The Video Game Critic

Anyone in the mood to Return to Monkey Island? I hear it's coming out for the Switch.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/06/ ... nds-story/

I'm happy about it, but I'm not really excited. The original games all did something new each time, while this just looks like an exercise in nostalgia. Remember Monkey Island? It's nice to have a new adventure game from Ron Gilbert and David Grossman, but I don't need a new game to remember Monkey Island.

Original games, I thought it was just an original game. If there were sequels I have never heard about them. I had it on my Sega CD years ago. I remember enjoying the game but I didn't think it was really anything special. Is there that much hype for a slightly above average title?

The sequels didn't get console ports. The first one was revolutionary in 1990 and almost single-handedly set the standard of adventure games for the rest of the decade, and it's also just a silly little cartoon about pirates, but it's also a very charming, heartfelt cartoon that makes a major impression if a certain kind of person (Monty Python–loving nerd) plays it at a certain age (14). I wasn't enough of that kind of person to be totally swept away by it, but I can see why others were. As lightweight as it is (even compared to Monkey Island 2 the following year), it does what it does perfectly, and what it does was perfect for a lot of people.

This new one feels very conservative from what's been shown. Lots of locations and characters from the first game, mixed with the overt jokiness of the third one (embodied in Murray the skull) – I didn't see a single unfamiliar thing in the trailer. It's disappointing to see Ron Gilbert play it so safe with this comeback instead of picking up from where he left off in the relatively ambitious second game, the last one he worked on. Maybe there's something special and new hiding behind the marketing, but I'm not going to assume that it's there.

I just finished it (Switch version) and I'm happy to recommend it! I feel the game is much more accessible than Thimbleweek Park and the length is much better (Thimbleweed Park drags on too long it the end in my opinion), even for anyone who haven't played any Monkey Island game before. But of course, you'll have most fun with (at least some) knowledgde of the previous games. I think the game works very well on the Switch and it's clever that things that can be clicked on in the gaming world are marked with some sort of little circle markers (and that you can switch between those markers with the L- and R-shoulder buttons).

So, the graphics aren't the traditional pixel style as in the original two games or as in Thimbleweek Park, but I grew to like them quite a bit. They are colorful and funny and the weird close-ups did remind me somewhat of a Ren & Stimpy-style close-up style. Even better is the sound: nice music and excellent voice-over work. It's also nice there's a button to make Guybrush walk faster (luckily the character swapping puzzles of Thimbleweed Park aren't in this game, since I find those a little tedious). Also, the game is well written.

If I have to critize the game it is because I'm a changed gamer sinces the original games; I don't have the patience (or the intelligence, if you will :p) to figure out some obscure puzzles anymore. Therefore, the game includes an in-game hintbook that will explain puzzles step for step. However, because I'm so impatient and short on time nowadays, I have to admit I did look in the in-game hintbook... a lot. Therefore the game sometimes more felt like a series of fetch quests (get this to do that etc) than actual puzzle solving. But again, that's probably more due to the way I played the game.

So, I recommend this game to all fans of Monkey Island and also if you like classic point and click games. If you finish the game, you'll unlock a wonderful letter from the creators, which will make you feel old when you grew up with the original Monkey Island games!

8,5/10

CaptainCruch wrote:I just finished it (Switch version) and I'm happy to recommend it! I feel the game is much more accessible than Thimbleweek Park and the length is much better (Thimbleweed Park drags on too long it the end in my opinion), even for anyone who haven't played any Monkey Island game before. But of course, you'll have most fun with (at least some) knowledgde of the previous games. I think the game works very well on the Switch and it's clever that things that can be clicked on in the gaming world are marked with some sort of little circle markers (and that you can switch between those markers with the L- and R-shoulder buttons).

So, the graphics aren't the traditional pixel style as in the original two games or as in Thimbleweek Park, but I grew to like them quite a bit. They are colorful and funny and the weird close-ups did remind me somewhat of a Ren & Stimpy-style close-up style. Even better is the sound: nice music and excellent voice-over work. It's also nice there's a button to make Guybrush walk faster (luckily the character swapping puzzles of Thimbleweed Park aren't in this game, since I find those a little tedious). Also, the game is well written.

If I have to critize the game it is because I'm a changed gamer sinces the original games; I don't have the patience (or the intelligence, if you will :p) to figure out some obscure puzzles anymore. Therefore, the game includes an in-game hintbook that will explain puzzles step for step. However, because I'm so impatient and short on time nowadays, I have to admit I did look in the in-game hintbook... a lot. Therefore the game sometimes more felt like a series of fetch quests (get this to do that etc) than actual puzzle solving. But again, that's probably more due to the way I played the game.

So, I recommend this game to all fans of Monkey Island and also if you like classic point and click games. If you finish the game, you'll unlock a wonderful letter from the creators, which will make you feel old when you grew up with the original Monkey Island games!

8,5/10

Pretty much agree with all of this. The ending fell flat for me, but the note gave some retrospective into the series and feel if I was around since the 90s (I got into the series since Tales came out,) I'd appreciate it more. Also, they got some of the original composers from LucasArts and I so desperately would kill to buy the ost.

The art in this game looked bad, so I avoided it and forgot about it until now. Maybe I'll get it on discount.

DarknessDeku wrote:The art in this game looked bad, so I avoided it and forgot about it until now. Maybe I'll get it on discount.

I admit I had to get used to it, but after playing it for a while I became used to it and now I think it's actually rather good! I started to appreciate they didn't take the "save road" and do pixel style.