The International House of Mojo

Chris ‘The Tingler’ Capel once unsuccessfully tried to review the Moon. “It’s big, makes werewolves happen and sometimes looks like a smile” was what he wrote. He then reviewed this game instead.

And so we come to it at last, the end of all things. Or at least the end of Sam & Max 2, the game Mojo 2004 never thought would happen. It’s a momentous occasion. Perhaps that’s why after the escalating delights of television, gambling, elections, and the Internet, the only real place for the Dynamic Duo to go was into Outer Space.

BANG! ZOOM! STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!

In what was probably the most predictable (but no less welcome) announcement since Lego Star Wars II, Sam & Max do indeed return to the Moon. I can’t say I’ve read the original comic where they first did so, but I assume it explains how their humble Desoto can drive to the lunar surface.

I don’t know if it was just my mood, but the beginning really disappointed me. Was it just me, or was the acting below-par? Both leads seemed almost tired, with none of their usual energy, and despite some good lines I didn’t laugh once. And why the heck isn’t there a response to shooting the Earth?

"WANNA RUB MY UNICORN?"

Luckily this distressing lack of humour comes to a very quick end, then thankfully gets hysterically funny and stays there until the end credits (I’ll get back to them later). This is mainly thanks to the Colour Spectrum Unicorn that opens up the floodgates to some of the dirtiest jokes ever heard in an adventure game. Low-brow humour may be easy, but by god it's hilarious.

Apart from the smut, thankfully the rest of the comedy is still top of the class. Bosco must get some sort of prize, as his disguise is the best yet, as is the obligatory “do you have any...” questions from Sam, which is pure gold just for Max’s reaction.

Oh yes, Max. Once again this l’il bunny gets all the best moments and proves himself to be the Jack Sparrow of the series, which is a strangely fitting metaphor for anyone who plays this after watching POTC: At World’s End. Sod Monkey Island references, that’s a Bright Side of the Moon moment right there. Apart from the different colours. You’ll understand what I mean when you get near the end of the game...

"PICK UP THE MOON? ARE YOU NUTS?"

So that’s comedy sorted. What about the rest of the game? Going back to the main street, I was very relieved to see it bathed in twilight. A different time of day is all it takes to impress me, honest. Telltale have also happily continued Reality 2.0’s standard of changing all the lines for objects, which admittedly should have been done every episode anyway but I’m just glad it’s here to stay.

When it comes to the story I once again won’t spoil anything, but despite ending the series I don’t necessarily think you have to have played every episode to get it, although I strongly recommend doing so as things will make more sense. Well, maybe that one bit with the spork still won’t, but other things might! It does wrap things up nicely for the series and brings in a load of the supporting cast, although bizarrely not the Soda Poppers. Maybe Telltale realised just how irritating they were.

However, the storyline and puzzles do link together in what is my biggest criticism of Episode 6. Both features form the spine of any adventure game, and with Bright Side of the Moon that spine is made of jelly. The story doesn’t really have any twists (save that one Cap’n Jack moment with Max), and the puzzles seem to boil down to mostly getting through doors (again, save that Max Sparrow moment). Reality 2.0 may have had a rubbish story, but at least the problems and humour saved it. Here it’s mostly the wit.

I suppose at least the door puzzles are actually quite tricky to solve and usually have several mini-puzzles behind them. This game isn’t a breeze, but it is on the whole just pretty much the adventure equivalent of Get Red Key To Open Red Door.

"IT SHONE PALE AS BONE, AS I STOOD THERE ALONE..."

Finally, just to rub some salt into the wound and seemingly beg me to knock the game down to 3.5 skulls, at the end of the game there seems to be a distinct lack of polish on many occasions. From bent objects that unbend, Sam answering questions that Max hasn’t asked, or Max speaking normally or rubbing his hands together. All this will make sense if you play it, trust me. Hopefully Telltale will sort this lot out with a patch.

I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy this game, but I really did, hence the score. Not up to the astonishingly high standards set by episodes 4 and 5 but nevertheless up to at least episodes 1 and 2 in terms of sheer fun value. Maybe as an ending to such a fantastic series Bright Side of the Moon isn’t quite as good as it could have been, but it’s still a great game and works just fine where it is.

And most importantly, it leaves you with a massive grin on your face. Funniest End Credits Ever. Yes, better even than Monkey Island 2. So good I actually broke into a round of applause at the end, and for that and all their efforts Telltale should be proud. Nice going, chaps!

4 out of 5 skulls

Pros: Still very funny, good closure, fantastic end credits

Cons: Story a bit lacking, puzzles too 'get past this door'-ish

This article was originally published on June 4th, 2007. Most older Mojo articles were lost, and we've been forced to resort to The Wayback Machine to revive them. Unfortunately, the layout and media of the original article is often not salvageable, so if you want an idea of how this feature looked in its original form, check out this snapshot.

Oh yeah, and here's the original news post, since we have trouble linking those correctly, too. ¬¬