Sam & Max Save the World Remastered Review (Xbox One)

Sam and Max are two characters who benefited most by the trend of adventure revival in the last years. No other game or franchise, that was taken off the imaginary shelf, dusted and polished, got so much limelight as the crazy duo of the hound and the rabbit. Some of the jokes might be stale, but Sam and Max are still memorably politically incorrect and can offer some laughs.

But is the nostalgia of the former Lucas Arts franchise, enough to open the wallets of the point and click fans? There is not a clear answer, so maybe reading further one will help you decide if you want to put under the Christmas tree the remastered edition of the wacky adventures revolving around the cartoon heroes created by Steve Purcell.

Adding “remastered” in the title of games proved to be a fickle mistress for a while. We have seen some good results, but quite recently GTA proved again that plastic surgery for video games can have a disastrous outcome. Fortunately, the ambitions of the development team behind Sam and Max Save the World Remastered grew once they began the working, turning the initial modest project turned into a fully-fledged remake.

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The original design was mainly kept, only some of the puns have been victims of the censorship imposed by modern times. Those who played the original game will recognize it, and appreciate the increased resolution of the textures, the more detailed characters and the game world that are now closer than ever to the source material. Along with the better animations we are getting remade cutscenes, that make the characters more natural, especially due to the improved facial animations.

But the improvements do not stop graphically, we have a simplified gameplay and a new directorial direction. The new lightning system and camera angles help the grotesque humor of the game to shine, highlighting the puns through increased contrast and more dramatic camera angles. Do not expect generational leap, but the new design really overhauls the concept of the entire game and makes it more enjoyable.

In order to better tell the story, Sam and Max Save the World Remastered also contains extra cutscenes, making the experience more movie like. Despite missing some memorable moments from the original release, the 2021 version makes much more sense than the 2016 one. Also, the attention to details, like alternating day with night, or the everchanging store of Sybil, elevates the atmosphere of the whole experience. 

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Being a remaster and not a remake, there is a simplified gameplay, but there are no revolutionary changes to the gameplay. Not that they were needed. Still the more accessible menus, are almost as welcome as the ability of Sam to run. The lack of a more alert pace was the biggest disruption of the original game, making it a pain in the butt to traverse some of the larger scenes.

Another not so welcome change is the revoicing of Boscoe, one of the most often met NPC in the game. The fans of the original game will notice immediately the new voice actor. He did a good job, but the change is obvious and may spoil the fond memories of some. Still, 15 years later a change like this, even if it is a major one, can be forgiven.

No other major characteristic has been altered. We still have 6 episodes, full of the original puzzles and mystery. They still range from hilariously easy to mindbogglingly insane and lacking logic. As was the original, the difficulty is still over the place, some of the puzzles, will make you wonder what was going on in the head of the developers.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion