Point-and-Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space: What's New Beelzebub?

The final episode of Sam & Max not only closes the second season with a bang but effectively closes the story started by Telltale's first Sam & Max episode, Culture Shock.
In the game, Sam & Max discover a passage to hell under the building that houses the Freelance Police office. They find that hell is run like a corporation and that Satan is just a figurehead. They have to discover who are the real brains behind the torture and torment.
Telltale gets super creative in this episode, to the benefit of the whole series up to that point. Once Sam and Max discover the room of ironic punishments, they find they can interact with each of them. This allows Sam & Max to interact with people from their past, as well as people with whom it is a surprise that they are now in hell.
The art design in each of these punishment dioramas is really fun and creative. The puzzles are also just as creative. Telltale used the crazy logic of the Sam & Max universe to its advantage in the finale of the first season. However, they have outdone themselves here. Everything including the story, the characters, and the puzzles are suitably weird, wacky, and really enjoyable.
Jared Emerson-Johnson and Bay Area Sound have once again delivered fantastic music that fits the game really well. The voice actors, likewise, have delivered some of their best performances of the entire season. You can tell that everyone had a lot of fun doing this episode, as everything shines.
What's New Beelzebub? is the finale that Sam & Max truly deserve. The music, voice acting, art direction, and story are great. The villain reveals, in particular, is fantastic. This episode satisfyingly closed the storyline of the first two seasons, allowing Telltale to go in a completely different direction in the third season. Whether it's the original game or the remastered high-definition version by Skunkape Games, it's a fantastic game that any fan of Sam & Max, or just point-and-click adventure fans in general, should experience at least once. 
Final Verdict:5 out of 5

Beyond Time and Space (Season Two) Episode 4 review

The Devil's Playhouse: Episode 1 review

Telltale Game Availability

Gearbox Software just re-released Tales from the Borderlands to digital storefronts a few days ago. It's also coming to Switch next month.

Here's a list of the Telltale games that are available again:

The rights to Batman: The Telltale Series, Batman: The Enemy Within, Hector: Badge of Carnage, Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent, Puzzle Agent 2, and The Wolf Among Us, were acquired by LCG Entertainment. It also acquired the publishing rights to RGX Showdown. These rights were secured with their formation of Telltale 2.0 on August 28, 2019. They later acquired the rights to Tales of Monkey Island on June 26, 2020, and Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures on November 7, 2020.

The rights to Telltale's The Walking Dead games were acquired by the creator of The Walking Dead, Skybound. They are now published by Skybound Games, a subsidiary that contracted members of the Telltale staff to finish The Walking Dead: The Final Season from the Telltale 1.0 offices in 2019. They also released a remastered version of all of Telltale's The Walking Dead games titled The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series.

As mentioned above, the rights to Tales from the Borderlands were acquired by 2K subsidiary Gearbox, the company that holds the rights to the Borderlands franchise.

The rights to the Sam & Max games were acquired by Skunkape Games, a company formed by former Telltale 1.0 staff. This is the studio that's currently remastering the games.

These games are currently available again to purchase, plus Sam & Max Save the World is available to pre-order in its remastered form. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space and Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse will be available once Skunkape remasters those as well.

The rest are not available for purchase, although all are available to re-download if you purchased them from GOG.com, Steam, the Telltale Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Nintendo e-Shop, etc. These remaining games presumably remain in rights limbo. I'll keep you updated as, hopefully, more legacy Telltale games become available to purchase again.

Update February 22, 2023: It's been two years to the day since this list was posted here. Since then, Sam & Max Save the World Remastered and Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Remastered were released. Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered will be released in late 2023. The original Sam & Max games are available as a bonus with the remasters of the Windows versions. 

Plus, Tales from the Borderlands received a sequel and there is now a Sam & Max virtual reality game. Additionally, if all goes as planned, Telltale 2.0 will release its first games in late 2023, including The Expanse and the long-awaited sequel to The Wolf Among Us.

