Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remaster

Developed by Skunkape Games, Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse returns the Freelance Police duo for a fast-paced and weird paranormal adventure. This second season of the episodic trilogy puts players in a world full of eccentric characters and mind-bending puzzles, alongside supernatural powers. With Max now hosting a batch of psychic abilities and with an ancient mysterious power at the root of its story, this last installment is sure to take players on quite a wild ride of unexpected twists and turns.

The Bizarre Paranormal Adventure

From the very first moments of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, players are tossed into a realm that has nothing to do with logic—really strange. The game centers on Max, the more unstable of the Freelance Police duo, who discovers a mysterious toy that grants him supernatural powers. This starts a turn of events that brings into play a few galaxy villains in quest of these magic Toys of Power.

The game does a great job of creating atmosphere, quirkiness, and guiding the player through odd locales with a cast of eccentric characters. Each episode is full of brain-tickling puzzles that will have players thinking creatively, working out how to use Max's psychic powers in new and interesting ways. Glimpsing the future, teleporting to different locations, or reading minds, all through the Toys of Power, really freshen up the classic point-and-click adventure gameplay.

One of the standout features regarding The Devil's Playhouse is keeping players attached to its interactive story and surprising plot developments. In case a player gets stuck in the gameplay, it detects and provides subtle, quite helpful hints, maintaining that the momentum doesn't fall off and does not break off the immersion factor. All of this well-thought-out design lets one enjoy the narrative without frustration over getting stuck on particularly thorny puzzles.

A Beautifully Remastered Conclusion

Skunkape Games has done quite the nice job of really bringing The Devil's Playhouse into a modern context where lighting, lip-sync, and cinematography are concerned—not to mention the music. These upgrades will renew life into Telltale's 2010 episodic season so players can experience Telltale's game the most vivid in terms both of visuals and audio. The new remastered version really gives new players, as well as lifelong series fans, an opportunity to see this game in high definition with the proper charm and humor.

If one compares The Devil's Playhouse with another most-loved point-and-click adventure game, such as Grim Fandango, it comes off quite well. Sure, both of them are powerful, engrossing games with memorable characters, but there's just something about the supernatural—added another layer to this interactive storyworld brought into being by Max's newfound psychic abilities. These are all about offering the player a whole new way to engage with the world and work out puzzles with the application of their minds.

Review: 8.5/10

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse makes for a great, exciting close to this episodic trilogy. The weird, engrossing story and innovative use of psychic powers truly make for an unforgettable adventure. Beautiful remastering and careful thought given to design in the puzzles keep the player engaged throughout.

Pros:

• Engrossing, offbeat storyline with unexpected turns
• Innovative Psychic powers add variety to puzzles
• Weird characters and locations that flesh out the world
• Gorgeous remastered graphics and improved cinematography
• Gently helpful hint system prevents players from getting trapped

Cons:

• Quirky humor and supernatural themes may not appeal to all players
• Some puzzles can still be challenging despite the hint system
• Limited replayability once the story is completed