Full Throttle Remastered Tunes Up That Old Hog For Another Ride

Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 4

Developer: Double Fine

Rating: E10+

MSRP: $14.99

Introduction

Full Throttle Remastered was an interesting game to review, and a fun game to play. But obviously, there’s more to it than that. As the name would suggest, the game is a remake of the LucasArts 1995 classic Full Throttle. With straight-shot humor and a biker-gang dystopian setting, Full Throttle Remastered was overall a good experience.

The original Full Throttle, as well as the remastered version, are full of dark humor, cool visuals, and an entertaining story. Full Throttle was originally one of the many LucasArts/Sierra masterpieces back in its day and the remake loses none of its edge.

Full Throttle Remastered stars Ben.

No last name. Ben “doesn’t do last names.” He’s a badass biker gang leader for the Polecats. He’s a real tough dude with a mission and a saucy attitude. He’s quick with his wit too, as all point-and-click protagonists apparently must be. If you’ve played a LucasArts or Sierra adventure before, you know the tone of this game. It’s not a complete goof-fest, but it also doesn’t take itself serious. Overall, the premise is just a good time.

This remake was made by Double Fine, with dialogue written by none other than their own Tim Schafer. His humor is definitely felt throughout the game, and while the game is pretty short (about 5-6 hours), it leaves you feeling like you got to know Ben and his friends pretty well.

Now, to give full disclosure, I never got to play the original Full Throttle. This would leave me at a disadvantage when reviewing the title, except for the fact that you can switch back and forth between the remastered graphics and the original graphics on the fly. It’s really an experience to flip back and forth to see what’s changed and realize how far the industry has gone, while clearly not forgetting its roots.

What really stands out in the new game is the remastered sound. The audio has been greatly improved, with the original songs, which are really catchy by the way, being remastered and it even has the quality voice acting of Mark Hamill and Roy Conrad.

Not everything on this hog runs perfectly, however.

Full Throttle Remastered does have its problems. There are a few hick-ups in the frame rates, but they happen rarely, and considering the game isn’t a twitch shooter, it’s pretty easy to look past. However, the game does occasionally suffer from that ‘point-and-click logic’ that so many late-80s/early-90s adventure games suffered from.

Sometimes a puzzle is really clever, deserving a smile of accomplishment occasionally. But some puzzles end up with you just clicking around until you figure it out. Because some of them end up being a little nonsensical. The highway motorcycle fights, which sound awesome in text, are actually pretty clunky and leave something to be desired, but in all fairness, this is how they played in the original as well.

Full Throttle does shine when it comes to small details.

Ben has funny things to say about everything, and most of the time, it’s not the same line for every item. Remembering key details also plays a role, requiring the player to pay attention, or at least have a decent memory.

Full Throttle Remastered isn’t a difficult game. Even some of the puzzles that ended up being a bust won't keep you stumped for too long, and the more clever puzzles are fun to solve. It’s a great first-time experience for those new to the game and a nice, new coat of paint for someone looking to get back into the old days of point-and-click adventures. Double Fine seems like the perfect company to tackle this remake. Full Throttle Remastered was definitely a fun ride down the highway.