Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse - Episode 2: The Tomb of Sammun Mak has got to be one of the most convoluted titles in gaming history. It indicates it’s a Sam and Max game, which tells you that it should be an adventure game. The Devil’s Playhouse Episode 2 tells you that you are playing an episodic title, something which has yet to really make a big splash in gaming. The Tomb of Sammun Mak gives away the current title of the episode, and also tells you a lot about where it is set. This is all well and good so far, so let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Episode 2 picks up exactly where Episode 1 left off. General Skun-kapè has been defeated in the sewers beneath the streets of the city, and our duo stumbles across two skeletons. These skeletons have an uncanny resemblance to Sam and Max, however, Sam’s skeleton appears to be strangling Max. They also discover a set of four movie reels, starring their great grandparents Sammuth and Maximus in an Egyptian adventure. When Max realizes he has a new psychic power called astral projection, the pair of private police can now enter the movies as they are played and influence their ancestors’ decisions. The real mystery is what happened to their ancestors, and how did they find the Devil’s Toybox?

The major new gameplay addition in this episode is the ability to move the story between any of the four movie reels. What you do in the one reel directly influences what happens in the other reels. Together they form a classic Egyptian adventure movie that sees the duo acquire the Devil’s Toybox, as seen in Season 2.

Sam also learns how to use psychic ventriloquism, and can often make other characters say what he wants them too. Obviously the first good use he has for this is to make Sam fart and then blame it on some beans he had for lunch. He also discovers a tin of beans that has psychic powers of its own. These come in handy quite often, but never feel completely random like they did in Episode 1.

The game has exactly the same controls as Episode 1, and thus I have the same gripes I had before. It is still as clumsy as ever to move Sam and Max around. But the inner workings of the game have changed a bit. No longer do you need to randomly use items together. Pay attention to what characters say and do and you won’t find this game very hard. Even though it is split into four parts, they tie together brilliantly and form one cohesive story, ultimately tying in well with the overall story found in season 3.

Kringle (Santa Claus from Season 2) is after the box as well, and this would explain how he got it in Season 2. A few other familiar faces also make a return, like the mole people, plus a few new faces like Baby Emelia (as in Amelia Earheart). Jurgen the Vampire also lurks around, however he is simply Jurgen, non-Vampire.

Episode 2 is also as funny as ever and reminds me more of the original Sam and Max than ever before. The banter between Sam and Max is witty and funny and often set pieces make you laugh out loud. Any game that can make me do that deserves a recommendation. So consider yourself recommended.

If you liked the previous games in any of the seasons, then this one will no doubt entertain you tremendously. So far it is definitely one of the better episodes, not only in terms of story and gameplay, but also in the way you very quickly realize that you are about to finish it way too soon. And as soon as you do, you can’t wait to play the next episode. That’s a sign of episodic content done right. Bring on Episode 3!

The good: Sam and Max at their best.
The bad: Still not great in the control area.
The ugly: Mole people with braces…

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