Sam & Max: Save the World – Episode 1: Culture Shock Walkthrough by Robert Washburne

Hint-through
by Robert Washburne

Introduction

Sam & Max – Culture
Shock is a traditional, old-school adventure game. Based on Steve
Purcell’s comic book characters of
the same name, it strives for style and humor rather than eye candy
or intellectual challenge. There is little to explore and the puzzles
are all inventory or dialog tree based.

To say that the puzzles
are logical might be stretching things. But they are all very consistent
with the world of Sam & Max.
The solutions may not always make sense to us, but they are perfectly
reasonable to Sam & Max.

The puzzles are all easy to medium in difficulty. If you do get
stuck, it is probably because you aren’t thinking like Freelance
Police. So rather then just lay out the solutions and spoil the fun,
I will try to give subtle hints to nudge you in the right direction.
Of course, sometimes things are just obvious but I have to include
them for completeness sake.

Read through the following section of General Hints. When you get
to the next section, Hint-through, carefully scroll down to reveal
only one line at a time. This way I can feed the hints to you one
at a time until something clicks and you can still get the satisfaction
of solving it for yourself.

General Hints

Float your cursor over
everything and click on stuff which has a name, like “picture,” “phone,” or “TV.” Sam
will always say something about it and sometimes he will interact
with it (like opening a door) or place it in the inventory. There
is no clue as to what may or may not be important without clicking
on it.

If you click somewhere for Sam to walk to and he just turns around
and walks in the other direction, don’t panic. That’s just the game’s
way of saying you can’t go any further. There are only four locations
and one street to explore.

It isn’t always obvious when Sam places something in the inventory,
so you might want to check it now and then to see what you have.

Be sure to exhaust all dialog trees. If a dialog choice becomes
repetitious or just won’t go away, don’t panic. Just remember that
it is there because it may be the clue or solution to a puzzle later.

Listen carefully to the
dialog as it will frequently tell you what you should be doing
next. If, for example, Sam says, “Wow,
I’m going to have to get a left handed smoke sifter if I’m going
to get through this left handed smoke.” then you have a pretty
good idea that you will need to acquire or build a left handed smoke
sifter. Pretty obvious after the fact, but easy to miss if you aren’t
listening for it.

You cannot die or get stuck, so feel free to experiment.

You are free to explore anywhere and talk to whomever at any time,
but there are usually only one or two places which are useful at
a given time. I will now try to lead you through the game in an efficient
path. Don’t be worried if you did things in a different order. It
won’t hurt (me) a bit.

Hint-through

The Office (1)

• Once
you get control back from the cut scene, just click on everything
with a name.
There’s no rush.
• But
remember, you are looking for Swiss Cheese.
• How
can you tell if the cheese in a cartoon is Swiss cheese?
• It
will have holes in it of course!
• So,
got anything in your inventory which can make holes?
• Say…
45 Cal. Holes?
• Oh, just
pull out your big gun and blast it already!
• Then
click on it.
• Voila, it is
now in your inventory!

Jimmy Two-Teeth
• Just
exhaust the dialog trees. If you don’t you won’t hear all the wise-cracks,
and
that is most of the fun of the game.
• If
you really are stuck, or more likely impatient to get going,
just have Max talk
until Jimmy gets a headache.
• Then
switch to Sam and offer to help the headache.
• Then
switch back to Max and do the right thing.

You were just given your
first quest – get to the corner store
right away.
You should now have a boxing glove and a bowling ball in your inventory.

Bosco’s Inconvenience
Store (1)

• Be
sure to exhaust ALL dialog trees with Bosco.
• When
done, you will have three quests:
• 1 – try
to take something from the store to demonstrate B-TADS
• 2 – take
a drive to hand out a big ticket so you can get the gas grenade
launcher
• 3 – talk
to Whizzer

Whizzer

• Exhaust the dialog
tree.
• Once
done, you will have yet another quest – get a video
tape.

• Look around the
store.
• Don’t forget to pick up a tape.
• One quest down, but replaced with another – watch the video.
• Now where did I see a VCR?

• Be sure to take
the cheese before leaving.
• Now that you know what B-TADS does,
put the cheese back.
• Leave the store.

Specs
• Just exhaust the dialog tree. Nothing to do here, yet, but you
get some lovely background material.

