Season Three
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Each page contains a blurb, screenshots, concept art, video, critics and further reading.
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also known as Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, Sam & Max 2010 Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Telltale Games, PlayStation Network (online) Designers: Chuck Jordan, Steve Purcell Composers: Jared Emerson-Johnson Voices: David Nowlin (Sam), William Kasten (Max) Engine: Telltale Tool Platforms: PC, Mac, PS3, iPad (episode one only) First release: April 2, 2010 (iPad), April 15, 2010 – August 2010 Control: Direct |
Blurb
The Devil’s Playhouse is the biggest, strangest and most epic season to date. As the saga begins, an otherworldy power for controlling matter and space calls to the strongest and strangest who might wield it – intergalactic warlords and eldritch gods, under-dwellers and scholars of the arcane. Gaming’s greatest dog and rabbit sleuths Sam & Max seek the power’s ancient secrets, as Max gains shape shifting, teleportation, mind reading and future vision abilities for battling these foes. The saga plays out in a surreal 5 month-long symphony of mayhem that gets deeper and more twisted with each episode.
Details
The third season of Sam & Max was teased to Telltale’s audience through a teaser shown at the end of the finale of their Tales of Monkey Island series on 9th December, 2009. A teaser page was linked to, tentatively titling the detective duo’s new outing as ‘Sam & Max 2010′. The site proved to be a temporary tease, offering pieces of content art with a voice over description for each piece. Eventually details started to roll in, attaching the title ‘The Devil’s Playhouse’ to the five-part episodic journey that would be released on the PC, Mac and for the first time in Sam & Max’s history the PS3 and iPad (although the latter only saw the first episode due to technical limitations).
The first episode, The Penal Zone, was released on Telltale’s website on 15 April, 2010, around two years after the end of season two. This was the first Sam & Max episode to feature Telltale’s new direct control scheme (instead of point and click) and the long interim had allowed advancements in the graphical and animation quality. The season also saw advancements in story presentation, with less reliance on the street and the complete close down of the dog and rabbity-thing’s office. Fan favourite Bosco is not to be found anywhere and Sybil only appears, albeit transformed, in the final episode.
Throughout the season Sam & Max find themselves in a spaceship, exploring their ancestor’s past and in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. All of this is tied together through the introduction of a new gameplay mechanic: Max’s psychic powers. By utilising abilities such transforming into objects or reading people’s minds, Telltale were able to break the mould of their tried-and-tested puzzles and rely less on the standard inventory. This gives the five episodes a distinctly different feel to the previous two seasons, whether for better or worse.
The episodes were released on a monthly basis until August 2010. The exact day within the month was usually announced a short time prior to the actual release, a different approach to the pre-planned and solid schedule that Sam & Max fans had been used to previously. The episodes also made their worldwide premieres on Telltale’s official website (with the exception of The Penal Zone on iPad), with Gametap not offering the game at all, let alone releasing them early as had been the method previously.
Video
Further Reading
Blurb
The Freelance Police are back, this time facing down a powerful and rather insane Gorilla from another galaxy. This ape, one General Skun-ka’pe, is determined to seize the mysterious Toys of Power–which reveal unique and bizarre psychic abilities to those that wield them–scattered across Planet Earth, and he starts his assault a little too close to home for our heroes.
As destruction rains down on Straight Street, Sam & Max must harness the rabbity-thing’s psychic powers to combat this vile interstellar simian foe. Can they return Skun-ka’pe to the galactic prison dimension from which he escaped, or have they doomed themselves to forever be stuck in… The Penal Zone?!
Screenshots
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Concept Art
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Video
Critics
Adventure Gamers (PC) – …Overall there’s nothing that should keep even the most marginal Sam & Max fans away. It’s been a whole two years without a new adventure for the Freelance Police, but the wait has been worth it, at least for one episode. Whether this high quality continues throughout the rest of The Devil’s Playhouse remains to be seen, but The Penal Zone is a very strong start of what looks to be another season of whimsical comic destruction.
Sam & Max UK (PC) – There’s really very little to fault with The Penal Zone. This is exactly the type of episode I was hoping for, bringing some new mechanics into play and sprucing everything up. As long as the next four episodes don’t fall down the recycled content trap that entangled the previous seasons, it looks like we’re in for a very exciting ride in The Devil’s Playhouse. Welcome back, little buddies.
Adrenaline Vault (PC) – The third season of Sam and Max episodes is off to a very pleasant start with The Penal Zone. The game looks better than any Telltale game I’ve played thus far, the story is typical for the genre but it’s told in a welcome new way, and the game’s filled with off-beat, colorful characters. The developer only has a few bugs to exterminate to make this a good beginning to what could be a very entertaining new season of episodes.
Further Reading
Blurb
In the second episode, The Tomb of Sammun-Mak, the Freelance Police face even more bizarre and dangerous new characters (and some familiar faces). The game’s designer calls this episode Sam & Max’s “trippiest trip yet”, as it features new psychic powers, peculiar foes, a journey on the Disorient Express and an ancient mysterious riddle from across the ages.
Screenshots
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Concept Art
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Video
Critics
Adventure Gamers (PC) – This is certainly one of the most rich, creative and boundary-pushing Sam & Max episodes yet … The Tomb of Sammun-Mak may not quite hit the heights it could have reached, but it’s fun, it’s creative, and it thoroughly entertains. While other Telltale series have suffered a bit of a letdown after a promising start, The Devil’s Playhouse is shaping up to be a consistently entertaining season, any way you slice the cucumber.
