After playing a Sam & Max game for the first time a few months back with Episode 1, I was hooked on the unique characters, pop culture references, and enticing story. So when I picked up the next installment in the series following the mysterious Devil’s Toybox, it’s needless to say that I expected more of what I got in the last installment. I was not disappointed. Episode 2 delivers new characters, more humor, and a new story that had me hooked from the start.
But with all this said from a fans point of view, how does the game fair on a reviewers point of view? Is it just more of the same? Or does it bring in any new aspects to freshen it up? Lets take a look at the HOTs and NOTs of Telltale Games’ new adventure.
HOT
A Story With A Twist
And I don’t mean a twist as just a plot device, I also mean a twist in how it’s told. Before I go into that though, let me give you a run down of what our heroes are faced with this time. After the cliff hanger ending of the last episode, we find our heroes staring at the skeletons of their grandfathers. Next to them they find a reel of old film and a projector. This is where the adventure begins. You will spend the game playing as Sammeth and Maximus, the grandfathers of our two heroes. The story follows their search for the Devil’s Toybox in the Tomb of Sammun-Mak. In order to do this, you will use an interesting feature that can be compared to the first episodes ability to see the future. You will use the four different reels of the projector to solve puzzles and give you a better view as to what you need to do to solve puzzles.
Gameplay Is Addicting
As with the previous game, you will walk around and use your sleuth skills to solve the puzzles and the occasional psychic power to overcome an obstacle. The humor does a good job of breaking away from boredom and keeps the dialogue fresh through the entire game. All of this coupled with the unique way of story telling and hilarious characters makes for quite an entertaining adventure.
NOT
A Few Technical Annoyances
There are two noticeable things that can interrupt the experience and get a bit annoying. The first is the framerate lag. This happens when there is fast motion or action onscreen just like in the first one. The second that can put a damper on it is the amount of time you spend looking at a loading screen. Though neither of these are huge problem, they are still noticeable and cut into the experience and storytelling.
Verdict
In all, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Episode 2: The Tomb Of Sammun-Mak is just as good as the first episode in the ways of storytelling, humor, and interesting characters and settings. Though minor technical bugs pop up here and there and the loading screens can suck, this is definitely worth playing for anyone who is a fan of Sam & Max or for gamers who enjoy puzzle and investigation adventure games. If you haven’t picked up the first one and want a good story of adventure, definitely pop into the PSN Store and give them a look. You won’t be disappointed.
[Editor’s Note: Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Episode 2: The Tomb Of Sammun-Mak was reviewed on a PS3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher.]
