GAME REVIEW | Sam & Max’s Ultimate Adventure in "The Devil’s Playhouse"
My love for Sam & Max began when LucasArts unleashed Sam & Max Hit the Road. To this date, it is arguably one of the greatest point-and-click adventure games ever made, thanks to its top-tier writing and bonkers comedy. Thanks to Telltale Games, Sam & Max got a second lease on life, with a new three-seasoned series. Where the first two aimed to recapture the magic of the original game (which they did with flying colors), the third and final series The Devil’s Playhouse went so far as to do something not even creator Steve Purcell would’ve done: giving Max control.
The end result is what may be the best Sam & Max adventure ever created. Originally released in 2010, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse has since been given the remastered treatment by Skunkape Games. And it’s here where the publisher’s namesake finally graces his presence. Even fourteen years later, this game still looks and plays majestically.
Okay, perhaps describing something Sam & Max-related “majestic” would even have the rabbity thing wanting to bite my face off. The world of this Freelance Police duo is a mad chaotic one, and nowhere is it safe to take a breather from its looniness. But that comes with the territory, and even in something far more dreaded like The Devil’s Playhouse, even the most spooky of things get pushed aside for the delightfully zany.
Much of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse focuses on the Toys of Power, which look harmless to even the most trained eyes. But put them in the control of Max, and you have a recipe for pure chaos. There are initially two foes who wish to own the Toys of Power: the space gorilla General Skun-ka’pe, and the cryptic Mr. Papierwaite. However, as usual in the Sam & Max world, a lot of mayhem occurs that pushes the initial story off its slippery rails.
What makes this game stand out from the other Sam & Max adventures is the ability to control Max. Using these Toys of Power will allow the fluffy br’er lappin to look into the future, transform into anything it touches, teleport, and even control like a Jeff Dunham prop. The addition of these powers will aid Sam in finding items, secret passageways, and maybe a confession or two from the likes of the Stinky family, mole cultists, and even a promiscuous 4000 year-old pharaoh. As one can imagine, doing plenty of experimenting with these Toys of Power will result in some of the best comedy in the series’s history.
It comes as no surprise that The Devil’s Playhouse takes some cues from The Twilight Zone, from its strange narrator to the overall story arcs. But Sam & Max have always played into classic tropes since its early beginnings as a comic book. The film noir genre had shown up here and there in Rod Serling’s classic TV show, so mashing up the slickness of a crime drama with sci-fi horror is nothing new. But where it gains new life is through the beady eyes of Sam & Max, who take everything and shake it up like a kid holding a snow globe.
Humor is the soul of this series, and just about every area is brimming with laughs waiting to unfold. Whether it’s chatting with Grandpa Stinky about his demon broth, General Skun’ka-pe trying his best to hide his true evil intentions, or having the great-grandpas of Sam & Max pitch toy ideas to some mischievous elves, every spot is guaranteed to make you chuckle even the tiniest of bits. There is no shortage of smile-inducing moments these five chapters have cooking, and even with the game being nearly fifteen years-old, the jokes still feel fresh. But where The Devil’s Playhouse shines the most is in its tone, which isn’t afraid to get yucky.
Taking more influence from classic pulp fiction are the situations that Sam & Max are placed in. Mysterious clones, towering giants, and even stolen brains are no stranger to the genre. Adding the Freelance Police to the mix simply increases the joy value of the overall story. Even when it attempts to go the creepy route with its twists, you won’t be able to stop yourself from smirking over the reveals.
Skunkape Games has done a fantastic job remastering the entirety of this classic Telltale series. The Devil’s Playhouse is no exception, with the graphics, voice-acting, and soundtrack looking and sounding as close to what you’d expect from a current-gen video game. However, there are some times when the dialogue would start, only to repeat in order to catch up to the game’s animation. It’s a slight bug, but it does nothing to take you out of the overall experience.
PROS:
- Unique Max powers
- Funny as hell!
- Beautiful remastering
CONS:
- Minor audio hiccups
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is the Freelance Police at their very best. It rivals Hit the Road both in its creativeness and sense of humor, making it the ultimate experience for this cult hit duo. Now that all three seasons of Telltale Games’s Sam & Max series have been given a good ole shining, maybe it’s time for the dog and rabbity thing to refuel the DeSoto and start a new adventure! If not, then The Devil’s Playhouse is certainly one hell of a way to go out with a bang!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Emily Morganti of Skunkape. Reviewed on the PS5.
