Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
The Devil's Playhouse logo
Basic Information
Type(s)	Video Game
Developer(s)	[[Telltale Games]][[Category:Telltale Games]]
Distributor(s)	[[Telltale Games Playstation Store Steam]][[Category:Telltale Games Playstation Store Steam]]
Status(es)	Released
Series	[[Sam & Max (series)|Sam & Max]][[Category:Sam & Max (series)]]
Genre(s)	Graphic adventure
Media	Digital Download
Input	Keyboard and mouse, gamepad
Platform(s)	Windows Mac OS X PlayStation 3 iPad
Ratings
ESRB: E10+ to T
Main Credits
Composer(s)	[[Jared Emerson-Johnson]]
Designer(s)	Chuck Jordan
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Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is a graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games. It is the third "season" of the Sam & Max episodic series created by Telltale Games, following Sam & Max Save the World and Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space. The first episode was released as one of the first apps for the iPad on April 2, 2010, and was released on April 15, 2010 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and the PlayStation 3, the first Telltale game to appear on that platform.

Gameplay

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is a series of graphic adventure games, requiring the user to control Sam and Max to specific locations, interacting with the environment, collecting and using objects, and talking to other characters in the game in order to solve puzzles and complete the game. The previous two seasons of "Sam & Max" have used a traditional point-and-click interface, which is well-suited for Windows and MacOS users but did not translate well to traditional gamepad controls. The game engine for The Devil's Playhouse has been redesigned to handle both the point-and-click scheme and typical console-based controls for third-person perspective games. On a Windows or MacOS computer, the player has the option of plugging in a gamepad to use this second set of controls. Other aspects, such as inventory management, have also been refined to better suit console players or players not familiar with the adventure game genre. The iPad version of the game features direct touch interaction with the characters, scenery, and inventory.

Whereas in previous episodes Max would follow to wherever the player directed Sam, The Devil's Playhouse gives the player direct control over both characters and the ability to swap between characters. This allows for better differentiation between the two characters and increases the variety of gameplay options. A constant theme through the series will be a new psychic power that Max gains in each episode, such as the ability to read minds, see glimpses of the future or teleport himself to any telephone for which he knows the number. This aspect plays into the separate characters' controls in order to solve the puzzles in the game.

Synopsis

In The Devil's Playhouse, Sam & Max encounter an ancient artifact that gives Max psychic abilities that allow the two to fend off against "the strongest and strangest foes the Freelance Police have ever faced". These events lead the two to encounter "intergalactic warlords and eldritch gods, under-dwellers and scholars of the arcane", all seeking to wield a power to control all of space. Each episode seems to be based on different movie genres and styles, such as science fiction, adventure serials, film noir, horror, and disaster films.

Episodes

Episode	Release date
"The Penal Zone"	April 2, 2010 / April 15, 2010 (April 16, 2010 on Steam)
Notes: Designed and written by Chuck Jordan Directed by Chuck Jordan and Nick Herman General Skun-ka'pe, a gorilla from outer space, arrives in town bringing a message of peace and love. However, Sam and Max find out about his true intentions thanks to Max's new psychic powers.
"The Tomb of Sammun-Mak"	May 18, 2010 (May 20, 2010 on Steam)
Notes: Designed and written by Andy Hartzell and Brendan Q. Ferguson Directed by Andy Hartzell Using a strange projector found in the basement of their building Sam and Max view the adventures of their great grandfathers, Sameth and Maximus as they retrieve the Devil's Toybox from the Tomb of Sammun-Mak.
"They Stole Max's Brain!"	June 22, 2010 (June 24, 2010 on Steam)
Notes: Designed and Directed by Joe Pinney Written by Michael Stemmle Max's brain was stolen during Sam's bathroom break in the last episode. Will Sam be able to locate it using what he learnt from Flint Paper?
"Beyond the Alley of the Dolls"	July 20, 2010 (July 21, 2010 on Steam)
Notes: Designed and Written by Michael Stemmle Directed by Dennis Lenart Clones of Sam are searching the city for the Toys of Power. Sam and Max must locate the source of these clones and stop whoever is responsible.
"The City that Dares Not Sleep"	August 30, 2010 (August 31st on PSN)
Notes: Designed and written by Chuck Jordan Directed by Derek Sakai Max is transformed into a giant demonic beast and begins terrorizing New York. It's up to Sam and a small team of adventurers to journey inside Max and return him to normal before he and the city are destroyed.

Development

The Devil's Playhouse is the third Sam & Max game produced by Telltale Games since acquiring the license after the cancellation of Sam & Max: Freelance Police in 2004. The game was initially expected to be released in 2009, a year after Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space. Though the game failed to materialize, towards the end of 2009 Telltale alluded to the Sam & Max sequel in the final chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, directing players to the game's preliminary website. Industry media later noted that the title Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse as well as the title of the first episode, "The Penal Zone", had been registered with the OFLC, the Australian film and video game classification body. Telltale officially announced The Devil's Playhouse at the Game Developers Conference on March 11, 2010 for release for Windows, the PlayStation Network and Mac OS.

While The Devil's Playhouse was originally announced for PC and the PlayStation 3 for release on April 15, 2010, an iPad version of the game became available on April 2, 2010 as one of the first applications for the release of the device. Telltale's CEO, Dan Conners, revealed that they chose to develop the series for the iPad as a new opportunity as it "really revolutionizes the way our stuff is played". Conners also stated that once they started testing the iPad version, they felt the device helped to give more immersion to the game, as opposed to the other platforms where they play out more as an interaction movie. Telltale was able to keep most of the features that they had already developed for the PC and console releases, including 3D graphics limited only by the shader technology on the iPad, while including features that took advantage of the iPad's technology, such as a touch-based interface. Telltale hopes to bring its other products to the iPad in time, and are looking to reduce the installed size on the iPad. Though the initial cost of the first episode suggested that the full series would be more than the cost of the complete series on the other platforms, Conners hopes to find a way to offer a season pricing detail for those planning to buy all five episodes.

Promotions

On April 15, 2010, game developer Valve announced that anyone who purchased The Devil's Playhouse through Steam would receive three bonus items in Team Fortress 2: a Max hat, Max's pistol, and Sam's revolver. The promotion ended on April 26. This was later expanded to include people who purchased the games through the Telltale store.

External links

• Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse at Telltale Games

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