$35.95 | PC, Mac, Switch | returntomonkeyisland.com
The infamously bewildering ending to 1991’s Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge left players longing for resolution that subsequent Monkey Island games never delivered. Three decades later, and after effectively saying it would likely never happen, key members of the original Monkey Island team – including series creator Ron Gilbert – have finally made the game that picks up after the closing moments of LeChuck’s Revenge.
The mischievous opening confidently asserts that this is the authentic Monkey Island experience we’ve come for: sharp, self-aware, and brilliantly silly. It’ll bombard you with gags, but the characters you meet are more than comedic props, and the cunning stream of interwoven puzzles has been modernised to keep the pace up without losing the satisfaction of problem solving. It’s a massive success.
The opening prologue whips you through an homage to classic moments before thrusting the shambling Threepwood back into his past. Older, tireder, and more challenged by holding his breath, Guybrush has grown in tandem with us, as have’s classic characters and locales. Everything is different but familiar in, from its characters and narrative to its revised systems for interaction and puzzle solving. It can temporarily transport you to the ’90s, but it isn’t stuck there. The story is consistently engrossing and energetic, but spoiling too many details would
