Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered [PC] | REVIEW

After bringing remastered releases of the first two titles to modern platforms, the team at Skunkape Games have now completed the Telltales Games trilogy, with Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered seeing the dynamic duo’s revived trio of escapades come to an exciting close.

Check out some screenshots down below:

If you’re unfamiliar with Sam and Max, they’re a crime-solving canine and bunny duo that balance each other out perfectly with their polarising personalities. Sam (the dog) is a calm, collected, and methodical guy who likes to get to the bottom of the case, whilst Max (the bunny) is… well… he’s crazy, but their unusual mix of personalities works and ensure that they make for an entertaining pair of protagonists. Oh, and Max is the President, so yeah, there’s that.

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered sees them finding mysterious items known as the ‘Toys of Power’ that grant Max strange psychic abilities. The catch? The villainous Lord Skun-ka’pe has come to Earth to claim them too, sending you on a buddy cop adventure spanning five episodes to stop him. Of course, there’s a lot more to the tale than that, but in these kind of classic adventure games, it’s best to get into the nitty-gritty of the narrative yourself. Just know this: it’s perfectly executed and full of silly humour that those with an anarchic mind are sure to love. The cinematic presentation will instantly pull you into the adventure, and you can expect to find yourself genuinely laughing out loud a LOT – especially when Max is at the forefront of the action.

Whilst this is a remastered release, it still brings with it that classic adventure game spirit that will instantly make it feel familiar to fans of the genre. You’ll move between a variety of kooky locales, you’ll collect unusual items that will EVENTUALLY have some use, and you’ll solve cleverly designed puzzles that range from simple and logical to baffling and obtuse. So far, so familiar, right?

“Sam (the dog) is a calm, collected, and methodical guy who likes to get to the bottom of the case, whilst Max (the bunny) is… well… he’s crazy, but their unusual mix of personalities works and ensure that they make for an entertaining pair of protagonists.”

Well, whilst there is a sense of familiarity to the game, it just so happens to feel fresh and engaging thanks to the wacky nature of the endearing world. Yes, some puzzles might be obtuse, but there’s also a method to their madness that sees them make sense in SOME nonsensical but also completely rational manner. And when you do solve a puzzle through wit and logic alone? It’s a wonderful feeling (though don’t be surprised if you find yourself using the handy hint function at times too).

What makes Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered even more interesting is the variation offered when using each character. Whilst playing as Sam takes a more conventional adventure game approach, Max’s newly-found psychic powers also tie into gameplay, giving players more unusual yet satisfying ways to unravel a puzzle. It’s an intuitive premise that demands players approach each conundrum with a different mindset, with it adding a unique and enjoyable twist to the established formula. It definitely lives up to the wackiness of the game, with some of Max’s puzzles the most bizarre yet satisfying enigmas that you’ll face.

I actually played through the first two entries before heading into Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered, and after completing them all, I really do think that this is the best of the three. Whilst they all complement each other in their own ways (especially when it comes to world and character building) and each has their own special moments, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered’s more varied blend of puzzling and exceptional zany moments just stuck out to me more by the end. Don’t get me wrong, the trilogy of titles are all a treat to play through (and I’d certainly recommend playing the other titles before this in order to appreciate all of the throwbacks and nods), but this does feel like the pinnacle of the series. I really, REALLY enjoyed my time with it.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Given that this is a remastered release, there’s a good chance that you might have played through the adventure before, so you might be wondering what makes it worth re-visiting again. For one, the visuals have seen a significant upgrade, with environments refined to offer improved textures, more detail in their design, and enhanced lighting to add more life to them. The same goes for the character models, which are crisper and cleaner in design when compared to their last-gen counterparts. There’ve been enhancements made to the audio and lip-syncing too, with it clear that Skunkape Games have gone all out to ensure that the remaster covers just about everything.

Of course, newbies to the titles might not appreciate this quite as much, but those who have fond memories of playing the game in it is original form will get the most out of the improvements. They also make the game feel more modernised with the UI and menus, so whilst the changes might not be so obvious if you haven’t played before, they go a long way in making it more accessible for newcomers who are used to the higher modern standards in gaming.

That being said, there were some little issues that would’ve been nice to see re-worked, such as the slow movement speed of characters and the slightly long load times. I’m nitpicking, sure, but after playing through all three games in the trilogy in quick succession, these were the little niggles that felt the most noticeable.

Developer: Skunkape Games, Telltale Games
Publisher: Skunkape Games
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2648050/Sam__Max_The_Devils_Playhouse/