone grit; exploring crime as an everyman's gig economy. Samson compromises on polish, but smartly takes its sandbox in a more purpose-driven direction – and in doing so, makes a convincing argument for more games of its kind.

Strong silent type

Playing as titular getaway driver and ex-con Samson, the premise is simple: you owe money to bad folk who have taken your sister as collateral, and must pay off the debt by working as a criminal-for-hire in the fictional city of Tyndalston. The game is played day-by-day, with each day divided into three playable slices (noon, evening, and night). Samson has limited action points, meaning you can only complete a handful of jobs each day, and must make daily repayments on his $100K debt – or risk visits from increasingly dangerous debt collectors.

The mix of roguelike and life sim elements is the most enticing part of Samson. After several days of staying on top of payments, I took a seemingly-simple job as the getaway driver for a heist at the port. The work offered $2,000 of the $3,000 I needed to repay that day, and given I'd already made $500 at noon, it seemed like I'd have enough left over to get my car fixed. Instead I failed the mission with a spectacular slow-motion crash, spent two action points trying and failing again, and ended up underpaying that day. No debt collectors were waiting for me the next day – a surprise, as they'd jumped me for less several days ago – but the fumble still made me nervous to do better.

This is the side of Samson I love. I'm less interested in its sloppy third-person melee combat, which is unintuitive and feels like trying to punch a renegade garden hose. There are no guns or alternative ways to fight, which leaves the janky combat front-and-center. Animations rarely connect, to the point where I grew fond of one recurring bug which let me finish other thugs by looking at them until their necks snapped loudly. Driving is also ropey, but the longer I spent in the driver's seat, the more I got to grips with its slipperiness – it's often better to drift dramatically rather than take a cautious turn, although it's still hard to see where Samson's intentionally difficult parts separate from buggy physics.

If you were raised on the same Xbox 360-era sandbox diet as I was, you'll likely be able to look over Samson's rougher edges to get at its pulpy core. I'm reminded of driving around Mafia 2's Empire Bay, wishing there was more to the open world than there was. Years later, I appreciate Mafia 2 because it doesn't dilute Empire Bay with busywork, and Samson proves that there is still space for those moderately-scoped, purpose-driven sandboxes. There's work to be done before I can recommend Samson – even at its $25 asking price – but any game that makes me itch to play the first Saints Row is doing something right.

Just Cause co-creator made new crime game Samson because he is sick of "swallowing all the crap that the industry feeds us"