Sam & Max: Beyond Time & Space - Season Two
Review
Episode 204: Chariots of the Dogs
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
When we last left our intrepid heroes…
The third episode in the current season of the Sam & Max adventures left off with our heroes (and Flint Paper) in search of Inconvenience store owner, Bosco. This is exactly where episode 4 begins. The action starts off almost immediately and by the time the opening credits arrive, Sam and Max have already dismantled Bosco’s over-zealous security device and entered the previously restricted zone of Bosco’s Bathroom. A simple science exhibit later results in the Freelance Police unit being beamed aboard some sort of spacecraft, where they find a somewhat altered Bosco. It is up to Sam and Max to then return Bosco to his former self, and go back to Earth.
So, who is this Bosco fellow?
For those of you who for some reason are still unfamiliar with the Sam and Max phenomenon, Bosco is the owner of the local Inconvenience store. He is a paranoid man, who in previous episodes has disguised himself in an effort to keep T-H-E-M from finding him. THEM refers to someone/something that is keeping tabs on everyone, especially Bosco. He doesn’t know who or what they are, but he is positive that they are coming.
This episode plays out a bit differently than previous episodes. There are no car chase mini-games, or indeed any mini-games that we have come to expect from the Sam and Max episodes. This isn’t a bad thing though, as it keeps the gamer focussed on the task at hand.
Sam and Max’s Excellent Adventure
This adventure is mostly achieved with the use of a conveniently placed time machine on board the spaceship. The time machine works in much the same way that the phone-booth worked in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but instead of dialling the destination, Sam and Max must use special time-cards to clock-in to their destination.
Along the way, they will meet some regular cast members such as Agent Superball and Mr. Featherly, and also a number of new characters, such as Bosco’s mother and the original Stinky. They will even meet themselves in the past (in another tribute to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure in one scene and a tribute to Back to the Future in another scene with young Sam and Max) and in the future.
The team at TellTale continue to do a good job regarding the amount of walking that needs to be done whilst puzzle solving. The use of the time machine certainly helps in this facet, as most of the work is done by rotating between the different eras available to Sam and Max. The puzzles themselves continue to be easy enough for adventure game newcomers, while still being challenging for experienced gamers.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
