


Return serves up a hearty helping of them here, always including a thread of comedy running through the traditional question of which item you should use on what person or location at every turn.

Happily PuzzledĪn excellent story and memorable characters are just one half of the classic puzzle game equation: the other is a series of puzzles that are both challenging and satisfying to solve, serving as the bedrock of any great point-and-click adventure. Shout-out to Locke Smith, who you’ll visit on several occasions and who is well aware that her very name is a pun. In the process, it revisits familiar locations like Melee Island and of course Monkey Island, and takes us to new ones just as it also brings back familiar faces (like Murray!) and introduces a host of new characters. Our decades of wondering if Gilbert will ever reveal the real Secret of Monkey Island is mirrored in the game, with even Guybrush’s wife Elaine musing about why our hero continues to cling to it. In fact, Return obsesses over the foundational mystery far more than any of its predecessors did, and it’s played up to repeated comedic effect. Its overarching story involves – what else – the search for the Secret of Monkey Island, and that quest revolves around Guybrush’s never-ending rivalry with the zombie-pirate villain LeChuck, and their love-not-really-a-triangle with Elaine Marley. That showed me a new side of Monkey Island: its big heart, which becomes quickly evident in the playable Prelude that I won’t spoil here, and keeps getting called back to throughout. For the latest tips and guides, check out more from us at Prima Games.And what of the plot? Return is set just after Monkey Island 2, but it’s framed in a clever way I didn’t expect. Return to Monkey Island is available now for Nintendo Switch and Steam. It’s Monkey Island, and it’s written by the original creators – you’re gonna have a good time. Boasting a vibrant and stylistic art direction, Return to Monkey Island has a charm that even naysayers turned off by the art style can’t resist. Players can expect to see tons of familiar faces and gags originally introduced in the 1990s titles, as well as references to the later titles that weren’t written by creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman. Guybrush Threepwood, still unsatisfied with never actually discovering the secret, returns to the original isle to continue his search.

Return to Monkey Island picks up right where the second game, The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, concludes. Related: Return to Monkey Island Announced, Ron Gilbert Involved What’s In Store For You In Return to Monkey Island
