Sam&Max: Hit the Road (PC)

I can't believe that I found another classic this year - and just in the right time to wash away the sour taste of mediocracy that was left in my mouth after playing Deponia and Archeage. Sam&Max: Hit the Road is the reason why I am a gamer and it reminded me that there are still amazing games out there that I have not yet played. The funny thing is that if my computer didn't die on me, I might have never found the time to play this game, so in a sense I am glad that I am currently going through some technical issues on my main gaming platform. Playing this on my cellphone had its challanges, but thankfully it didn't take away much from the whole expreience. Sam&Max is without a doubt one of the best adventure games I have ever played and it stands toe to toe with other classics of the genre.

Expectations vs Reality 

Now, I do have to say that one of the reasons why I never got to playing Sam&Max was my initial reservation to pretty much every single design decision in the game. First of all, the game is set in the late 80s and as much as I like the 80s, I always thought that I would see pretty much the same environments that I see in real life, so... yeah... that definitely made me put the game on hold. It turns out I was completely wrong, but more on that later. Secondly, the interface didn't fill me with optimism either, since it uses a pretty outdated model where you need to constantly right-click to switch between available actions while at the same time not giving descriptions of surroundings unless you click on them. And thirdly, the main characters felt antisocial and over the top aggressive, so I thought I would not like them.

It turns out that all my fears and expectations were completely off the mark and I quickly became engrossed with the game. The environments constantly change between "everyday" and "weird", they are beautifully drawn and animated with many funny details that give unique charm to Lucasarts games. The interface took a bit of time to getting used to, but after a while it felt natural and it didn't take away from enjoyment - even though I was playing it on my smartphone. And finally, I actually ended up loving the characters despite their antisocial and somewhat aggressive nature! 

This actually made me think about what I wrote about Deponia's main protagonist, since he too suffers from being an unlikable character. But upon comparing Rufus to Sam and Max... there is just no comparison. For one, Rufus has no redeeming qualities beyond his persistence to succeed, while Sam and Max do. For example - where Rufus is probably the most stupid character in the game's world, Sam and Max are actually the most intelligent ones. Where Rufus hurts people out of his own egoistical arrogance, Sam and Max hurt people by accident or because the comical moment was right. Where Rufus wants to save the world so that everyone would be impressed with him, Sam and Max want to stop the bad guys because the bad guys are really nothing more than giant dicks. And I could go on, but my point is that Sam and Max actually have a lot of redeemable qualities that makes it a lot easier to digest their less acceptable traits.

The good

At the same time the game is filled with visual jokes, witty dialogue, lots of references to politics, films, celebrities and pop culture in general. This means that the game is meant for older generation and there are many levels of fun to be had, which only guarantees that the game has lots of replayability value. Namely, the next time I am playing it, I am sure I will find a reference or two that I missed on my first playthrough. The puzzles are funny and intelligent with just the perfect difficulty to avoid walkthroughs, while complex enough to have tickled my brain. The story is simple yet filled with mystery boxes which keept me pushing forward, while at the same time it's filled with bizzare elements which constantly brought fresh chuckles to my face.

Minigames

As per Lucasarts tradition, the developers also included a few minigames inside the main game, which you have to find on your own. They vary in fun, but I am always amazed when I find these types of surprises in older games. The game is neither better nor worse for having them, but it shows that developers really had fun and were not motivated purely by greed.

Hiway Surfin - Max rides on top of the Car as Sam drives down the Highway. The pair have to reach the end of each level before time runs out.

Wak-a-rat - Simply enough, you need to click on the Rats as they pop up to whack them with the hammer. You need a score of twenty or higher to win the first prize.

Gator Golf - Set a flag where you want Sam to aim for, and then take the shot. The various features on the driving range all react differently when hit in the correct spot.

Carbomb - A slightly modified and improved version of the classic Battleships.

Sam & Max Dress-Up Book - A simple time-waster where you try different outfits on Sam and Max.

Max's Wax Paint-By-Numbers Book - There are two different scenes that Max can colour: Sam and Max driving under the sea; Sam and Max mixing it up with some snakes and swords.

The bad

Most of my complaints are of technical nature. The interface takes some time to getting used to and the pathfinding can be a bit awkward at times. I also wish that the interactable objects would give you a short description without the need to click on them and that the game was a bit longer, but those are just some very minor nitpicks. Other than that, I really have nothing to complain about.

Conclusion

This is a must play for any fan of adventure games out there. It is a true classic which easily stands toe to toe with the genre's best. The only reason why I don't give it a pure 10/10 is due to some minor complaints I mentioned in "the bad" section.

Final Score: 9/10

It's places like this that make me wish I were a Canadian.

It's scary to watch you wrestle with abstract concepts, Max.

Your sadism is a credit to your profession.

My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas.