Shut Up and Deal: Poker Night at the Inventory Hits PS5
Poker Night at the Inventory is a Texas Hold ’em poker simulation originally developed and published by Telltale Games. You pull up a chair at a secret underground club to gamble against a surreal crossover cast including Tycho from Penny Arcade, Max from Sam & Max, Strong Bad, and The Heavy from Team Fortress 2. It’s a high-stakes battle of wits and banter where the prize is more than just chips; it’s surviving the table talk.
Specs & HUD | Gameplay Review | Performance & Fidelity | Settings & Controls
Poker Night at the Inventory PlayStation 5 Review: Specs & HUD
- Download Size: 1.06GB.
- Trophy Support: Full Platinum trophy available.
- HUD: Buttons show on all actionable interactions, so you aren’t guessing.
- Quick Reference: Press the touchpad anytime to bring up poker hands and their values.
- Post-Match: The end of a match shows your stats and unlock progress.
- Progression: Your poker name actually changes as you earn more cash.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
This is the first time this one has landed on Playstation after being a Steam exclusive for ages, and it’s a good, fun, chilled game. You are the player at the table sitting across from Strong Bad, Max, Tycho, and The Heavy. The whole thing is set in a 3D poker room where everyone is sitting around the table, and it really nails that vibe of a high-stakes basement game. Each character has its original voice actors, handling all the interactions and idle chit-chat. When it’s your turn, they all stare you down, waiting for a move, sometimes even having a word to say about it.
The poker gameplay is solid, and you can skip hands you’ve folded into if you want to speed the game up somewhat. You can unlock new decks and different tables to play on as you go. However, a game can go on for a long time because it doesn’t end until only one player is left standing. The biggest letdown is that you can’t save mid-game, which is a pain when things drag on. The tutorial is just a series of images and text, which is a bit lazy. You also can’t name your character or have any voice lines or comebacks, so you’re just the silent guy at the table. It’s also worth noting that this is strictly a solo game with no multiplayer at all.
Poker Night at the Inventory PlayStation 5 Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Visuals: Awesome graphics that keep the art styles of the various franchises intact.
- Environment: The 3D poker room looks great, though it’s the same room and table all the time, so it gets a bit tiring.
- Audio: Chilled ambient soundtrack that fits the mood perfectly.
- Voice Work: Original voice actors bring the personality, though the voice lines do repeat a lot.
- Legacy: The game does show its age in terms of general presentation and the character models.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Graphics Settings: Includes a brightness slider, film grain, and motion blur toggles.
- Game Difficulty: Choose between Normal and Hard.
- Social Settings: Subtitles (with background options) and a toggle for strong language.
- Banter Control: A slider to adjust the frequency of the idle chit-chat.
- Economy: Slider for the buy-in amount.
- Audio Sliders: Individual controls for Voice, Sound Effects, Music, and Master Volume.
- Controls: Standard layout, but you cannot remap the controls.
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Poker Night at the Inventory PlayStation 5 Review
Summary
GOOD STUFF
The graphics are awesome, and the 1.06GB download is tiny, making it an easy install for a quick Platinum trophy run. It’s great to finally have this on Playstation after years of Steam exclusivity. The gameplay is a good, fun, chill experience with a solid ambient soundtrack. Having the original voice actors for characters like Max and The Heavy makes the idle chit-chat feel authentic, and I like how they all stare you down when it’s your turn. Being able to skip folded hands helps with the pace, and unlocking new decks or seeing your poker name change as you get rich adds a nice sense of progress.
BAD STUFF
The game definitely shows its age in the presentation and characters, plus it’s a slow-paced game. The voice lines repeat way too much, and the tutorial is just a basic set of images and text. It’s frustrating that you can’t save mid-game since matches go on forever until only one person is left. You also can’t name your character or talk back to the icons at the table, and there’s no multiplayer whatsoever. You also can’t earn the unique item unlocks that the Steam version had for other games, and the lack of control remapping or environment variety makes it feel a bit tiring after a while.
FINAL VERDICT
A chilled, funny, and visually sharp poker sim that finally brings a PC cult classic to PlayStation, even if the lack of mid-game saves and repeating dialogue starts to grate.
