Sam & Max’s third season has been a bit of a roller coaster ride.  If you’ll forgive the cliche, it’s had its ups and downs, its times at which the series seemed to push the envelope of what an adventure game could be, and the moments when everything felt a bit too recycled.  However, as the season nears its finale with its fourth episode (out of five), does it seem like it’s been worth the price of admission?

I’ll be honest, after the last episode (despite the phenomenal second episode), I was a bit worried about the rest of the season.  Was The Tomb of Sammun-Mak merely a fluke? Would I find myself pressed to recommend the season overall?  I went into the fourth episode, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls, a bit apprehensive.  However, I’m pleased to report that while the fourth episode isn’t nearly as ground-breaking as the second, it was definitely enjoyable and most certainly the strongest so far in the story department.

Whereas the previous episodes were primarily puzzle-driven (in the sense that trying to solve the puzzles was the primary drive that pushed you to continue), I’d say that unraveling the story really took center stage here in Alley of the Dolls.  The episode opens with Sam and Max running away from a mob of “dogglegangers” – a swarm of identical, mostly naked Sams.  Although every episode thus far has started with a “mystery” of sorts, I found this one particularly engaging.  Where did all these Sams come from?  What’s going on?  Naturally, Sam and Max are determined to find out, especially once they discover a secret underground cloning facility and the fact that these clones are apparently after the Toys of Power.

Throughout the course of the episode, many previous characters will make surprising reappearances, and while none of the puzzles were completely revolutionary, there were a few interesting concepts, and I did get stuck a few times.  However, you can easily finish the game in a weekend, and especially veterans of adventure games should have no problems getting through the various trials.  I was entertained nearly the entire time, enjoying the usual adventure genre in-jokes sprinkled throughout.  Although a couple puzzles were a little annoying, I have to say that the “boss fight” at the end of this episode was certainly the most satisfying of any thus far in the season, and I will admit to being very surprised when the mastermind behind the clones was revealed.

While Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is certainly far from perfect, I can say (with only one more episode left) that it’s definitely worth it.  Unlike many other games in the genre, it is almost entirely bug-free and will make you laugh, not to mention the fact that its puzzles are usually more creative and entertaining than the usual “duct-tape your phone to a cat.”  I apologize if I’ve been overly vague in this review, but I hate to give too much away, as unraveling the zany plot (especially in episode 4) is most of the fun.  I can honestly say I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls
PC (Reviewed), Mac, PSN, iPad
	Publisher: TellTale Games Developer: TellTale Games Genre: Adventure Release Date: July 20, 2010 MSRP: $7 per episode ESRB Rating: T for Teen

Doin’ It RIGHT: - Great story progression. - Fun puzzles. - Ending boss battle is enjoyable and challenging.	Doin’ It RONG: - Not as wildly creative as Episode 2. - Not as funny as it could be.
FINAL SCORE: 8.5 / 10

Tags: adventure, Episode 4, PC, Point & Click, Reviews, Sam & Max, Tell Tale, The Devil's Playhouse

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Mac OS X, PC, PSN, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.