"An adventure gamer's delight."
9/10 – IGN
"Everything I wanted and more."
9/10 – The Gamer
"A nostalgic, swashbuckling adventure you won’t want to miss."
9/10 – GamesRadar
Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of t...
"A nostalgic, swashbuckling adventure you won’t want to miss."
9/10 – GamesRadar
Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.
It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’.
Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory.
Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling
Bringing classic point and click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze.
Embark on Archipelago Adventures
Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrr Muda to make allies and enemies alike.
Created by a Legendary Crew
The new chapter in the Monkey Island series marks the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by game co-writer Dave Grossman, art director Rex Crowle (Knights & Bikes, Tearaway) and composers Peter McConnell, Michael Land, and Clint Bajakian (Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge).
Popular achievements
Fan Service
Convinced Cobb To Tell You About LOOM
common
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47.89%
Hey Wait!
Freed Otis
common
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52.28%
Part One
Started Part One
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65.19%
Part Two
Started Part Two
common
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50.88%
Part Three
Started Part Three
common
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48.07%
Part Four
Started Part Four
common
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45.68%
Part Five
Started Part Five
common
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39.24%
Pegleg
Fulfilled Your Restroom Obligations
common
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32.11%
Super Swabbie
Swabbed The Hold Twenty Times
common
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46.15%
System requirements
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Don't bother with this game if you expect a true Monkey Island 3. You will be disappointed. It is not a true successor to Monkey Island 2, you will not find closure.
If you liked everything that came after that game, you will enjoy this one too though, as the many positive reviews show.
Yes, I am disappointed. The art style of course is a choice the devs can make however they want, but I don't think it's been a good one. However, I would have accepted the clanky style when the rest of the game just "clicked" - but it didn't.
I get it that times have changed. But this is simply too much. Guybrush was a hero. Yes, Elaine didn't need him - but he at least tried. This game doesn't even try. And we needed him. We needed a hero like Guybrush and this game does nothing but destroy his legacy. Sorry to say this, but everyone in this game is a loser except for Elaine - and somehow even she is, because she actually was stronger in the first two installments.
I'm very sorry to write something so negative about Monkey Island: had high expectations for Return, as I had been waiting for this game for literally thirty years.
But doubts emerge already at the presentation of the first trailer, with those horrible flash game graphics. Then the game comes out and...it's just bad.
First of all, it is incomprehensible to me, INCOMPREHENSIBLE why Ron abandoned the idea of ending the story his way... it was what we were all waiting for, "Guybrush goes to hell". But no, all of a sudden that idea isn't being used, and in exchange we're given a pathetic soft reboot of the first two, which adds nothing to what we already knew. Interface and puzzles simplified beyond belief, and a nursery school atmosphere, like a cheap Sunday morning cartoon.
Forget "On Stanger Tides" and the dark atmosphere of the first two: this is specifically a product targeted for children aged 12 and under.
I'll tell you what definitely happened : Ron had his very clear ideas on how to design this game (those written in his famous 2014 post) , but he was understandably scared of failing. This is why he let himself be convinced by some idiot at Disney to abandon everything he had thought, which was probably "too dark" to be sold according to their damn marketing calculations, to focus on on a boring soft reboot for casual gamer, to maximize revenue and "be on the safe side.
Now, every time such a beloved series is distorted in the name of market laws, irreparable rifts and disappointments are created in the fandom. And they never learn their lesson, EVER. They keep making the same ridiculous mistake.
The only solution is this: make another Monkey Island, in pixel art and this time rigorous compared to the past and which tells the story we've all been waiting for: Guybrush goes to hell.
Comparing this game to the classics like Secret, Revenge, and Curse is like comparing a toddler's scribbles to a masterpiece. Sure, it's solid compared to the forgettable Escape and Tales, but that's not exactly a high bar to clear, is it?
- Classic controls: It's point and click like in the old times. Interactions have been simplified, similar to Curse, but no complicated mechanics like in Tales & Escape, so definitely a plus.
- Atmosphere: While it captures some of the magic of the old games occasionally, those moments are few and far between.
- Puzzles: They're an insult to the intelligence of anyone who played 1-3. It feels like it's dumbed down for the modern-day player. If you're used to hard puzzles, you can just point and click your way through the game like a mindless zombie.
- Graphics: The cel-shading-collage-billboard-comic type of look is about as appealing as a root canal, but I got used to it fairly quickly, so while it's not exactly pretty, it's still way better than the 3D garbage we got in Escape and Tales, so I would say 'not great, not terrible'.
- Story: The story is a complete disaster, from start to finish. If you're looking for coherence, closure, or even just a basic understanding of what's going on, then you're out of luck. The ending is so nonsensical that you'll be left wondering if Gilbert was on drugs when he came up with it. I mean, sure, Monkey Island games aren't exactly known for their realism or logical storytelling, but come on, at least give us something that we can follow. Otherwise, you'll be left scratching your head and wondering why you bothered playing this game in the first place. I guess the joke's on us for expecting anything remotely coherent.
So all in all a mediocre game, not too bad, but certainly not on par with the old titles. Expect a smirk here and there, but don't prepare for mind-boggling puzzles or intelligent laughs, or else you'll be disappointed as a vegan at a steakhouse.
I've been a fan of Monkey Island since 1993 having played and loved both original games back then, later Curse which I also loved, then Escape which... I hated and never finished. Never really felt the urge to play Tales. The special editions were also great because they gave you a chance to revisit the originals with voice acting though I didn't care much for their graphics... Why am I telling you all this? Well, because there's a ton of reviews telling you this game is just bad and not on the spirit of the old ones - and I completely disagree. Sure, it looks different, but so did Curse. Yeah, has a different interface, but again so did every game in the series, and right, it's more streamlined and probably easier - but personally, being older and having less time in general and especially less time to spend being frustrated and playing trial and error games, I actually appreciated this. And the humor is spot on, I think.
I'm not going to try to convince anybody who didn't enjoy it, that they're wrong because they're not - obviously. But for the undecided: be aware that this is not as black and white as it might seem. I have actually just purchased the game here for the third time after having played it upon release on the Switch (which works surprisingly well!) and having also ordered the physical big box version from LRG. So, it can't be that bad, can it?
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