I recommend: Return to Monkey Island (Review)

[@azura_2437]

Great review, the end really got me, I first played monkey island with my dad on the Amiga back in the 90's, he died a while back but this franchise has always been dear to me for those memories, If and when I have kids, this game will be the first I will play with them. Thank you for your reviews.

[@DirkMcThermot]

I love what this game does with its hint system, based on how you showed and described it. I truly think many more puzzle-oriented games would benefit hugely from having similar systems. Another game series that does this brilliantly is "The Room," where there are hints for every stage of every puzzle that can be optionally revealed to you if you're stuck, and they get more specific and obvious the more you choose to reveal. It's so infuriating when I try to look up a hint to a puzzle, only to be inundated with "HOW TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE" articles instead of actual nudges in the right direction, which is really what I want.

[@azoreaneve4777]

Oh yes I relate so much with that last sentence! I love those old flash "escape the room" games and so many times I'm stuck and can only find those super detailed walkthrough posts when all I really needed was "btw you CAN and SHOULD look at the ceiling but only when facing that way".

[@litjellyfish]

This is a standard hint system that have been around for like 10-15y and used in many other games. Have you never seen it before?

[@Deliveredmean42]

​@@litjellyfish thanks for reminding us that 10 or 15 years ago it's no longer the 90s or early 2000s... Granted not all modern games have them but the majority are getting there when they have the budget or even care to include it.

[@DirkMcThermot]

@@litjellyfish No, as a matter of fact I had never seen it until I played The Room for the first time. Keep in mind I'm probably not as old as some of you here. I've played many puzzle games, as old as Myst and Wishbringer and as new as recent years, and I rarely see this type of hint system. If there are specific examples you can provide to me, that would be most welcome.

[@litjellyfish]

@@DirkMcThermot ohh Wishbringer… I still have my original with the plastic stones. Hmm I think broken sword has it. And monkey island 1 and 2 special edition. Broken age also but not sure b

[@AtrociousNightmare]

What an absolute delight of a review. Thank you, as usual.

[@phyrr2]

As an absolutely INSANE fan of Monkey Island (to the point of dressing up as Guybrush for many years) I think this iteration is more than worthy. The art style is unique enough as its own, it's cute, not too long and they got as many voice actors from prior installations as possible. As a person who is audio-first, I'm devastated that Earl Boen didn't come back. To be fair, they had to get him retroactively just to do Tales of Monkey Island (after they already had someone else). So I am certain if they could've gotten Boen, they would have. But the man had been trying to retire for many years. Doesn't mean we don't all absolutely miss him as LeChuck though. He simply IS LeChuck :) And with that, those are big shoes to fill, so having patience and understanding is key. And I actually like this iteration. As to where the guy who did Tales initially was absolutely horrible. Although it may have been the studio's fault in not directing him properly because they allowed that ridiculous "HARR HARRR HARRRRR". Don't alway blame the voice actor for the person supervising the takes! Thankfully for Tales they got Boen back to do it. By the way, the implementation of the clue book is perfect! This is how a lot of clue books were done back in the 80's & 90's with having 3 sections. Light suggestive hints, an intermediate "you're getting warmer" section,, and a blatant "here is the answer you lazy bum!" section. And yes, it was great they brought back Murray. Ron went out of his way to make a game that we could love and a smart person would include characters that we all adore. No reason to remove something great "just because". Because tradition by itself, doesn't add to a game.

[@Frosenborg]

The art style isn't really all that inviting to me but I'll pick this up one day. The third game, The Curse of the Monkey Island had the most beautiful art style, I still have that game, big old cardboard box, Grim Fandango as well :)

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

Oddly, this review to me exudes a nostalgic, childlike coziness much like my memories of the days gone by that the original Monkey Island games and future games like them existed in. Just good vibes, without much of a care in the world.

[@Admjoh]

The curse of monkey island was for me the ultimate entry into gaming on a deeper level. It was so enjoyable, challenging, rewarding and funny. Gave me huge respect for the creators and left me forever searching for a similar trip but it was a tricky and long road. Either way, money island is forever in my heart so i will definitely pick this up, hoping they will keep working on new projects.

[@JBrandonMercer123]

Never heard of money island nor the curse of it. I would like to play Return to Monkey Island though.

[@AznagPT]

@@JBrandonMercer123 Curse is the best one and it doesn't feel like a 1997 game because it's like a cartoon.

[@sdeb82]

I loved Curse of the Monkey Island - the voice acting, the artwork, the characters just sucked you into it’s intricate world like only a handful of games have done back in those days - Such a beautiful game - and I can’t wait to play this one!

