As a new cadet, the player will be put through a series of graded courses set up inside an abandoned theme park, which probably harbors a dark and dangerous secret. As players progress, they'll put their new skills to the test in Sam & Max's neighborhood, as well as other locales that defy description.
Sam and Max: This Time It's Virtual! contains examples of:
- Amusement Park of Doom: Cap'n Aquabear's Funtime Park, a park that was abandoned "under mysterious circumstances". After Sam and Max haphazardly renovate the place as training grounds, it becomes arguably even more dangerous. Many of the modified attractions include tunnels ridden with swinging axes and flails, and swings from high heights. How much of this was already present in the original park is unknown.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Max mentions there were supposed to be ten challenges, but the supreme court banned the last one for being cruel, unnecessary, and lacking pizzazz.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The very beginning of the game has a yet to be recruited player help Sam and Max defeat a five headed hydra-type monster. According to Sam, it is in fact 50 feet tall.
- In the finale, Cap'n Aquabear and Max become this as well.
- Batman Cold Open: The game starts off with the player caught in the middle of one of Sam & Max's usual adventures.
- Behemoth Battle: Related to the above, the finale includes a very short lived "battle" between the giant Max and Cap'n (The former effortlessly flings the latter into his own portal, leaving him stuck.
- Big Bad: Cap'n Aquabear.
- Bomb Disposal: A recurring game mechanic, the player is tasked with defusing several bombs, which are disguised as talking animatronic heads.
- The Cynic: Max has hints of this, being unimpressed with the cadet or even the concept of bringing new members into the Freelance Police.
- Cynical Mentor: Related to the above, Max is none too happy about his new role as a mentor. He will teach the player things, but it's always followed by an insult.
- Deadly Training Area: The obstacle courses involve saw blades, pits and active bombs.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: If you croak, you'll just wind up back at the start of the segment you failed at with a little lost time.
- Demonic Possession: Near the end of the supermarket segment, Max is on the receiving end of this, as he is taken over by the archfiend Todd.Sam: Well, clamballs, looks like Max has gotten himself possessed. Again.
- Distressed Dude: Sam, who gets kidnapped by Cap'n Aquabear's crew and taken to their home in the nanoverse. It's up to Max and the player to rescue him.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Max's status as Ambiguously Gay gets referenced when you find his breakfast corndogs.Max: Hey, good for you! You found my breakfast corn dogs.Max: Just so you know, I like my corndogs the way I like my, uh (sharp inhale) ...uuuhh..Sam: Max isn't very good with similes.
- Expendable Clone: During the "Get A Clue" minigame, the player is trapped in a room with dead versions of the duo, which are used as part of the puzzle. Max's dialogue implies they were either clones or temporal duplicates.Sam: Where'd you find a realistic Max corpse, anyway?Max: Remember that thing with the clones and the time machine? I kept a few extras for, um,
research purposes. - Fastball Special: A recurring way in which the player uses Max is by flinging him against targets, something he both enjoys and encourages.
- Featureless Protagonist: This being Sam & Max, the player's status as such is naturally made fun of.
- Feed It a Bomb: How Cap'n Aquabear is ultimately defeated.
- Fluffy Tamer: In the “Monster Whisperer” mini game, it’s discovered that the duo have caught and tamed a surviving piece of the hydra from the beginning of the game. They’ve trained it to do tricks and be more friendly and docile.Max: (Baby Talk) Who’s a good little freak of nature? Who’s a good little freak of nature?
- Fluffy the Terrible: Related to the above, they named the monster Jeff.
- Freeze-Frame Ending: Parodied in that Sam and Max are frozen diving for the phone and both are still aware of their surroundings as the credits roll.
- Gameplay Grading: You get ranked based on how fast you completed each segment of the training course.
- God in Human Form: Helios Papadopolis, owner of a food truck on Narrow Street, is implied to be the actual Greek god in hiding.
- Have a Nice Death: Dying during the training course earns you a pithy comment from your would-be trainers.
- Heroic Mime: Your character gets no dialogue during the game. Lampshading when Max complains that you're no good for setting up straight lines.
- In-Series Nickname: Max calls the player "Lumpy" and Sam calls the player "Kid."
- Lampshade Hanging: During the escape room training, Sam admits that the majority of their adventures are more about puzzle solving than actually fighting bad guys.
- The Mentor: Both Sam and Max, more so the former who's a fair bit friendlier to the player.
- Mythology Gag: The game is chock full of references to all previous installments of the franchise.
- The car radio in the title sequence references the events from the finale of The Devil's Playhouse, stating it's been 11 years since the "giant devil Max" attacked the city.
- A box of Glazed McGuffins from the TV show appear in their office.
- The clown themed punching bag is also a recurring element in the original comics.
- The Tunnel of Tough Love's entrance bears a strong resemblance to the attraction in Hit the Road. Max comments on the familiarity of it. The "Dunk The Beast" dunking booth from the same game reappears here as well.
- In the Shooting Gallery minigame, the stage aptly named "Bad Day On The Moon" references the plot of the same name found in both the comics and cartoon.
Max: Ohh, the moon, I've been there!Sam: I'm surprised you remember it.Max: I remember most of the places I got killed! - New Powers as the Plot Demands: Cap'n Aquabear somehow gains telekinetic powers after arriving in the human-sized world. This is lampshaded repeatedly by Sam.
- Relocating the Explosion: When you first arrive at the office, Max will hand the player lit dynamite. Your options to have it explode away from you includes tossing it into the office, or out the door.
- Shrink Ray: The "Meet The Aquabears" ride actually includes one. It frequently malfunctioning and leaving visitors stranded in nanospace was one of the reasons behind its closure. Max uses it near the finale to shrink himself and the player as a way to reach and rescue Sam.
- Tom the Dark Lord: The last of the demons that invades the Nutrihole is the Archfiend of the 12th circle of Heck, Todd. While at first he just throws fireballs at the player much like how the previous demons threw objects, after his first defeat he possesses Max, but from there he just floats in place spouting random lines while the player and Sam focuses on undoing said possession.
- Totem Pole Trench: As a way to infiltrate the Aquabear's club, the player and Max do this by wearing the shed skin of an Aquabear, with Max standing on the player's shoulders.
- Ultimate Life Form: The Aquabears themselves. They're immortal, invulnerable, and there's about 8 billion of them waiting to get out of nanospace and take over the Earth. The only way to defeat them is to jump start their hibernation cycle.
- Uplifted Animal: The park's Aquabears, after having been exposed to the piece of moon rock donated to the park by Sam and Max themselves. They are not particularly happy with this, as their evolved brains made their existence in the microscopic void unbearable.
- You, Get Me Coffee: One of the hazing ritual tasks is to make Sam a cup of joe.
