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Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space
Developer(s)	Telltale Games
Publisher(s)	Telltale Games Microsoft Game Studios (X360)
Designer(s)	Dave Grossman
Programmer(s)	Randy Tudor
Artist(s)	David Bogan
Writer(s)	Brendan Q. Ferguson Dave Grossman Heather Logas Chuck Jordan Ian Dallas Jeff Lester Steve Purcell
Composer(s)	Jared Emerson-Johnson
Series	Sam & Max
Engine	Telltale Tool
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Xbox 360 Wii OS X PlayStation 3 iOS Nintendo Switch Xbox One PlayStation 4
Release	Microsoft Windows 2007 – 2008 Episodes November 8, 2007 – April 10, 2008 Season Two May 16, 2008 Remastered December 8, 2021 Xbox 360 October 14, 2009 Wii NA: March 16, 2010 EU: September 30, 2010 AU: December 1, 2010 OS X May 18, 2010 PlayStation 3 October 18, 2011 iOS January 26, 2012 – April 19, 2012 Switch, Xbox One December 8, 2021 PlayStation 4 September 29, 2022
Genre(s)	Graphic adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space, originally released as Sam & Max: Season Two, is an episodic graphic adventure video game by Telltale Games based on the Sam & Max comic book series created by Steve Purcell. It is a sequel to Telltale's previous Sam & Max game, Sam & Max Save the World, and was originally released as five episodes for Microsoft Windows over the course of late 2007 and early 2008, before being ported to other platforms in the following years. A remaster of the game by Skunkape Games was released in December 2021 for Windows, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, and in September 2022 for PlayStation 4.

Gameplay

Beyond Time and Space builds on Save the World with more dynamic NPCs, an updated engine, a hint system, support for widescreen monitors, more realistic animations, and more mini-games within each episode. Beyond Time and Space features a calibration assistant when first run, which allows the player to set their graphics and difficulty settings before playing.

Synopsis

A year after the events of the previous game, Freelance Police Sam and Max discover their pet goldfish Mr. Spatula has turned evil, but he is killed by a giant robot sent by Santa Claus. The two head to the North Pole and find Santa firing upon the elves with a machine gun. Suspecting Santa is possessed, Sam and Max conduct an exorcism, but discover the demon is possessing an elf instead. With help from the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, the demon is reduced to a plate of Jell-O, which Santa inadvertently eats and becomes possessed. Sam and Max knock Santa out, learning the demon was meant for Satan but sent to Santa due to a typo. They send Santa to Hell and deliver all the Christmas presents in his place.

A month later, Sybil and Abe get sucked into a Bermuda Triangle portal. Sam and Max follow and arrive on Easter Island, populated by missing people turned to babies by the Fountain of Youth, and are told by the local Moai that a prophecy states that a volcano will erupt and destroy them. In a nearby cave, they discover a group of aquatic Ocean Chimps who worship the Moai's giant stone feet, and the ghost of Mr. Spatula has established himself as their High Priest, planning to use a machine to trigger an eruption. Sam convinces the Ocean Chimps that Max is the true High Priest, but Mr. Spatula sets off the eruption, only for Sam and Max to use a giant Bermuda Triangle to divert the lava. The two swim back to shore with Abe, who has broken up with Sybil, while the Moai are suddenly abducted.

Sometime later, the city is attacked by zombies from the Zombie Factory, a nightclub in Stuttgart run by the vampire Jurgen. Using traditional vampire weaknesses to lower Jurgen's popularity and make him vulnerable, Sam and Max pursue Jurgen but get caught in a death-trap and killed. The two reawaken as zombies and find Jurgen sleeping in his coffin and their souls trapped waiting to be shipped off to Hell. They retrieve a Soul Mater device from Sybil, inadvertently convincing her to get back together with Abe, but accidentally end up in each other's bodies. The two force Jurgen into his own deathtrap, and his soul is abducted. As Sam and Max return to their bodies, their neighbor and fellow detective Flint Paper arrives to announce Bosco has gone missing.

The three break into Bosco's store to look for clues, but Sam and Max inadvertently signal a UFO, which abducts them. They find Bosco, who has turned into a cow after stumbling into a time-traveling elevator and inadvertently altering the events of his birth. Sam and Max use the elevator to travel through time and restore Bosco, and they discover the UFO is piloted by past, present and future versions of a mariachi named Pedro, who travel through time in order to perform at everyone's birthday and collect souls for Hell to pay for their spaceship. Bosco is overwhelmed and dies of a heart attack, and the mariachis decide to use his soul to fill their quota. Sam and Max trick the mariachis into leaving so they can rescue Bosco's soul, but they accidentally send it to Hell and trigger the ship's self-destruct sequence. The two follow Bosco's soul through the portal, while the spaceship explodes just as it reaches the beginning of time, causing the Big Bang.

