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Sam & Max are at it again. It’s just a bit unclear what “it” is, this time.

Telltale Games’ acquisition of the Sam & Max license is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it’s a popular franchise with a lot of rabid fans; there’s already a large group of gamers eagerly waiting to purchase the games. On the minus side, it’s a popular franchise with lots of rabid fans; those same gamers will ensure the failure of the series if their myriad decades-worth of expectations are not fulfilled. So as a long-time fan of Sam & Max myself, I had to ask myself “Was it worth the wait?” In short, I’m not sure yet.

My initial reaction upon completing Sam & Max - Episode 1: Culture Shock was “That’s it?” Earlier that afternoon I had eagerly downloaded and installed my preview copy of the game. “I’ll have a quick look, maybe do the first puzzle, then save the rest for tomorrow when I have more time,” I thought to myself. Two hours later, my “quick look” had turned into a complete run through the game.



Part of the problem is that Episode 1 isn’t really a game in and of itself; it’s really just 1/6th of a game. Judged against regular game standards, it was definitely too short and easy, emphasis on the short. Then again, I have to think ahead and remember that the whole series will be at least six times as long, putting it around 12 hours (assuming subsequent episodes maintain similar length to the first one). That’s not bad at all, by modern adventure game standards. It’s paltry compared to the adventure games of yore, but there is a reason the genre died.

A major contributor to the short playtime is the easy puzzles. Almost every one is presented and solved in the same area, using items found in that area. Then again, with a grand total of a dozen items and five locations (six, if you count “driving down the street” as a location), puzzle options were limited. If memory serves me correctly, I spent about one third of my time in different versions of Sam & Max’s office. There is one item in that office which is used in no less than three separate puzzles. Efficient use of game resources, indeed; this is a spectacular example of game development done on the cheap.



The plot of the game is pretty simple; three former TV child stars are running amok in the neighbourhood, and it’s up to everyone’s favourite dog and lagomorph crimefighting team to save the day. That’s all I can say about that, because any more would literally give away the entire plot of the episode. Not that it matters, since the real strength of Sam & Max has always been the dialog. In that respect, Culture Shock delivers in spades. Sam deals his trademark deadpan expressions, Max engages in sociopathic behaviour, and hilarity ensues.