Sam & Max have an absolute refusal to die. The pair haven’t had it easy for them, having to go through the shutdowns of two game studios (Lucasarts and Telltale), a comic run, a short lived animated series, and even the hell of sibling rivalry when they were first conceptualized by creator Steve Purcell’s younger brother Dave. However, despite this rough history there’s a good reason why these characters in particular have survived through so much and for so long. Sam & Max’s witty banter that favors wordy expressions and baffling exposition, chaotic detective work with irreverence for the world around them, and world that embodies Americana through the satirical parody of pop-culture among the likes of sci-fi comics, noir films, and celebrities has helped form a unique brand of humor that's unlike anything else and has captured the attention of many throughout the years.

Perhaps what best embodies Sam & Max’s longevity as characters is the remaster of Save the World by Telltale successor Sunkape Games. The world of video game remasters is pretty iffy, with some games losing their original charm with “improved” graphics or presentation, but Save the World Remastered is one of the very best. Skunkape did a phenomenal job translating the charm of the original games and even Purcell’s original artwork through the flairs of updated character models, live soundtrack, uncompressed audio, improved lighting, and even widescreen. The remaster makes Save the World feel like a brand new game, with the original almost looking like unrendered footage by comparison. The love for Sam & Max on display in this remaster is so palpable, it really goes to show how much of an impact the lovable duo has not only on its audience but its developers as well.

With all of that said, how is Save the World itself? Well, compared to Sam & Max’s previous video game adventure “Hit the Road,” the locations in Save the World don’t feel as interwoven as the detective case spanning the entirety of America, with a notable lack of connecting the dots between old and new locales. Save the World favors a more episodic format that presents almost every locale directly to you which, while convenient, comes at the cost of more isolated locales that make the world feel less interconnected or ambitious as the previous game, especially when compared to the following Sam & Max game by Telltale. However thats not to say the game lacks any ambition, as Save the World certainly does has a larger scope within the story and the upper hand when it comes to puzzles. Compared to Hit the Road, Save the World offers more variety in approaching solutions, with certain puzzles in requiring interactions with the world and characters around you rather than simply using or combining two items together. While Save the World may have some obtuse solutions with its puzzles, they’re few and far between and nowhere near the level of obscurity that Hit the Road had within some of its puzzles.

But when considering the game on its own terms, Save the World suffers through a lot of backtracking through areas which gets pretty tedious after a while, however the game goes a bit easier on the backtracking as it goes on thanks to giving greater purpose in revisiting older areas. My favorite episode was episode 5 which gave greater purpose to Sam & Max's familiar block through the lens of a digital wonderland in virtual reality where most of the puzzles are solved by modifying the game world with a literal bug. A lot of the game’s creativity along with Sam & Max’s brand of absurdist humor also lies within the latter half, episode 5 has already been mentioned but comparing episode 1’s focus on the washed up child stars of The Soda Poppers and Brady Culture to episode 4’s reanimated Lincoln Memorial running for president reveals how much the Freelance Police’s chaotic nature really gets to shine in the later episodes. That’s not to say that those early episodes aren’t enjoyable though, as Sam & Max’s exceedingly enjoyable wit puts a spotlight on the personalities within the new cast of characters such as the level-headed yet frantic Sybil or the paranoiac Bosco which keeps the jokes feeling fresh throughout the entire game when going through the massive amounts of dialogue on display.

Save the World, despite some of its failings, manages to become triumphant due to its lovely protagonists providing enough personality and tongue-in-cheek jokes to make the game a refreshingly funny adventure from its relatively weak start all the way to its strong end. Sam & Max’s unique brand of humor, character, and art direction was translated almost perfectly from Purcell’s original artwork into the era of modern gaming, and Skunkape’s remaster only helps deliver more on the fact that this is one of the funniest games out there.

Bonus Episode Ranking (why not):

6. Episode 1
5. Episode 3
4. Episode 2
3. Episode 6
2. Episode 4
1. Episode 5

I really want to love this game. I really do, I love the concept mixed with the proximity chat.. but man idk a lot of this games enjoyment hinges on the potential humorous moments with the deaths, and I find a lot of the monsters too frustrating to deal with to really be enjoyable. So many of the monsters feel way too punishing with their attacks, like a monster thats outside your of line of sight on the ceiling deciding to drop and latch onto your head, or a huge monster deciding o barrel towards your team with the might and speed of a freight train. Sure, maybe i just have a skill issue, but its really frustrating to die over and over again in ways that feel increasingly unfair and not contribute to the path towards victory in a cooperative game, and hearing your friends all laugh at you upon death only sours the frustration further personally. Again, I love the concept.. but I really can't grapple with the frustration of death to really have any fun with my friends.