Happy New Year

2020 was an awful year, but it did bring some surprises. We got a Sam & Max Save the World (aka Sam & Max Season One) high-definition remaster from Skunkape Games (a company registered to Dan Connors and staffed by many early Telltale developers) for Windows and Switch.

I'll be updating the reviews on the season to Mega Reviews shortly, but I'll just say now that the Switch version is awesome. It's so much fun playing Sam & Max on the go.

On the subject of Sam & Max, 2020 also brought the announcement that a virtual reality game starring the titular duo will be coming from Happy Giant in 2021. Titled Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual, the game will finally bring to life the virtual reality Sam & Max environment that was first teased in Sam & Max Hit the Road way back in the halcyon year of 1993.

Skunkape Games also hinted at a high-definition remaster of Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space (aka Sam & Max Season Two) as well, so 2021 should prove to be a very good year indeed for the dog and hyperkinetic rabbity thing.

Hopefully it's a very good year for the rest of us as well.

Point and Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Moai Better Blues

This review was originally posted on the McMurray Internet Channel website on March 2, 2019.

The second episode of the second season of Telltale's Sam & Max series takes the weird and wacky and rolls with it, creating a memorable episode with equally memorable characters and situations.

This episode takes Sam and Max to Easter Island where they meet arguably the weirdest set of new characters seen up to this point in Telltale's take on the duo. Of course, oddness usually equals goodness in the world of the Freelance Police, and that is certainly the case here. The new characters are presented, scripted, and voiced excellently. There are also some characters who return from Season One, and their interactions with the new characters are some of the best and most memorable parts of this episode. Plus, this is the episode that gave us Banang, which became a recurring gag in Telltale's games right up to their unfortunate majority closure and assignment in 2018.

The puzzles are equally as memorable and are among the best of Telltale's games up to this point. They are strange but have a weird logic to them that oddly works in the twisted world of Sam & Max. The portal puzzles remain one of my favorites throughout the entirety of Sam & Max. They took a while to figure out, but once I put my mind to the strangeness of the world, I figured them out right away. I've loved them for their weirdness ever since.

Jared Emerson-Johnson and Bay Area Sound are also at the top of their game in this episode. The island setting allows them to get their groove on, with a mix of tropical island beats and the jazz undertones that the series has always been known for, going right back to the original LucasArts adventure game. The voice work is also top-notch, with both the returning and new cast delivering some of the best performances so far.

This episode is an excellent example of a Telltale at the top of its adventure game-making powers. It's a fun, and funny episode, with excellent music, excellent music, and excellent puzzles. It's well worth a play for anyone who is even remotely curious about Telltale's earlier adventure games.

Update March 16, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Remastered by Skunkape games does update the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.
 

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Beyond Time and Space (Season Two) Episode 1 review

Beyond Time and Space: Episode 3 review

Point and Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Ice Station Santa

Ice Station Santa starts the second season of Sam & Max with a bang.  The episode is delivered in much the same manner as the episodes in the first season, but enough has been changed to help it feel fresh.

The first season begins where the first left off.  Max is still president of the United States, and the duo has just received a gift in the form of a destructive robot that was designed as part of Max's own executive orders as president.   The Maimtron 9000 is a fun character, as the fact that he speaks in mostly song lyrics is actually pretty funny.  He would be annoying over time, but he is fun in short spurts, which is the amount of time he's given here.  His appearance also leads to a creative way for Telltale to change things around on the street which leads to a much-needed break from the routine.  Adding to the break from the routine, Bosco’s store gets an overhaul worthy of his paranoia, and he finally drops his disguise schtick.  This leads to some really humorous dialog between Sam & Max and Bosco, which is among the funniest that Telltale has written to date.  Additionally, the duo's private detective hero from the comics and Sam & Max Hit the Road, Flint Paper, finally makes a cameo appearance. Capping off the new material, Stinky's Diner is finally open for business.  However, Sam & Max’s office is starting to really get stale by this point.  For the change of the street, the same can’t be said here. Most of the office is the same, save for the extra addition to Sam & Max’s closet full of souvenirs of their cases and the hole in the wall leading to Flint’s office.

