Sam and Max return to video games after a decade of absence with a disappointing and frustrating adventure for virtual reality that fails miserably when it comes to fun.
It has been more than a decade since Sam and Max delighted us with The Devil’s Playhouse , their latest and great adventure, so the announcement of the return of this charismatic duo with a new exclusive game for virtual reality was something we were delighted to receive. . Also, knowing that Steve Purcell, the creator of the original comics, and some of the LucasArts veterans are also involved in the project invited optimism. Unfortunately and with the end result already in our hands, what we have found is a real disaster that fails miserably when it comes to achieving a minimally immersive or fun experience.
Crazy Independent Police Academy
Thus, the story of this installment will turn us into an aspiring independent policeman who wants to work alongside Sam and Max, a rather cynical detective dog and a crazy rabbit who loves gratuitous violence respectively. To do this, we will have to pass a series of tests and help them solve some cases while developing a script that could hardly have left us more indifferent.
One of our first missions will be to run a series of nondescript assignments in Sam and Max’s office.
The plot as such is barely present until the last act and the jokes are considerably less inspired than in previous games, something for which dialogue without much spark also has some fault. Be careful, the personality of the protagonists is nailed, there are lots of winks and references for the fans, the humor that is spent is still surreal and has several points that have managed to get us the occasional laugh, although we can count on the latter the fingers of one hand, which doesn’t speak highly of a title that keeps bombarding you with all kinds of jokes every time someone opens their mouth.
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However, the worst thing is, without a doubt, its playable proposal . As we said, as part of our training as independent police officers we will have to overcome challenges that, for practical purposes, are still a succession of minigames with a lot of chatter in between. As soon as we will have to deactivate a bomb in the shape of a head to hit cans, overcome an obstacle course or demonstrate our aim in a shooting gallery.
The problem comes when you realize how poorly executed almost all of them are and how little or no fun they are. As if that were not enough, the physics of the game are terrible and the objects do not behave in a minimally convincing way when it comes to throwing or interacting with them, not to mention the imprecision of certain actions and how unsatisfactory they are (for example, for the batting test we will not be able to hold the bat with both hands).
In this store you will see many things on the shelves, but you will only be able to interact with a few.
We have another big mistake in how little interactive the scenarios are , something that becomes very evident in the moments when we have to examine rooms to solve puzzles. The title will only allow us to interact with those objects and elements that have a specific function, although these do not appear highlighted in any way, so we will have no choice but to go around trying to touch things to see if we do not go through them with our hands and we can do something with them, completely breaking any type of immersion and causing a good amount of frustrations to the player, which is a real shame, since there are a couple of puzzles that are not bad at all.
Yes, you will not miss long conversations in which the only thing you can do is observe.
We also did not like too much that they take control of us to force us to see characters speak to us without being able to do anything until they finish releasing their speech, a narrative resource that does not adapt well to virtual reality. It does not happen as frequently as in other titles, but there are enough sequences of this type to be annoying.
Regarding its duration, it is perfectly possible to reach the end in just 4 or 5 hours , so it is not a very long game, something that in this specific case seems even positive. If you were left wanting more, there is the possibility of replaying the main tests to try to get a higher score, although they are so boring that they do not end up inviting it.
Unfortunately, on a graphic level, it doesn’t quite measure up either. The version to which we have had access is the Oculus Quest 2 and although we understand that it is always necessary to make sacrifices for this platform, on a technical level it leaves a lot to be desired. The best, without a doubt, the modeling of the two protagonists, although the scenarios have no detail and suffer a lot from pop-in even in short distances, not to mention certain bugs and the exaggerated clipping that floods everything, to the point of having had to literally put ourselves inside some objects to be able to catch others that had passed through them.
The main tests can be repeated to improve our ranking.
Finally, the sound leaves us with a soundtrack that, without being bad, goes very unnoticed, some very discreet effects and a great English dubbing. The bad news is that this is also the language of the texts, so do n’t expect a Spanish translation . The worst thing is that the subtitles are very badly placed on the screen and it is not easy to read them without completely diverting your gaze from what is happening, so it is best to disable them and pay attention to the voices, something that will limit Much accessibility for those who do not speak the language of Shakespeare, because the characters speak very fast, there are lots of word games and a very colloquial language is used.
Conclusions
It’s a shame that our reunion with Sam and Max after more than a decade has been such a disappointing game in every way. They are two characters that give off so much charisma that we have tried by all means to enjoy this new proposal and its twisted sense of humor, but this, in the end, does not prevent it from being a product without a soul that no matter how hard it tries, it does not succeed. entertain or properly use the possibilities offered by virtual reality to create unique and immersive experiences. A shame.