[@MarmaladeMaki]

Absolutly. Remember how amazed me and my brothers were when it booted up on our 150 mhz pentium and it looked so buttery smooth and was just so good.

[@AutisticRaider]

my favourite game of the series! "A pirate I was meant to be. Trim the sale and roam the sea!"

[@sdeb82]

@@AutisticRaider "uh uh door-hinge?" :D :D a 25 yr old game that's still quotable - imagine that!

[@journeyman1218]

@@MarmaladeMaki 150? You snob some of us had to play on a 486 😂

[@coffeedudeguy]

@@AutisticRaider “I am rubber, you are glue”

[@tylerwood8710]

"Do you get 'Myst' without-- nevermind." 'Myst' was so groundbreaking when it came out and paved the way for all of these types of adventure games. I got it new, got frustrated, and noped away after some time. Same with 'Qin', which was vastly underrated. Looks like 'Return to Monkey Island' is a great balance, and I think that's the major accomplishment of the modern adventure game. Can it be infinitely frustrating to force people to "Nope"? Of course it can. It CAN, but it's unnecessary. I love this. Thanks, SkillUp. Excellent review.

[@tehpickle1250]

Oh how I adored Curse as a younger lad. I would beg for a remaster or a remake, but I still remember that game so vividly I’d complete it within an hour. I’ll be sure to play this too. I don’t like the art style (Elaine looks like a Picasso and I’m not into that at all) but that’s by no means a deal breaker.

[@brootalbap]

It's nice to hear a review from someone who enjoys gaming. Monkey Island really is a part of Childhood for so many of us. I feel similarily about the art style, but while I simply couldn't stomach the 3d titles, the new artstyle is something I can get used to, be ok with and perhaps enjoy. That people have been complaining so much about the art style after the 3d titles is ridiculous.

[@azizsidky9456]

The modern more simple artwork allows them to save money, which was probably essential to getting the game made. If you made game with animation like the Curse of Monkey Island that would require way more drawing work, and thus a much higher budget and production time. Anyways, it looks good! It was probably a good compromise.

[@harrylane4]

I definitely prefer the artstyle of the older games, but this series has never been about the art, it’s all about the writing. I’m not a die-hard fan of the franchise, but I’ll certainly give this a look sometime soon.

[@KevinGeneFeldman]

It IS about the art also. Its a huge component.

[@BehindTheAddiction]

I absolutely have not been a fan of the artwork prior to release, but having played it now for over an hour. It actually works pretty well.

[@kebbinator]

@@KevinGeneFeldman Completely agree, the beautiful artwork was a huge proponent of those games. The new game doesn’t look bad, it’s just that the old games looked _so_ good that it really feels like a noticeable downgrade and has lost a lot of the old games’ charm.

[@battlep0t]

@@KevinGeneFeldman Meh... games like Wind Waker, Rayman Origins and Civilisation VI got criticised for their art style initially and yet still went on to be well regarded because the core experience was still solid.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Honestly, this is far and away second to me after Curse of Monkey Island art-wise. Curse is still one of the most beautiful games of its time, but personally? I prefer this to 1 and 2, special edition or not.

[@seanporcelli3965]

I do really love curse of monkeys art style the best but I can get used to this. Just glad to have another one at all ya know?

[@lowerclassbrats77]

I watch and listen to your reviews because I can tell you actually enjoy playing games.

[@arturbogdan353]

Wholesome writing, good as ever. Hope we get you for years to come.

[@johancarlsson7568]

I want to play this, but I gotta say, if they would have used an updated version of the art style from Curse of Monkey Island, I would like to play it even more... I completely fell in love with that game and how it looked.

[@djbneozen]

I think the majority of us agree with this. A new updated curse art style would have been the best. This is fine as well.... Just not as good.

[@GeekMasterGames]

Without Monkey Island, conversation trees may never have caught on in video games.

[@ValkyrissaGaming]

I'm not a fan of the art style, yet I'm happy to finally see another Monkey Island game. I remember how I first played The Curse of Monkey Island at the turn of the millennium... oof, it's been a while.

[@P.vieRa_YT]

A new skill up video, was and is a wonderful surprise

[@entysing6780]

"I think it would be best enjoyed with a kid by your side, letting them experience the pirate's life the way we did in our youth." This brought a tear to my eye. Well said Shillup.