The Office (2)

• Let’s see, we came back
to the office to watch the video. So I guess we should…
• After watching the tape, you now have your main quest: Stop Brady
Culture!
• But first, let’s give out that ticket.

Back Alley

• Before we get into the
De Soto, let’s look around.
• There’s another car there as well.
• What is that sitting on the rear of the other car?
• You should now have a can of paint in your inventory.
• Time for a drive…

Driving (1)

• Try driving on the sidewalk
for a while. It’s fun!
• There’s only one way to slow down enough to interact with another
car…
• Ram it!
• In case you hadn’t noticed, the megaphone can be used to pull a
car over.
• You can only hand out a ticket if there really was an offense.
• But everyone is being so honest today…
• Perhaps you could encourage a violation some how…
• Is there any way you can make someone drive hideously fast?
• Nope.
• Is there any way you can cause someone to drive as recklessly as
you?
• Nope.
• Is there a way you can break a person’s taillight?
• Well, not by ramming their rear end, but that does slow them down
a bit.
• Slow enough to get a good bead on them…
• Guns may not be the solution to everything, but in this case…
• Oh, go ahead and shoot out their taillight and pull them over.
• You really do have to aim for the light.

Bosco’s Inconvenience Store (2)

• Don’t just click on Bosco,
give him the money.
• B-TADS is so unforgiving.
• Nothing more to do here, but there is one more place on the street
we haven’t checked out…

Sybil’s (1)

• Exhaust dialog tree with
Peepers.
• Look around and eventually open the closet door.
• Exhaust dialog tree with Sybil.
• Now you have a new quest – knock Peepers, and the other Soda
Poppers, unconscious.

Peepers
• A boxing glove is the classic way to knock out a cartoon character.
• Oops, he saw you!
• A bowling ball dropped on the head has been used many times in
cartoons.
• Oops, he saw you!
• Max has a good idea…
• Take his eyes out!
• Anything in your inventory which might make it difficult to see?
• Anything, perhaps, which just cost you $10,000?
• OK, you took the obvious hint and used the tear gas on Peepers.
Now he is crying and can’t see a thing. NOW knock him out.
• One down, two to go.

Specs
• Let’s go through the inventory again on Specs.
• Nothing worked?
• Hmm, you need to be sufficiently far away and he needs to be sufficiently
distracted.
• Specks seems rather obsessed with his painting.
• What would happen if you were to mess it up?
• Say, with some competing spray paint.
• Not a good idea to mess with it while Specs is there…
• There are other examples of Spec’s artwork around the neighborhood…
• Aha! Mess with one and he is drawn to it like a protective Mother.
• Now, where would be the perfect place to lure Specs?
• Someplace right under an open window?
• A window from which we could drop a heavy object onto his head?
• You know, if you look out the open window in your office you not
only get a nice view, but your inventory is right there to be used
as well.
• Did you catch the part earlier about the bowling ball?
• Once he’s out, just go downstairs and talk to him.
• Two down and one to go.

Whizzer
• How’s the inventory work on Whizzer?
• Hmm, not with that caffeine rush, it won’t.
• And B-TADS won’t let you gas him.
• Hmm, B-TADS…
• What was the other way you could set off B-TADS?
• Give cheese to Whizzer.
• What? He won’t take it?
• OK, just slip it into his basket.
• What? He won’t accept that either?
• Maybe if you got him away from his basket for a bit…
• What is Whizzer’s “Super Power?”
• Did you ever try going to the Restroom? What happened?
• That may be just long enough to do the deed.
• As soon as Whizzer goes into the Restroom, click on his basket
with the cheese.
• Then talk to the unconscious Whizzer.

Driving (2)

• Hitting boxes or sidewalk
things slows you down and the van gets further away.
• Avoiding stuff lets you get closer to the van.
• How can you force a moving vehicle to stop?
• What do you have available in your inventory?
• Shooting the videos won’t help.
• You have to hit just the right target.
• Shoot a tire.

Secret Hideout (1)

• Examine everything.
• Did you notice that examining the Application Forms placed one
in your inventory?
• Place the form in the slot below the monkey.
• Listen to Max, he knows from experience.

