Did you guys know that it’s only been three weeks since the third Strong Bad episode was released? Well, I hope you finished playing through it, because the fourth episode has already dropped in our laps. How do they do it? Do the developers even sleep?

No matter what the answer is, the fourth Strong Bad episode continues to deliver the goods for adventure-hungry gamers.

Here’s a quick intro for those who haven’t been following along:

Strong Bad is a long-running internet cartoon. Adventure games are games where you travel from location to location solving puzzles to advance a storyline. You’ve probably played a few of them. Now, let’s combine the two! The Strong Bad games are a series of monthly episodic adventure games starring the crew of the cartoon series. Using a mouse (or Wiimote), you click to move Strong Bad around or to interact with the environment and solve puzzles. It’s usually a pretty hilarious experience.

Want to know more? Read on or check our archives for reviews of the previous episodes.

Longtime Strong Bad fans should remember the Dangeresque, the Strong-gang’s homemade buddy cop franchise. This episode puts you right into the fray as the characters put together a third entry of the series. What is Dangeresque? Think James Bond meets Michael Bay mixed with an unhealthy dose of 70’s exploitation film. Yes, it’s both that bad and that awesome.

The action-movie storyline gives the developers a chance to mix things up a bit. Other than short scenes capping both ends of the episode, you are right there inside the movie. What does this mean? For starters, there are a bunch of new locations (which are admittedly the old locations dressed up with low-budget set pieces) to explore. Is also means that the general pacing is dramatically faster. Adventure games tend to be slow cerebral affairs, but action movies never stop moving. To reconcile the two polar extremes, this episode picks a spot in the middle. You’ll still be solving puzzle after puzzle, but the structure of this episode seems to be a bit more focused. You don’t really spend a lot of time moving back and forth between locations and you never really have to decide which goal to tackle next. It’s more of a straight line from start to explosion.

I’m kind of a pop-culture junkie and I’m definitely a sucker for horrible movies, so this was pretty much the best episode yet in the humor department. Just like the movies that it lampoons, Dangeresque 3 is so over the top that it’s hilarious. Strong Bad carries what just might be the coolest weapon ever, the fearsome nunchuck gun. Which, of course, he has to use to fight a shark-wielding bear less than twenty minutes into the game! How can you not love it?

It isn’t just the obvious jokes, but the little touches that had me rolling on the floor. For example, when you talk to a character, the camera will sometimes zoom in for a shaky handcam view. Abused brother Strong Sad suddenly appears any time that a character needs a stunt double. Scenes will suddenly cut out, as though sliced by the hands of some inept editor. That shark bear? It’s totally a cardboard cutout. Pretty much every bad movie trope shows up, presented just slightly more exaggerated than in real life.

The focused pace and hilarious theme make Dangeresque 3 the best Strong Bad episode yet. If you’re even remotely a fan, go download this now. Never tried the series? This episode is the perfect jump-on point, you can pick it up without having played through the first three. Take the plunge, I’ve paid more than ten bucks for some of the movies that Dangeresque spoofs.