Sam & Max The Devil’s Playhouse: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak Review

As great as a cucumber cut length-wise!

If I ever had the task of picking out the most hilarious episode in all of the Sam & Max seasons put out by Telltale, it would have to be this one: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak.

[image1]After dealing with the threat of interplanetary invasion in The Penal Zone, the duo finally have their mitts on the diabolical toy box. With it, they find remains that look downright familiar: their own. Or are they? Using a conveniently placed movie projector, they get to relive the adventures of their ascentors, Sammus and Maximus, who apparently died while retrieving the Devil’s Toy Box in 1901.

The level structure in this episode is what really sets it apart. You can play it in just about any order, since the areas you explore are cut into separate movie reels. Each of these reels contains a specific part of the story and can be finished independently. The trick is finding out bits of information in one reel and using them in another.

The Tomb of Sammun-Mak provides some of the best gags and puzzles so far in the span of the series’ three seasons. Without going into much detail of what/where/how/to whom you’ll be doing anything, the two to four hours you’ll be spending here contain the best use of comedy yet. That’s saying a lot.

Maximus’ psychic abilities in this episode, like with Max in The Penal Zone, are the source of most of the humor. Mainly so in regards to psychic ventriloquism, a power that works on random objects and people you come across. The voice acting is even more note-worthy due to how well Maximus’ lines are delivered when he uses that power.

[image2]Like in the previous episode, the gameplay is much more dynamic than previous seasons. You still have direct control over Sam Sammus, and with a touch of a button, you can use some of Maximus’ psychic powers. These powers once again prove to be vital, not only for the puzzles, but for some of the more difficult trophies in the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

Dialogue takes place in a dial system similar to that of Mass Effect 2. This time around, though, most of the puzzles don’t rely heavily on wordplay as much, but hilarity tends to ensue regardless. Most of the funny moments are based on curses a certain family of Ancient Egyptian-y moles love to put on you.

If somehow you are still on the fence on whether to purchase the new Sam & Max season, seriously, jump on over. Even if you are just slightly into adventure games, The Tomb of Sammun-Mak is sure to entertain, both creatively and comically for an extremely affordable price.