Point-and-click adventure games, once one of the darlings of PC gaming, has fallen on hard times in recent years. Few games from the genre have spawned, but there are franchises that have tried to revive the genre, most notably Sam and Max. The second season of the series wrapped up back in April of 2008, and now a boxed retail version containing all five episodes is available. Despite some gameplay faults, the game’s sharp writing, dialogue, voice acting, and fantastic characters are all reasons why you might want to check Sam and Max Season Two out.

Personally, I had only heard of the Sam and Max series in passing prior to reviewing the second season. One of the major concerns I had going into the game was being lost or confused about certain characters or story arcs, but those concerns quickly melted away the minute I was introduced to the world and its characters. To be sure, there were some in-jokes from the previous season that were more than likely lost on me, but if you’re weary about jumping into the series at Season Two–don’t be. A tutorial at the beginning of the game will introduce you to all of the mechanics and a few of the characters, helping you get your feet wet. As soon as the game begins proper, all of the characters are instantly funny, quirky and charming. By the end of the fifth episode, you’ll be introduced to a wide cast of characters with their own memorable ticks and quotes that you won’t forget for some time. Creating memorable characters is one hurdle that Sam and Max manages to clear, but more importantly, it also manages to be funny. The problem with many games that try to be humorous is that they are not, in fact, humorous. This isn’t the case with Sam and Max. Combining dark humor, gaming in-jokes (Snake! Snake!) and pop-culture spoofs, the jokes manage to hit their mark more they miss. There are several laugh out loud moments to be had, and you simply don’t get that from many games these days.

The series, by its nature is episodic. Season Two contains five different “episodes” that are all self-contained games in and of themselves, but are still apart of a cohesive universe. The season does a nice job of tying everything together from episode to episode by re-introducing characters from past episodes, as well as smartly incorporating past Sam and Max shenanigans to current shenanigans. By the end, you’ll appreciate the high-level of detail in the narrative.

The real folly in Sam and Max isn’t the story–it’s the game itself. Point-and-click adventure gameplay, in addition to item-based puzzles, have never jived with me. The combination of the two always felt a bit like trying to shove a puzzle piece in hundreds of different locations, wishing that one of the combinations would work. All of the solutions make sense, but figuring out what items you need to use, and when and where you need to use can try be more trying than rewarding. The game comes equipped with different levels of tips depending on your play-style. I did not notice much of difference between the different levels of “hints” that the game gives you, but the tips are handed out contextually though the cut-scenes and as you explore the different areas of the world, rather than plastering a big arrow sign to your next location.

The minimalistic art style, while in technical terms could be described as “unimpressive”, allows the game to be faithful to the roots of the franchise. While you won‘t be getting high-resolution textures, or an amazing draw distance–what you will be getting is charming world. The audio package can only be described as top-notch. From an excellent voice cast to a killer soundtrack throughout the entirety of the season, nothing disappoints.

If you have not already purchased Sam and Max, the boxed copy is the definitive version to buy. In addition to receiving all five episodes of Sam and Max, you’ll receive bonus content in the form of developer commentary, a Sam and Max machinima video, voice-acting outtakes and a few other goodies–all for the same price as downloading the five episodes.

While it’s not breaking new grounds in either gameplay or graphics, Sam and Max succeeds because of its fantastic characters, dialogue, writing and voice acting. While that’s not a ringing endorsement for Sam and Max: “The Video Game“, it is a ringing endorsement to Sam and Max: “The Experience”.