Sam & Max UK (PC) – The Tomb of Sammun-Mak has gone beyond the expected and the result is one of the best Sam and Max capers Telltale have produced. … Enjoy it, for the consistent level of quality throughout makes it impossible to pass up. If this standard of innovation is only just the beginning, the cliffhanger at the end of the episode will have you drooling over your calendar in anticipation for the future.
International House of Mojo (PC) – With this latest episode, Telltale continues to nail Purcell’s off-kilter universe, delivering a quality, mayhem-laden story infused with crackling dialog with an expertise that suggests it’s all second nature to them by now. … If Telltale Games has a “flagship franchise,” there’s no question that Sam & Max would be it, and even with only two of its five episodes out the door, the The Devil’s Playhouse makes it pretty clear as to why.
Further Reading
Blurb
You wouldn’t want to see freelance shamus Sam when he’s steaming mad. Someone’s snatched his little buddy’s noodle, gunning for control of its bizarre psychic powers. Now Sam’s rolling up his sleeves, smacking heads, and throwing slugs — whatever it takes to get back what’s rightfully Max’s! But who’s behind this egregious theft? The giant space gorilla? The suspicious-looking cockroach? Or maybe the fishy dame that runs the local greasy spoon? And who — or what — is a Yog Soggoth?
Screenshots
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Video
Critics
Adventure Gamers (PC) – They Stole Max’s Brain! isn’t an inspired leap forward for the series that the two prior Devil’s Playhouse episodes have been. It’s a smooth chunk of comic entertainment that will satisfy series fans, and it’s not a major disappointment by any means. It just doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its own exciting introduction, relying a little too much on overly similar puzzles that aren’t nearly as inventive as its storyline.
Sam & Max UK (PC) – Don’t get the impression that They Stole Max’s Brain! is a bad game. It certainly isn’t. … The opening acts of the game are highly enjoyable and engaging, and the plot is gripping with interesting characters, but as the episode progresses it falls downhill into lacklustre puzzles and concludes pretty quickly. You’ll definitely get thrills while playing through, but you’ll probably be left wondering what could have been.
Adventure Classic Gaming (PC) – While the previous episode breaks the linear storytelling by traveling to the past, this episode marks the return to a more linear narrative and back to the present. Even so, the game feels fresh and not outdated or recycled. The final scene of the game ends again with an absurd shocking cliffhanger. It is not easy to see ahead what crazy turn this season may take next.
Further Reading
Blurb
An onslaught of oversized canine clones akin to a zombie apocalypse has our heroes running for cover in a barricaded ramshackle diner as the game kicks off. And it gets even stranger from there. Find out who can possibly be responsible for this march of flabby dog flesh. Is it the creepy old sorcerer? The creepier space ape? The even creepier diner owner? Or some other creep?
Screenshots
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Concept Art
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Video
Critics
Adventure Gamers (PC) – Until the last ten minutes, however, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls still feels like part of the (relative) mid-season slump introduced last month. It’s fairly long without being overly compelling, wordy without being especially funny. If I had to make a choice, I’d always rather a game that picks up in the latter stages than drop off after a good beginning, and the exciting ending almost compensates for the comparative dullness of the earlier stages.
International House of Mojo (PC) – With the consistency of the season I doubt anyone would expect to see an episode that would be a major letdown, and Beyond the Alley of the Dolls does not disappoint. The dialogue is quick and, obviously, funny. Even characters that for whatever reason might not have gotten much fan-love before shine here. The puzzles are a step up from the previous episode, too, though some still feel either tacked on or just random.
Adrenaline Vault (PC) – Telltale’s writers have done an excellent job of crafting a five-episode arc that continues to build in tension and excitement. Which is hard, since the series started out with the Earth in danger of being conquered by alien apes. The writing is sharp and witty, the story is complex and entertaining, and the puzzles are still very satisfying to solve. Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls is a frustrating but involving step towards the final act in this increasingly strange and wonderful series.
Further Reading
Blurb
An enormous, scaly, floppy-eared creature has put the city on high alert, and Sam assembles a crack team to stop him. To end the mayhem, they must venture … inside … the beast! Featuring an all star cast of heroes and villains – you’ll be riveted to your seat with each thrilling twist, as you discover the crazed force that’s been orchestrating the madness. And you won’t want to miss the game’s truly shocking conclusion!
Screenshots
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Concept Art
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Video
Critics
Adventure Gamers (PC) – Despite the odd rough story edge and puzzling design choice, The City That Dares Not Sleep is a refreshing, triumphant end to The Devil’s Playhouse. There’s something lively, even celebratory about this season’s final episode. Perhaps it’s the fact that it flirts with the self-referential but rarely becomes self-indulgent; or maybe it’s the action-packed and fast-paced plot that never gets dull. … A definite sense of scale and fun, with an unpredictable story and a few revelations that have real stakes for the characters you care about.
Adventure Classic Gaming (PC) – The City That Dares Not Sleep may not make much sense by itself, but when judged in the context of previous episodes, it is a great ending to a great season. For fans of Sam & Max, the game will undoubtedly draw out a lot of emotions of nostalgia, sadness, laughter, and (most importantly) pure joy. Although it may be a long while until you meet the intrepid heroes again in their next adventure, it is comforting to know that the legacy of the freelance police will keep your heart warm for a long time.
Adrenaline Vault (PC) – City‘s pace is arguably the best of the previous episodes. … Sam and Max Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep is a fine, yet slightly less meaty, conclusion to an excellent series. Its simpler puzzles, new characters (at least, new to this season) and entertaining script help us forget about its sometimes-frustrating controls. It’s been a great trip this season; hopefully there’s more to come.
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Gosh, Sam, if 100 years of western civilization have to be destroyed just to provide a bunch of smelly quasi-human creatures with a safe haven for their disgusting lifestyles, then so be it! 
