Full Throttle Remastered

A few weeks ago I reviewed Thimbleweed Park, one of the best point and click adventure games I've ever played. In fact, I had so much fun that I immediately wanted to pour through all of those old school LucasArts games and relive my youth. So in what can only be considered perfect timing, Double Fine has given us Full Throttle Remastered, a brand new re-release that finally brings the classic biker game to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. It's good to see the Polecats ride again.

This is the story of Ben Throttle, the leader of a biker gang who gets framed for murder and is forced to clear his name before the evil Adrian Ripburger takes over Corley Motors. It's a futuristic story set in a vaguely post-apocalyptic wasteland where everybody drives hover cars and motorcycles are a dying breed. It's going to take some serious problem solving skills and an assortment of unlikely friends to take down one of the most powerful businessmen in the world. But don't worry, Ben has this under control.

First released in 1995, Full Throttle was part of a new batch of point and click adventure games that were trying to use new technology to stay relevant and keep up with expectations. Beyond mixing traditional pixel sprites with polygonal vehicles, this graphic adventure hoped to draw more people in with a heavy dose of action and driving sections. The result was a memorable journey that didn't feel like other games in the genre, both in good and bad ways.

As a point and clicker, you've seen a lot of these ideas before. You'll walk around a number of small areas picking up items and solving puzzles. And when you're not keeping track of your inventory, you'll get into lengthy conversations and run errands for the colorful cast of characters. It's the kind of thing you've come to expect from the developers of games like Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island.

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However, what sets this game apart is how it seamlessly shifts from a point and click adventure game to a variation on Road Rash. Ben will occasionally jump on his bike and take to the street, which often results in a number of one-on-one fights with other biker gangs. He'll also get caught up in a demolition derby and other fun events that you rarely see in this style of game. You won't confuse Full Throttle with Grand Theft Auto V, but this does do a good job of bringing other genres into the mix in order to break up some of the puzzle solving.

While the merging of genres is certainly an interesting idea, I can't help but feel that it works against Full Throttle in some crucial ways. I think the biggest issue is that the actual point and click elements feel simplified and the puzzle solving is not always the main focus. There aren't many items to pick up and the solutions are too easy for their own good. It's also surprisingly short, barely lasting two hours. It feels like it ends just as it's starting to gain momentum, only giving us a few locations and barely any characters to interact with. Even compared to other graphic adventure games of the era, this one comes across as bite-sized and dumbed down.

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The good news is that Full Throttle remains hilarious. There's a timeless quality to the jokes that kept me laughing throughout, which is one of the best reasons to revisit this remastered release. I especially like the voice acting, which features everybody from Mark Hamill to singer-songwriter Hamilton Camp. Perhaps my favorite character was Maureen, who has a dry delivery I couldn't get enough of. I also loved the voice of the young photojournalist Miranda, though I wish more was done with her character. The humor and acting is definitely the highlight of the game, and will likely be the one thing that sticks with you when all is said and done.

And it's not just the audio that stands out, but also the remastered visuals. The game has been completely redrawn, bringing every cinema, character and background to life like never before. The new visuals absolutely shine on both the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. If you find that the new graphics aren't your thing, you'll be able to switch to the old school design for a more authentic experience. There's also an audio commentary that will offer some insight and a lot of jokes about the making of Full Throttle. This alone will get you to play through the game more than once. There are some other tweaks that fix the controls and remaster the sound, but it's the graphics that stand out in this release.

While not one of Tim Schafer's best, this point and click adventure is still funny and endearing all these years later. Some will complain that it's a little too short and the action takes away from the puzzles, but the story is fun and I love the cast of characters. If you've already played through Thimbleweed Park and are looking to jump into the games that inspired it, you can't go wrong with Full Throttle Remastered. I just wish there was a little more to it.