"I learned the secret of Monkey Island before you did" is a hard sentence to say for an adventure gaming fan. I can now state it. Return to Monkey Island is a sequel that has been in the works for more than 30 years.
I don't want to ruin any of your pirate fun. I remember how great it was to read about a new game and then play it for the first time. We saved up enough money to get our own boxed copies of older Monkey Island games and then figured out their Dial-a-Pirate copy-protection puzzles by opening them.
Return to Monkey Island is almost everything I wanted it to be. The expectations of hardcore genre fans and those of point-and-click novices are different. The presentation and voice acting make it easy to understand and laugh at. The game's full journey, from bumpy waters to smooth, silly sailing, consistently feels personal, vulnerable, and reflective of its creators.
I would like to start by applauding the refresh of the point-and-click adventure concept. This game has some of the best stuff the genre has seen in a long time.
AdvertisementPlayers return to Monkey Island in the game. The setting and characters are familiar, with wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood insisting that he has unfinished business on the island, and a lot of what he does resembles the series' earliest games: solve puzzles, choose from lighthearted dialogue options, and pick between the jokes.
Similar to other point-and-click classics, RtMI supports the use of a mouse. Threepwood can be moved by clicking the ground. To talk to people, click here. If Threepwood can walk up to them, click to examine them. After you peruse an inventory of things you've found, you can either combine them in clever ways or use them on stuff around you. You can use the key on the door if you walk to it. You are a master of unlocks.
The series' earliest installments didn't skip the interface. You don't have to clarify that you want to look at, use, or talk to something in the game, you now get one or two automatic verbs suggestions. Since most modern adventure games have gone this route, it's unsurprising to see it here.
Quality-of-life changes are the same. If you want to help recognize which objects in a zone can be interacted with, hold thetab key and any interactive items get a faint highlight. Don't touch that button if it sounds bad to you. If you want to have a generally easier time interacting with the game's worlds, swap the mouse and keyboard setup for a standard gamepad, which also includes shortcut buttons to highlight and auto-walk. Don't plug in a controller if you're on a gamePad-only platform like Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
AdvertisementI was pleasantly surprised by the built-in hint system, which is the biggest differentiating factor. Before I explain why I love the hint system, pro players can breathe easy: this optional system includes no witty jokes, no series references, and no other reason to peek if you have the iron stomach for solving this game's puzzles without help.
The computer gaming community of old was one where the mere act of owning a computer made people bonds together. Computer clubs had a common language of unique software and games, meaning you could expect to have peers who were interested in the games. You had a support group when you played the first two Monkey Island games. The hints from these groups were softer than those found in online hint guides.
A character tells you a game-like thing is happening behind a fourth wall after the start of the game. Guybrush Threepwood's to-do list has no information about the next objectives, but it does remind players what their next objectives are. If you get stuck or slowed down, you can use the hint book in your inventory to remind you of your to-do list. The hint book will open with a vague suggestion if you pick any of these. Maybe that rephrasing makes you want to try again.
Are you still stuck? The hint book will ask players a question if you flip the page. Maybe this will get the gears in your brain turning, or maybe it will remind you of a place you've been to before. If that's not enough, flip the hint page again and you'll get a stronger suggestion, such as "Go to this place and look more carefully." One or two more hints can be found from here, which usually tell you what to do.
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