Announced today at Gamescom, Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual revives the Sam and Max series with a brand-new VR game. According to developer HappyGiant, the game is on track for a 2021 release date.
As a first-person VR experience, Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual diverges from the series' prior adventure games. Still, if the new trailer is any indication, the game retains the off-kilter humor the Sam & Max series is known for. This time around, the core cast may be slightly larger than just the two crimefighters. As shown in the new trailer, the latest game appears to add a third main character - the player.
Early in the trailer, the player stumbles across Sam and Max as they fight a multi-headed beast. The duo recruit the player on the spot. From there, the player kills cockroaches with a gun, launches Max into a giant bullseye, and more. Presumably, the player partakes in these activities as part of a training regimen imposed by Sam and Max (who are voiced by David Nowlin and Dave Boat, respectively).
Sam and Max, who administer chaotic justice as self-proclaimed "Freelance Police," have a long history of well-received adventure games. Their first game was the widely-acclaimed 1993 LucasArts production Sam & Max Hit the Road. Telltale Games acquired the license in the 2000s, and eventually developed Sam & Max into one of its signature properties. The last Sam & Max game was Telltale Games' episodic series Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, which concluded in 2010.
The game isn't the first return of a classic franchise to be announced at Gamescom 2020 (that would be the Turrican Anthology games), but it's a welcome announcement for series fans nonetheless. Even more welcome is the news that series creator Steve Purcell is consulting on story, art, and game design.
Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual will release in 2021 for VR platforms.