Microsoft has revealed that one of the year’s most surprising releases,Return to Monkey Island, will be arriving on Xbox Game Pass for PC, cloud, and Xbox consoles next week. Marking the return of theMonkey Islandseries after a 13-year hiatus and following up the dramatic conclusion ofMonkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge,Return to Monkey Islandis arguably one of 2022’s best games so far, even scoring itself some hefty review scores.
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What Is Return to Monkey Island?
Return to Monkey Islandis the latest entry in theMonkey Islandseries of point-and-click adventure games that debuted in 1990 with the release ofThe Secret of Monkey Islandfor PC. The original game was developed by LucasArts (then LucasFilm Games) and created by Ron Gilbert, with Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer co-writing the game alongside Gilbert. The game was a major hit and is regarded today as one ofthe most influential games of all timethanks to its blend of clever puzzle design with sharp, witty writing. While this trio returned to write the sequel, Ron Gilbert departed LucasArts afterMonkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge’s ending, but not before ending the game on a major cliffhanger.
While theMonkey Islandseries continued all the way until 2009 - with the last entry,Tales of Monkey Island, developed by Telltale Games - Disney’s purchase of LucasFilm in 2012 and subsequent closure of LucasArts killed any hopes of a true follow-up toMonkey Island 2from Ron Gilbert and crew. That is, until April Fool’s Day this year, when Ron Gilbert announced that he and Dave Grossmanwould be returning to develop a newMonkey Islandgame at Terrible Toybox, the studio behindThimbleweed Park, with help from Devolver Digital and the recently re-established LucasFilm Games.
Return to Monkey Islandpicks right up from the final moments ofMonkey Island 2, immediately elaborating on the game’s bizarre ending and providing new context on the events of the rest of the entire series. What follows is a wonderful final outing for mighty pirate Guybrush Threepwood that acts as a beautiful love letter to the series for fans, while also providing a fun onboarding point for newcomers by featuring plenty of lovable new and returning characters alongside a terrific art style.
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Why Game Pass Subscribers Should Check Out Return to Monkey Island
While there are already plenty of point-and-click adventure games available on Xbox Game Pass, witha new narrative adventure from Obsidian arriving in the form ofPentimentlater this month and even some other classic LucasArts games likeGrim Fandango Remasteredbeing available,Return to Monkey Islandrepresents the best of the modern incarnation of the genre. While the originalMonkey Islandgames relied on using galaxy brain logic to solve their puzzles, which often required traveling between various areas and randomly using whatever items players could stuff into their inventory on every pixel of a background,Return to Monkey Islandfeatures a far more straightforward approach to puzzle solving that still packs all the same energy of the original games' “eureka” moments.
Each of the player’s objectives are clearly laid out in Guybrush’s notebook, similar to an RPG or even games likeShenmue. The player’s main goal is to figure out how to solve them with the tools at their disposal. This either means using the right dialogue in conversations, using inventory items in certain situations, or adventuring across one of the game’s many islands. If it ever becomes too much, players can even useReturn to Monkey Island’s very generous hint bookthat rarely ever outright spoils a problem’s solution unless they keep digging for it.Return to Monkey Islandnever wants players to look away from the game for a guide or even for tips, as everything they need can be found within the game itself and there is no shame in asking for help.
This is a genius approach to modern point-and-click design that setsReturn to Monkey Islandapart from other, more traditional adventure game throwbacks being released today,likeThimbleweed ParkorBroken Age, instead establishing it as a genuine attempt to move the genre forward while respecting the patience and intelligence of its audience today. This makes the game an easy recommendation for fans both new and old, especially since it is packed to the brim with charm and a distinct sense of humor that is irreplaceable.
Return to Monkey Islandis available now on PC and Nintendo Switch. The game will release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 8th.
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