Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse

The writing is the real star, though, with a manic joke-a-minute energy that is so deliciously, darkly comedic. A number of references are a little dated now, and a couple of jokes aren’t nearly as funny in today's world. However, by and large, the wackiness of the narrative and minute-to-minute character interactions propel the title forward.

This expertly remastered outing for Sam & Max is an adventure game to remember and a spectacular conclusion to their Telltale adventures!

They simply don’t make games like this anymore, for the most part. To be fair Monkey Island totally came back, and there was an… attempt at a new Sam & Max game (in VR form, which went as well as it sounds). But adventure games in the pre-Walking Dead Telltale style, the sort of zombified fusion of LucasArts’s classic SCUMM system with modern (at the time) PC game conventions are long gone. Skunkape Games’ remasters of all three Sam & Max seasons are the best ways to go back and experience a point in history that still doesn’t feel real sometimes. This is technically a review for The Devil’s Playhouse, but I can’t insist strongly enough how crucial it is to play all three games and take them in as not just a whole work, but a moment in time that won’t easily be replaced. Snag Hit the Road too while you’re at it; it’s only like six bucks on Steam. Long live the Freelance Police!

Telltale has really naild the writing here, and they've also played around with the gameplay, which is more varied and variable than in the past. The old flaws are still there, unfortunately, but if you can get past them, you get a really stylish, witty and entertaining adventure game that will easily take you 15 hours to play.

The remastering of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is a milestone that any adventure fan should celebrate

This remaster of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is just as great and crazy as two last seasons. Neat puzzles, dry and well written humour and quirky characters: We can only hope that these guys come back someday.

When it comes to point-and-click puzzle games, this is a nearly flawless example of how to tell an engaging story while giving players plenty to do and not holding their hand along the way. I find it hard to imagine a much better structure for the genre, and though some of the humor and characters weren't to my taste, those minor gripes are far outweighed by the positives.  Whether you missed Sam & Max in the ‘90s and aughts, or you’re looking for an excuse to revisit the series, it’s hard to go wrong with The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered.

A journey back in time to the golden days of the duo Sam & Max and the life of Telltale Games before The Walking Dead series.

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered is a wonderful sign-off for a memorable trilogy of remastered old-school adventures. It nails the age-old adventure game process that players have come to love over the years with its clever puzzle design, whilst Max’s psychic enigmas add a welcome (and wacky) twist to the familiar formula. Add to that the revamped visuals and audio and it’ll be easy to see that Skunkape Games have really put a lot of love and effort into giving these beloved adventures the top notch treatment that they deserved.

There are many examples of how to do a remaster well, this is one of them. In Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered, Skunkape's affection for the franchise is appreciated. Perhaps if you did not play the other previous installments you wonder if you can face this adventure without problems understanding the story, and the answer is yes, although there are many details that are treated or seen that happened in previous installments.