Day of the Tentacle Remastered

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 150 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 92 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 150
  3. Negative: 18 out of 150

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. DBLFNE4LYFE
    Mar 23, 2016
    6
    When asked what my favorite video game of all time is, my answer is always Day of the Tentacle. I was ten years old when this game came out in 1993, and it impacted me in a way that is difficult to articulate. It inspired me to become an artist.

    I never owned Day of the Tentacle. My parents found a local mom and pop rental store that rented PC games. I don't think that was legal, if    When asked what my favorite video game of all time is, my answer is always Day of the Tentacle. I was ten years old when this game came out in 1993, and it impacted me in a way that is difficult to articulate. It inspired me to become an artist.

    I never owned Day of the Tentacle. My parents found a local mom and pop rental store that rented PC games. I don't think that was legal, if we're being honest. But I was a kid, and what did I know? I did my chores so that every other week I could return to the store and rent the game again. During the week, I would daydream about the game. I told my friends at school about the game, and they couldn't wrap their heads around what I was telling them. I asked my parents for the game at Christmas that year. Unfortunately, it was another one of those that got away.

    It didn't take long for the rental store to belly up, and my access to the game was gone. By the late nineties when I got my first job, I went looking for the game. But it was long gone. I moved on with my life. It wasn't until the summer of 2008 when I played the game again. It was an incredibly nostalgic experience to replay it. I had forgotten a lot of the puzzles, so I got to experience that joy of solving them again.

    As an adult, I've continued to follow where the people who made this game have gone. Just like the "dream team" who created Chrono Trigger (my number two), we never really got to feel the magic a second time.

    This game, the remaster of Day of the Tentacle, is what I've been waiting for as a fan for just over twenty years. It's bittersweet for me. On one hand, I feel incredibly grateful that this was even made at all. On the other hand, I feel that it's very lacking and presents itself poorly among it's contemporary peers. The core content, the original game, it's all still here. And it's great. It's worth it to check out if you're interested in classic adventure gaming.

    Just like in the Monkey Island remasters, this game allows you to switch back and forth from the original graphics to the higher definition. If I'm being completely honest here, the new high definition upgrade is not great. At first glance, it looks slick. But if you sit and look at any background for some time, it starts to wear on you. Everything is very bland and lacking detail. But when you switch back to the original graphics, you realize that that's what it actually looked like, more or less.

    I found myself preferring to play the game with the original 1993 graphics. The problem with this, at least for a Playstation gamer, is that the game is much easier to play in HD. Your actions are executed much faster and simpler in the HD mode when you're playing with a controller. When you're playing with the original 1993 graphics, it takes longer because you have to roll the analog stick all the way down across the screen to pick a different verb, and then back up to complete an interaction. The game would benefit from an option to play the game with the original graphics and the new verb wheel system. This is Day of the Tentacle, man. Go nuts!

    I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you could also switch between the old and new soundtracks. I preferred the classic soundtrack. The new music sounds like they took the original compositions and ran them through a modern synthesizer. The new music doesn't improve upon the old in any way.

    It's mentioned during the developer's commentary that the composer was frequently sent back to eliminate tracks and crunch the size of each track down to under 32kb. The graphics had the same issue. Peter Chan mentions in the commentary that he had to make the backgrounds very simple and bland because technical limitations at the time wouldn't allow for greater detail. The new stuff is very faithful to the old stuff, and it's holding the game back.

    I would love to play a total remake of this game, detached from the original. I would love to see some Double Fine musicians and artists take a crack at fleshing out the details in the presentation of Day of the Tentacle. I would be open minded to a version that goes nuts and adds in the three deleted characters for a whole new game experience. Yeah, you'd lose a lot of what made this game so great and made us fall in love with it the first time, but it would stand up better to modern standards. The age of laying new games over the old, frame by frame, note for note, should end. Flipping the graphics over from old to new on the fly was a neat technical trick back in 2009, but it's really starting to hold these remasters back. Is it going to be the same story with Full Throttle?

