As we mature, we tend to hope that we’ll improve our act, as it were. Brush up our image, clean up our act, keeping only what is necessary to our character sacred. In 2009, with hope on the menu, Team 17 shows that the world of the adventure game isn’t on its final curtain in Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust.

After finally getting out of college, Larry’s nephew, Larry now has a job at the Laffer studio. Uncle Larry is concerned that there is a mole, trying to sabotage his studio. Under the guise of a new hire, you complete various tasks around the lot, trying to probe the answer of who would be dastardly enough to bring down Laffer Studios. All while getting the girl, and getting the Hollywood ending that Larry deserves.

The game challenges you with a variety of fetch quests and an open world of Laffer studios to explore. The game world feels almost non-euclidean, with the map looking small, but vast to get through. You can jump and wall jump to traverse some buildings, and a lot of the interiors you can poke around. Hijacking the various carts is an advisable way to get around, as Larry, not being at the peak of physicality, has some difficulty maintaining his running speed. When it comes to combat, Larry can just handle the basics of punching (plus the occasional kick). Aside from the fetching and driving, This being a film studio, you occasionally get to direct the film itself, and in some cases even go into film-inspired dreams, full of action and adventure. There are also about 100 golden statues, that you can collect, apart from a trophy or achievement, they offer no gameplay benefit bar the occasional quip from Larry.

Alternatively, you can seduce up to seven, Women of the Moment. It is here where the game feels a bit more like Magna Cum Laude, where you pick up an object and converse with the woman of the moment. You get four choices for dialogue and unlike in M.C.L., you cannot fail by selecting the comedic option, picking the correct responses a couple of times, and you win her over. You get a cutscene of your troubles, but not much else regarding gameplay or other rewards. The game’s cast is an impressive collection of names, from Jeffery Tambor to Carmen Elektra. Josh Keaton takes over as the voice of Larry Lovage and feels more youthful compared to College Larry. The characters look interesting, adding a little more style to the 3.D. There are fake film posters and quite a few subtle and unsubtle visual gags, right before Marvel and Netflix upside-ed the film industry. There’s also a Jim’ll Fix It joke (Team 17 showing off their influences) that I’m not sure a lot of the U.S. audiences would get, nor would it be a gag you would make today.

While bigger may not always mean better, Box Office Bust aims to please you by offering an adventure game for the H.D. generation. If you’re a digital trophy hunter or an achievement hound, there is enough to incentivise you to go through the fascinating story of deception at the heart of Laffer Studios. While we may lament the loss of our college days, Larry refuses to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

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