Sam and Max emerge in a subway station to Hell below their office. After gaining access to the train, they discover Hell to be an office environment employing their deceased enemies from past episodes. Satan ignores the two, but they interfere by freeing all their deceased friends' souls from their personal Hells. Sam demands that all these souls be released, and Satan agrees, but tricks Sam into taking their place. Max frees Sam, only to discover Satan is no longer in charge of Hell, which has been taken over by the Soda Poppers. The trio fire Satan and initiate a series of new evil plots, but Sam and Max thwart each of these and convince Satan to join them in retaking Hell. The Soda Poppers assume demonic forms and attempt to kill Sam & Max, but are tricked into using their own banishing ritual against themselves, trapping them in a fiery pit and allowing Satan to take back control. Everyone then leaves to attend Abe and Sybil's wedding. In a post-credits scene, the Soda Poppers swear revenge, only to be killed by the diverted lava flow from Easter Island.

Episodes

Release

Unlike Save the World, where GameTap users were able to access each episode two weeks before it was available through Telltale's website, Beyond Time and Space reduced this period down to one day. The first episode, "Ice Station Santa", was released on November 8 on GameTap, followed by a worldwide release on November 9. The second episode was delayed until January 11, 2008. New episodes were thereafter released on the second Thursday and Friday of each month.

As with Save the World in 2007, Beyond Time and Space was released on Steam on May 16, 2008.

Atari published Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space worldwide for both Microsoft Windows (in 2009) and Wii (in 2010). The game also received fully localized releases in French and German, as well as Italian and Spanish subtitles for the foreign language versions of Beyond Time and Space.

Sam & Max Season One and Two were released for Xbox Live Arcade in February 2009. Telltale also officially named Season Two Beyond Time and Space.

A remaster by Skunkape Games was released in December 2021 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, and in September 2022 for PlayStation 4. Like the Save the World remaster, it features new cinematics and music, improved character models and lighting, and some re-recorded dialogue.

Reception

Episode 1: Ice Station Santa

Episode 1: Ice Station Santa received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 82% on GameRankings based on 32 reviews and 82/100 on Metacritic based on 32 reviews.

Episode 2: Moai Better Blues

Episode 2: Moai Better Blues received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 81% on GameRankings based on 32 reviews and 80/100 on Metacritic based on 30 reviews.

Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead

Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 80% on GameRankings based on 28 reviews and 79/100 on Metacritic based on 26 reviews.

Episode 4: Chariots of the Dogs

Episode 4: Chariots of the Dogs received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 85% on GameRankings based on 27 reviews and 85/100 on Metacritic based on 23 reviews.

Episode 5: What's New, Beelzebub?

Episode 5: What's New, Beelzebub? received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 85% on GameRankings based on 22 reviews and 85/100 on Metacritic based on 20 reviews.

References

1. Faylor, Chris (July 25, 2007). "Sam & Max Return To GameTap For Season Two". Shacknews. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
2. jake (September 25, 2007). "Season Two premiere release date and title revealed!". The Telltale Blog. Telltale Games. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
3. emily (December 2, 2008). "Sam & Max Season Two coming to retail, Wii". The Telltale Blog. Telltale Games. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
4. J., Kev (February 26, 2008). "Sam & Max Confirmed for XboxLIVE! Arcade". Electronic Theatre. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
5. Fahey, Mike (February 26, 2009). "Sam & Max Hit The Xbox Live Arcade". Kotaku.
6. Davis, Wes (December 4, 2020). "Skunkape Games Already Working on Remastering Seasons 2, 3 of Sam and Max". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
7. "Announcing Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Remastered!". Steam News. November 17, 2021.
8. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 1: Ice Station Santa Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
9. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 1: Ice Station Santa Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
10. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 2: Moai Better Blues Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
11. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 2: Moai Better Blues Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
12. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
13. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
14. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 4: Chariots of the Dogs Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
15. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 4: Chariots of the Dogs Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
16. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 5: What's New, Beelzebub? Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
17. ^ "Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - Episode 5: What's New, Beelzebub? Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived July 16, 2018)
• Official website (Remastered)

Notes

1. Remastered version developed by Skunkape Games.
2. Windows and Wii physical versions published by Atari. Remastered version published by Skunkape Games.

• 2007 video games
• Christmas video games
• Episodic video games
• Point-and-click adventure games
• IOS games
• Wii games
• MacOS games
• Windows games
• Xbox 360 games
• Bandai Namco games
• PlayStation 3 games
• Telltale Games games
• PlayStation Network games
• Xbox 360 Live Arcade games
• Nintendo Switch games
• Xbox One games
• PlayStation 4 games
• Video game sequels
• Video games based on Sam & Max
• Video games about dogs
• Video games about rabbits and hares
• Video games set in Germany
• Video games set in New York City
• Video games set in the United States
• Video games scored by Jared Emerson-Johnson
• Video games developed in the United States
• Single-player video games