Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (2010)

This final part of the trilogy takes the Sam & Max adventure series to another level, tone-wise and gameplay-wise. The charmingly zany detective duo are thrust into chaos once again, involving alien gorillas, ancient cults and psychic powers.

As I thought the gameplay has been feeling stale towards the end of 2nd season of the series, having Max's psychic power functions for solving puzzles felt like a breath of fresh air. Being able to see the future, do ventriloquism among other things aren't just rewarding progress, it adds a new dimension to the humor value as well.

The puzzles are sufficiently intuitive but enough challenging for 'aha' moments and satisfying pay-offs. There were only a few moments I had to consult a hint guide to get off my stump but, all in all, exploration and trying all kinds of stuff are encouraged.

The Devil's Playhouse makes a worthy conclusion to the series and opens for a continuation(?) down the line. It's rich with memorable characters, but the classy narrator is a welcome surprise to add in here. I might see myself replaying this some time in the future.

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is the best in the Sam & Max trilogy. Bar none. It just does everything from the last two games and does it WAY better.

Taking place after the second game, we yet again follow Sam & Max as they try to solve the mystery behind the mysterious Devil's Toybox while also being put in strange and nonsensical situations. Spanning 5 episodes, this is by far the most story-driven in the series. And I'm not even kidding. For a game filled to the brim with dumb pop-culture references and sex jokes, the ending made me actually pretty emotional. In a good way. Sam & Max are portrayed very well here. Filled with more personality and chemistry than before. And the game is filled with fan service for those who played the last two games. Still suffers from weird pacing issues but it is great nonetheless

As for gameplay, It's way better than before. There are more gameplay mechanics than in the last one. They made it more linear and I think that was a great decision as it really enhances the experience and story. I can't really mention the new gameplay without going into spoilers but it is a breath of fresh air.

Truth is, I've never liked Telltale games that much. Are there exceptions? Yeah. I haven't played The Walking Dead Telltale series but I'm aware of how good it is. But most Telltale games I've seen or played are just so bad. Games like Minecraft Story Mode, and Game of Thrones. They just baffle me with how bad they can get. But like The Walking Dead... Sam & Max is another exception

4/5

Would Recommend

DeAfter a LucasArts game and three Telltale seasons, Sam & Max is finally coming to a close. Luckily, this last entry not only exceeds the others in every single way, but paves the way for an approachable and much more fun adventure-style gameplay that helped along future titles.

Max has found his way onto some psychic toys from The Devil's Toybox, and mischief and mayhem ensues. There're only five episodes to this one, but they're all stars. From the tomb of Sammun-Mak to tracking down Max's brain in a noir mystery to going head-to-head with Max himself, there's never a dull moment. The uncomfortable jokes are now finally to a minimum, with much more humorous moments taking over.

The gameplay is also much smoother, with subtitles, a hint system, a circular conversation wheel that's implemented much more efficiently than previous conversation mechanics, and controller support that very much improves the experience. The player doesn't stay stuck for long, but can also tweak the experience to add or limit that frustration.

The real charm, though, is Max's toys. In each episode, an array of psychic toys can be used for fast-travel teleportation, jumping into other bodies, becoming objects described in pictures, throwing voices, and disappearing into a can o' nuts. It's all wacky and wild and in cases like future vision goggles, an immensely helpful and neat way to interact with the environment.

The action is finely tuned here, with each episode meshing into the style of the next. Visuals look much more upgraded, and the jazz music is top-notch. This is peak Sam & Max, and the fact that the series ended here makes it all the more fitting that the final round would be the best.