I never thought I’d be writing this review. For too long the Monkey Island franchise had been left dormant; seemingly abandoned by the owner of the IP – Disney – since they acquired the original developer of the series LucasFilm. The newest original title, Telltale’s Tales of Monkey Island had released way back in 2009, and since then the only murmur from the IP had been the release of a remastered version of the second game. Monkey Island was dead.
Until now.
Ever since I was a wee pirate I’ve been an obsessive fan of this point-and-click adventure game series, which debuted in 1990. For the time it was ground-breaking, with creator Ron Gilbert’s aim being to reinvigorate the genre and avoid the pitfalls of their contemporaries – excessive deaths for the sake of it and dead-end situations. The limitations of the time also lead to the developers using innovative, previously rarely-seen techniques such as illusory dithering to overcome the 16-colour limitation of EGA graphics and allow for a more beautiful and artistic graphical style. These advances, paired with brilliant writing, led to The Secret of Monkey Island becoming a cult classic and remaining amongst the best of the point-and-click genre to this day. Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer continued to work together for a sequel in 1991, but shortly after, Gilbert left LucasArts and the series passed into different hands. The third and fourth games were good, don’t get me wrong, but in Gilbert’s absence, they were unable to truly resolve the mysteries left unresolved by the twist ending of MI2 and his proposed trilogy plan never came to fruition.
That was until Return to Monkey Island was revealed in true MI style – on April 1st – by Gilbert himself. Returning to lead the project, Gilbert teased that it would be a successor to MI2 but that it would also honour the existing continuity, so obviously, the fan base went wild.
So here we are – the game I never expected to play.
As previously mentioned, Return to Monkey Island is a comedic 2D point-and-click adventure game. You play as Guybrush Threepwood – a mighty pirate – as he finally searches for the Secret of Monkey Island. On his journey, Guybrush faces many fearsome foes – ghost/zombie/demon pirates, hipsters, algebraic equations to name but a few – and must use his brains to achieve his goals and navigate through untold perils. I’m not going to go any further into the plot here, but I will say that it’s a journey worth taking with loads of unique and interesting locations and characters to find, and plenty of well-chosen fan favourites returning from previous titles. It’s a game which will make you laugh, make you think and make your heart swell multiple times. Oh, and believe it or not you return to Monkey Island at one point.
If you’re new to the series you’re going to love your trip through this vibrant, fantastical Caribbean world. Thankfully the game holds up on its own merits, with no previous knowledge required. The series is introduced nicely at the start through Guybrush’s scrapbook, containing eloquently written titbits on his previous adventures which give you all the context you’ll need.
If you’re already a fan you won’t be disappointed by this new adventure. It contains all of the charm and humour of previous games with the best writing since LeChuck’s Revenge. There are also a lot of callbacks to previous games which are there just for you. It really is a love letter to the fans and I thoroughly enjoyed the fan service offered to the most devoted of players.
However, despite this, there has been a bit of discourse online within the fanbase since its release, centred around the revelations within Return are the implications for the series. I’d like to give my thoughts on this hotly-debated ending to my fellow long-suffering aficionados who may be unsure whether to play Return. I’ll nest these thoughts below, but if you want to go into it blind feel free to skip it as it could be considered slightly spoilery.
SPOILER SECTION BELOW
OK then, here we go, fellow inhabitants of the tri-island area! I would say that you should temper your expectations regarding the definitive answers you may be looking for. Please take my advice – play the game, regardless of what you’ve heard about the ending. After you finish, let it simmer for a while. Initially, I felt a little let down by it, but the more I thought about it the more the choices made sense.
Remember, this isn’t the game Gilbert would have made if it had come straight after the second title, and the Secret itself reflects that. Thankfully it’s very open to interpretation so you’ll be able to take it however you want. There are also multiple endings and post-credits scenes depending on what you do in those final moments, so you could always replay it until you find one acceptable to you.
The gameplay is very similar to previous titles, with progression made by picking up various objects and using them in various locations to solve puzzles and complete objectives. Unlike in the first two games, this is done via a simple two-choice interface that usually boils down to “look at” or “interact with,” and whilst some veteran players have expressed doubts about the change I feel that it makes the whole game feel more immediate and drastically improves the pace. Without the large number of verb options found in Gilbert’s other games, Return keeps you focused on your goals and makes your options clear, leading to a much tighter feel.
This sense of streamlining can be found throughout the whole game, with elements of fast travel added to speed up your navigation from place to place. It definitely helps Return to feel like a reinvented model of what today’s points and clicks should be, but it isn’t without fault. In older titles, you could bash pretty much any object against any other and get some kind of response, whether it be a sarcastic/humorous quip, a short failed interaction or a simple “that doesn’t work.” Here, you are limited in what you can actually do, thus limiting the number of these moments. The same can be said for the removal of the verb-based interaction system, which could previously lead to iconic moments which rewarded you for trying different things. (Using “pick up” on certain characters and hearing the beautifully written put-downs was a favourite of mine.) Whilst I miss these hilarious attempted interactions, I can see from a design perspective why this was removed in the modern era and how it benefits both development time and console playability.
The puzzles themselves are excellently designed for the most part, with the vast majority avoiding moon logic altogether and some even offering multiple solutions. My only quibble is that certain solutions and puzzles from the first part are repeated in later sections, but additional complications and slight changes do help to make them feel unique in their own way. There’s no “monkey wrench” moment, which will be good news for those concerned about absurd solutions to puzzles.
I rarely found myself stuck for too long in Return, but for those who may struggle there is an innovative hint system included which identifies items and locations you have found and gives subtle hints as to what to do to reach a specific goal. It drip-feeds you with information, giving you a small hint at first but with the option of receiving more and more explicit ones if you choose. In doing so, Return acknowledges that some players may resort to walkthroughs if things get too tricky, and so gives them an accessible, optional way of getting help without completely ruining that lightbulb moment you get from figuring it out yourself. Frankly, I’m astounded at how well this has been implemented and hope to see more of this from future titles of the genre.
Another thing to point out is how much optional content IS in the game. There are several missable secrets and puzzles which you can solve outside of the main narrative, with many linked to achievements. This, combined with an expansive and fun collectable trivia-card system makes the game surprisingly re-playable, with at least one secret hidden until at least your second playthrough…
Since the first trailer dropped, many fans felt apprehensive about the new art direction, which replaces the realism of the first two and the cartoon style of the rest with a more abstract, simplistic look. In short, it works incredibly well and retains the overall feel of the series whilst also bringing it into the modern age. Rex Crowle’s style is oddly beautiful and in motion just feels perfect for the world. Yes, it’s hard to let go of past choices, but the unique look really compliments the cooky, weird and jovially gross pirate world and ends up working organically throughout the game.
As always, the voice acting of Dominic Armato as Guybrush is wonderful, as is the work of his fellow voice actors. Every line is voiced, and the vast majority are delivered convincingly and with excellent expression. Whilst it took a while to get used to the new voices of certain characters, even those filling the shoes of retired vocal talents have done an admirable job of making the characters their own. Musically Return is spot-on too, with many artists returning from previous games to work on this one. The series has always been renowned for its musical direction and Return is no different, with the Caribbean-inspired instrumental direction and melody-led tracks lending the required ambience to certain moments. Even if you don’t play the game, listen to the music – it’s simply wonderful.
Return to Monkey Island is simply brilliant. Not only have Gilbert and his team managed to capture the essence of the series 30 years later, but they have managed to set the new standard for point-and-clicks in the modern era. They’ve proven that the genre isn’t dead and still has an enthusiastic audience waiting for me. Whilst certain changes will prove controversial to long-time fans, I think they are mostly for the best and will be seen as a way to keep the style alive in a world of faster-paced and more technically impressive games. Regardless of what you think of the long-awaited revelations, this adventure to find them is absolutely stellar and proves the age-old adage “the journey is often more important than the destination.” I can honestly say that Return was worth the wait of a lifetime, and sincerely hope that its success leads to more adventures with Guybrush in the future.
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows PC
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