In 2022, who would have seriously thought that the announcement of an adventure might trigger a storm of enthusiasm? That a game that belongs to a genre that has almost been decried as dead is longingly awaited by many players? But Ron Gilbert, former developer legend of the then Lucas Arts, taught the video game world better and announced Return to Monkey Island. What was greeted with a shrug or a raised brow for some younger players, and perhaps also some die-hard Nintendo fans, triggered pure enthusiasm, especially among older players who grew up in the 80s and 90s. Finally it’s here, the long-awaited sixth Monkey Island part or the third game in the series, which comes from series creator Ron Gilbert personally. We went back to the Caribbean, put the adventure through its paces and explain to you why the game is actually almost a masterpiece and then fails because of the top rating. But before we get to the test, let’s once once more shamelessly hit the drum: If you haven’t had anything to do with the Monkey Island games so far, and the chances are not small, especially with some Nintendo disciples, then Adis and I have the last TowerCast once once more discussed the two direct predecessors to Return to Monkey Island and raved a bit regarding the “good old days” ™. But now to the test
A good old school Monkey Island
Return to Monkey Island is a classic point-and-click adventure where you take on the role of the (want to be) powerful pirate Guybrush Threepwood. You observe the game from an outside perspective and steer Guybrush directly through the scenes with the analog sticks, conduct dialogues with other people, collect objects and solve puzzles that open up in the course of the game – classic adventure fare. Unlike its predecessors, Return to Monkey Island does not use a verb or overly complex command interface to maneuver or command Guybrush. Rather, each screen consists of multiple hotspots, people, or objects that Guybrush can either examine or interact with at the touch of a button. In addition, you can take items that you have picked up or received from your inventory and use them with said hotspots or combine them with each other. It takes a bit of getting used to at the beginning, but later becomes easy. Before you start the game, however, you have to make two decisions: Do you prefer to play in casual mode, which offers less difficult puzzles, or in normal mode and do you want to activate the so-called writers cut in the options? The latter offers you longer dialogues that bring much more depth, but do not always necessarily have something to do with the plot.
But series connoisseurs in particular might now ask themselves: What is Return to Monkey Island actually regarding? After all, it was announced relatively early on that the title will follow the very special ending of part 2. Without wanting to spoil too much: Gilbert and his team resolve this situation successfully for the most part and use the first scenes as a kind of playful tutorial before the actual plot begins. In it, Guybrush Threepwood returns to Melee Island, the setting from the first part, to finally unravel the mystery of Monkey Island. But to his horror he not only has to realize that the island at that time has changed quite a bit and that a new group of pirates is now in charge, but that his archenemy, the zombie pirate LeChuck, has anchored off Meele and is also looking for the secret . From now on it is important to reach the island before LeChuck and finally to get on the trail of the secret of Monkey Island.
Once you take off your rose-colored glasses, you have to be clear: The first chapter of Return to Monkey Island is pure fan service. Already the first conversation with the Meele Island lookout references moments from the first part and as you explore the city center of the island you will meet a variety of familiar faces (even the LOOM pirates!), all of whom recognize you. As someone who has played the old Monkey Island parts umpteen times, a pleasant shiver ran down my spine and I might wallow in nostalgia. But players who have never had anything to do with Monkey Island should leave some of the dialogues much more sober. To be fair, you can view a photo album in the game’s main menu before you start the game, in which Guybrush reviews the events of the last six parts. Nevertheless, it quickly becomes clear: Meele Island in particular is aimed at the “old hands”.
Would like to unravel the mystery of Monkey Island before you: zombie pirate LeChuck
© Return Digital
That doesn’t mean that everyone else can’t still have fun with the dialogues, because even without too much prior knowledge they are just as you would expect from a Monkey Island game: quick-witted, funny and there are various meta- and pop-cultural topics treated. And some of the puzzles come in the usual “think-around-the-corner-manner”, even if none of them ever reach the level of absurdity of some of the puzzles from Monkey Island 2, which is a good thing. Some of the headbutts are a bit more bizarre, but can always be understood. If you still don’t know how to proceed, the developers have included a reference book in the game. In it you can get hints for all puzzles in several stages; from a subtle nudge in the right direction to the actual solution. This saves frustrated players from having to look for a solution online and possibly spoiling themselves unnecessarily. In addition, Guybrush now also keeps a checklist on which he writes down all the important tasks so that you always know which tasks still have to be completed.
The checklist in particular can prove to be a blessing later on. Because in the course of the action, which takes you by the hand at the beginning and guides you from island to island, the game world opens up at one point and you can visit different locations, each of which in turn comes up with various puzzles. If the nostalgia factor has taken the lead up to this point, completely new islands and areas are now coming into play, which also offer veterans a welcome change. And here, too, Gilbert’s team proves that they can not only create well-tried warm-ups, but also design successful new characters. Each of the characters comes with their own special characteristics and the dialogues are often brimming with puns and dry humour. And that’s how it comes to an end sooner or later and that … is once more special and should leave some with a smile, others may not be quite so satisfied. For me personally, it made me question my alter ego Guybrush and ask myself whether LeChuck is more of a misunderstood soul… But it’s best to see for yourself.
In the course of the story, you will find yourself in icy realms.
© Return Digital
What should also not be for everyone is the optics. In the run-up to the release of Return to Monkey Island, there was such an outcry among some “fans” regarding the game’s visuals that the developers were personally insulted and attacked. You can think what you want regarding the graphics, but such behavior always causes a shake of the head, at least for me. It should be said that I was also one of those who were rather skeptical. On the individual screenshots, the 2D optics still looked too clumsy and awkward for me and I secretly wished for a style à la Curse of Monkey Island. But all those worries were actually swept aside the moment I saw the game live in motion. The animations run smoothly and the graphics simply match the events on the screen, there is no trace of clumsy or awkward animations. You also notice that Return to Monkey Island is the only console version of Return to Monkey Island, as the game has been well adapted to the hardware of Nintendo’s hybrids in terms of controls, too.
When it comes to the soundtrack, the all-clear can also be given, which is in no way inferior to the previous representatives of the series and the grandiose opening theme sounds once more to match the title. The other pieces also fit well into the game world and there is also a small homage to the IMuse system from Monkey Island 2, when the pirate theme in the Scumm Bar suddenly changes fluently to a rock variant when you introduce the new boy confront pirate leaders. Fans of a localization expect German texts, which don’t always have an accurate translation of some English puns ready, which to be fair is also quite difficult. The voice output, on the other hand, remains in English throughout.
