Sam And Max: This Time It’s Virtual! now has a launch date of July 8. The Happy Giant-developed VR title was previously announced at Gamescom 2020 back in August, promising all of the wacky and irreverent hijinks the classic Freelance Police are known for.
The delightfully demented duo of Sam (a hard-boiled canine detective who’s the relative level head of the pair) and Max (who is described as a “hyperkinetic rabbity thing" and boasts a temperament as wild as his appearance suggests) have been featured in several video games since they first leaped off the pages of their own Dark Horse comic in the late 80s, with the first being the fondly remembered, Lucasarts-developed point-and-click adventure Sam And Max Hit The Road. Since then, the rights to the pair shifted to the late Telltale Games, which developed a series of 3D adventure titles that concluded with 2010's Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse. Aside from their main adventures, Sam and Max have cameoed in titles like the Telltale-developed Poker Night at the Inventory, and remasters of their previous games are currently in the works by Skunkape Games along with Happy Giant’s upcoming virtual title.
According to PCGamesN, Sam And Max: This Time It’s Virtual! will be released for Oculus Quest on July 8, 2021, for $29.99. It will initially be an Oculus exclusive before branching out to Steam VR and Viveport Infinity later this year and then arriving on PlayStation VR sometime in early 2022. In addition to the release date, publisher Big Sugar posted a new trailer for Sam And Max: This Time It’s Virtual on YouTube a few weeks ago, featuring the Freelance Police trying to help the player with a virtual escape room in their usual zany manner. Check it out below.
Licensed VR titles have grown increasingly common over the past few years, with games like Iron Man VR and Star Wars: Vader Immortal giving players a taste of what it would be like to wear Tony Stark’s iconic armor or wield a lightsaber. Additionally, titles like Resident Evil 7 and Star Wars: Squadrons have provided VR support, enhancing their already first-person perspective by allowing players to look around as if they were actually inside an X-Wing’s cockpit or a derelict house.
Sam And Max: This Time It’s Virtual! looks to continue the madcap hijinks the franchise is well-known for, as well as offer up some fun twists thanks to its VR functionality. Fans will be able to help the Freelance Police crack their latest case when Sam And Max: This Time It’s Virtual! launches on the Oculus Quest on July 8.
Source: PCGamesN, Big Sugar/YouTube