Return to Monkey Island

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.

It's Monkey Island! What more do you need to know? Has the vibe of Monkey Island II which is great. Like that game, you have two play modes, so go for the harder option for the full experience. I'm not saying any more. If you liked Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle back in the 90s, and you're a nostalgic adult, just buy it already. Good luck, have fun, don't die. Obviously the latter is impossible in these games :-)