    When my son is a few years older, I'm going to share Day of the Tentacle with him. I'll explain the remaster to him, but it's going to be the original PC game that I share with him that day.    … Expand
  2. partyintheback
    Apr 16, 2016
    10
    Day of the Tentacle is my favorite adventure game. If you enjoy really good humor in games, I would highly recommend this game to you. The remastered version is just as good as the original but more beautiful than ever.
  3. magadub
    Mar 23, 2016
    10
    Excellent game and a great opportunity for newcomers to experience one of the best adventure games (if not THE best) of all time.
    It´s funny, witty and very fun to play. The puzzles are creative and the dialog is amusing. Don´t waste your time here, go buy this game NOW!
  4. zeroprobe
    Mar 31, 2016
    10
    This game is so good I was looking up development updates most days since it was first announced a year before. Even if adventure games are not your thing you will not regret buying this. The characters, story and atmosphere are so gripping you will want to complete it to unravel the story.
  5. porhawj
    Mar 23, 2016
    10
    LOL, ths game is so funny, hilarious and very cool game ever i playing. sometimes i laughing when 3 character said funny jokes while playing. graphic look great. point and click is cool genre. i am enjoying it so far.
  6. drlowdon
    Jul 27, 2018
    5
    As the name suggests this is a remastered version of the 1993 point and click adventure Day of the Tentacle, a game remembered fondly by a lot of people. As the game begins a walking, talking purple tentacle drinks from some polluted water and instantly becomes intent on taking over the world. Three friends decide they have to stop him.

    Everything is done with tounge firmly in cheek and    As the name suggests this is a remastered version of the 1993 point and click adventure Day of the Tentacle, a game remembered fondly by a lot of people. As the game begins a walking, talking purple tentacle drinks from some polluted water and instantly becomes intent on taking over the world. Three friends decide they have to stop him.

    Everything is done with tounge firmly in cheek and the game certainly has a charm to it. Unfortunately, as I’ve often found to be the case with the genre, the gameplay is totally uninspiring. The logic behind how to progress is all over the place and most of my time was spent just wandering around clicking on objects at random until something works and allows me to progress (or even just looking up the solution online).

    If you’re a fan of the original game, or even just the old school point and click games, Day of the Tentacle is worth checking out but there is nothing here to attract new fans to the genre.    … Expand
  7. Rox22
    Mar 27, 2016
    8
    I remember playing this game when it first came out. I remember the hype about it. Everyone was talking about it and there were articles everywhere. So I was pretty pumped to play it at the time. I was heavy into point-n-click adventure games at the time and had pretty much played everything else.

    So when I finally sat down and played it .... it was okay. Like all point-n-click games of    I remember playing this game when it first came out. I remember the hype about it. Everyone was talking about it and there were articles everywhere. So I was pretty pumped to play it at the time. I was heavy into point-n-click adventure games at the time and had pretty much played everything else.

    So when I finally sat down and played it .... it was okay. Like all point-n-click games of the time it suffered the same "What next?" problem. These days if you get stuck you just go online and within minutes you have an answer (usually.) Back then, you usually had to wait for some gaming magazine to publish a walk through, and when you live in a small town your options in that regard are limited. However this is what made point-n-click games so compelling. The challenge. DOTT in this regard was far too easy and I remember this was one of the few games I didn't need a walkthrough. So my criticism is that it was too easy.

    Graphically the game was colourful and pretty, making it stand out from other games of the genre. The cartoony graphics were a bit refreshing, with a noticeable Chuck Jones feel to them. Voice acting was pretty good for the time.

    So, what do I think of the remaster? Well, it gives me hope. This game has been so well remastered to current gen systems that it gives me hope that more old LucasArts games get the same treatment *cough* Fate of Atlantis *cough*. Hint, hint, wink, wink.

    Visually the HD remastered graphics are great and you can almost forget how old the source material is, however as another reviewer said, they can be a bit bland and lacking detail. However this is just in contrast to current standards, back then it was detailed.

    Story wise, DOTTR is as funny as it was back then. A few dated jokes that the younger generation are unlikely to get, but otherwise it holds up.

