Beyond the Alley of the Dolls does everything right that has made Sam and Max memorable and then turned it into an epic.
Lets just cut to the chase. Sam and Max, season 3, has changed the formula. This may be due to Steve Purcell leaving the writing team (the creator of Sam and Max). However what is certain is that up till now, each episode has been better than the last.
Gameplay? If you have played any of the past games on console you will know exactly what to expect. You cycle through the available object to interect, conversations branch out, and you use objects as well as Max's phsycic powers. Telltale Games has well defined how they will be using point and click into any and all games. So don't expect anything revolutionary with that.
So if you take out the gameplay, what makes Beyond the Alley of the Dolls good? The answer is simple. It is a Sam and Max game, and true to its comedic origins. The comedy and the writing is spot on to what makes the characters likeable. The Villain of the week is great as is his/her elaborate scheme. Also plenty of reuccuring character return to give it its charm. (Typical Sam and Max formula).
What makes the game great, or this episode, is that it goes one step further. Up till this game, They Stole Max's Brain has been the Pinnacle of the series. That changed when this game came out. The story is borderline darker than the previous two installments. (Mind you, Max was a lifeless shell for the first third of one of them!)
First off are the characters. Not only do so many of them return, we start to see different sides to them. The once colorful two demensional characters (VERY COLORFUL) start showing character development. The over arching plot is pushed a bit further than it was with previous games and what the average episode would do in previous seasons. Plot happens.
The story picks up with Doppleganger Sams (plural) taking over the city and chasing our heros and several other characters into Stinky's Diner. From there, they baricade themselves inside and use weaponry to fight of the unknown dopplegangers (they dont know if they are aliens, robots or what) with guns and knives. Bizzare to say but off the screen, it is simple to imply that killing is going on.
The game has clearly taken a darker tone paying homage to games like resident evil and the zombie genre. In the game, we see characters aparently dying (will not say who) and we see. Despite the darker tone, the game manages to keep its Sam and Max style of humor and feel in a way that does not alienate.
The mystery is strong, the crisis that faces the city is ever present and the finale of the show throws back to the great horror classics while keeping its charm and wit. Did I mention the how epic the final act is? Well I can't spoil it for you, I will just say it has a certain level of intensity.
Again though, this is a comedy game. It is also a cartoonish comedy game. It does not abandon these roots. The laughs come and the characters deliver all the things that make us like them. The characters retain their silly charm and the inside jokes that we know and love are also made (a hidden Soda Poppers joke is an example).
With good story, characters, a change of tone and formula, not to mention good writing and voice acting, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls shapes up to be one of the best in the entire series. However it is hampered by simplistic problems (puzzles can be too easy) and there are moments when object apear as selectable when they do not exist. If you are a Sam and Max fan, or a point and click fan, this game should not be missed. It will literally make your jaw drop, and is prone to give goosebumps.