Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
Microsoft from Deutsch
"Sam & Max: Season Two: What's New Beelzebub?" Is the fifth Episode of the second Season of the fun-satirical episode Point-and-click adventures.
The overturns sadistic Bunny Max and the jovial Dog Sam form a congenial Team. They are freelance police Officers, investigative Detectives and solve every Case with their Firm, however absurd or outlandish.
Mechanically, we are in classic Point-and-Click. We (almost) always control Sam, click on Things that all trigger a Comment, stuff some of them into our Inventory, use them with other Things or other Protagonists, and select from multiple conversational Options for the latter.
As classic as the Gameplay, so twisted is the Humour. Everything is taken on the Rails here, whether Television Formats or American Presidents. The more abstruse the better. In doing so, the Series doesn't shy away from bad Puns and Calaus. But it is precisely this disrespectful approach to everything and everyone that opens up the Range from sharp Parody to Level-free flat wit. Everything else is subordinated to a good Punchline. And that's exactly what makes for the Wit and Charm of "Sam & Max."
As usual, this Episode is not primarily about the Puzzles, but about the anarchist-ironic Humour that always isolates Elements of the Real And parodies them through Overdrawing.
The Puzzle Structure is also often similar. In Terms Of content, there are the wildest and most surprising Ideas, but structurally many Puzzles run according to the Motto: Do three or four Tasks and then come back, off.
This Episode, "What's New Beelzebub?," brings together the Narrative Strands of previous Episodes. All the well-known Characters, which we usually already know from the first Season, resurface. Only most are, foolishly, somehow obsessed with the Devil. In addition, Bosco's Soul is in Hell ... Stupid Thing. So go and put everything right.
There are once again saucomic Moments, twisted Absurdities that put the Grin on your Face. But-as it did through almost the entire second Season-you can also see here that the Series has lost its Strength. In My View, this is primarily due to the fact that over Time the Series has increasingly lost its satirical parodic Vein. If you Find plenty of successful Parodies in Season One on TV Formats, well-known Series, Movies or characters that anchor the Gags in Reality and ignite them by the Recognition Value, the Series tends to revolve more and more around itself. The Narrative Structure and Gags are becoming more and more clearly developed only from the Characters within the Sam & Max Universe. And at some point you put each Figure in a Situation with everyone else and fired the Gags that develop out of these Constellations.
Really well, the Series will always only be in the Moments when it manages to act parodistically again and not just Line up Gag to Gag.
In any Case, you should play the English-language Version if you don't want to miss Gags. The German Synchro makes an effort, but often-due to numerous Puns that can hardly be translated-has no Chance.
The Playing Time of the individual Episodes is neat, because you are busy with each of the five episodes about two Hours. (On Steam, however, you can only buy the whole Season 2 consisting of 5 Episodes anyway).
Rating: 6/10 Atmosphere 5/10 Story 7/10 Graphic 7/10 Sound 7/10 Game Mechanics 5/10 Balancing 6/10 Game Pass Conclusion: Still just enough witty Moments Not to drive to Hell.
6/10 Overall Rating