    Overall:
    Day of the Tentacle remastered is a fantastic remastering of a cult classic for current gen systems. However if I had to be honest, this game is primarily aimed at its long time fans. Newer/younger gamers are likely to not get allot of it and hold it on par to an interactive cartoon (whether that is a good thing or not may vary depending on personal taste.) Bottom line this is a great game which I had allot of fun with, both then and now.

    Side Note:
    Don't play this game with a walkthrough or trophy guide on your first play through. Get any missed trophies on subsequent play throughs.    … Expand
  8. raba
    Apr 12, 2016
    9
    Muy buen juego, una remasterizacion muy decente, lo único que tira un poco para atrás ese el precio, para ser simplemente un remaster pasado a HD sin extras casi. Igualmente és compra obligada si estamos enamorados de LucasArts o no lo hemos jugado nunca.
  9. uVimOvil
    Jan 24, 2017
    10
    un juego que dificilmente entenderia la gente de esta generacion pero para los que vivimos la epoca dorada de las aventuras graficas ver un remastered tan bueno de un clasico nos encanta al menos a mi me enamoro en su dia este juego y rejugarlo me ha dejado claro porque me gusto tanto, todo ser humano deberia jugar este juego no digo mas xD
  10. wesker2012
    Jan 8, 2018
    7
    Very charming visuals and audio. Refreshing to play a light hearted game among all the dark atmospheric games nowadays. The gameplay was pretty frustrating though since the puzzles weren't intuitive to me. Maybe back in the day it was a classic, but reviewing the game by today's standards, i dont think it is as good. Still, I'm glad I tried it out and the game's atmosphere wasVery charming visuals and audio. Refreshing to play a light hearted game among all the dark atmospheric games nowadays. The gameplay was pretty frustrating though since the puzzles weren't intuitive to me. Maybe back in the day it was a classic, but reviewing the game by today's standards, i dont think it is as good. Still, I'm glad I tried it out and the game's atmosphere was incredibly charming.… Expand
  11. Allthat
    Oct 9, 2016
    9
    A very funny and enjoyable adventure game by the king of the genre: Tim Schafer. This game originally came out way back in 1993 but has now been remastered and made accessible to gamers of this generation. This is a classic adventure game so some of the puzzles do require a lot of esoteric knowledge, I'll admit I did refer to a guide more than a few times but it isn't frustrating andA very funny and enjoyable adventure game by the king of the genre: Tim Schafer. This game originally came out way back in 1993 but has now been remastered and made accessible to gamers of this generation. This is a classic adventure game so some of the puzzles do require a lot of esoteric knowledge, I'll admit I did refer to a guide more than a few times but it isn't frustrating and remains mostly enjoyable. It's also one of the shorter adventure games out there, but I think that works to it's advantage, if it was any longer it would have been boring and would have felt padded out unnecessarily. The story of this game revolves around time travelling thus adding a time travel mechanic to the puzzles that's very smartly done. Certain actions performed in the past have repercussions in the future and it creates unique opportunities to solve certain puzzles using the element of time.

    Overall it's a fantastic adventure game that's very true to the genre and for any fans of adventure games this is a must play. No bugs, no technical difficulties, runs smooth and is even playable on older machines.    … Expand
  12. Heisenberg93
    Feb 2, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the first graphic adventure I've ever finished. Not in 1993, but in 2019. Better late than never, I suppose.

    It must be said that – if this was developer's intent – dealing with topics such as environmentalism and arrogance making humanity fall victim to its own disasters, it's something Day of the Tentacle does in an original way. Being a cartoon tale and "child" to the culture of last quarter of the 20th century, the way in which Day of the Tentacle represents the concept of time and time travel is almost entirely Back to the Future-like, which however differs from a more logical and scientific Novikov self-consistency principle, as seen in 12 Monkeys. Of the three different time periods where the game is set – Hoagie in 1780s, Bernard in 1980-90s and Laverne in the 22nd century – I have to admit the one I found richer in ideas, fun and interesting it's with Hoagie in the past, alongside caricature figures of Hancock, Jefferson, Franklin and Washington. The writing is brilliant, sometimes naive and cartoon-like, sometimes ripe and pungent. Characterization of characters is really well done. I found Bernard the less brilliant one and I preferred Hoagie (I perceived Schafer's writing very much with him) but, in the end, I think the most original one is Laverne.

