Until recently, we thought point-and-click adventure games from LucasArts were definitely a thing of the past. Not because we couldn’t play them anymore. Several remasters and special editions signed by either Lucasfilm’s defunct gaming division or Double Fine are still readily available today, and we have the popular ScummVM emulator for the rest of the classic games. But for a long time there was an idea that such feats are no longer interesting for today’s playersand so we began to slowly get used to the fact that traditional brands, led by the pirate monkey island, would not return.
But then a famous designer appeared Ron Gilbertthe father of the Monkey Island series, who brought us an enjoyable retro adventure game with his Terrible Toybox studio. Thimbleweed Park. Once Gilbert met with Dave Grossman, another prominent LucasArts veteran, and through this meeting and the right pulling of the strings between Lucasfilm and publisher Devolver Digital, the unthinkable became possible. Monkey Island is indeed back. After all, more than 30 years have passed since the release of the first part of the series.. So, is Return to Monkey Island a shiny pirate ship that boldly and fearlessly plows the seas with a fresh breeze, or rather a maggot-infested skeleton that must be buried so deep that even the biggest pirate bastard will never dig it up?
Luckily, the answer is not a difficult puzzle, and we can get to it, for example, through history. The latter again focuses on the traditional hero Guybrush Threepwood, while picks up where Monkey Island 2 left off in 1991.. We’d rather use words to criticize bad games than spread spoilers, but the very introduction to Guybrush’s new story is simply mesmerizing. He masterfully uses the end of the second part, which was not well liked by many fans, not only for a fun tutorial, but also for a surprising plot twist. Moreover, it perfectly solves the problemhow to create a direct continuation of the first and second parts, which at the same time borrows something from the later parts of the series in some places. And in a similar vein, Return to Monkey Island and its plot is brought to the very end, where the hero is waiting for nothing less than the mystery of Monkey Island, which has been waiting for decades.
It doesn’t make any sense to decide where the game is in the series’ imaginary timeline. The main thing we have here another fun and funny story that shines with new and old characters and absolutely everything works perfectly. Especially the humor, just as sweet, slightly parodic and timeless as ever. Maybe we are Monkey Island Mystery they may have been on the market as early as 1990, but as a comedy it works flawlessly even in 2022. And we dare say that “Return to Monkey Island” will be as funny in 30 years as it is today. The fact that the game does not rely on crutches of references to pop culture on every corner helps a good impression. To clarify the situation, you won’t miss the traditional references to Star Wars, LOOM and other LucasArts adventures.not only is the writing of the authors very visible in this direction, but it is definitely not a narrative that relies so much on current affairs that it will soon turn out to be more musty than a bottle of grog opened for years.
However, humor here takes many forms. We said we wouldn’t waste spoilers here, but the thought of that crying squirrel will probably leave us sad for a long time. And while we laughed at her. We actually laughed or at least smiled a lot during the game.. As veterans and longtime fans, we were in our element in any scene, but we believe that even newcomers should not be afraid of Guybrush’s new adventure. Knowledge of events from other Monkey Islands is not requiredand if you want to get a little bit into the plot of the series, you can open an excellent picture book in the main menu, in which Guybrush himself summarizes the most important points, or use explanatory digressions in almost universal conversations.
In addition, the interviews are not only superbly written, but superbly acted. Dominic Armato is as good as Guybrush Threepwood., and even if fans have to get used to new dubs of some familiar characters, everyone does a decent job. The musical accompaniment is a real treat. Trio Michael Land, Peter McConnell as well as Clint Bajakianwho was already working on Monkey Island 2 took care of great soundtrack filled with familiar tunes and brand new pieces that also sometimes change on the fly depending on where you are at the moment. But music has a big influence on creating the right atmosphere for the series, and excellent visuals also take care of it.
Source :Indian TV
