I think it might be fun to start a small series of mini articles where I just rant about things that are important to me. I do enough of that in my daily life anyway, so I figured why not type them up into an accessible location!
Last night I did my first twitch stream (follow me, if you're interested) and I featured the first Pajama Sam game - No Need to Hide When it's Dark Outside. This was a game I grew up with, and if you know me in real life you probably have already heard me talk about it at some point or another. Pajama Sam is a point and click adventure game by Humongous Entertainment, a company that made children's computer games in the 90s. Humongous Entertainment also made such titles as Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt, Spy Fox, and Backyard Baseball. Odds are, if you're close in age to me, you've heard of or played at least one of these games.
As you play any of the Humongous games, it is clear that real effort was put into them, which is a big deal when you consider these were made for very young children. They all have fantastic art, soundtracks, stories, and interactivity, all of which draw you in and invest you in the game. I played most of the Humongous games growing up, but Pajama Sam was my particular favorite.
The premise of the first Pajama Sam game is this: Sam, a young comic book fan, is afraid of the dark. He decides that he's fed up with this, however, and declares his intentions to go into his closet and defeat Darkness once and for all. Sam gears up with everything from his favorite superhero - his mask, lunchbox, and flashlight - and enters his closet, where he falls through a vortex into the Land of Darkness. Shortly after entering this world, Sam's stuff gets taken, and the object of the game is to explore the Land of Darkness and find what he has lost so he can defeat Darkness.
This in and of itself is already a unique and interesting setup for a game - now factor in all of the other masterful elements such as a great soundtrack (written by the same guy who would later go on to write the Elder Scrolls music), beautiful background art, amusing dialogue from side characters (some of which is deliberately aimed above the heads of the target audience, for the amusement of nearby parents), and an amazingly interactive world. One thing I always cite as a masterful element of the game is the extent of the interactivity - every interesting thing on the screen, even if it's a background item, does something when clicked on, even if it's just a cute little animation that has nothing to do with Sam's journey.
The Land of Darkness itself deserves its own paragraph, because it's such a fantastic environment. The Land of Darkness is a beautiful forested nighttime landscape which carries consistent reminders that the whole world exists within Sam's closet. You'll see a baseball glove here, a chest of drawers there, but none of it feels random at all. The world has three distinct areas - the boat docks, the mines, and Darkness' Tree House (which feels like a wizard's home, the deeper you explore it). The locations of the three objects you're tasked with finding are randomized with each playthrough, so there is variety on replays.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, Sam is voiced by Pamela Adlon, voice of Bobby Hill and Ashley Spinelli. She's a super great voice actor, and really brings Sam to life!
I sometimes joke that everything I've ever created is in some way a love letter to Pajama Sam, and the funniest part of the joke (to me at least) is that it's probably true. Pajama Sam was a game I loved as a kid, and it's a good enough piece of work that it holds up even without the nostalgia factor. I'm constantly and consistently inspired by its cohesiveness. Everything about the world of the game fits perfectly together, and I often find myself holding up my own work next to the lens of Pajama Sam in order to assess its quality. Here are some questions I ask myself:
- If something looks interactive, does it do something when interacted with (even if that something doesn't actually matter)?
- Does the world feel as cohesively themed as the Land of Darkness?
- If there are multiple areas within the world, how are they distinct from one another? Can they be made more distinct with music, art, or themes, while still fitting with the overall world?
- Is the soundtrack going to get annoying after a while, or is it the perfect background music?
- Will the experience change if you play it again? How can things be kept interesting with multiple playthroughs?
Anyway, go play Pajama Sam. You'll be glad you did.