    Puzzles of the game are generally solved without problems even if they can take a few hours in some cases. Solving them really generates an appreciated sense of completeness and satisfaction. The command interface is complex, but not too much, and there are hardly more than 5 objects that can be interacted in a scene. There are some interacting elements that don't have a role in advancing the adventure: this makes sense, because the game is designed to betray and confuse the player with fake paths, but in some cases I thought they were a bit excessive. The game has a cartoonish logic at the base of its puzzles, so physics and consistency work in a unique way, but often tends to be misleading or really far from reality. Some examples? How should I have understood to use the textbook to make the talking horse fall asleep? Trying casually, I succeeded, but it's really difficult to imagine a logic behind it. Or, another example, giving chattering teeth to Washington... to make him look like he was cold, so could light the fire and ecc. This one had more logic – given Washington's dentures – but the solution only made sense at the very end. Using Chron-O-Johns to move objects through time is truly original and fun, however (having to try various ways and combinations with characters and objects) the mechanic of flushing object after object in the long run can become repetitive. After 2/3 of game run, turning points in the plot, that give satisfactions, begin to become more rare. You then end up in a series of situations and puzzles, one after the other, with no breath left to the player. This is a problem, as it increases frustration and give sensation that very little progress has been made. They are not defects that make the game ugly, but don't allow it to reach a certain perfection.

    Although this 2016's version is branded as a "remaster", the work done is much more close to a remake. There has been an increase in resolution up to 1080p, yes, but characters, objects and backgrounds have been redesigned from scratch, with a 99.99% loyalty and an overall good updated rendering. The same applies to the audio part, which shows a really great soundtrack, varied, pleasant to listen to.

    The Day of the Tentacle is a masterpiece, on this I have no doubts, although it's not free from defects. A comparison with its predecessor, 1987 Ron Gilbert's Manic Mansion, is legitimate: DOTT is more original, more fun, more satisfying and with no stupid dead-ends that prevent finishing the game –which is the reason I gave up on Maniac Mansion. Maybe less important? Maybe. But with DOTT, Grossman and Schafer outdid Gilbert and it seems to me very difficult to say otherwise.    … Expand
  13. Nel
    Jan 8, 2017
    7
    Great fun, story adventure game really easy to grab a platinum, and to enjoy the ride while doing so. The game is based of the old school game day of the tentacle, and it is an enjoyable journey, but be wary of some glitches that might happend, so better be safe and save the game.
  14. stamito
    May 8, 2017
    9
    What can be said about this game other that it is an awesome classic! Anyway, first things first this is a point and click adventure so if you don’t like that kind of game I would probably stay away from it a spend your money elsewhere. For those who like point and clicking, I think this is a must and if you’re new to the genre but you like a funny story and solving puzzles to move forwardWhat can be said about this game other that it is an awesome classic! Anyway, first things first this is a point and click adventure so if you don’t like that kind of game I would probably stay away from it a spend your money elsewhere. For those who like point and clicking, I think this is a must and if you’re new to the genre but you like a funny story and solving puzzles to move forward in a game and more of a story driven/narrative game, go for it and give it a try, chances are you’ll like it.

    Good things, graphics are awesome, they are very good cartoony like graphics that have been remade completely. There is a mode that lets you alternate between the old and new graphics which is nice and curious if you’ve played the game back in the day. Voice acting is very good as well. Said that, and avoiding spoilers, I’ll just say this is a funny/comedy kind of story, this isn’t a serious point and click adventure (such as for example broken sword). It is all about having a good laugh and just have a good funny time, very similar to monkey island, grim fandango so if you enjoyed those I would be surprised if you didn’t enjoy this one.

    Summing up, you like point and click adventures and you’re looking for a for a funny story to just have a quick laugh? Stop looking, this is the game you want to play. If you’re not into the whole point and click adventure thing you might want to spend your money elsewhere.    … Expand
  15. setuis
    Mar 10, 2017
    8
    Its not maniac mansion remastered.

