Subduing the Soda Poppers in Sam & Max Save the World

As an old-school point and click nerd, it makes me so happy to see a remastered version of the first season of Telltale Games’ Sam & Max series, Sam & Max Save the World. However, since the original game was made back in 2006, not everyone may be familiar with Sam and Max’s particular brand of problem solving. Here’s a guide to help you deal with the first episode’s first major puzzle chain, the Soda Poppers.

Knocking Out the Poppers

Specs, Whizzer, and Peepers, three former child stars, are causing trouble in Sam and Max’s neighborhood, painting graffiti, making unauthorized deliveries, and impersonating a psychotherapist, in that order. In order to put a stop to their shenanigans, you’ll need to knock them unconscious, but if you try to go at them directly, they’ll just run away. Time for some Freelance Police ingenuity!

Smacking Specs

Specs is drawing graffiti on the closed store next to Bosco’s Inconvenience. Specs is a perfectionist, so if you mess up his graffiti, he’ll have to fix it. Grab the spray paint on the newspaper dispenser next to Specs, then use it on the graffiti on Sam and Max’s building.

Specs will rush over to fix it. While he’s preoccupied, go to Sam and Max’s office. Grab Lou, Sam’s favorite bowling ball, off the floor next to the filing cabinet. Use Lou on the window, take aim at Specs on the street, and let it roll.

Whacking Whizzer

Whizzer is delivering unauthorized video tapes to Bosco’s. Luckily, as you can probably guess from his name, Whizzer’s weakness is his bladder. First, grab the block of cheese from the sale table next to the front counter, then click on the bathroom door to send Max in.

The flushing sound will get Whizzer’s pipes flowing, and he’ll run in to do his business. While he’s gone, place the cheese into the crate he was unloading videos from. When he comes out and tries to leave with the cheese, Bosco’s security will clobber him senseless.

Popping Peepers

Peepers is holed up in Sybil’s office, where he’s apparently been brainwashed into believing he’s her and hocking bogus therapy. You’ll need to sucker punch him with Max’s boxing glove, found on Sam and Max’s office windowsill, but his buggy eyes will always see you coming.

First, go talk to Bosco, who will offer his homemade tear gas grenade launcher for an exorbitant sum. Hop into the DeSoto and rear-end another driver. Shoot out their tail light with Sam’s gun, then use the megaphone to make them pull over.

Once you’ve extorted a tail light fine from them, buy Bosco’s invention (a salad shooter full of onions) and return to Sybil’s place. Shoot Peepers with a “tear gas grenade” to make him close his eyes, and then you can have Max slug him.