It’s official – a new installment of Monkey Island will release on “Talk like a pirate” day on 19-SEP-2022. Return to Monkey Island is, after “The Secret of Monkey Island” and “Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck’s revenge” finally spearheaded again by Ron Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox – which promises for me personally, that after the first two games, we are getting a worthy continuation of Guybrush Threepwood’s story of becoming and being a pirate.
The graphics look refreshing, but I think it’ll take some time for me to really enjoy them and get to peace with them. Not that I expected a pixel graphics late 80/early 90s style – but I think I expected something else. It makes sense to stay move away from the pixel graphics. There’s no point in re-creating the first two games graphic-wise just for retro-fans. You want to attract new players with a fresh game, and potentially have them move to earlier games in the series after. I can also imagine that there’s – creatively – not a lot of excitement to create yet another pixel game. Yes, Thimbleweed Park that Terrible Toybox created worked, partly because the story was set in 1987, and there’s some references and fun made about that kick back in time.
I am excited – for the things that will be brought back from earlier installments, the new things they invented to make the game something new, while at the same time, be able to tell a fantastic new story,
Who I want to see back:
- Stan: he’s made an appearance already in the trailer and the pre-release website. I like his absurd, outer-worldly character
- 3 cannibals (Lemonhead, Sharptooth, Redskull): I could imagine them taking Guybrush hostage on accident and then helping him overcome a challenge or move on in the story somehow. A nice reunion after a long time and learning about how the three of them have been would be nice 🙂
- the Voodoo Lady – mostly for a reference on how the voodoo business is holding up in “current times”
- Elaine: I imagined it could be fun to see her be the antagonist for a while in the story – but the screenshots and artwork seem to make her a friendly character.
- Murray: I am torn here – I liked Murray in Monkey Island 3, so while technically he’s not part of the “original” series that would call the secret of Monkey Island and Le Chuck’s revenge, I’d like to see him back. And it appears he’ll make at least a small appearance.
- Wally: he’s been an adorable character in Le Chuck’s revenge, letting him appear again for a map repair or a crew member (the navigator, maybe?) would be fantastic. Stealing his monocle just wasn’t right and it only be fair to give him a little bit more fame time.
- The monkey wrench: while this may be one of the weirdest puzzles in graphic adventure history, a reference to the monkey wrench, even as a semi-hidden note, would certainly be fun. Especially since there appears to be some regrets over this puzzle. I am sure after 30 years, people have forgiven the team for that.
- Ransom the Clown from Thimbleweed Park: I would love for a Random doll to sit on a shelf, as a reference. I could imagine guybrush saying “what a creepy-looking, unfriendly clown doll” and by pushing it, the clown utters a few beep words.
What else I am hoping for:
- A big box game version that I can sit next to the other classic games I have. This is just the nostalgic collector in me.
- Two modes – one of them at least being as challenging as Monkey Island 2’s “normal” version – not the “Lite” one. Mostly so that there don’t have to be compromises between gamers that haven’t played graphic adventures with puzzles before, and returning gamers who know their way around.
I have the game on my wishlist – let’s see what it will be like. While I have certain hopes, I think I just want to learn what the real secret of Monkey Island is. Let’s hope Guybrush ends up rich and famous.
FRICKELSOFT 