The reuse of material is not too bad, however, as not a lot of time is spent in the areas already visited, with most of the game taking place in new locations and in those which have been redesigned. The new locations are nicely done and fit well with the visual style of the game.  Bosco's store redesign is excellent as well, and both fit with his character and with the game's world.  Not a lot of change has noticeably happened between the first and second seasons as far as the graphic abilities of the Telltale Tool are concerned, so there are still jagged edges that are noticeable on the characters.  However, this isn't too bad, and the characters still manage to still look nice thanks to the art style of the series.  Most of the versions are presented with the same traditional point-and-click interface as the first season.  The exception is the version for PlayStation 3, which is direct-controlled.  The interface in this game differs from that in their later direct-controlled games, as movement is controlled with the left stick, and rather than having a cursor controlled by the right stick, objects are selected by toggling between them with the shoulder buttons.  It's kind of cumbersome, but it's not too bad once you get used to it.

The meat of any Sam & Max episode is the wacky cases that they inevitably end up having to investigate, and this one is a doozy.  It involves a rampaging Santa, and the explanation of why he was doing it was actually pretty good, in a bizarre Sam & Max universe kind of way.  The best part of the story comes halfway in, when it becomes a twist on A Christmas Carol, making the duo jump through time streams as they try to set the current Christmas right by exploring past, present, and future Christmas days.  The jumping between time streams and the puzzles related to them is truly inspiring. Telltale designed some pretty good puzzles here using the time stream mechanic.  There is also an excellent Punch-Out-inspired boxing mini-game, complete with a Punch-Out style theme song. This is really just quick time events, but it’s done in a much less invasive way than Telltale’s current games, and the prompts for which button to hit are actually old-school visual cues from the characters, Punch-Out style.  This makes it much more natural, and actually gives the illusion of direct control.

The music is once again excellent, as is usual for Jared Emerson-Johnson and Bay Area Sound.  I have always enjoyed his lyrical songs from the Sam & Max seasons, and The Friendly Demon song is no exception.  The instrumental music is great as well and really helps to set the tone of the game. Most of the returning characters are voiced excellently, especially the bug.  He was funny in the last season, and he is funny as well. His setup introduces the first of the birthday songs, which is funny here in its randomness but will make more sense as the season goes on.  The newly introduced character, Stinky, is kind of annoying here, but that’s the point of her character. Her voice actress actually handles the character pretty well, so it keeps the character from going into Soda Popper territory.  The Soda Poppers have also reappeared, and unfortunately, they are just as annoying as before.  They still have their annoying adult trying to sound like kid voices. Last season showed they weren’t too bad actually when their voices were toned down when they were sad. They actually aren’t that bad when toned down, but they’re at full force here. Thankfully, their part in the episode is quite small, so their grating voice acting doesn't deter the rest of the game.

Ice Station Santa is an excellent episode, as the puzzles are really good, the music is fantastic, the new locations are fun, and the story is great. Most of the characters are enjoyable, except for the Soda Poppers, which thankfully have a really small role.  It's a great way to start the season, and, overall, is one of the best episodes of the Sam & Max series.

This episode was so fun, in fact, that it led to Telltale re-editing it into a 20-minute video as a stand-alone Christmas Special, titled Sam & Max Nearly Save Christmas.

Update March 16, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Remastered by Skunkape games does update the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Sam & Max Save the World (Season 1) Episode 6 review

Beyond Time and Space: Episode 2 review

Point and Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Save the World - Bright Side of the Moon

After a slow start, Telltale's first foray into the world of Sam & Max began picking up steam by the middle of the first season.  The first season finale wraps things up in spectacular fashion.

The episode picks up right where the last episode left off, with Sam finally piecing together who is behind the events of the season.  As was revealed in the final shot of the penultimate episode, Telltale lets Sam go through a whole complicated, nonsensical reasoning as to who the villain could be when the clues are quite obvious. This dialog is the closest Telltale has ever gotten to the feel of the conversations in the comics, in my opinion.  However, the hint towards the identity of the villain is supposed to be obvious, as it’s a mnemonic device that’s often taught in North American schools. If you don’t know it, Sam’s reasoning as to who the villain is could be seen as too nonsensical.

