Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Remastered

The remasters of Telltale’s Sam & Max series have been an incredibly nostalgic journey while enhancing the graphical fidelity, art style, and some aspects of the gameplay. This latest edition, The Devil’s Playhouse, marks the end of the long remastering adventure, significantly upgrading the graphical design and leading to a somewhat different aesthetic. It also keeps the core puzzle challenges and story intact, with the same humor that many veteran Sam & Max players will recognize. Yet, despite all the improvements made, it somewhat lacks sufficient innovation and enhancements to the gameplay and narrative. 

Initially developed by Telltale Games and remastered by Skunkape Games, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse sees the detective duo battling a space ape warlord named Skun-ka’pe (or Skunkape) with the power of psychic toys only usable by Max. Throughout the five episodes, which take about 2-4 hours each, Sam and Max discover what precisely these toys are, their origins, and their connection to Max himself. If you are someone who played this season when it came out years ago, it is very much a retread of the original plot with no noticeable changes. On the one hand, this means the jokes and humor remain untouched. As someone replaying the game after many years, I still laughed at the wisecracks and shenanigans. You can easily see how the plot points between each episode are connected. 

However, you will start to see the story crumble. The last two episodes, in particular, have out-of-nowhere villain reveals and a couple of plot points that seem manufactured instead of naturally explicated. These are very minor criticisms but still tangible. 

The game’s main selling point – the improved artwork – gives it a fresh presentation. With the cel shading and subtle black outlines, the characters and environments look like something from a graphic novel. There have also been fixes to the lighting by decreasing the bloom effect and emphasizing natural sources and distinct colors. Even so, The Devil’s Playhouse is more of a clean-up job, unlike the previous two seasons where the changes were like night and day compared to their original counterparts. 

The voice acting and soundtrack remain unchanged. The voices are imports from the original game, which is excellent since the voiceovers were outstanding and unforgettable, second only to those in the Freelance Police cartoon. The soundtrack is what a Sam & Max fan would expect: noir themes heightened by saxophones and xylophone keys, with a few synth sounds to add variety. Egyptian and 1920s themes are sprinkled into every episode, making each chapter and area distinct. 

Gameplay-wise, The Devil’s Playhouse retains the core elements but not much else. As Sam, you can walk around the locales, pick up and interact with items, and talk to the various side characters. Max utilizes the psychic toys, which allow him to see glimpses of the future, morph into other objects, read minds, and more. These are handy in finding hints or solutions for certain puzzles but can also add humor. This was what the original game presented, and not much has changed. It is slightly disappointing that you can’t do some of the fun things the previous series’ games let you do, such as drawing and firing your gun at almost everything in sight. This was a particularly entertaining mechanic and why The Devil’s Playhouse remaster refuses to let you do it is perplexing. It’s a significant missed opportunity. 

Nonetheless, this is a very faithful, entertaining remaster of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse. Replaying this game years later, I was pleasantly surprised at how the jokes still made me chuckle – and the changes to the presentation, while somewhat more minimal than in the series’ previous remasters, are a serious enhancement. Whether as a nostalgic adventure for certain players or a welcome introduction to the world of Telltale’s Sam & Max for others, Skunkape Games has successfully improved and preserved these Sam & Max classics.

The Good

• Graphics have noticeably improved
• Faithful to the core gameplay and story
• Jokes are still hilarious
• Soundtracks vary between episodes and are well-composed

The Bad

• The story somewhat disappoints by the end
• Lack of gameplay innovations from previous games in the series

Our Verdict

Very good

A game of very high quality. Although some aspects might have been executed better, we would recommend this game without hesitation.

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Remastered keeps the overall game the same while polishing the presentation. Yet, one or two missing elements from the remastered predecessors and the confusing narrative of the last two episodes hold it back from true greatness. If you are a Sam & Max fan or someone new to the Sam & Max universe, this game and its predecessors are both the best reminiscent journey and gateway imaginable.