[@samlipton7872]

This was a really, really pleasant review. I appreciate your sentiments about this game

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

That in-game hint guide reminds me of the ones they wrote for the old Infocom text adventures (and eventually also implemented into the games starting from Zork Zero)- rather than just scanning through the walkthrough until you find where you're up to and get told what to do next, you find the bit where you get to ask a question about your current situation which gets slowly answered step by step with increasingly-accurate hints. Those old hint books also made for hilarious reading, in large part because of made-up fake hints added to the book to keep you from accidentally spoilering yourself while looking through for the right section, but also because they were very quirkily-written and amusing to just read. In fact, I think I'll dig up that old hint book and read it now.

[@ericshepard2878]

One of my best memories from childhood is monkey island. I still remember the actual paper hint book that you needed the red film to put over the words to read it making it a puzzle to discover in and of itself. I can't wait for this on the psn store. Great review as always. Thank you

[@hoshi314]

Oooh the topic of "intended audience" is certainly an interesting topic to approach as a discussion here

[@TrillNye69]

God I am so damn excited for this!!!!!!!!

[@casualonemmo-player2167]

I played the first games when they came out. Those two where among the best and funniest games ive played. I also remember i played a more 3d game named "cruise with a corpse", like a Agatha Chrisie story. Wish they modernized that one aswell :)

[@steveo1131]

That's my only gripe with the game; its art style. I really wished it matched the art style of the MI & MI2 remasters from 2009. I have no doubt that it'll grow on me overtime. Other than that, the game looks great!

[@litjellyfish]

Belive me when you play it in action on a big screen you will see how much better and less stiff it is. It looks and moves amazing

[@catnip202xch.]

@@litjellyfish the art style looks so AMAZING

[@litjellyfish]

@@catnip202xch. yes I love it. It might just be that it’s a bit to artistic for some I guess. Like some of my friends hate it and thinks it looks cheap. While all I know that works as professional artists of course love it

[@RichardBatchelorComposer]

The artwork has really grown on me, I was indifferent beforehand, now I think it looks great Really glad this turned out well :)

[@KayWhyEllie1]

Thanks Ralph I'm definitely gonna play this with my 7 year old boi I think we'll have an awesome time and it'll be something he'll always remember fondly because he hasn't played anything like it

[@octochan]

One of the quality of life features I loved about this game is that hovering an inventory item over anything that it can't be used shows a STOP icon, cutting out all the times Guybrush would have said "That won't work." You can still try to use everything on everything else, and some combos will still result in unique dialogue or a joke, but it saves so much time now.

[@shakybeevessouls]

Whilst I had my doubts regarding the art style upon seeing screenshots for the first time..in motion its beautiful and still captures that wonderful atmosphere of this world 👍

[@stebansb]

The first Monkey Island game, was the only game I ever played that completely transported me into the game. I felt like I was truly walking in that island. Wish I could go back and get lost at the forest and find that missing floppies.

[@Astrothunder_]

you were also probably 6 years old so that helps

[@juiceman7649]

I haven't even made it to monkey island and it's already one of my top 10 favourite games of all time it's not even for nostalgia it's just perfectly simple in all the right ways

[@michaelcoffey1991]

Glad the game was done well. Look forward to when it comes to Sony and Xbox

[@themightyant.]

I had completely forgotten about those premium-rate gaming tips hotlines. Pre-internet, pre-gamefaqs, pre-youtube. Broken Sword mobile remake had a similar hint system, would give you a few clues without spoiling the full answer.

[@julespleeswoah859]

I appreciate this shill up. I await the space quest reboot. And your ensuing review

[@matthayward1426]

Super excited to play this, great review as always Shill Up.

[@deat3456w]

You really hit it right at the end there. When I have kids I want them to experience deep, meaningful, and funny games with me. The walking dead telltale series really changed me when I was young and I hope to be a Lee one day.

[@mireille2106]

This game is pure nostalgia for me. I played it when i was young and played it again a few months past (some of the series not all) and the dialogues and insult battles always crack a smile. I appreciate this new episode being in 2d art as 3d has aged badly. Thank you for giving this series some love

[@markyturner]

The art looks fantastic to me. I do not understand why people would reject it… it’s fun, wacky and atmospheric. Perfect.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Because it looks childish more than "wacky". Like those flash animation games which use basic shapes and as few curved lines as possible to do something as cheaply as possible.

[@NeoShameMan]

I'm glad someone recognized walking simulator for what they are, new adventures games, except without having to duck tape the pet hatch to get some of the cat fur to make a fake mustache to infiltrate some place by fooling the bodyguard...

