BOSTON, JULY 8, 2021 – Indie game studio HappyGiant and Publisher Big Sugar have announced that Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! is available today on Oculus Quest. The action-adventure VR title featuring Steve Purcell’s irrepressible dog with a hat and hyperkinetic rabbity-thing, is the duo’s first game in more than a decade and the pair’s first foray into Virtual Reality. The game can be downloaded July 8th, 2021 starting at 1 pm EST on the Oculus store page for $29.99 USD.
Following its release on Oculus, Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! will launch later this year for SteamVR and Viveport Infinity, and then PlayStationVR (PSVR) in early 2022. The game will feature subtitles in multiple languages soon as well.
Even multimedia evil-slappers like Sam & Max could use a hand, and this time they’re using the incomprehensible magic of virtual reality to invite the player into their off-kilter world for a furious day of monster-slaying, obstacle courses, responsibly discharged firearms, and, of course, saving the entire freaking world. Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual! mixes puzzles and escape rooms with challenges of skill and classic point-and-click adventure sure to put even the heartiest Freelance Police cadet through their paces.
HappyGiant has ensured the pair is in good hands with an all-star team of Sam & Max veterans including the characters’ creator, Steve Purcell, renowned concept artist Peter Chan, writer and designer Mike Stemmle, and music composer Jared Emerson-Johnson who wrote an original soundtrack for the game. David Nowlin and Dave Boat are returning to voice Sam & Max. In addition Steve Purcell also performed as a character in the game, a first for the series.
“It was amazing to watch this game coming to life and see Sam & Max take on yet another new medium.” said Steve Purcell, the creator of the series. “Happy Giant found the sweet spot in capturing the spirit of the older games while making something entirely new and weird. It was fun getting to interact with Sam & Max in a virtual world, help out with the initial design and even contribute a little bit of voice work at the end."
Gameplay Highlights:
● Experience the two-fisted japes and tomfoolery of internationally beloved icons Sam & Max in mind-melting virtual reality!
● Push yourself to be the best of the best of the middling, as a dog and a naked rabbity thing harangue and cajole you through a bewildering assortment of Freelance Police Academy training challenges.
● Discover the horrible and socially relevant secrets lurking behind, under, and within Cap’n Aquabear’s rotting theme park!
● Give evil scientists and demonic trespassers their just desserts... with sprinkles!
● Immersion so real you can feel Sam’s breath on your neck!
About Sam & Max
Sam & Max, Steve Purcell's dog and rabbity-thing known collectively as the Freelance Police, were introduced to the unsuspecting world in 1987. They have appeared in comics, video games, an animated TV series, and an Eisner award-winning webcomic. Together they patrol the sticky streets of a fantastical New York City, righting wrongs, smashing evil, and delivering hot steamy plates of justice on the daily. They've been to Heck and back, shattered the time stream, and made America safe for bigfoots ... and are now coming to virtual reality.
About HappyGiant
HappyGiant is a leader in XR games and immersive experiences. Founded by veterans of LucasArts, the company are winners of a prestigious KAPI Award for “Best Mixed Reality Toy of the Year 2019”. Its first AR Game, HoloGrid:Monster Battle, was featured by Apple as "Game of the Day", and received numerous awards. Its QuasAR Arena game was one of the first true ‘persistent multiplayer’ AR games to market, and Geek & Sundry listed HappyGiant's AR Platform as the #1 leading AR Gaming platform of the future. HappyGiant has worked with companies including Microsoft, Disney, Hasbro, Spin Master, Qualcomm, and was a runner-up in Niantic’s first Beyond Reality Contest. For more information, please visit www.HappyGiant.com.
About Big Sugar Games
Big Sugar is a new publisher that does what it wants. And what it wants is to work with talented, independent developers, and to publish the unique, fun, compelling, entertaining, memorable and all-around high-quality games that they create. https://bigsugargames.com/
Additional Resources:
Sam & Max VR Launch Trailer: https://youtu.be/NQaE-mvnduc
HappyGiant YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4S_odO9a72gkDrF94NvBw
Twitter: @happygiantgames
Press Contacts:
Elizabeth Olson, on behalf of HappyGiant
Phone: 650.302.4776
Email: Ebeth.Olson@gmail.com
Twitter: @EbethO
Matthew Cundy, for Big Sugar Games
Email: Matt@BigSugarGames
Twitter: @MattCundy