Tales of Monkey Island Review

The point and click adventure games were all the rave for pc gamers back in the 90s, but with fancy 3D graphics cards came new, exciting pc games. Lucky for us, Telltale games has kept the adventure genre from fading into obscurity with its episodic games. LucasArts Monkey Island franchise is fondly remembered and treasured by its fans despite the franchise not having a new release since Escape from Monkey Island in 2000. That is until now.

Resurrecting a franchise is tricky business and can bring with it equal parts delight and regret. While Monkey Island has changed over the 10 years since the last game, it is with great pleasure that I assure fans that its wit, humor, and core gameplay remain intact. Tales of Monkey Island is a triumphant and hilarious re-launch of the classic LucasArts series and it all starts with the “Launch of the Screaming Narwhal,” but more on that later.

Like the previous games, the protagonist of the game is Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate. Guybrush can be controlled with the mouse through a frustrating click and drag system or with the keyboard. The movement system with the mouse is one of the most obvious blemishes on an otherwise highly polished and enjoyable interface. Trust me when I say stick with the keyboard.

Tales of Monkey Island (TOMI) doesn’t have an interesting game mechanic; it’s a point-and-click adventure game, pure and simple. What matters most in an adventure game are the characters and stories and to a lesser extent the puzzles. Each episode of TOMI (so far) has delivered memorable and enjoyable characters, hilarious moments, and some stand out puzzle sequences (see Episode Mini-Reviews). The most shining triumph of TOMI is still the fantastic writing. Jokes, puns, witty snipes, and all around tomfoolery pour out of every scene and interaction of the game. This superb writing and humor is what makes Monkey Island so enjoyable; Tales of Monkey Island keeps you playing and laughing. I can’t think of a game, indie or not, that surpasses the dialogue in this series. Telltale games’ writers deserve a round of applause.

These humorous moments wouldn’t be possible without some hilarious situations and amazing voice acting. Surprisingly the writers do a good job tying all these situations into a compelling overall narrative. The story and situations of Monkey Island far exceed expectations and SitCom standards. It’s consistently funny and well voiced, which is more than I can say for most television shows.

While it’s important for an adventure game to have a good story, it needs puzzles to give the player something to do besides simply watch the onscreen antics. The inventory system adds some depth to puzzle solving since it allows for items to be combined, but for the most part the puzzles are not exceedingly hard or frustrating to solve. As long as you visit each locale and pay attention to the dialogue, you shouldn’t get stuck (plus the Telltale forums always have help). Like other adventure games, you can’t die and spend the majority of the game clicking on things in the environment. If you hate point-and-click adventures, TOMI won’t sway you.

Tales of Monkey Island is great sequel to the LucasArts classic. The adventure gameplay hasn’t changed much, but neither has the excellent writing and storytelling. The production values are still superb and while the graphics don’t have the highest polygon count, clever camera angles and quirky art direction make up for it. The characters are charming and the game is witty.

Episode 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is one of the best episodes thus far. This episode introduces the main conflict: Guybrush botches a voodoo spell and releases pirate pox across the Caribbean, but focuses on Guybrush washing ashore and being stranded on Flotsam Island. There’s a memorable puzzle in a crazy French man’s lab and a rather large island to explore. I was especially a fan of Flotsam’s jungle which brings back some of the old screen mazes found in old adventure games such as Zelda. Screaming Narwal serves as a great introduction or refresher back into the world of Monkey Island.

Episode 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay seems to be one of the shortest episodes thus far, but I loved that from the very start the player was allowed to explore several locales in any order they so choose. Episode 2 reunites Guybrush with his beloved bride, Elaine in the Merfolk town of Spinner Cay. Pox-stricken pirates are blockading the city and it’s up to Guybrush to find some ancient artifacts to summon some helpful sea creatues. Despite the freedom to explore the Jerkbait Islands, Episode 2 feels easier than the first. It’s great that Monkey Island avoids reusing locales from the first, but ultimately Episode 2 is a little disappointing.

Episode 3: Lair of the Leviathan does not really address any of the control or interface issues, but continues the overall narrative with new locales and characters. Episode 3 is more polished than the last and story-wise is one of the best vignettes to date. Lair of the Leviathan starts with Guybrush, Winslow, Morgan LeFay, and their ship getting swallowed by a huge Manatee. Like the other episodes, antics ensue inside the belly of the beast. Highlights abound in this episode with a Pirate “Face Off”, Manatee mating game, and a captive ‘newlyweds’ dialog puzzle. My only complaint about Lair is that it is much more linear than the previous two episodes and lacks exploring. Regardless, Episode 3 puts Telltale back on the right track.