Episode 2 of the Devil’s Playhouse series, with the detective hound and his psychic/psycho rabbit friend, has arrived on the PS3 to give people more of the same. For those that have managed to get past The Penal Zone that is. We should all be thankful that this can be played as a stand-alone title rather than it being a case of finishing the first to get into number 2 (I’m one of them, as I did get stuck about halfway through) but can it keep up the cracking jokes and funny dialogue from part one?
The game is played for more or less it’s entirety with the older versions of our main heroes, Sammeth and Maximus, who are on the lookout for the Devil’s Toybox in a different time zone from normal, around the early 1900’s. The way this is done is through our present day sleuths viewing their ancestors’ adventures via a projector and film. Within the 4 reels available are clues that, when detected, can be used in other films to get past a certain area that would be otherwise blocked. As an example, in one of the reels of film you need to keep baby Amelia Earheart from waking up, so as not to be detected by the train conductor for getting on and not having any tickets. Only by looking through previous bits can you find the answer.
It sounds like it has the potential to annoy. And if things aren’t going your way like in a fair load of these kind of games, it can a little, but it does work very well. Plus the fact for every slight annoyance there is that great feeling of achievement when you work something out that mere mortals would scratch their brains til it bled to work out. A lot of these involve some of Max’s new psychic toys, including a rather shabby and worn out ventriloquist dummy, named Charlie, and a can of nuts which has the astounding ability of letting two fully grown companions hide within to scare any people within the vicinity when they leap out (can’t say this has ever happened to me personally…had to be there, I guess).
Much like the rest of this series, as well as what has come before so far, Episode 2 uses the same game engine and audio sources, so it looks and feels just like the rest, which is a good thing. The comedy is very fresh and rather funny in some cases, with just that nice mix of standard jokes mixed with more mature humour. I have to confess to having a few chuckles going through the game, it has to be said.
The characters also are worthy of mention as they do add a bit of extra sparkle to proceedings. From the Mole family with special powers, including a teenage one with a crush on a European vampire hunter, to a bunch of elves looking for the next big toy to make their fortunes with, not to mention please their boss with said result. Much like the first episode, this leaves you with a rather tasty cliff-hanger, but alas I cannot tell you anymore, well, at least until episode 3 comes out.
It’s really good to see Telltale Games keep the momentum from the first episode going, as there is always a chance of the follow-ups never doing as well as the original. What this does mean is that it gives potential buyers of the full series a little less chance of worrying, as it allows a more confident purchase for those willing to put their money forward. I would say one thing in that it can be a tad easier to finish than episode 1, mainly because on a personal basis I was actually able to get this one done, where I had to get help to finish off the first part, as mentioned earlier.
The only other slight gripe I have is that it didn’t take too long either, as I reckon about two and a half hours could see you through this easy enough is you are well versed in the ways of the adventure game, which more and more people seem to be doing these days. Your brain will swell a little at some of the more intricate puzzles, but I’d say most of them are reasonably straight forward, although the biggest puzzle I solved was that it took me two episodes to finally realise there is a sprint button for Sam (if you didn’t know that and are going through the game at the moment, you’ll thank me for that valuable nugget of information).
Apart from the slightly less pleasurable timescale on offer here, I’d say this is a lovely addition to the series and will no doubt keep fans of both the original cartoon series (of which I am most definitely one of) and those who adore anything with an inventory and pressing of numerous buttons amused for a little while. I would advise going for the full series price if you haven’t done so before looking at this second episode, as a full 5 or 6 parts together would create a rather nicely proportioned and decently fulfilling story.
The humour in Sammun-Mak is sharp and witty, the characters are crazy, but strangely likeable and the dynamic detective duo are just as dim as ever, so if you’re one of those people who can forgive a bit of length in a game for a bit of gratuitous substance then I’d have no problem in getting this continuation from The Penal Zone pilot. It certainly has my appetite whetted for part 3, but to know what’s coming then, you’ll just have to play this one yourself, as I’m not one for giving out spoilers (unless you pay me crazy amounts of money).
VideogameUK verdict: 7.5/10
