These kind of reappearances are but one of the reasons each installment only gets better. The game is packed with subtle references to previous episodes, meaning faithful fans will get bonus chuckles as they wander around exploring the latest adventure.
Of course, the real stars in all this continues to be the excellent writers. You’ll find yourself clicking each object in every room just to hear the one-liners and downright unreal conversations. Unlike most TV shows, where you get ten so-so jokes for every laugh-out-loud one, Sam & Max nails closer to two out of three.
The voice acting is superb, especially on Sam & Max’s part. Having the wrong people try to rattle off this kind of dialogue would be disastrous, but these guys know what they’re doing.
As for graphics, it’s the same engine as the previous episodes; colorful, cartoon settings with just the right amount of detail to make out the subtle background jokes. I still miss some measure of camera control, however, as I’d really like to have a closer look at the shelves at Bosco’s or the walls at Sybil’s office.
The downside
My main complaint is that there’s just not more of the good stuff to go around. I want more than an hour’s worth of Sam & Max, rather than have credits roll just when you’re getting good and warmed up. As mentioned earlier, there’s not much challenge to the puzzles.
I imagine TellTale weighed the options of challenge vs. keeping the most amount of players continuously entertained. Can’t blame them for deciding to err on the side of caution, but a little more oomph wouldn’t hurt.
