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.