[@anthonytitone]

I really appreciate the intent of a reboot trying to close a story instead of trying to copy all the elements that made the original work & make a whole new series off of it, I also really like the art style more than most people

[@litjellyfish]

Well it’s not a reboot but a continuation really :)

[@BrumaEnsis]

I remember my aunt having to call the advice line because we got stuck not knowing to use a glove to initiate a duel. A treasured memory.

[@HalfLifeHalfDead]

What a lovely little review, man! Back in the day, when I first stumbled upon your content, I semi bounced off. Your passion for gaming was clear, your head was obviously in the right place, but your writing was at time too verbose and frankly self-indulgent at times. Needless to say, you have come such a long way and quickly became my favourite gaming KZbinr. Thank you for the wonderful review that made me think back to those childhood memories of playing the first two games, wandering around the island in confused stupor. I will be sure to pick this up. I always look forward to your reviews and this was no different!

[@Road_to_Dawn]

This wasn’t on my radar at all, but I think it’d be fun to pick this up. I never played the old Monkey Island games at all. However, I did spend a formative chunk of my childhood on adventure games like Spy Fox and Freddi Fish, quotes from both of which I still hear in my head to this day. This could be a fun return to those days for me.

[@bombattzorzz]

I think I'm the same age as you, Skillup. I also have crazy nostalgia for the monkey island games. Can't wait to play through this

[@Quint1975]

Nice review, I'll pick this up on my switch and play it with my daughter, hopefully she'll enjoy it as much I enjoyed the originals back in the day when this game had 16 floppy discs with constant swapping.

[@norak8080]

I'm hugely nostalgic for Curse of the Monkey Island and yet I really like the new art style. doing something entirely different was the only way to go to make it feel distinctive and not like a reboot. recreating the pixel art of the first title would be the most obvious choice, but it would've felt like cheap fan service imo. people who harassed Ron Gilbert over the art style forget that he and his team are still very creative and innovative people who likely don't find satisfaction in making the safest choices

[@Armataan]

Awesome. I'm sold. Thanks for the review.

[@iyaramonk]

Can't wait, will grab it when the weekend comes :)

[@11679MRT]

I'm in the middle of this game and it's so, so good. I played these games from the beginning and this one feels like returning home.

[@marchedbus9882]

I wasn't planning on getting it, but you convinced me.

[@biikuajet]

Monkey island and simon the sorcerer are fantastic games. I highly recommend the discworld games if you've never tried them. The discworld books are AMAZING as well, all of them.

[@BugbugAdventures]

Curse of monkey island brings back great childhood memories

[@Msalehcit]

The Curse of Monkey Island was my favorite game in the series. A sequel that strives to erase its existence is a tough pill to swallow, especially as a fan of the series.

[@oxenford539]

personally i love the art style.

[@sanguinius6815]

I personally love the og pixel art style which is to me evergreen, but I can look upon this and see talent and genuine and sincere love get over the personal preferences and enjoy the game for what is is

[@naifalqhtani5285]

Man i would love to play a game like this on PS, tired of triple A games (they’re usually great) but i want simpler games like this one I played what remains of edith finch and its one of my favorite games ever but its more of a story so if there’s something creative but leaning to adventure that would be fantastic!

[@limabarreto911]

If you can, check if the special editions of 1 and 2 are on PlayStation, they are a great time!

[@T0mek87]

I have to say, I first thought that the artystyle looks like early flash games, but by actually playing the game i have to say, I love it. ITs much mor than flash animations, sometimes it has moving layers ect, so it gives some depth as well. And you can see that going with a new artystyle gave the artists some breathing space, instead of going for the look from the previous games. I mean if you like Curse of Monkey Island artstyle - just play this one :)

[@soaringspoon]

"Thats ok unlike us they will have someone sitting next to them" jeeese skill up don't make me choke up.

[@the_sigil4340]

I have fond memories of the first two games of the series so I'll definitely play this one

[@Overonator]

The reason detail has been removed and minimalist design exists is because of one simple reason: Less detail means it costs less to produce. That's it. Return to Monkey island is less detailed because it's faster and less costly to do so. That's the sad truth.

[@stevie_caldwell]

So happy to see this. The first two games were incredible. The third was pretty cool too.

[@ameliamohsin8430]

Took us for years for the sequel to be released!

[@Jescribano1]

What a nice and beautiful conclusion. Very mature.

[@The_RedVIII]

I would kill to get a remaster of Curse of Monkey Island.

[@morhook]

I liked this analysis. I played many hours with my daughter! Thanks a lot for this awesome game everyone involved!

