Return to Monkey Island

Excellent game, both for players who know Monkey Island and for new players. Very good user interface, very smooth motion, very nice graphics and, especially, excellent story and puzzles!

Started out worrisome, got better, but then the ending just really did not land with me and left too many unanswered questions. Reminded me of the Slender Threads ending, which while I also did not like, I felt the 'meta' ending suited that game better and the overall game experience was satisfactory. Return to Monkey Island had some promise but ultimately was not satisfying, and I felt cheated overall by the abrupt and lackluster lack of a real resolution.

First off, this game is good! Even though it might not seem like it when I have so many cons listed. Pro: - Overall good puzzles - Good voice acting in the German version (except for the guy in the museum, he talks weird) - Fantastic musical score, like always in the Monkey Island games Con: - For skipping of dialogue you need your keyboard. - The graphics, oh my, look like an online flash game. Nice animations can't make up for that. The game looks sterile thanks to lack of detail in the background or the characters, it's tough after playing 1 and 2 (DOS VGA versions) directly before this one. - Moon logic sometimes sneaks into the puzzle design (but there is a good hint option in case you get stuck). - There is no logic in the controls, sometimes "use" is left mouse button, sometimes it's the right one. - Apropos controls: the lack of verbs/icons makes puzzles often pretty simple. Just click on it, the game will know what to do. - There are only eight save slots (nine if you count the autosave), you can't name them. - The beginning, it does not pick up where 2 ended even though it was advertised as such. You could play this after part 3 without a problem. - The ending, there are two as far as I can tell, and none of them is really satisfying. I give it four stars because the spirit of Monkey Island is strong with this one. It's entertaining and funny. And if you have no problem with the graphics it can also be very atmospheric. I wish the next part would have the style of Thimbleweed Park. I would sell my soul for that! Because in the end, Monkey Island is, in my personal humble opinion, the pinnacle of adventure games.

This game is to Monkey Island games what the "sequel" Star Wars trilogy (VII, VIII, IX) is to the Star Wars franchise: - At first glance, fan service nostalgia trip, but with a twist. It is actually deconstructing and destroying all the characters we got to know and love from the previous games, for seemingly no reason. - At first glance, an identity politics tirade (ex. the new "Pirate Leaders", and a noticeable, calculated increase in female roles), something which should have no place in entertainment in general. On the other hand, it could also be seen as the opposite - the author's cleverly hidden ironical criticism of identity politics. Either way, not something that should be brought up in a light-hearted adventure game. - Retcons all the previous entries, esp. the ending of MI2, but then the reason is lost, since we get a similar (and some might say even worse) ending here. Why? I regret wasting money on this game, even with a discount. One can only hope that someday we will see a renaissance of the genre, but this is definitely not it.

I'm writing this review after finished the game with my 2y old daughter sleeping right beside me. I think I was 6y old when I finished the first game. It's been a good ride. For the game, I found the art very charming and beautiful. And for the puzzles, a little empty sometimes. But I think that for the nature of this game, it's quite good.