Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls

To make things better, the episode has what is likely the best conclusion in the history of the series.

The puzzles are well done, as usual, and the rest of the game is fun too.

Alley of the Dolls represents a still-funny but less creative chapter in the series that for some will feel more like a stepping-stone to the finale than a worthwhile chapter in itself.

For those who've been living on the former planet Pluto and just got back, I will inform you that Beyond the Alley of the Dolls is pretty much a standard third-person (or persons) 3D adventure, albeit adapted for consoles, takes five or so hours to complete and has all-around stellar production values - music, graphics, interface, you name it.

The Zombie-flair is a nice change that however loses its touch after a few minutes. Also the puzzles lost their sparkle which leads to a rather weak episode gameplay-wise that only shines because it finally connects the lose story threads.

Yet another good episode. Telltale are consistently delivering great entertainment, and this season of Sam & Max is shaping up to be the best yet.

This is the best season in Sam & Max adventures and you can't miss the next one.

The end of this third season is closing in, and Telltale Games definitely stepped up the craziness in this next to last episode. One can only appreciate it. The adventure is rich and diverse, the dialogues hilarious, and the supporting characters full of surprises, of which the plot itself doesn't lack at all. What more do you need from a point & click game?

Sam & Max's third season is about to end, and offers us an episode with many answers to the questions posed during the series. A very fun adventure, with much dark humour, and with an ending that will delight every fan out there.

Make no mistake that Beyond the Alley of the Dolls is another strong episode in The Devil's Playhouse, with a nice line in Lovecraftian humour and a very epic endgame.

Even though this episode is a bit weaker than the previous three, it does pick up by the end, tying most of the knots, all the while leaving a few threads open for the last episode of the season, The City That Dares Not Sleep.

Maybe not the best episode of the season, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls has the task to prepare the ground for the upcoming ending. It does its work quite well, unfortunately losing a good deal of its glow.

If you can sustain a lot of cockroach-kissing scenes you'll be rewarded by another solid episode – this time with many important story-related revelations. [Aug 2010]

This 4th episode of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is the easiest and the plot flows without any upheaval, but a superb finale and the exhilarating couple of Sam & Max are capable to increase the expectation for the next chapter.

It's still worth playing, with its usual stellar production values and increasingly bizarre storyline, but this episode again feels like it's primarily laying the groundwork for a spectacular finale.

Quotation forthcoming.

In context, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls is a great Sam & Max episode. Unfortunately, taken by itself, this is definitely the season's weakest link.