Sam & Max is an iconic series created by Telltale Games, showcasing the wacky pairing of the Freelance Police. Sam is the canine detective with his harsh but loyal companion, Max. Skunkape Games remasters all Sam & Max seasons: Save The World, Beyond Time and Space, and The Devil’s Playhouse in Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy. In a shocking return, players experience the duo’s fun and quirky adventures. Saving the world from mind control to reality itself and everything in between.
The Skunkape Games remaster, Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy, allows players to see the whole story. The point-and-click, puzzle-solving series is full of tropes, humor, and mysteries to solve. While games in the genre can be hit-or-miss, Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy is an overall great time. Strong gameplay and story with some minor slips have this title strongly represent a genre that isn’t as popular as it used to be.
A Slow Start with a Build to a Fun & Chaotic Story
The story of Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy is split up into three seasons, each with its narrative. Overall, I found the story to be great. It establishes early on just how unhinged the humor and story are going to be. However, it starts off at a low point with Sam & Max: Save The World. The duo works to stop a mysterious villain from controlling various characters but as the season continues on, a greater ploy of controlling the entire world begins to take light. Although the episodes continuing off one another are interesting, the trope of mind control began to feel old after the third episode.
As the seasons progress, the story begins to improve. Each episode had a self-contained narrative in Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space. From saving a possessed Santa Claus to slaying vampires. But, overall, a connecting story tied everything up, giving a fresh adventure and a good payoff. Additionally, the game doesn’t create a time-travel scenario that has players scratching their heads, which is always great to see. The last episode, The Devil’s Playhouse, the latest to be remastered, features the most chaotic but strongest of the series. As I progressed through the game, seeing how well and far the story had come along was fantastic. The episodes, although sometimes ridiculous, showcase the identity of the series in its truest form.
Overall, when it comes to the story, Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy feels better played in order because it showcases a true up-and-up in quality, starting off slow and cliche before rising into a quirky, crazy adventure, wanting more with each episode conclusion. Even the gameplay loop sometimes pulls me out of the action.
An Iconic Gameplay Loop with Aged Aspects
The gameplay of Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy feels exactly the point-and-click, puzzle-solving formula of the original. Furthermore, it feels just as good and similar to its original successors, such as The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us. Players must navigate Sam and Max around various levels, interacting with characters to learn about clues. Additionally, various obvious and hidden items have to be collected to help progress through areas and defeat enemies. Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy showcases the fine-tuning that Skunkape Games has done to modernize various aspects of the gaming, especially with using Max’s psychic powers in The Devil’s Playhouse (as I said, things get crazy). Because the game is a point-and-click, the movement, although rigid, feels smoother. This works great throughout all seasons without any complaints. However, the biggest crime of the gameplay is the outdated backtracking.
Although the biggest component of Sam and Max is being thorough, nothing took me out of the game more than needing to backtrack. Whether it was an item I missed or having to go back for a story. Navigating back to certain areas, especially when missing items, felt strenuous, and like my gameplay, as well as the narrative, began to halt. Furthermore, even though you can teleport using in-game mechanics, the constant revisiting of previous places was not alleviated with this ability. Something that, although it is part of the game, feels outdated. It can pull players out of the experience, especially if you are not inquiring about every character or item.
A Fresh Coat of Visual and Audio Paint
Visually, Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy is gorgeous. Skunkape Games did a stellar job of updating the graphics for more recent consoles, and they succeeded without question. The touchups on both the characters and environments are a welcome change to the series. Even small details, such as Max’s fur being changed to look more realistic, are great designs visually. Skunkape put in the work on visuals to show that remasters are not just slight changes but drastic ones to suit modern fidelities, and the team did a fantastic job of showcasing it. Additionally, playing the series on my PS5, the game runs fluidly at 60fps, with only small noticeable dips in the frame rate when loading into areas. Other than that, optimizing the remasters feels up to date with current game standards, especially with a distinct cartoon art style such as Sam & Max.
The same can be said of the audio of Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy. Noises such as Sam’s Big Gun shooting and the cast’s voice acting feel fresh rather than just ported over. The quality is clear and excels well. Furthermore, the voice acting itself still feels great, especially from the main protagonists. Giving Sam the peculiar accent and lines he has makes players feel like they are in a modern-day noir tale with a twist. Overall, the game centers around talking to characters, and the voice acting is a strong positive that improves the game.
A Little More Accessibility Could Take the Series Far
Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy is strong in many places, but its accessibility could definitely be improved. The games offer various options, such as subtitles, turning off flashing effects, and more hints for stuck players. But, improving the hint system is one idea that comes to mind. I found myself sometimes stuck on areas and asking the characters for hints, only to be met with vague text, which wasn’t a surefire way to progress. Adding a directional indication of where to go and who or what to interact with could greatly improve the game. Players could turn on an option labeled as an “assist mode,” which could help guide them more in this way. Other than that, the games offer varying accessibility options that can accommodate many players.
A Great Series, Remastered Well, Despite Its Missteps
Despite the small hiccups in Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy, the price tag offered for the series is more than worth it. Skunkape Games remastered three great titles in significant ways that can bring in modern audiences. The series may be part of a niche genre nowadays. However, the dynamic duo protagonists and their adventures are something that more players need to enjoy. Furthermore, seeing the story unfold through the trilogy is the best way to experience it and something you should do.
Whether a fresh face to Telltale style of point-and-click titles or a veteran, Skunkape does a swell job of bringing Sam & Max back for a more revitalized look and feel. While the story starts slow, it more than certainly makes up for it in the latter seasons. Additionally, the gameplay is as strong as ever despite outdated practices. Sam & Max: The Complete Trilogy is not only complete, but it also outshines even some of its predecessors.
A code for the PS5 was provided for this review.