[@music4my4]

I knew of them but somehow never played a monkey island game... i know, horrible childhood... but this looks like a great opportunity for me to finally see what all the fuss was about

[@eivindandvig1229]

I really enjoyed the art style. Very reminiscent of the 1950's Cartoon modern style.

[@chalk-one]

Definitely looking forward to this. At some point I'd love to see the MI and MI2 remasters freed from the ps3 shackles and released on new consoles too.

[@XxBlackCellxX]

I don't agree with people bullying the developers for the change of art style, but I do agree that the developers chose the wrong art style.

[@Dazza768]

I’ve never played this game series before it looks really good hopefully it will be on ps5 next year.

[@DajuOnYoutube]

I definitely like that hint system and I think more games should have it if there's anything that might require a Google search. Because sometimes for whatever reason things just don't click with your individual brain even if it objectively may not be very hard at all but instead of either hopelessly not getting it or served the right solution on the internet a nudge might be all it takes to finally make the connection to begin figuring it out yourself or if it's simply just hard you can get a more telling hint but still not the answer itself. Edit: Also, pretty much the entire adventure game genre were known for atleast a few nonsensical solutions not just monkey island specifically. But the reason were mostly because games used to have 1-5 developers and some puzzles evidently made sense to pretty much just the one who made it, without testing it on others first. Additionally games were typically very short if you could make it in one go so they were intentionally designed to last longer by for example starting over after game overs and artificial difficulty. So with how games are made these days I wouldn't expect that same issue, I'm pretty sure no puzzles make it to final release before more than one person have ever looked at them to notice flaws with too farfetched logic.

[@zikarisg9025]

Great review, will play with my daughter, but there better be a 3 headed monkey in there...

[@RoyaleCheezy]

This is exactly the kind of review I was expecting and that's awesome. Thanks for avoiding all spoilers-- great take on sharing the game with kids!

[@loganknoll]

Your writing is really excellent man, that ending got me unexpectedly emotional, thank you for all your reviews

[@misterel5548]

Time for Grim Fandango 2

[@Sudearch]

Very nice review overall, Skill Up, but I do feel a little disappointed that You failed to mention how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood and I think people should be aware of this before playing the game.

[@toyboxlemonza3293]

Can not wait to sit down and chew through this!

[@nucnik]

I did not know this existed. Need to get it now!

[@zedekai9456]

The original is one of the greatest games ever made, the transferring acid from mug-to-mug puzzle excluded (still makes me mad just thinking about it 😤), so I'm so happy they've done it justice.

[@Pippa180]

I loved this game! I just wish it was a bit longer!

[@bobjones23100]

Fantastic review as always. Love the games no matter the art style!

[@joshmclovin]

I'm excited to try this once it comes to PS5, I enjoyed the originals. People criticizing the art direction change is very reminiscent of Psychonauts 2 pre release, but i adored that game and it's "next gen" interpretation of it's original art. I think a unique and charming artstyle trumps graphics anyday.

[@amatmulisha2978]

Preload on my switch. Can’t wait for tomorrow. I never have a chance to played the original one.

[@michaelmonstar4276]

12:31 - Okay... Well, there's a playground in my street, I could get one there... 🤷🏻‍♂

[@nedim_guitar]

Great review! I'm about to play it now! 😁

[@cameoappearanc3]

I’m so happy this game got made.

[@quinncamargo]

I think this is one of your best reviews. A review not for the typical gamer but for the next generation of gamers. The ending really got me. Thank you for that!

[@poppin2249]

I wish they would remake the Simon the sorcerer series. I loved those games too.

[@quiet451]

Really great review. Thank you.

[@dpossberg]

Nice…good old times

[@s-clone8964]

Discworld will forever be the hardest point and click adventure game of all time for me. Eric Idle *is* Rincewind XD

[@AnnaCurser]

what a nice ending. bravo

[@OF24com]

Completely agree with your review... big fan of first 3, the gfx of Curse are my favorite, I don't mind the design of this new one (it's quite cool, except the faces)... but, a game isn't just made of graphics, far from it. The hint book is really nice :)

[@ShiningEyeBrigade]

“The writing is clever without ever sniffing its own farts.”

[@charlieribbit8253]

Nooo way I'm so glad there's a new game!!!

[@ReySombra]

There have always been 2 difficulty modes, at least in the classics

[@Yukinari2007]

Ron Gilbert tweeted this artists exact interpretation of Guybrush in 2009 even before it was known as the "corporate" or "minimalist" artstyle. Its sad cause we've come a long way since 2009 and have tons of gorgeous indie games like Streets of Rage 4 now. Maybe it would have been innovative back then but right now it looks cheap and ugly.