A new version of the third Sam and Max game in the Telltale Games series, Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered, has been released by Skunkape Games. The first release was twelve years ago.
Sam and Max were first developed by Steve Purcell as young children, and they made their public debut in a comic book series in 1987. The anthropomorphic vigilante private detectives would go on to feature in LucasArts’ Sam and Max Hit the Road, a classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure that is widely regarded as one of the greatest Sam and Max games. Between 1997 and 1998, their popularity from Hit the Road landed them the animated series The Adventures of Sam and Max: Freelance Police. Telltale Games published Sam and Max Save the World in episodic form almost 10 years later. Save the World garnered excellent reviews early in Telltale Games’ career.
With The Devil’s Playhouse being launched in 2010 as an episodic game, Telltale Games would go on to develop two further seasons of Sam and Max games. Skunkape Games is made up of past series creators, with the name referring to a Devil’s Playhouse character, “General Skun-ka’pe.” Skunkape Games has recently recreated the first two seasons of Sam and Max and has stated that the third season will be released in 2023.
Despite the trailer’s limited amount of footage, it accomplishes a lot to re-establish certain important places and depict them in a sharper representation with modern lighting. The statement also does not specify which platforms the game will be available on, but given that the last two Sam and Max remasters were made available on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox, it is likely that they will be PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox. It is possible that The Devil’s Playhouse will be available through the same platforms. Skunkape Games will hopefully be able to announce where the game may be played shortly.
Sam and Max: Save the World Remastered came out 10 years after The Devil’s Playhouse, so it’s nice to see that “everyone’s favourite dog and rabbity-thing” is once again receiving attention. Return to Monkey Island and Pentiment’s popularity helped make 2022 a fantastic year for adventure game enthusiasts, and The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered will fit in perfectly with the current gaming scene. Perhaps the title will be popular enough to merit a brand-new Sam and Max adventure in the future, but for now, fans will be pleased to see a great season remastered.
