I could tell you how unfunny and reliant on nostalgia I thought "Return to Monkey Island" was... How questionable and annoying its "Old vs New"/"Old vs Young" writing was... How lifeless its world and characters felt... How disappointing its meta and meme dialogue was... I could tell you how disrespectful and patronizing I thought the option to "deny what you thought you saw" in the ending was... How simplified on mechanics and light on puzzles the game was (and I was definitely not asking for MI2 difficulty)... I could tell you the visuals just might be the best aspect of the game (how's that for a twist?)... But it's all subjective (isn't it?) and there clearly are people who enjoyed "Return" and its writing - I simply happen to not be one of them. The Developers' message (unlocked after completing the story) is sweet on paper but did not translate to the game at all. I guess it doesn't help that it's very distant from what I think of Guybrush and the Monkey Island series. I feel I wouldn't mind this game's ending had it been attached to a brand new adventure - it really didn't have to be built around "the Secret of Monkey Island" (both game and the "secret" itself). It didn't have to explicitly remind Guybrush and the player to "keep expectations in check" every 10 minutes only to then state it's not the destination that mattered but the embellished adventure itself. Too bad it was a boring one? Perhaps when I replay this franchise in 15 years (when I'm way into my 50s like the Devs now), I'll have some newfound appreciation for "Return" - as of now I'd say this was better than only-the-worst-parts of "Escape" and "Tales". Consider waiting for a significant discount just in case you're like me and dislike most of the game. I played through it twice - the differences are not major but in my opinion the Writer's Cut should've been the default way to play.
