The Curse of Monkey Island™

A lot of people seem to feel this game doesn't hold up to the first two, but I just don't see it- it's all great. The puzzles, the animations, the voice acting, the humor, the mood. Hearing the characters voiced for the first time was amazing when it first came out, but just having played the Special Editions of the first two games which added voice acting, I can say it's not mere nostalgia that makes me love MI3. I think it may be the funniest of the first three games, it has tons of memorable moments, the puzzles are tricky but not unfair, the characters are absolutely glowing with personality, and the ship combat mechanic is a fun new addition to the typical adventure game formula, while also revisiting the insult swordfighting from the first game (which is a fun enough idea that I don't mind doing it again). I suppose one could make the argument that it doesn't include enough of Elaine and LeChuck, the former being turned to gold for most of the game and the latter just shouting in a few cutscenes, and extending the end areas of the game would have helped with that- and maybe by the third part of the series it's becoming a little too in-jokey and self-referential- but I actually enjoyed the attention to continuity and liked the new characters enough that I didn't feel it was lacking in any way. The graphics are a little blocky and pixelated-looking now, and could benefit from a remaster similar to Full Throttle's, but still hold up for the most part. Highly recommended, and in my opinion a high point of the series, which would plummet into being outright bad in the next game (which I won't even be reviewing because I refuse to re-buy it), and rise back to mediocrity in the Telltale series, but never again reach the heights of the original trilogy... well, maybe. I haven't played Return to Monkey Island yet and I have high hopes. In the meantime Curse is absolutely worth getting- even if you don't end up liking it as much as the first two, it's a good time.

Love this game!

It actually pains me that this absolute masterpeice from my childhood is being offered for such a low price. An absolutely incredible game and still my favorite game of all time, the music, the graphics, the stories, the puzzles, there is absolutely nothing i would change about this game.

This is easily one of my favorite adventure games. Having gotten the physical release of the first three entries in the series when I was a kid, I can't remember how many times I've beaten this game. While this version of the game is running absolutely fine, it's disappointing to see that it only includes the English version. Usually, I'm totally fine with English only, but as someone who grew up with the German version, there is just a lot of the atmosphere and feeling of nostalgia missing that I would've wished this release included. This is why I heavyheartedly have to redact one star. Should additional languages be added, I will happily change my review.

It's been so long since I last played 'The Curse of Monkey Island'! What a great time to revisit this gem now that it is available on GoG. After the divisive conclusion to Ron Gilbert's 'Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge', it's hard to imagine how to continue the 'Monkey Island' series. Game designers, Jonathan Ackley and Larry Ahern, took the reins and produced a game that managed to honour the work that Gilbert had done, tie up (m)any potential loose ends from previous games, retain -- or at least emulate -- the first two games' sense of humour, respect the 'Monkey Island' traditions, and create something original. All the while, Ackley and Ahern gave us a classic that just may be THE BEST 'Monkey Island' game to date. 'The Curse of Monkey Island' is easily the most visually stunning 'Monkey Island' game in the franchise. Like other LucasArts game of this era (i.e. 'Day of the Tentacle and 'Full Throttle'), the artwork still holds up 20 years later and looks great on modern PCs. Would a HD remaster version be welcomed? Of course! But honestly, 'The Curse of Monkey Island' doesn't really need it, especially when the score, sound effects and voice acting still sound fantastic. It's hard to imagine anyone else whose voice acting that can embody Guybrush Threepwood's naive optimism and determination as well as Dominic Armato's. 'The Curse of the Monkey Island' is not an easy game. There are a few puzzles that require outlandish solutions (i.e. some trial and error guessing, "brute forcing', and looking up hints or walkthroughs may be required), but the game does not frustrate. It's fun and has great pacing, interspersed with more insult sword fighting, (a skippable) arcade naval combat, and cinematic cutscenes that Walt Disney would have approved. If you haven't tried 'The Curse of Monkey Island' yet, now it's the time to do so!