While not the first games I played in the series (that honor goes to Super Paper Mario and Sticker Star) the original Paper Mario is the game that really got me into RPGs and holds a special place near and dear to my heart.

I love the presentation of this game, perhaps it's the ultimate "comfort game" for me. The soundtrack might be the most comforting thing about the game, with the pleasant sounds of the N64 really showing themselves throughout many of the game's tunes. The polyganal style of the Mushroom Kingdom coupled with the pixilated character sprites also make for a game that oozes graphical charm. This of course extends to the combat system, with it allowing for animation and timed inputs that make for some of the most expressive battles I've seen in an RPG. Management is also something that surprisingly makes the game more engaging, with HP, FP, AND BP all needing to be carefully managed to make the tide of battle flow smoothly as the game progresses, with leveling up allowing for upgrades to only one of the stats.

However, on this particular playthough I found myself more critical of the game, but this may be because I have already played though it so many times. For one, while the simple storybook nature of the game's story is wonderfully comforting, it is perhaps a bit too simple? With the other Mario RPGs (or hell even some of the other Paper Marios) the locations are a bit more fantastical with much more imposing threats, while in this original game Mario is still exploring the basic lands of the Mushroom Kingdom (with a few exceptions) with Bowser as the main villian. Despite that it wouldn't really be fair to call the game "basic" with how much wit and charm the characters that inhabit this kingdom are able to convey in their dialouge. Though the games more laid back nature does lead into my second point that this game can sometimes be broken in half in a way that I don't really find fun. This playthough, I decided to go full on into BP, allowing me to do some insanely high damage that melted most enemies and bosses towards the end, which I didn't really find that fun or engaging sometimes.

Though the game's more easygoing attitude did prevent me from fully enjoying the game on this revisit as I have in the past, the original Paper Mario still has tons of charm and personality that makes for such a comforting game that I'm sure I will revisit in the future.

I think Sam & Max are the most gay-coded characters ever created and I honestly could not tell you why. Maybe its the suit and the height difference.

Anyway, it boggles my mind just how effortlessly and hilariously witty this game is. I feel like a lot the time attempts at comedy through fourth wall breaks and quippy witicisms come off as really forced and groan-worthy, but Sam & Max are able to pull it off so well. Their dynamic, wordy banter, disregard for the law and morality, and gleefully cynical outlook on the world is just delightful and makes the humor really work. It's paired with absolutely sublime art direction and animation to boot. Sometimes the puzzles are fairly obtuse, but I think that's the price you have to pay with some of these older adventure games.

If Peppino was a journey through an anxiety-induced fever dream from a man who's been driven to the very edge of his own helpless sanity, then the Noise is a journey through a man's own vanity, going through the same struggles as Peppino not because he wants to or needs to, but just because he can. Noise is much more akin to Wario than Peppino in this matter then, effortlessly blazing through the tribulations presented to them for the sake of their own greed and ego. With such a shift of character then, playing Pizza Tower as the Noise is not a lame excuse for replayability, however it is a whole new experience within the same game.

Just like Peppino, Noise can go really fast, if not more so. Unlike Peppino though, the Noise cant climb up the walls out of sheer desperation, instead opting for his skateboard to act as more of a wall jump that gets instantaneous speed when landing on the ground. The Noise can also do a tornado spin when using his skateboard that decimates enemies. To counteract this lack of verticality though, the Noise can super jump at any time and has access to an uppercut with much more force and range to it. Bosses are also different, with the Noise deciding to gleefully throw his own bombs around the arena, instead of grabbing the bosses out of abject rage. These new movement options and every transformation having new control methods create not only just a different game feel than Peppino, but one that beautifully balances on the line between a chaotic and smooth experience.

The movement isn't just the only thing that makes playing through Pizza Tower as the Noise feel so fresh, but rather the fact that the Noise is a god damn scumbag cheater. He often just ignores several mechanics in the game, such as changing the stroke limit in golf so that he always gets the primo ‘burg, or not delivering the pizzas in Gnome Forest and instead opts to destroy the customers' homes to get the toppins. Not even the bosses are safe from the Noise's wrath, as he just flat out shoots the Vigilante in the climactic duel and even scares off Fake Peppino in the final chase phase. He doesnt even have his own title cards for each level he just slaps stickers of himself over all the faces that were present in Peppino's adventure. And that's only tipping the iceberg when it comes to all of the delightfully cheesy flourishes that the Noise adds to make for a hilariously cheap playthrough.

The Noise reinforces the chaotic and insane energy of Pizza Tower that, in my opinion, makes it one of the best 2D platformers ever made, and is a more than welcome addition to this amazing game. The Noise even gets some great new music tracks that compliment an already fantastic soundtrack.

Now all we need is a playable Gerome update to make this game a complete masterpiece. Come on Tour de Pizza I know you can do it!!!!!!