UNLIKE THE BAKED BEANS OUTSIDE BOSCO’S, THIS IS INCREDIBLY FRESH.

I think the pack of Telltale games was one of my first purchases on Steam. This was before Telltale changed directions and focused more on interactive fiction with The Walking Dead and later series. I really liked point and click adventures and Telltale were making them, and I quickly fell in love with Sam & Max. From the comedy to the design of the characters I loved it, the fact that they were great games also helped. As someone who loved early Telltale I was quick to lose interest as they started to become as big as they were before their eventual demise. Luckily, Telltale co-founder Dan Connors alongside original Telltale members Jake Rodkin, Jonathan Sgro, and Randy Tudor have come together as Skunkape Games to remaster the Sam & Max games, and I’m glad to say they did a great job.

Originally I was going to finely comb through the first episode of the season to get every single change made, but luckily Skunkape has listed all the changes for me for the entire season. For the most part, the game plays just like how I remember, except now it has keyboard control for movement, which was originally all done by mouse. When I say the game plays just like how I remember, I mean that as a compliment, because I ran the original version for this review and boy it is rough.

PLATFORMS: PC, SWITCH
MSRP: $19.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $19.99

Apparently, the original games were meant to run on low-end XP computers, which is probably why I had no issue running them on my old laptop. Running them on my current PC results in a black screen with the game running in a very small portion of it, and it is painful to look at because for the most part this is not how I remember it. This is how the game is though, and while I appreciate the fact I can go back and change resolution settings and play the originals I think the remaster really makes them obsolete.

First, the keyboard movement changes a lot. It speeds up movement because it means I don’t have to click multiple times to maintain movement as the screen pans with Sam. Sam could also run, which I couldn’t get Sam to do in the original (so either I couldn’t get it to happen in the original version because I’m dumb or it’s not there). Second, the models, textures, and lighting make this feel way more modern than the plastic looking original. Third, the previously mentioned graphics issues make this widescreen release way better.

I think the biggest issue some people may have is that Bosco’s voice actor has changed and some of his dialog has been changed. There are a few lines from other characters that have changed, but for the most part the game is how I remember it. In fact, I tried to find the moment the voice for Bosco really seemed off, but quite frankly Ogie Banks does an amazing job doing the voice. I listened to Joey Camen’s original and Ogie Banks nearly back to back and I could not distinguish a major difference that I couldn’t put on just audio quality differences.

There’s apparently new music and a few slight puzzle differences due to old feedback from the original releases back in 2006. I’ll be honest, it’s been ten years since I played the original season so I don’t remember every exact detail, so returning to Sam & Max a decade later it just all feels right. Skunkape has said they plan to make the original versions playable at some point as well, which for the purists who dislike the changes is great news I suppose. I hope the later seasons get this same treatment.

Anyone who enjoys point and click adventures absolutely should not skip Sam & Max Save The World. The humor is unmatched in its cynicism and outlandishness. What other game has a statue of Lincoln come to life and fight one of the main characters for presidency, and child stars trying to help a television has-been take over the world? It’s surprisingly fresh over a decade later, and its timeless point and click gameplay delivers it all well. My inner teen is really happy Sam & Max has escaped the fall of Telltale.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.