Review: Sam & Max are still funny, but they’re starting to shows their age
If you grew up in the early 90s with a PC, chances are you may remember the Freelance Police, Sam & Max. The anthropomorphic detectives were part of a point and click adventure game boom during that time that included the likes of Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and Grim Fandango. While a bonafide hit when they originally debuted in 1993, the series lay dormant for many years until being revived by Telltale Games in 2006, thirteen years after their last game.
Sam & Max Save the World was lauded for its humor and its episodic release schedule, which was unheard of at the time. Now in 2020, Sam and Max are back again in a remaster of their comeback tour, and it’s just as good as you remember it, all things considered. In fact, it’s almost exactly as you remembered it. Sam and Max Save the World Remastered Is just as irreverent as it was when it was released back in 2006, for better or worse. While the titular characters remain fun and entertaining, the game’s faults have grown worse over time.
A trip down memory lane
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered
Pros:
- Sam and Max themselves are still charming
- The later episodes are actually pretty funny
- A point and click adventure game in 2020!
Cons:
- Art style is still pretty ugly
- Some zingers have not aged well
- Not too challenging
What I liked about Sam and Max Save the World Remastered
Source: Windows Central / Zackery Cuevas
Category | Sam & Max Save the World Remastered |
---|---|
Title | Sam & Max Save the World Remastered |
Developer | Skunkape Games |
Publisher | Skunkape Games |
Genre | Adventure |
Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch |
Game Size | 909MB |
Players | 1 player |
Price | $20 |
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered review It’s all banter, anyway
Source: Windows Central / Zackery Cuevas
This is sort of evident in the first couple of episodes of Save The World. You can tell Telltale was sticking closely to the original game, Sam and Max Hit the Road. The creativity doesn’t really spring out until the latter half of the game. To that end, Sam and Max is a point and click affair in its purest form — the game is totally about the dialogue.
The creativity doesn’t really spring out until the latter half of the game.
And in this department, Sam and Max still shine. Bad writing may hinder your experience of a game, but in an adventure game like this, the writing can make or break the game in an instant. Luckily, Sam and Max mostly hold up in that regard. The duo is particularly charming and likable. Sam plays the straight man to Max’s crazy, but their both deranged in their own right. The cast of characters Sam and Max find themselves interacting with are also entertaining, and the dialogue options lead to some funny encounters.
What I didn’t like about Sam and Max Save the World Remastered
Source: Windows Central / Zackery Cuevas
The game’s simple visuals are betrayed by its ugly art design
And while the writing does hold up, for the most part, it still comes across as very schlocky. There are a lot of zingers here that range from eye-rolling to lame. Some of the jokes were groaners back a decade ago and are even worse now. There is literally a section where you interrogate someone by berating them with yo mama jokes to put this in perspective. Thankfully, while the game might throw a punch or two at a washed-up b-list celebrity, the game never wanders into offensive territory.
Sam & Max Save the World is also fairly easy. While fans of the series will enjoy solving crimes with the duo again, it doesn’t have enough meat on its bones to satiate fans of the genre, and it doesn’t really offer much to those who are new to it or were introduced to it by later, more action-oriented Telltale games. All in all, Sam and Max Save the World Remastered is really for the fans and no one else.
Is Sam & Max Save the World Remastered worth the download?
Source: Windows Central / Zackery Cuevas
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered is a nice trip down memory lane for fans of Telltale and Sam & Max. While the game is still serviceable, the remaster lacks significant polish or extras, and the writing is starting to carbon date itself.
A trip down memory lane
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered
Back on the beat
Sam and Max, the Freelance Police, are back on the case again, almost exactly as you remember them. Fans will enjoy returning to their bizarre world, while there’s not much else for new or old fans of the adventure game genre.
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