I'm not usually one to advocate the use of FAQs to finish videogames, but I'll freely admit that I've cheated my way through just about every Telltale game I've played. Give me any obnoxious boss battle or platforming sequence and I'll eventually prevail through sheer brute force, but my patience really starts to wear thin when it comes to the cartoon logic required to solve most adventure game puzzles. It's pretty much my Kryptonite.
With that said, I'm pleased to report that I never felt the need to consult a walkthrough while playing The Penal Zone, the introductory episode of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse. That's partially because nobody's written a guide for the game yet, but it's mostly due to the refined user interface, subtle hint system, and this season's biggest addition: Max's newfound psychic powers.
But let's get back to my general ineptitude at the adventure genre. When you combine all the bizarre psychic powers with the sort of madcap storytelling this franchise is known for, The Penal Zone produces some of the most abstract puzzles I've seen in recent memory -- yet even boneheads like myself should have little-to-no trouble unraveling the game's trickiest riddles. There are just enough safety nets in place to keep you on the right track, and they do so without beating you over the head with the solution to your current objective. For being three seasons deep in a fairly niche genre, this Sam & Max comes off as remarkably accessible to newcomers and incompetent goons alike.
I suppose that's for the best, because this also marks Sam & Max's debut on the PlayStation 3. Although there are constant references to people and events from prior seasons, rookies won't take long to get up to speed thanks to the short character bios that introduce the main players. This episode also sports plenty of interface considerations for console players, including a Mass Effect-style conversation wheel and the ability to move Sam and Max directly via the controller's analog sticks rather than clicking about with a cursor. It tends to work well, with the exception of a handful of occasions where the camera angle switches abruptly and you briefly lose your sense of direction.
If The Penal Zone is any indication of the quality of the episodes to come, then consider me totally on board for The Devil's Playhouse. It's a bigger, better-looking adventure that moves the series forward in some surprising and substantial ways, and it remains one of the few legitimately funny games out there. Either Telltale's really starting to hit their stride, or I've finally played enough of these games to fully embrace the Bugs Bunny mindset that's necessary to properly enjoy Sam & Max.
Originally published on 1UP.com.
