Poker Night at the Inventory was part of Telltale's short lived Pilot Program wherein crazy concepts were given a pilot episode and the fan and critical reaction would determine whether another episode would be ordered.
It is a spiritual sequel to Telltale Texas Hold'em, except rather than the original characters of that game features such video game characters as Max from Sam & Max, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, Tycho from Penny Arcade, and The Heavy from Team Fortress 2. The player plays against these four and is simply referred to as "The Player".
The setting is The Inventory, a speakeasy where video game characters go to relax when not in their respective games. The host of of The Inventory, Reginald Van Winslow from Tales of Monkey Island, is the person who brings the player to the table to play high-stakes poker with the rest of the characters.
Like Telltale Texas Hold'em before it, Poker Night at the Inventory contains a solid Texas hold'em framework, but the real fun comes from the conversations with the various characters at the table. Each of the characters use their respective voice actors, although Dave Boat puts in a very suitable performance as Max, and Tycho receives a voice for the first time thanks to Andrew Chaikin.
The conversations are a lot more fun than its predecessor as they benefit from the lore of each intellectual property represented. It is a real joy to have the characters speak to each other, and it is especially fun for fans of the characters, as they will often reference characters and situations from their respective franchises. The excellent performances from the voice actors really help as well, as they all keep you invested in the game and really do make it feel like a bunch of game characters just having some fun on their day off.
Texas Telltale Hold'em used excellent jazz music by the band led by Jerry Logas, the father of one of the developers of the game, Heather Logas. The music of Poker Night at the Inventory is provided by the stalwart composer that is used by Telltale in most of their games, Jared Emerson-Johnson. He provides a really jazzy soundtrack that includes a new theme for The Inventory as well as jazzified versions of songs from the franchises represented. The jazz remix of the office theme in Telltale's Sam & Max games is especially enjoyable.
Poker Night at the Inventory is a worthy spiritual successor of Telltale Texas Hold'em. The music and voice acting is spot-on, with Dave Boat and Andrew Chaikin especially shining in their new roles as Max and Tycho, respectively. The Heavy, Max, Tycho, and Strong Bad bring great conversations that help make up for the fact that it is one-player only. This is one of the few times where a multiplayer mode would actually hinder the game, as it wouldn't be nearly as fun to play the game without hearing the character conversations.
Final Verdict:
3½ out of 5
Strong Bad
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