Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Reviews
The remastering of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is a milestone that any adventure fan should celebrate
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse is exactly what you want from a remaster. It has been faithfully rebuilt, adding improvements and things that make sense, and tightening the things that were a little leaky. I loved stepping back into Sam's (lack of) shoes and holding the world to rights as a newly psychic Max. If you don't mind a bit of juvenile humour, this is still one of the funniest point-and-click adventures I've ever played, but a little prettier than I remember.
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!
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse remastered adds a much needed, fresh coat of paint to a fantastic adventure game. This is quite possibly the best the Freelance Police have to offer, and it's better than ever. The Switch version suffers from some framerate drops and loading issues, but even there it's a great time with your little buddy.
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.
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.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
This expertly remastered outing for Sam & Max is an adventure game to remember and a spectacular conclusion to their Telltale adventures!
Overall, Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered is a masterful remaster of a highly entertaining game. The game has a unique narrative structure, inventive gameplay, and engaging new elements. With its compelling story, lovable characters, and clever puzzles, it is a shining example of what episodic adventure games can achieve. Whether you're a longtime fan of Sam & Max or a newcomer to the series, The Devil's Playhouse offers hours of humorous adventures.
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is as mad as its titular rabbit, and is only let down by long load times and some control issues.
Being able to have fun and deliver joke after joke while still taking itself seriously is no small feat, and The Devil’s Playhouse is witty, charming, and rakish in delivery and execution. While I didn’t always love how the controls made me feel, once I was in the pocket I had a grand time conversing, experimenting, and just loving the universe overall.
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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse– the remastered version- is a good addition to reminding us what gaming used to be like and how we sort of forgot how to bring the writing to the top. With gameplay being the same with improvements, it’s a great choice for people who want to reminisce about the old times and an excellent way for puzzle-solving people to dive into the games, too. Just to let you know, the original game is currently free on Steam, so if you want to experience this title originally, you can, but I highly suggest keeping it to a high standard with this version, too.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is a must-play remaster if you like the original trilogy. Between the overhauled and heavily upgraded visuals, there’s already enough to get anybody hooked on the chaotic due’s antics, but you’ll likely find yourself staying for the music, too. It’s refreshing to see that Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse got several major QOL improvements, too, for the sake of modernizing the gameplay while maintaining the original nostalgia. So, if you’re a fan of the old trilogy or new, you’re in for a treat with this one.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is a beautiful conclusion to a fun and classic point-and-click trilogy. If you are a fan of the games, you’ll love this one. If this is the first Sam & Max game you try, you might also pick up the others.