*use fingers with keyboard*
Ah, the point-and-click adventure game. Back in the day, these games were everywhere, challenging players to think in creative and sometimes downright odd ways to solve puzzles and advance the story. However, the genre hit a peak in the early 90s and since then has declined sharply, becoming a sparsely-represented genre today. Both the peak and decline can probably be attributed to the same thing in my opinion - simple gameplay.
Back in the 90s, the fact that these games used very simple gameplay mechanics probably made them easy to churn out with the technology of the time. By the same hand however, those simple mechanics are outshined now by the more action packed games that steal the spotlight, so P&C games fail to catch attention. This would also explain why the games are a popular choice for online flash games, as they can still be made well without many resources. However, there is still one way these games can stand out, as shown by today's entry, Sam and Max, and that's in the writing. Perhaps it's because they don't necessarily need the same amount of effort in the game mechanics, but several of these games stand out as particularly great examples of humor in gaming. With that, let's check out the bizarre, twisted, and hilarious world of Sam and Max.
To be clear, I'm reviewing the first 3 seasons of the series as done by Telltale Games. There are some earlier games by Lucasarts, but I'm just looking at the newer stuff.
To sum up, the games focus on the titular duo of Sam and Max, a pair of freelance crimefighters who usually seem like they should be the ones committing the crimes, not the other way around. We follow them as they protect their city and the world from the sinister forces of washed-up child stars, crazed talk show hosts, a theme-park styled mafia, and even stranger and more evil villains. Max is a manic, violent, self-interested rabbity-thing, and Sam is the (slightly) more reasonable straight man of the pair. Your role is to examine things, talk to people, and use and say the right things in the right places to achieve your ultimate goal of the episode, usually in a pretty roundabout way.
Gameplay-wise, the games are fine. I mean, in the P&C genre there's really only so much room to shake things up, so for the most part the game are the typical "find items, talk to people, use X with Y, rinse, repeat." The main room for difference is in the creativity and complexity of the puzzles, and the series generally finds a nice challenge balance so they're not too easy or just frustrating while also some unique puzzle ideas. However, the games do slip into the genre's trademark odd sense of logic at times, making a few of the puzzles confusing. By the third season they seemed more straightforward, though at the same time that could've been me developing the right mindset for these kind of games. All in all, if you like the genre or puzzle solving, you'll probably have fun with it.
But really, the gameplay isn't the main attraction here. It's the dialogue, and this is really some of the best I've seen in a game in a long time. The humor in this game is top-notch and it covers all kinds of humor: reference jokes, dark humor, general zany humor, some physical slapstick, and some fourth wall breaks as well. Every episode is absolutely hilarious, with basically every interaction with anything being played for comedy. Some of the episodes in Season 3 take a decidedly darker turn, but even then the comedy is still at the forefront and honestly some of the funniest moments are there as well. In all honesty, the series is definitely one of the funniest I've ever played, if not the funniest.
When it comes to the graphics, they look good. The first two seasons have a cartoony 3D style and, while it's not anything special, it's nice enough to look at. The series takes a noteworthy jump in graphics quality going into the third season however. It's still generally cartoony, but everything is just a much higher level of quality. The environments tend to be a bit darker, but that fits the overall theme of Season 3, so it's not really a problem.
The music in this series is pretty good - nice and catchy and really fitting the mood. It has this jazzy feel to it that really makes it feel like the dated cop show that the game borrows from. I really liked the opening themes with their upbeat, smooth sounds; always got me going and ready to fend off the newest bizarre menace. Of real note are some of the musical numbers in the first season. There are 3 or 4 of these, and almost all of these are hilarious and insanely catchy. My favorite is probably "Useful to Boot," a song sung by a group of obsolete machines about how they're better than the new stuff. It's funnier than it sounds and will probably be stuck in your head for a while.
All in all, the series as a whole is great and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes point-and-click adventures or puzzle solving, or anyone who appreciates great humor in games. Comparing the individual seasons, I'd say the series has generally improved with time, with the later seasons being better in most regards. After playing a bit of The Devil's Playhouse (Season 3), I got so into it I beat all 5 episodes in a few days. However, there's a decent amount of continuity between the seasons, so I'd definitely recommend playing them in order.
Finally, while I don't normally mention specific sites/sales, at the time of writing this there's a sale going on at Telltale Games' website until the end of June where everything is 75% off. This means you can get the whole collection for only $12.50! At this price, the only reason the games wouldn't be worth it is if you hate the genre or can't stand humor in your games or something. Seriously, check it out.
That's all I've got. See you next time!
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