Sam and Max: Save the World Review
Written on June 24, 2009 by Matt
Saving the world ... for very reasonable prices!
It’s been absent for a long time now, but the adventure game is clawing it’s way back into your gaming field of vision. Sam and Max: Save the World delivers in one package the first six episodes of Telltale Games’ continuation of the Sam and Max franchise. To clarify however, these games aren’t new, they were originally released online in the bygone yesteryear of 2006. Sam and Max: Save the World is simply a new port to make the first six games available for the 360. Hopefully, with enough interest, we’ll also be getting the next six!
Even though I knew of their existence, I hadn’t actually tried the new games yet, because I’m not really into playing my games in short segments (as witnessed by the fact I sat down and finished this game whilst forsaking all others). So when this package was announced, I immediately vowed to get on board: it compiles several episodes for sustained gameplay, it’s nostalgic off the charts, combines classic adventure gaming and also nurtures the achievement whore deep inside too.
And I was not disappointed, on any of these scores. If you haven’t played the original Sam and Max: Hit the Road, well a lot of gamers (me included) will tell you of your deficient gaming lineage. It’s one of the all time classics of computer gaming, which is why it was an obvious choice to update for the new generation.
For those like me who did play the original, the first thing you’ll notice is that the original voice actors aren’t back to reprise their roles, which was kind of a disappointment. The new voice acting is good, but for at least the first two episodes you’ll have to shake the feeling that Sam and Max don’t actually sound like themselves. The next obvious difference is that Sam and Max are now in 3D. Again, it’s odd, but not unwelcome. If anything, Max is almost more marketable in 3D, with his constant wide grin and cute lagomorph exterior.
His Lordship and Overseer of the Seventh Plane, Maximillian
Gone are the days of “use”, “look at”, “talk to” and so forth, the games are based on a simple point and click interface. If you point to something and click on it, Sam will investigate it, take it if he’s able, or talk to it if it’s another character. On top of this, you can also use any object in your posession with different elements of the environment. You retain your ability to choose conversation arcs, and every now and again you’ll also be able to use Max in conversation too (typically to either insult or threaten someone, bless him).
This simplification would probably mean to a lot of adventure game enthusiasts that the puzzles would be dumbed down slightly, and to a degree this may be true. There’s no ability to combine inventory items is gone, which used to be one of the staples of the genre, which reduces the “mix and match” style of gameplay many players are used to. To counter this, Save the World more often than not makes obtaining story items the challenging part of the game. The number of times you’ll have to find a bizarrely enormous amount of cash to pay for an item from the local (in)convenience store … well it’s 6 actually, but that’s only to say that you have to do it once every episode. If you do manage to find yourself stuck (trust me, it’ll still happen!), Max acts as a hint-book for the player. Max doesn’t spell things out very often, but his demented ramblings will usually point the player in the right direction.
Telltale took great care to translate the 2D original setting into 3D
Of course, the reason everyone remembers the original Sam and Max was the humour and the characters. I’m delighted to say that both of these elements are still very strong. The traditional verbal acrobatics are continued, from Sam’s increasingly long expressions of shock to Max’s frequent comedic misunderstanding of longer words, the franchise’s strengths remain in it’s great writing and humour. Sam and Max are as laugh out loud funny as ever, and the situations they become wrapped up in only accent this. During the course of Save the World, the duo will: tape a sitcom, reduce the internet to a text adventure, engage in a battle of debate with a statue of Lincoln, attempt to blow up Krypton and much more. All to the rapid-fire back-and-forth banter of Sam and Max. I won’t lie, it’s not all top shelf material, but the hits are far more frequent than the misses, and with the sheer volume of jokes the game pushes the players way, you’re guaranteed many a hearty chuckle. There are also plenty of in-jokes for anyone familiar with earlier LucasArts titles, which is a nice touch. For instance, after becoming 2D inside the internet, Sam remarks on the sensation as feeling “familiar”. There are also any numbers of references to be found in the cavalcade of “Do you have any…” conversations at Bosco’s.
The only thing that felt lacking to me in this game, even amongst the high number of crazy things Sam and Max have to do to complete this game fully, was that there wasn’t a huge amount of variety. I’m hoping this is simply because the six episodes are supposed to be played as one game and there is an overhaul for season 2. The only reason I bring this up is that most episodes consist of two main areas: the block that contains Sam and Max’s office, Bosco’s Inconvenience and career-swapping Sybil’s, then whatever area the two are currently investigating. You’ll also find that by Episode Four, you’ve kind of already met every character the game plans to introduce too. Again, this would be normal if this was one big game, but the episodic nature of the release makes it seem as though something is lacking.
There are also a few mini-games to complete, but nothing of any real consequence. A working copy of “Car Bomb!” is nowhere to be found, unfortunately.
The Verdict:
This is a fantastic game overall. The combination of six episodes means the game will last long enough for the traditional adventure fan, and there always seems to be more jokes to uncover in a second playthrough. Most importantly of all: the humour is as good as ever, something which is quite important to any Sam and Max fan. The puzzles range from easy to straight-out confusing, but don’t ever seem to be insurmountable, and all of them give you enough laughs to curb any frustration you might feel with the higher difficulty ones. Overall, it’s new Sam and Max, what more do you need? Thumbs way, way up! Be sure not to switch off before you hear “It’s a Max, Max, Max, Max World”!
