TAWKN: The Penal Zone launches right into the middle of the action with General Skunkape, a space gorilla, invading Earth. Our heroes are imprisoned by Skunkape and the player is quickly introduced to Max's new psychic powers. Once you beat Skunkape you are greeted by a Twilight Zone type narrator who sends you back to the beginning of the story and sets you fourth to find out how Sam and Max arrived to being captured by Skunkape.
PopMatters: The story begins at the end, where suddenly Sam and Max must save the world from the evil alien gorilla General Skun-ka’pe by using Max’s newfound psychic abilities and a series of legendary psychic toys to send Skun-ka’pe back to the Penal Zone. Then we jump back in time to the beginning, starting a race against time and ape to find the toys first.
The Gamers Temple writes: "As The Penal Zone opens, our heroes Sam and Max are trapped in a cage on the bridge of a starship bombarding their city. At the ship's control is the gorilla-like alien General Skunkape (pronounced Skun-ka-pay), who cackles with glee as each salvo is released, while his bride Stinky sits nearby trying to alleviate her boredom with an impromptu manicure. Can Max use his psychic powers to save the day? Wait a minute ... what?"
Telltale Games have created a charming little adventure – a rare low budget gem tucked away amongst the PSN dross. It’s like Broken Sword meets Ratchet and Clank meets the Carry On films, and it’s as playable as it is hilarious. The short lifespan is a bit of a dampener, but if you’re looking for a refreshingly original title to get the grey matter ticking over and your funny bone tingling, then you could do a lot worse than having a good old play with the Penal Zone. Ahem. Roll on Episode 2.
