I just finished the first three Pajama Sam games. I was 20 when the first game came out and didn’t do any real PC gaming until later so I never played them. I remember seeing the boxes on the shelves of the Kmart I worked at though so I was familiar with the series.
I’m basically just seeking comfort these days and the idea of a funny point-and-click aimed at kids sounded right up my alley. I had no idea what I was missing. I totally get why those who played the games back when speak so highly of them.
I want to put down some thoughts on what stood out to me. This won’t be long or detailed–my brain is begging for this post to be a few thousand words–but I hope to hit the highlights.
FUNNY AND ENGAGING
Pajama Sam is genuinely funny. Each story launches a simple premise toward inspired absurdity. The first game starts with Sam getting tucked into bed for his first night sleeping with the light off. His quest to overcome his nervousness launches him into a world of make-believe where he meets a boat who’s afraid of water, a carrot plotting a rescue mission for his brethren trapped in the refrigerator, and a Tic-Tac-Toe-obsessed wedge of cheese. Each game oozes imaginative concepts.
INTERACTIVITY EVERYWHERE
Each scene is packed with one-off interactions and gags. If the arrow turns solid when over something, CLICK. You will be rewarded. A lamp may turn into a flower on the first click and a set of spinning helicopter blades on the next. Maybe a bug will come out and do a little soft shoe. There is so much happening in each scene that you won’t want to rush through.
WORLD FEELS ALIVE
Characters greet Sam when he enters the room. Some will be reacting to something the player initiated in another scene. Sure, many times characters are idle–of course they are–but they’re active enough that the world doesn’t feel static. The narrative supports this with lines that advance often and have a good variety of alts.
REPLAYABLE
Objectives can be in different locations with different obstacles. Collectibles can spawn in different spots. There are optional mini-games to find. After completing each game, I looked up walkthroughs and saw things I never encountered. I wanted to dive back in and find everything.
SURPRISINGLY SUBVERSIVE
A vegetable lecturing on being a political prisoner. A “chair man” of the “board” (quotes to denote the words are literal here). A mine cart struggling with the state of its life. Children’s media will often include mature nods for any adults in the audience and Pajama Sam is no exception.
PLAY THESE GAMES
If you work in games, you should play the Pajama Sam series. It doesn’t matter if you’re not making a game aimed at kids, or with a humorous tone, or that isn’t an adventure game. There is so much to learn from these games even thirty years on. Pay attention and you will take away SOMETHING. Each two-hour game goes so much harder than it needs to and I cannot applaud or recommend the series enough.
