The iconic characters, Sam and Max, are back again for another crazy adventure, but this time in a game with full VR support. Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual has been teased in a trailer from Gamescom, and the glimpses of the new game that was shown look as wacky as ever.
Sam and Max have had a long run comprised of various media, but it has been 10 years since the last video game was released, titled Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse published by Telltale. These two anthropomorphic jesters, also known as The Freelance Police, are a 6-foot dog and a "hyperkinetic rabbity thing" who are always up for a joke. That, and vigilante crime-solving in the most aggressive and manic way possible.
The teaser trailer from Gamescom, on the samandmaxUK YouTube channel, introduces the characters as they are mid-gunfight with some sort of hydra-headed monster. After decades of games, from LucasArts' 90s point and click adventures to Telltale's episodic feats of mind-boggling heroics, Happy Giant is now putting players in the virtual world of Sam & Max. With only the words "In a world gone strange, one elite force stands against the darkness" to go off, the story and gameplay are still shrouded in mystery. One thing is clear from the trailer, Steve Purcell's characters have not lost their witty humor and cartoonish charm.
David Nowlin, who has voiced this character since 2006, will be reprising his role as Sam, while Max will be voiced by Dave Boat who has only voiced the trigger-happy rabbit in one previous game, Telltale's sequel to Poker Night At The Inventory, in which Max appears along with multiple other characters from various video game franchises – including Claptrap from Borderlands and GLaDOS from Portal. Purcell has been involved with the exploits of Sam and Max since their conception across all media platforms and will be a consultant for the new game's design. He has contributed in some form to every video game, whether it be by creating the animated characters for programmers to play around within the SCUMM engine, designing a game to be released for DOS, or writing the story and making concept art for Telltale.
This long-running series has built up a loyal fanbase who, according to the comments on the trailer, is ecstatic to hear of Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual. The only downside is that VR headsets are expensive and not every gamer can afford one, and it is yet to be heard if the game is coming out on any other platforms. Happy Giant only says "stay tuned for more info" at the end of the teaser trailer, so watch this space.
Source: samandmaxUK - Youtube