For the longest time now, I have always defined games that I can sit down and play in short bursts as ‘snacky’ games. These games are usually short, and can be played in between your bigger gaming commitments (for me at the moment, that means Overwatch and Monster Hunter), but you’re left with a satisfied experience every time you log off, just like polishing off your favourite snack. Poker Night at the Inventory is perfect for this, and I’m glad I get the opportunity to play it on its long-awaited second release on Steam!
I say second release because this gem of a game was initially released all the way back in 2010, even spawning a sequel – however, due to licensing agreements and Telltale Games’ unfortunate bankruptcy, both Poker Night at the Inventory and its sequel were pulled from storefronts in 2019. The original offered Steam Items for Team Fortress 2 if you could win them from the players in game, making them extremely valuable commodities within the community as they were un-obtainable for the best part of nearly seven years. That feature has, amazingly, made its return for the remaster, with the new cosmetics having a ‘re-issued’ moniker, letting people who earned the originals keep its rarity. Skunkape Games, the publishers taking over the license for the game, are made up mostly of ex-Telltale developers, and you can really tell with the amount of polish the game has been given to bring it back up to date.
So Rhys, I hear you saying to yourself through a raised eyebrow and a sip of coffee – this is all very well and good, but what the heck *is* Poker Night at the Inventory? Well, put simply, it’s a game of Texas Hold ‘Em against some of internet culture’s funniest names. Your opponents are from all corners of the internet and gaming spaces; Heavy from Team Fortress 2; Max from the Sam and Max Adventures series; Strong Bad from the animated web series Homestar Runner; and Tycho Brahe from the long running web comic Penny Arcade.
Admittedly, I had never heard of Strong Bad or Tycho prior to meeting them here, and it inspired me to look into them a little more and read up on them and their history (and I am now reading unhealthy amounts of Penny Arcade in my spare time). I phrase it as meeting the characters because playing poker with these guys feels shockingly homely. The characters have so much dialogue with each other and with you, simply referred to as ‘The Player’, it feels like you’ve known these characters for years. The game has a slider that can adjust how much the characters speak to one another – I highly recommend cranking that sucker as high as it’ll go. These guys have no shortage of dialogue that will both shock you and make your sides ache. Hats off to the VAs for their line delivery!
Gameplay wise, if you can’t play Poker, don’t worry – it’ll ease you in over the first few hands to show you what to do, how to bet, and what kinds of hands you can make to beat your opponents. The AI has had a tune-up from the original, making the logic the AI uses much more consistent and will obey the rules (more than they did in 2010, apparently). The most impressive bit here for me is that each character even have specific ‘tells’ – small, subtle actions they’ll do that will often give away if they’re bluffing, or if you should just fold this hand. As you progress and win tournaments, you can unlock new tables and decks, often themed on the IP’s of the characters present.
I mentioned at the beginning that to me, Poker Night at the Inventory is a small and snacky game, and that statement remains true! But it’s more like a big bag of Doritios; You start snacking, but before you know it, you’re covered in cheese dust and the entire bag is but a distant memory. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to this one of a kind indie gem – just make sure to go easy on the snacks.
Poker Night at the Inventory is out now on Steam, Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation store.