    Well that's out the way its a great game but the game can force a reload if your not careful with a certain battery solution and you may lose a lot of progress, the puzzles are great if you don't cheat I did cause I just wanted to get the trophies and wanted something to do while horizon zero dawn downloaded. The game has wit, it does require    Its not maniac mansion remastered.

    Well that's out the way its a great game but the game can force a reload if your not careful with a certain battery solution and you may lose a lot of progress, the puzzles are great if you don't cheat I did cause I just wanted to get the trophies and wanted something to do while horizon zero dawn downloaded.

    The game has wit, it does require intellect. (Yes i did spend more time on maniac mansion on the arcade machine within day of the tentacle than most people would) its the hidden bonus of getting it as its not advertised per say, but i would like a remastered version cause the graphics are important when one gets an update but not the other. Its strange a sequel would get an update but not original.    … Expand
  16. AJC3317
    Sep 26, 2016
    9
    Day of the Tentacle is a point and click style adventure by LucasArts that was first released in 1993. The remastered version contains updated graphics and developer commentary, but beyond that the versions are much the same. We follow the characters of Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne as they travel to the mansion of Dr. Fred, under the assumption that he is going to kill Bernard's friendsDay of the Tentacle is a point and click style adventure by LucasArts that was first released in 1993. The remastered version contains updated graphics and developer commentary, but beyond that the versions are much the same. We follow the characters of Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne as they travel to the mansion of Dr. Fred, under the assumption that he is going to kill Bernard's friends Green Tentacle and Purple Tentacle. When they arrive they find that Purple has mutated, due to him drinking some of the toxic sludge that Dr. Fred has pumped into a nearby river, and has visions of taking over the world. The trio must travel back in time to stop Dr. Fred from ever pumping the toxic sludge out of his lab, but while attempting to do so they end up in a time traveling snafu that leaves them all at the mansion, but at different points in time.

    Point and click adventure games don't need a lot of explanation. You walk around an area, picking up every single object that the game will allow you to, and you try combining those objects with every other object you find until something works. Usually the solutions are about as convoluted as you can possibly imagine, but Day of the Tentacle has a surprising amount of straightforward solutions to it's problems. There are certainly still puzzles that make you question just what was going on in the head of the designer at the time, but it was refreshing and actually challenging in it's own way to see so many obvious solutions be the correct solution. Day of the Tentacle also doesn't have a traditional hint system. Rather, the game is cleverly designed so that visual and audio clues will be scattered throughout the game itself. It forces the player to pay attention to the environment, and examine each object closely, as you never know when one of the characters may reveal the players' "ah-ha!" moment.

    If there was anything negative to say about the gameplay of Day of the Tentacle, it's that the game is somewhat over designed, which is odd for a game more than 20 years old. That was the style of point and click adventure games back then however, so you often get many unnecessary options to use to interact with an object. For example, you can choose to "open", "pull", or "use", a desk drawer, all of which result in the same action. Also, clicking on an object just isn't enough of a commitment for the game to think you want to use it. You can click an object to walk to it, but then you must click a different button to actually use it. Thankfully, point and click adventure game designers agree that these were flaws, and we don't see them as much in newer versions of the genre.

    Where Day of the Tentacle truly shines is in it's humor. The game is downright hilarious. Every line is delivered with fantastic timing, and every situation ends in a laugh. Even a man attempting suicide becomes a funny moment in a still tasteful way. The character animation does it's part in bringing out the humor as well, especially the characters faces as they may give a sly smile when they've tricked another character, or raise their eyebrows at the screen to acknowledge that they just saw what the player saw. There is quite a bit of slapstick comedy as well which has a very similar style to the old Looney Toons cartoons. Characters eyes will bug out when surprised, they will fall through the ground, and steam will be released from their ears when they're hot. It all works extremely well together.

