It’s rare to find an episodic game franchise that can keep a strong story going each game; let alone ending its latest season with such finesse. The folks at TellTale Games seem to have accomplished this with extreme mastery with Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse. The City that Dares Not Sleep is the final episode of Sam and Max Season 3, and it is by far the best episode of the season and, indeed, the franchise. This might sound like an outlandish statement, but other than a minor game behavior issue here and there, this game is virtually perfect.

The story for this episode is literally one of the most epic plots in a game I’ve experienced in years. Obviously there are twists that no one would have expected, like Sybil returning pregnant with Abe Lincoln’s baby. Even then the story throws the whole “whodunnit” setup at the beginning to make your mind wonder whom the overall villain actually is. There are numerous emotions rolled into this amazing four hour finale, and also a massive number of questions being answered, as well as some truths coming to light from previous seasons. We also get to truly dive into Max’s head with recordings from the stories he is writing. Each story is unique, but completely twisted. There is even an alternate ending that is unlocked by fulfilling certain requirements.

As with the story, the dialog and audio is spot on. Each character feels almost living with their unique emotions and habits being portrayed perfectly. Every character, effect, and tune is audible and crisp. There is no random crackling or fade-out to be heard.

As expected, Telltale did a fine job with making this episode bug free, so the gameplay experience is never hindered by technical error. There isn’t a single graphical glitch to speak of. There are no random framerate drops or odd texture distortions to diminish the experience. There is one gameplay related annoyance, but it is more player error then anything else. The issue arises when there is a random floating Max head around and it gets in the way of where you're clicking, so you end up talking to the head on the other side of the room rather then where you wanted to click.

The base gameplay has been the same from episode one of this season. While it’s hasn't really changed, the  movement control has become more fluid. Regardless of whether you’re using the keyboard or mouse to control Sam and Max, things seem to have become more refined. In the earlier episodes there would be a random, weird, control glitch when using the keyboard. When a new path opened up, if you wanted to change direction to the new path sometimes you would need to stop pressing any key then continue with using the new configuration of directional controls that the game gave you. This is no longer the case, thankfully. Other gameplay mechanics from the episodes and seasons still exist and continue to work, like clicking doors and items in order to interact with them.

The story of the Devil’s Playhouse has finally reached its conclusion. It has been an eccentric yet fun adventure filled with new characters, truths, and puzzles. Telltale Games truly knows how to make a unique experience like no other. Five games for one price with this quality is truly a deal that any adventure gamer looking for something truly different should purchase.