LucasArts had a number of smash-hit games during their adventure games era of development, thanks to their clever storytelling and compelling characters. A game of theirs that kicked off one of the longest-running series in the genre at large was released 25 years ago this month – do you know which one that is?
Sam & Max Hit the Road arrived for MS-DOS in November 1993, and would later be ported to Mac OS and Windows. The game followed the two titular characters, an anthropomorphic dog (Sam) and his rabbit partner (Max), the “Freelance Police.” These characters were created originally by cartoonist Steve Purcell and made their initial debut in a 1987 comic series. Their initial video game was based on the On the Road comic, in which Sam and Max take on the bizarre case of a bigfoot that’s gone missing from a carnival. Along the way, they travel throughout the U.S., taking in a variety of tourist traps such as the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, and even stopping at a “Snuckey’s.”
Like many other LucasArts adventure titles of the time, the game made use of their SCUMM game engine, meaning it played in a similar fashion to their other successful titles. Players controlled Sam by clicking around the environment to collect clues and solve puzzles. The game also included a variety of carnival-style minigames, some of which were crucial to advancing the plot.
Purcell, having created the characters to begin with, was heavily involved with the game’s development. The team at LucasArts had a fairly quick timetable to work with – less than a year – but was able to turn things around. Sam & Max Hit the Road ended up being one of the first games ever released with full voiceover; Bill Farmer was cast for Sam, with Nick Jameson cast for Max.
The game saw highly positive reception upon its release, with praise going to the graphics and voiceover, as well as the interesting puzzle designs. Sam & Max Hit the Road is now considered one of the all-time classics as far as adventure titles are concerned. The success of the inaugural game helped to kick off a full series, with the most recent entry, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, releasing via Telltale Games in 2010. The characters also saw a short-lived television series, The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, which aired on Fox Kids in 1997.