    Day of the Tentacle is a giant in the point and click adventure genre, and with good reason. Over 20 years later it still holds up and can go toe to toe with anything the genre currently has to offer. The puzzle solutions will make you feel smart about yourself, while simultaneously not requiring you to melt your brain to attempt the most out their solutions you can come up with. And the comedy the game has to offer is what truly sets it apart. If you're like me, a fan of the point and click game who had never played one of the godfathers of the genre, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.    … Expand
  17. Alvokun
    Sep 5, 2017
    8
    I am not particularly fond of graphic adventures, but I am aware there are very good games in that genre and Day of the Tentacle is definitely one of them.

    Whereas I found gameplay a bit tedious without using a guide, since you have to try many different possibilities until one of them allows to continue the story, the truth is that the storyline, the sense of humour, the design of this    I am not particularly fond of graphic adventures, but I am aware there are very good games in that genre and Day of the Tentacle is definitely one of them.

    Whereas I found gameplay a bit tedious without using a guide, since you have to try many different possibilities until one of them allows to continue the story, the truth is that the storyline, the sense of humour, the design of this game are unique. It really is hilarious.

    I would also like to appreciate the quality of the remastered version, as it truly improve the graphics and, even more importantly, simplifies significantly the commands and the way of interacting with objects and characters. The music has also been updated, and they have included interesting director's commentaries in case you want to listen to them while playing (I listen just to a few of them, because I had never played the game and wanted to play it the normal way).

    As a negative aspect, I just regret that the loading and saving times are so incredibly slow. Frankly, I cannot understand the reason why this happens, but it takes almost one minute to simply save or load.    … Expand
  18. Coramcrash
    Mar 13, 2017
    7
    il gioco è una remastered di un capolavoro del passato.
    la rimasterizzazione è veramente ben fatta, ma il gioco soffre degli anni che ormai pesano.
    le meccaniche non sono più adatte ai giochi odierni nonostante la modernizzazione.
    alcuni pezzi di gameplay sono oggettivamente impensabili e impossibili e rendono l'esperienza talvolta frustrante.
    voto complessivo 68/100.
  19. tsampson25
    May 14, 2020
    9
    Imagine attending an interactive comedy show. This game is very quirky and has tons of jokes and whilst ridiculous, interesting story. A puzzle driven game, with puzzles that aren't going to make you quit the game but may have you sit and look around a little. The remastered arts totally smoothen the original gameplay and makes it look not only more modern, but aesthetically pleasing. IImagine attending an interactive comedy show. This game is very quirky and has tons of jokes and whilst ridiculous, interesting story. A puzzle driven game, with puzzles that aren't going to make you quit the game but may have you sit and look around a little. The remastered arts totally smoothen the original gameplay and makes it look not only more modern, but aesthetically pleasing. I highly recommend this to anybody looking for a good laugh and got some time on their hands. This game is art.… Expand
  20. Garybaldo
    Jun 2, 2020
    8
    A classic of point-and-click adventure games, it features a pretty cool humour as well as some mind-destroying puzzles (it's very hard to get through the whole game without looking for a walkthrough) and a pretty long duration, certainly recommended.
  21. LikeaPisces
    Dec 22, 2019
    6
    Adventure games had their enormous importance. I revisit some. I decided to play this for the first time on its remaster. For me it did not age well. It's boring. I think it's only worth it if you want to revisit an old friend, not meet a new guy.
  22. hileger
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП NТОп тоП
  23. bergcamp101
    Dec 22, 2020
    8
    Very good adventure. Fun and creative, with nice plot. Puzzles are not hard, but sometimes not easy. Overall, it's great.
  24. GretchenGrinch4
    Apr 3, 2022
    7
    this is a hilarious point and click adventure. if you're looking to get your Saturday morning cartoon nostalgia in, this is the game to play. even the side trophies have some humor to them. fun stuff.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 18, 2016
    80
    The occasional flat gag notwithstanding, DotT’s long awaited PlayStation appearance is sublime. [June 2016, p77]
  2. Play UK
    May 16, 2016
    80
    It will wrap itself around any adventure game fan and refuse to let them go, regardless of whether they have any nostalgia for the original or not. [Issue#269, p.78]
  3. PSNStores
    May 12, 2016
    80
    Much like last year’s Grim Fandango Remastered, Day of the Tentacle Remastered brings classic point and click adventure games to a new generation to great effect.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »