#return to monkey island

[kyndaris]

Filling Plot Holes

Back in the olden days, games were simpler affairs. Instead of realistic high definition graphics, developers relied on pixel art styles to portray the setting and characters. It wasn't the most amazing thing to look at but it was astonishing for their time. Nor were games incredibly complex in terms of gameplay. In those days, it was hard for developers in 3D and have competing objectives for the player to keep in mind.

Instead, many early games were in the vein of point-and-click adventure games. And none were as renowned as The Secret of Monkey Island by Lucasfilm Games.

This was the game which introduced us to beloved character Guybrush Threepwood as he journeyed across the islands of the Caribbean in order to make a name for himself as a pirate. Along the way, he made both friends and enemies, as well as fell in love with Governor Elaine Marley.

Over the years, several sequels came out. Often, Guybrush would do battle with his arch nemesis, LeChuck, before saving the day. And in 2009, it all came to an end with Tales of Monkey Island.

That is, of course, until 2022 where Return to Monkey Island, came roaring onto all available consoles as well as the PC. What made it special, though, was that it was the first Monkey Island game by series creator, Ron Gilbert, since Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. So, of course I booted it up after two years of having it sit in my Steam library.

I'm anything if not consistent when it comes to the backlog of games I have waiting to be played!

Return to Monkey Island starts off with Boybrush Threepwood and his friend, Chuckie, playing at an amusement park and re-enacting Guybrush's previous adventures. For a while, they amuse themselves with scurvy dogs and by pretending an elderly couple also at the park are their parents. It isn't long before Boybrush finds his father and prompts Guybrush to recount the tale of when he found the secret of Monkey Island - a sticking point of the first game.

The game then pivots to Guybrush in the past. Wishing to be the first person to discover the secret, Guybrush has travelled back to Melee Island in order to gather a crew and ship. With his usual suave, he approaches the Pirate Leaders - only to discover they are no longer the three men he knew in the first two games. Instead, they've been replaced with a new trio of dark magic users: Madison, Lila and Trent.

These new Pirate Leaders refuse to help. Undeterred, Guybrush finds another way to find a crew and ship to get to Monkey Island before LeChuck. To do so, he disguises himself as a zombie and is hired onto LeChuck's ship as a swabbie.

Yet though Guybrush manages to steal the map to the secret, he is soon discovered to be an impostor when he accidentally removes the magical eyepatch he was wearing to serve as his disguise. Infuriated by the deception, LeChuck duels Guybrush on the bow of the ship. A duel which Guybrush loses and he plummets down into the sea.

Of course, given how close the ship was to Monkey Island and Guybrush's ability to hold his breath for ten eight minutes, he is able to walk the rest of the way to shore. Following the map he stole from LeChuck, Guybrush falls into a trap set by the Pirate Leaders who reveal they had the real map. Unfortunately, the map is magically encrypted and they need LeChuck's catchphrase, his theme song and his favourite food to unlock it. All, of which, fall onto Guybrush's shoulder to obtain.

But obtain them he does - unlocking the map and revealing to all present that the secret of Monkey Island is at the International House of Mojo back on Melee Island.

It isn't long before Guybrush is betrayed and is left at the bottom of a cliff. Elaine, however, comes to his rescue and they escape the island by rebuilding Guybrush's old ship: the Sea Monkey.

Despite all these setbacks, Guybrush is the first to arrive back at Melee Island where he finds the secret locked inside a safe requiring five golden keys to open. He sets out across the Caribbean, visiting Brrr Muda and Terror Island along the way, before returning to the International House of Mojo to unlock the chest.

After opening the safe, Guybrush finds another locked chest inside. Before he can open it though, LeChuck steals the chest and takes it back to Monkey Island, where, in order to open it, a ritual is needed. Guybrush and Elaine follow. After descending down into the depths, following the footsteps of LeChuck, Guybrush emerges into a theme park recreation of Melee Island. After opening the chest, he is gifted with a novelty T-shirt.

Like many of point-and-click adventure games from yesteryear, there is a strong focus on humour. The story is silly and ridiculous, though the writing remains sharp as ever in its witty social commentary. One that stood out to me was Elaine's campaign to end scurvy and how sailors on a plague ship refused to believe in science - preferring instead Saleman Stan's flyer with its half-truths and blatant lies before they would consider getting the necessary Vitamin C from limes to combat the disease.

It was an apt metaphor for COVID.

Perhaps if there is another deadly illness travelling across the globe, we'll need to peddle masks and vaccine as if we're snake oil merchants. It might actually let the dunderheads in the world finally try it. Especially when all the difficult science jargon has been removed!

That aside, I feel like the story could have gone to greater lengths if it so chose. Yet, on the other hand, I can see why Ron Gilbert went the route he did. After hyping up the secret of Money Island, it was easier to pull the rug out from underneath Boybrush, as well as the players, as whatever it truly was would have never lived up to the standards we'd all made up in our heads.

So, in keeping with tradition, and with its unique style of comedy, Return to Monkey Island had to make the 'secret' less than ideal.

Methinks, though, that Guybrush hasn't truly mastered the art of good storytelling and still needs to work on how to end his fanciful tales of adventure. Yes, he joined the Chums and was able to impress the old Pirate Leaders, but he still has far to go if he wants to be a storyteller worth any salt.

From a gameplay perspective, Return to Monkey Island returns to its roots as a point-and-click adventure where solutions aren't always as simple as they seem and logic is oft thrown out the window. Other times, the item Guybrush needs to advance is tucked away in a different part of the world and the player is forced to backtrack because it wasn't evident from the first one would need it.

Return to Monkey Island does furnish players with a hint book, however. One that provides valuable hints should they get stuck.

Of course, if you aren't playing on 'Hard Mode' and you do use the hint book in any capacity, people on the internet will decry you for cheating and not playing the game as intended.

But what a stranger on the internet doesn't know won't hurt them. Nor should one feel obligated to only ever play a game the 'correct' way.

If you want to play the game on casual mode and rely on the hint book if you're unsure how to proceed, my advice is: GO FOR IT! After all, the time you have on the world is limited. Getting stuck on a puzzle in a video game needn't be the be-all and end-all when it comes to one's satisfaction in life.

Overall, I enjoyed my adventure with Return to Monkey Island. After I surprised myself with how long I spent with Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, it was nice to play a relatively short game without high stakes. Especially when so many video games are keen to take up all of one's time in a never-ending cycle of live service. Similarly, the vibrant art style and fun story provided some much needed levity from the direction of many dour and serious video games.

So, dear readers, if you're looking for something a little old-school and provides a rollicking adventure through the Caribbean island, look no further than Return to Monkey Island!

[mochisquish]

Your mom was right. It's better not to know.

[unseenhand1997]

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Return to Monkey Island! Art by me

[kursed-curtain]

With a revamp of my Guy n Elaine designs, Boybrush (specifically my older design for him) also gets a lil revamp! Cuz I love him

[rickmakessomeart]

A lil while back I drew the new pirates leaders from Return to Monkey Island

[marianaillust]

And the final and newest crew membre of the LeShip

Swabbie

And not at all Guybrush Threepwood

Référence

And this concludes my Monkey Island portraits

Thank you and goodbye 👋

[pedroam-bang]

Return To Monkey Island (2022)

[aadrawings]

Wrapped up Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse and there really isn't much I can say that hasn't been said already. It's not only one of the best point and clicks ever made but also the best Sam & Max game ever made. Whatever happens to the Freelance Police after this is anyone's guess, but for now I'm just happy I got to reexperience this sucker again.

Good job Skunkape Games.

Also, didn't know Max was a member of the Chums. Always the ones you least expect.

[randomarceus]

shout out to the one time I tried to draw this lot a couple months ago and gave up miserably. we are so back this time though

[azreths-arts]

[dominustempori]

REPLAY!

Honestly, you watch a fan video of gameplay, and realize there's STILL unexplored dialogue options..literally months since I last partook of the supreme goodness that is "Return to Monkey Island!"

(And let's be real...I could listen to Dominic and Alexandra as Guybrush and Elaine for hours on end, they're that awesome.)

[tinysamm]

Rather than return to pixel art, or incorporate the highly detailed and resplendent visuals of its immediate predecessors, Return to Monkey Island instead uses a pop-up book visual style to bring its world and characters to life. In addition to allowing the game to visually evolve without being dependent on a prior visual language, this style also ensures the game retains a whimsical charm to its adventure despite the weight of the series' reputation and prior story moments, allowing players old and new to experience the game through a fresh perspective.

[yorkshireraven]

Life is currently saying nay to recording more Midnight Suns so instead it be a pirate's life for me

[unseenhand1997]

Elaine on Scurvy Island. Art by me! I loved the atmosphere of Scurvy Island in Return to Monkey Island. It has some of the best music in the game (it's theme uses the same chord progression as Elaine's theme!), and it has a lovely color palette. It's the kind of tropical paradise that Guybrush could stay in forever if he wasn't blinded by his obsession with The Secret, and it serves as an example of Elaine's selflessness and her noble quest.

[kursed-curtain]

Lil boybrush before I start my requests! ^^

[atropicalshirt]

Ahoy there, fancy pants! It really has been a while since I've actually posted something on here, but I've got something I've been cookin' up for a while.

It's none other than the mighty pirate himself, Guybrush Threepwood, as he appears in Return to Monkey Island. And just in time for the game's first anniversary, too! It may not exactly be my cleanest work, but I'm really glad with how it turned out.