Sybil’s (2)

• Give the form
to Sybil.
• Hmm, there are three symptoms for Sybil to confirm and three different
means of psychoanalysis. Coincidence? I think not.
• Note: Which there are three symptoms on the list, an obsession,
a violent reaction and a deep desire, each is picked at random from
a choice of two. Just concentrate on the ones you were given and
ignore the others.
• The first symptom is either an obsession with money or with fame.
• The first test is ink blot.
• Every inkblot should have a choice which vaguely refers to money/wealth
or with fame. Obsess on them.
• The second symptom is either a violent reaction to dentistry or
to hairdressing.
• The second test is free association.
• You can do something before you make a choice.
• Not every question has something to do with dentistry or hairdressing.
• If there is no connection to dentistry or hairdressing, then you
don’t have to do anything.
• Just click on Sybil when you are ready to make a response.
• If Sybil does say something remotely connected to the dentist/teeth
or with hair/hairdressing, then take action!
• Any of the instruments of violence in your inventory will work.
• Just use one of them on Sybil.
• One last test to go…
• Again, most of the “questions” will have nothing to
do with aging or marriage.
• You can cycle through all the choices until you find the right
one.
• Only two of the visions must be set correctly. But the rest are
still fun to go through.
• The person in the room with you should be your peer or mother.
• What is the classic symbol of aging or of a wedding?
• They come from a bakery.
• <sigh> Go to the donut box beside the desk and choose the
appropriate cake.

Secret Hideout (2)

• Nothing really to do
here. Just give the application form to the monkey and go in the
entrance.
• Enjoy the cut scene and find yourself back at…

Bosco’s Inconvenience Store (3)

• After a brief dialog
with Bosco, things get very repetitious.
• How did you help Whizzer?
• Just do it again.
• You just have to wait until you are close enough.
• Then grab the cheese.

The Office, sort of

• The goal is simple – get
rid of all four Brady Cultures.
• I assume you really did try on your own and are stuck on one of
him.
• The easiest one thinks he’s a light bulb.
• You probably got this one on your own, but in case you are having
a brain-fart, just turn him off.
• The switch is by the door.
• The second easiest is the TV. You probably got this one too.
• You can’t turn it off.
• But you can affect the reception.
• Remove the homemade antennae.
• The third one in the closet you may have gotten correct, but your
timing has to be just right.
• Notice what the bicycle pump does? That was the perfect place for
a rude bodily noise.
• Notice what happens when you open the closet? Poor little rat.
• It only works if you click on the bicycle pump immediately after
opening the closet door.
• The fourth Brady actually qualifies as a real puzzle. This is probably
why you are here.
• Check out the dart board. Interesting!
• Now, if only you could move Brady over so that he was underneath
Max.
• But you can’t
• If only you could move Max’s head so that it was over Brady.
• But you can’t.
• You can, however, move Sam.
• That gun has been pretty useless on Brady. What happens if you
shoot the sign?
• What would happen if Sam was right under Max’s head when you shoot
the sign?
• Now that you have Max’s head, isn’t there someone you would like
to give it to?
• Wake up and talk to Bosco.
• You need a hypnotic beam blocker.
• Hmm, Sybil first identified the hypnosis. Maybe she knows a way
to block it.

Sybil’s (3)

• Exhaust the dialog tree.
• Don’t worry, just give the drawing to someone who is good at building
homemade defense contraptions.

Bosco’s Inconvenience Store (4)

• Just give the plans to Bosco.
• He needs an antennae.
• What have we been using as an antennae all this time?
• Oh come on, go get the coat hanger off the TV in your office. Like
I really believe you didn’t figure this one out at first glance.
• And give the coat hanger to Bosco.
• And get back in your car.

Secret Hideout (3)

• Don’t worry about
putting the “hat” on. Just go back
inside.
• And you end up in a fight scene.
• Did you try everything in your inventory?
• Too bad because it’s all useless here.
• The dialog with Max and Brady can be interesting…
• But it doesn’t help.
• Only talking to the Soda Jerks will get you out of this mess.
• Telling them to attack stuff doesn’t help, yet.
• Once you tell them to become Brady culture, they get a new choice.
• Notice how Brady really likes it when they worship him?
• I mean really likes it?
• Then tell them to worship you, I mean “me.”
• Wow, that’s the first time Brady didn’t tell them to attack you.
• He really is caught up now with “Me, me, me.”
• What do you wish the Jerks had been doing when Brady said, “No,
Me, me, me!”?
• “Attack Me”
• It only works after “Worship Me”