In this episode, the duo travel to the moon, and experience one of the most bizarre, yet fun adventures of their career.  Their journey to the moon is not explained.  However, as Sam and Max often go through time and space without explanations in the comics, this fits perfectly in their universe.  This isn't their first journey to the moon, since these games are based on the comic universe. If you still wonder how they got to the moon after playing this episode, I suggest reading the comic (or watching the television episode based on the comic) Bad Day on the Moon (which was foreshadowed throughout the entire season by a picture from that comic story in the office).  I don’t personally feel that this explanation is necessary though (since explanations are often not given in the Sam & Max universe), and feel it worked fine as shown in the episode. Since the duo already knows how to get there, having Max just point to the moon at the end of the credit sequence actually worked well, and was a fun little deviation from the norm.

The new environments on the moon are all done really well and have a lot of personality to them. This is the furthest that Sam & Max have ever gone towards mysticism in the games, so the environments and puzzles don't conform to real-world logic.  The puzzles are really fun, however, especially the puzzles involving the magical talismans and those involving Max.  The puzzles aren’t for everybody, because they don’t follow real-life logic at all, but I felt they followed the logic of the Sam & Max universe well. Plus, it let the Telltale team think outside of the box, and get really creative. I personally thought they were all really enjoyable.

There are no new characters, but the returning cast is used well. I especially like the fact that Harry Moleman’s character is fleshed out here since we didn’t get to know him very well in his previous episode. The people that follow the cult of the villain are an unusual mix, but their reasons for being there all fit their personalities. I especially liked Superball, as the dialog contrasts with his personality wonderfully. Sybil’s job here is the best of the season. It’s so off-the-wall, but it fits the absurdity of the Sam & Max universe perfectly. I liked Bosco the best here this season too. The deployment of his invention was among the funniest of the season.  The villain of the season was perfect as well. I like how Telltale did a bait-and-switch by having the first episode have a different villain than the rest of the season, but there are still clues throughout all the episodes as to who the real villain is. I always liked that character, but even more so as a villain.

The humor here is also really great, and the characters get a chance to be portrayed in a way they hadn't been before. All of the voice actors were able to shine, voicing their characters in multiple ways. William Kasten in particular did a great job doing subtly different voices of Max. The music was equally excellent, including a superb end-credits song that actually continued the plot of the game into the credits. The War Song may be my favorite musical number of the season, but World of Max is my favorite song. Jared Emerson-Johnson and Bay Area Sound did a great job with all of the music in this season, and they finished it off wonderfully in this episode.

Bright Side of the Moon is my favorite episode of the first season.  The quality of the episodes in Season One kept improving since episode 4, and that trend continued here. The puzzles were fun, and the new environments were fantastic.  The characters were the funniest they had been all season, thanks in no small part to the multi-layered portrayal by the voice actors.  The music was also fantastic, fitting into the plot of the game seamlessly.  This episode was an excellent way to end the season.

Update February 4, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Save the World Remastered by Skunkape games updates the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor and some of the lines of dialog were changed. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Save the World: Episode 5 Review

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space (Season 2) Episode 1 Review

Point-and-Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space: Chariots of the Dogs

Chariots of the Dogs is Telltale's strongest episode yet, providing the right mix of plot and humor, with some of the best puzzles they've ever designed.

The duo goes into Bosco's store to find out that he is missing.  When they finally do find him, they accidentally change the timestream.  Now they have to travel back and forth through time and space in order to try to set things right.  I'm not going to spoil more, but the plot is much more fantastical than its premise.  From the beginning, it is rife with humor, and the way that the plot is handled is excellent, although, in true Sam & Max fashion, wonderfully twisted from start to finish.

The plot also allows for some clever puzzles, which really allows Telltale to shine.  They are some of the most fun and brilliantly designed puzzles that Telltale has ever produced.  The best part of this game is the locations.  From the fantastic new location where Bosco is held, to the past and future versions of locations that have already been visited, each area is bustling with personality.  The returning characters are used to great effect here.  Bosco has never been put to better use than he has here, and he has never been funnier.  His voice actor does a fantastic job with the character.  The new characters are also excellent, each having an eccentric personality that fits right in with the rest of the eclectic cast.

The musical style really shines as well.  Jared Emerson-Johnson and Bay Area Sound have done some of their best work with the music in this episode.  There is a great mix of styles in use here, from a futuristic style to Mexican mariachi.  Each song fits the location where it is used and fits the world of Sam & Max excellently.

The penultimate episode of Sam & Max Season Two is not only the strongest episode of the season, but it is the strongest episode Telltale has ever produced.  Everything is excellent, from the fantastic plot and humor to the wonderfully fun puzzles, excellent use of characters, imaginative use of new and returning locations, and fantastic voice acting and music.  This episode is a must-play for fans of humourous point-and-click adventure games.

Update March 16, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Remastered by Skunkape games does update the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Beyond Time and Space (Season Two) Episode 3 review

Beyond Time and Space: Episode 5 review

Point and Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Night of the Raving Dead

The third episode of the second season continues to add spice to the series, by taking the duo to more exotic locales.  This time they land in Germany and battle zombies and an emo vampire in one of the best episodes of the series.

The game starts with Sam & Max about to be killed by a medieval torture device, while they recount the tale of how they got to be stuck in that situation.  It turns out they were sent out on a case that involved a zombie factory in Stutgart, Germany.  Of course, in true Sam & Max fashion, the case ends up not entirely as expected, and they soon find themselves in the middle of a rave ran by an emo vampire named Jurgen.

The voice acting of Jurgen is hilariously over the top, and the rest of the cast deliver performances to match.  The writing in this episode is among the best in the entire series, delivering tons of hilarious references to pop culture and monster movies, while delivering a fantastic storyline as well.  The area around Sam & Max's office may be getting a bit tiresome by this point, but the part of Stuttgart the duo visits is fantastic.  The backgrounds ooze atmosphere, and the background monsters are fabulously animated as well.  I found myself just standing on the dance floor of the rave just to watch the hilarious animations unfold.  Rarely has an episode of Sam & Max been this lively.

The music is also fantastic, showing the range of styles this series has, by capturing the raving mood of Stuttgart perfectly.  The puzzles in this episode are fantastic as well, with the standout being one involving a classic movie monster.  If you're at all a fan of classic Hollywood monster movies, or if you even have a passing interest in them, you'll surely enjoy this episode.

The second season of Sam & Max has brought the duo on more exotic adventures than ever before, and this episode is certainly no different.  The area around Sam & Max's office is getting a bit stale by this point, but everything else is nearly pitch perfect here, from the humor, to the voice acting and music, to the artwork in the new locale, to the fun puzzles.  It seems that Germany is a perfect match for the freelance police, as Night of the Raving Dead is one of the best episodes of the entire series.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Beyond Time and Space (Season Two) Episode 2 review

Beyond Time and Space: Episode 4 review

Point-and-Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Save the World - Reality 2.0

The fifth episode of Sam & Max Season one continues where the last one left off, bringing more much needed freshness to the season.

In this episode, Sam & Max must enter a virtual world to try to stop a plan for world-wide hypnosis.  The locations finally get a much needed update, since each real life location is given it's virtual doppleganger in the virtual world.  The running jokes are still here Sybil still has a new job, and Bosco is still paranoid as ever.  His avatar in the virtual world is a delight though.  I enjoyed Max's quips about him.  The Bosco-tech device they're given is also one of the funniest this season.

This episode shines in it's new characters.  The C.O.P.S. are definitely the highlight of the episode.  I'm not going to spoil who they are here, but I will say the loud, large one rightfully became a fan favorite.  He doesn't say much, but his vocal delivery is hilarious.  The voices of each of them are performed by Jared-Emerson Johnson, who also composed the score for this season.  There is a really funny musical number performed by the C.O.P.S. here, which can be heard through dialog options and then later over the credits at the end of the game.


The greatest part about this episode, and the reason it's still one of my favorites, is that it is full of video game parodies and references.  Sam & Max in a virtual world lends itself to video game humor, and you'll find references from everything from the 1970's to the present, from adventure games, to platform games, to RPGs.  There is a really funny sequence at the end of the game that I don't want to spoil.  But if you were a fan of adventure games in the late 70's and early 80's, you'll love it.  The video game references also lend themselves to video game music parodies, and Jared Emerson-Johnson does a great job with that.  There are new songs here that sound like they could have been delivered through 8-bit video game machines of the past. 

The puzzles here are also really enjoyable, and many of them are memorable even years after playing them.  The difficulty level has been raised in this episode too.  The painting puzzle was the first time I had to consult a walk-through during all of my playtime of the episodes of this season. 

Abe Lincoln Must Die was the high point of the season at the time of its release, and Reality 2.0 has it beat in every respect.  The locations were given a much-needed face-lift, and the new characters are among the most memorable of this season.  There are so many jokes, parodies, and visual gags, it might be worth playing through more than once.

Update February 4, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Save the World Remastered by Skunkape games updates the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor and some of the lines of dialog were changed. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Sam & Max Save the World (Season 1) Episode 4 Review

Save the World: Episode 6 Review

Point and Click Adventure Review: Sam & Max Save the World - Abe Lincoln Must Die!

The fourth game removes the feelings of deja-vu, and brings the series to new heights.

In this episode, the duo must investigate a situation where it seems that the president of the United States has been hypnotized. Things don't turn out the way Sam & Max expected, and soon an emergency election for the president of the United States is launched. The giant statue of Abraham Lincoln has been brought to life, as the general feeling is that the original Abe is the one man who the public would never vote against. Sam & Max need to stop this, so it's decided Max has to run for the president of the United States against the giant Abe Lincoln.

The new location of the White House is a lot of fun. Telltale has also thrown in an Easter egg in this location, so feel free to try to find it if you like. It's a pretty clever joke. The previous locations still are the same, and the running gags are still here, but thankfully the locations now have different descriptions for the objects you select. So, the feeling of deja-vu is lessoned a lot with this episode. The funniness factor is also upped a lot here. The running jokes with Sybil's new jobs were becoming tiresome, but her new job here and the lines written for her were pretty funny. Bosco is still imitating accents from other nations (poorly). His actor always gives a great performance with the lines he's given, and they are funnier here than ever.

The last episode had excellent music, but this episode tops that one in every regard. The musical number in this one is even more brilliant than the last, and is so catchy it will be stuck in your head long after you've played. It's an excellent bit of absurdity that fits into the Sam & Max universe perfectly. The voices are also great here. Bosco is great as always. The voices of Sam, Max, and Sybil seem to have hit their stride as of this episode. The dialog seems to flow more naturally than before, and it sounds less like Sam & Max are trying to imitate the Hit the Road characters and more like they are taking the characters in a new direction. Which is an excellent thing, since this series has a different tone than LucasArts' game, so the different interpretation fits well.

The writing has improved, the puzzles are excellent, and the voice actors are beginning to hit their stride. The musical number is the funniest one yet in a Sam & Max game. Now that the episode is free on the PC, this episode should be played by everyone. It's the turning point of the first season, and one of the best episodes the Sam & Max series has to offer.

Update February 4, 2023: There is now another way to play the game. Sam & Max Save the World Remastered by Skunkape games updates the game to the latest version of the Telltale Tool. It also has improved lighting, high-definition graphics, and a remade title song. Because of changing views on various culture-related issues, Bosco has a new voice actor and some of the lines of dialog were changed. Because the new Bosco fits the game well, and the script changes are minor, this is now my favorite way to play the game.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Sam & Max Save the World (Season 1) Episode 3 Review

Save the World: Episode 5 Review