Return to Monkey Island

Out of all of the Monkey Island games this is probably my least favorite besides Tales of Monkey Island. First of all a lot of the characters were changed, like Carla who in Escape from Monkey Island was completely traumatized from the events of Secret of Monkey Island but in Return to Monkey Island was completely fine (same with Otis), Wally is now super passive aggressive towards Guybrush because of the events of Monkey Island 2 even though he didn't even care that much about it in Curse of Monkey Island, Herman Toothrot was changed from being Elaine's grandfather to just being some weird old guy (even though the idea of Herman being Elaine's grandfather makes a lot more sense because in Escape from Monkey Island he said that when he washed up on Monkey Island he found the initials H. T. engraved on his accordion, if you didn't know Elaine's grandfather's name was Horatio Torquemada Marley), Elaine also acts a lot more nicer to Guybrush than she does in the other games and also... THE ENDING SUCKS!!! It's so confusing and just feels super rushed.

I am sorry I liked and took your games too seriously Ron, will not happen again.

What can I say... it's a Monkey Island game! Tall tales, and hilarious puzzles to solve. Graphics are remastered into today's glory. But one can resort to the original graphics and interface with a toggle of the keyboard. If you like puzzle and a great story, then I recommend this game highly.

Monkey Island is a great series. Funny, quirky, interesting puzzles, good storylines. This game feels like the developers gave up on it before they finished it. The ending sort of ruins the rest of the game. It's not as meta as they think it is--it's just disappointing.

There's a lot to like about this game, a lot that is done well and made for an enjoyable adventure. Avoiding spoilders, there's a few parts I felt were a misstep, one of which was genuinely upsetting early on in the game. What kills this game for me is the ending. It's in line with Monkey Island 2, but doesn't have the luxury of being unexpected or the extra layers that make it seem more sinister. This just leans on unreliable narrator for its ending and feels more like a copout. They even give you a quiet moment to reflect, which just makes me certain that this game has to sit as my least favorite of the series.

Let’s start with the positives. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the new graphic style, but personally, I like it. Especially when you compare it to the rather rough 3D experience in Escape from Monkey Island. I still think the cartoonish visuals of The Curse of Monkey Island are the best in the series, but this new style is definitely not bad at all. So that’s the first big plus. Now, let’s talk about the gameplay. I can confidently say this is the most comfortable point-and-click game I’ve ever played. Everything feels incredibly smooth and responsive—I never had to wait around. The character moves quickly across the screen, so you’re not stuck watching long animations and can focus on solving puzzles. The inventory system is also very well designed. Items have a small red crossed-circle icon that disappears when you hover over the correct spot. This means you don’t have to manually try every item and listen to the same repeated lines over and over. Instead, you can quickly scroll through your inventory, and if nothing changes, you know it’s not the right place. It’s a small feature, but very convenient. Another new addition is the trivia card system, and I absolutely love it. Throughout the game, you’ll find random cards with questions about the series (there are about 100 in total). They’re completely optional, but they add a fun extra layer while you’re running around trying to solve puzzles. Great idea. The puzzles themselves are fair. I don’t recall any that felt ridiculous or overly difficult. The game also includes a built-in hint book, which is very helpful—you don’t need to look up a walkthrough online. I played on hard difficulty and only used hints four times, three of which were near the end because I really wanted to see how the story would conclude… …and that brings me to the downside: the ending. I really didn’t get it. It feels like the developers weren’t sure how to wrap up the story, so they went for a mysterious, meta, “interpret it however you want” kind of conclusion—something very David Lynch–style. Some people might appreciate that approach, but I’m not a big fan of it. Honestly, a more classic, even cliché “sailing into the sunset” ending would have worked much better here. It’s probably just my personal preference, but that sense of confusion at the end did affect my overall impression of the game. That said, it’s still a very good experience overall, and I hope we’ll see another entry in the series someday.

Just replayed Curse of Monkey Island a few months ago so that game, and this franchise, was fresh in my memory for my playthrough of this game. Coming from CMI, I loved all the quality-of-life improvements here - from an in-game hint book (that ensures you'll never need to alt+tab out to visit a walkthrough), to fast traversal through maps, to no pixel hunting, to relatively logical puzzles - this is a great update of the classic point-and-click style. The game engine works great and I'd be happy to play more games in this style. I have a lot of love for the Monkey Island franchise and I was eager to see what Ron Gilbert would do here. He did a good job... but not a *great* job. It's hard to articulate why the game wasn't a home run, it does everything fine, but the story, the jokes, the environments, they didn't feel as imaginative and charming as in previous games. Re-playing CMI decades after I first played it I was reminded how creative and special it is, and that "something special" isn't present here. If you're a fan of the franchise, or adventure games in general, you'll have a fun time here, but a couple hours in you'll be eager to just get it over with and end. Lastly, regarding the art style, my first impression wasn't great, as with everyone else, it seems. But I'm pleased to report it looks and feels much better when you see it in action. I went from finding it unsightly to thinking it was a strong choice once I'd got into the game. I think people aren't being open-minded enough and are being too cruel to this artistic choice. This works just fine - give it a chance. It's a distinctive and fun way of viewing this world and I welcome the attempt at trying something fresh. As for the ending of the game, it's nothing TOO crazy, and it's very in-line with the way Gilbert ended Monkey Island 2. I appreciate the nostalgic / reflective tone he takes here, and if anything, I wish he'd pushed it harder. If he really wanted to say something about what it's like to grow old with a character/world, then have at it - let's really see your heart in this thing, let's see your blood, Ron. As it stands we get a sweet, melancholic conclusion without a strong exploration of the feelings he was trying to comment on. If you like this franchise and want to return to this world, play this game - you'll have a fun time!