Sam and Max: Night of the Raving Dead Review

The gods of action adventure games smiled upon Sam and Max in their last adventure. Sure, there was the threat of volcanic eruption at any moment, but the pair got a free trip to a sun drenched island, the chance to drink exotic beverages with several very famous figures, and their own shot at instant deification. What could be better? Well, the local of the next Sam and Max adventure, for one. Sam and Max: Night of the Raving Dead takes the pair to a lonely castle lurking beneath a stormy sky in Stuttgart, Germany. A plague of zombies is on the loose, some of whom are bad tippers, and the trail leads straight to the castle and its fashionably dejected owner, Jurgen. Somehow Sam and Max have to put a stop to these morbid melodramatic meanderings before it’s too late!

The Sam and Max starts out in the way many of the others have, with a direct and surprising event, that causes the pair to head for the streets to deliver some freelance justice. The neighborhood has been plagued with zombies, but all of whom appear to be wearing sunglasses…and no shirts…and tank tops. Yes, this plight is far more terrible then anyone previously realized, greater than an out-of-control Internet, more dangerous than a statue of Abe Lincoln trashing Washington, and more inexplicable than an afro worn by a former child star! It’s…it’s…zombie ravers!

The exclamation marks stop now. Promise.

The bulk of Sam and Max: Night of the Raving Dead is what anyone who has played the previous games has come to know. You point-and-click your way through the in-game environments, the mighty mouse pointer your tool as you converse, interact, and perhaps even run away rapidly from the challenges you will face in Night of the Raving Dead. There will be plenty of those, however, as there will be many curve balls tossed your way. All it takes to surpass these, however, is the gamer’s best weapon.

Brainnssssss!

Okay, that was the last exclamation point.

Source Sam and Max: Night of the Raving Dead Review by The Game Reviews

This game can best be described as a combination of the old and new as some of the characters from the previous Sam and Max titles will be making a return appearance, such as Harry the Mole from The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball, Mr. Farnsworth the Shakespearian chicken actor from Situation: Comedy, the Director, and Bessie the Cow. Some will just be comedic relief, others will indirectly be helping you solve the case of the Night of the Raving Dead. The puzzle system seems to be a combination of old and new as well as some of the puzzles have solutions that are what was seen in Moai Better Blues, the solutions being in plain sight but requiring an eye for detail and some creative thinking to solve. Other items and puzzles have less distinct meanings and uses, making it harder to know what is useful and what is not as you go through the game, but if everything was clear there would be no challenge, right?

The graphics of each Sam and Max game look good and, indeed, seem to look better with every incarnation. These range from the designs of the structures, from the war-robot-turned-casino outside Sam and Max’s office (now featuring Robert Goulet’s gerbil) to the viewable decals that can be collected and applied to the rear of the DeSoto. In many cases, these are just there to be looked at, but they look good and are a small portion of the graphical prowess that composes the rest of the game.

All in all, though, Sam and Max: Night of the Raving Dead is a very good successor to a series of titles that only seem to look better and be funnier as more and more of them come out. Anyone who played the old Sam and Max titles back in the 90s, or played the newer ones, or is just a fan of the action adventure title who likes a good laugh into the bargain should play.