Big Whoop - Return to Monkey Island Makes its Long-Awaited Arrival on PC & Nintendo Switch Today

TheLostSwede · Sep 19, 2022

Plunder Bunnies rejoice! After months - possibly years - of anticipation, Return to Monkey Island has finally dropped anchor and doggy paddled its way to shore. Aspiring pirates can plot a course for Steam & the Nintendo eShop to get their hands on the finest booty this side of Dinky Island (no Mix 'n' Mojo Voodoo Ingredient Proportion Dial required).

For buccaneers new to the Caribbean, be prepared for mystery, intrigue, and numerous info pamphlets. The tangled history of Monkey Island's most famous secret began over 30 years ago in the mind of creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman. Return to Monkey Island picks up the story of wannabe-pirate Guybrush Threepwood at the conclusion of 1991's Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, bringing the creators' journey back full circle before setting sail for even wackier waters.

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64K · Sep 19, 2022

Great news. I do like Point and Click Adventure games. I have played some of the other Monkey Island games and they were all fun.

LabRat 891 · Sep 19, 2022

"Monkey Island picks up the story of wannabe-pirate Guybrush Threepwood at the conclusion of 1991's Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge"

What? The Curse of Monkey Island and Escape from Monkey Island just ceased to exist?

The Monkey Island series was a big part of my childhood. Reading skills, humor, etc. Probably, far deeper of an influence than any game or story should...

Seeing a 2020s 'new' game in the series eschewing portions of its own history, does *not* bode (or 'sit') well.

neatfeatguy · Sep 19, 2022

I never got into the Adventure games like my brother did (he played any adventure game he could get his hands on), but I did play The Secret of Monkey Island and I can remember what the other Monkey Island games looked like. This new one....ick, it looks like crap. I don't like the art style they decided to go with. Then again, I guess it doesn't matter to me since I wouldn't be playing the game.

Valantar · Sep 19, 2022

Oh wow this looks amazing. I haven't played a Monkey Island game since I was a kid, but this is definitely going on my to play list. (No, please don't ask me how long that list is.)

MarsM4N · Sep 20, 2022

LabRat 891 said:
The Monkey Island series was a big part of my childhood. Reading skills, humor, etc. Probably, far deeper of an influence than any game or story should...

Got some cloudy memories from playing it ~30 years ago at my older cousin. :twitch:

Guess it was on a (slow & noisy) Intel 386 running Windows 3.1.
That's why I picked up the collection some weeks ago when it was 85% off on Steam. Nostalgia.

Monkey Island Collection on Steam

store.steampowered.com

Artstyle of the new one is debatable. Would have loved something along the line of Truberbrook and the flair of LittleBigPlanet. Just something more fresh & catchy.

zlobby · Sep 20, 2022

Mighty pirate wee!

By the way, is Steam Deck supported?

MarsM4N said:
Got some cloudy memories from playing it ~30 years ago at my older cousin. Guess it was on a (slow & noisy) Intel 386 running Windows 3.1.
That's why I picked up the collection some weeks ago when it was 85% off on Steam. Nostalgia.

Monkey Island Collection on Steam

store.steampowered.com

Artstyle of the new one is debatable. Would have loved something along the line of Truberbrook and the flair of LittleBigPlanet. Just something more fresh & catchy.

Anyone remembers Zak McKracken or Maniac Mansion? Lucas games were gold!

ratirt · Sep 20, 2022

I literally played The Curse of Monkey Island yesterday

Love the franchise

zlobby said:
Mighty pirate wee!

By the way, is Steam Deck supported?

Anyone remembers Zak McKracken or Maniac Mansion? Lucas games were gold!

Oh yeah. The maniac mansion was a game for me.
I also liked the Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis although I liked all Indiana Jones games

1d10t · Sep 20, 2022

Monkey Island from PS2 era? Everybody just run out idea now?

Valantar · Sep 20, 2022

1d10t said:
Monkey Island from PS2 era? Everybody just run out idea now?

Have you paid attention to the gaming industry for the past... oh, decade and a half? This is nothing - at least they're bringing back a now obscure genre well outside of the current mainstream, rather than the 395th mostly identical Assassin's Creed or CoD, or making yet another utterly unimaginative battle royale. At least this brings some fun, humor, creativity and creative ludic storytelling to the table.

bug · Sep 20, 2022

zlobby said:
Anyone remembers Zak McKracken or Maniac Mansion? Lucas games were gold!

Guilty on both accounts. Maniac Mansion's sequel, Day of the Tentacle also got a recent remake, iirc.

JAB Creations · Sep 20, 2022

I love this series! AWESOME! And not frigin $70.

neatfeatguy · Sep 20, 2022

bug said:
Guilty on both accounts. Maniac Mansion's sequel, Day of the Tentacle also got a recent remake, iirc.

Full Throttle, don't forget about this one.

bug · Sep 21, 2022

neatfeatguy said:
Full Throttle, don't forget about this one.

"You know what might look better on your nose?"
"..."
"The bar!"

zlobby · Sep 21, 2022

neatfeatguy said:
Full Throttle, don't forget about this one.

Hmm, I haven't heard about this one until now. I will check it.

Also, for the interested - there is a fan-made sequel of ZakMcKracken with good story, music and even dub!

LabRat 891 · Sep 22, 2022

neatfeatguy said:
Full Throttle, don't forget about this one.

Ah. Another deep influence on my childhood.
The remaster is worth the money, BTW. It's entirely faithful (and plays very well on the Steam Deck).

Anyone that has fond memories of Full Throttle and can enjoy anime, should watch Akira.
You'll find the visual influences (at least on the 'tech' of the settings) are beautiful and sincere flatteries on LucasArts' part.
(Conversely, anyone that's seen Akira and loved the style of the bikes, etc. would likely enjoy Full Throttle. IMO what effectively is an Interactive Visual Novel; vaguely set in the same universe, but centered around a biker gang in a nebulous American-locale.)

I would not want to see a sequel to Full Throttle. Not anymore and not 'today', anyway.
However, a spiritual successor set in 'maybe-maybe-not' the same setting (ala Volition has done with their IPs over the years) would be welcomed. If they nailed the visual narrative and gameplay, I might be able to excuse the other implicit 'modernisms'.
This new Monkey Island game is already failing on artistic style and presentation, IMO big parts of the overall visual narrative. Hijacking and potentially reversing a large portion of the existing story for the characters, are amongst those 'modernisms'.

zlobby · Sep 22, 2022

LabRat 891 said:
Ah. Another deep influence on my childhood.
The remaster is worth the money, BTW. It's entirely faithful (and plays very well on the Steam Deck).

Anyone that has fond memories of Full Throttle and can enjoy anime, should watch Akira.
You'll find the visual influences (at least on the 'tech' of the settings) are beautiful and sincere flatteries on LucasArts' part.
(Conversely, anyone that's seen Akira and loved the style of the bikes, etc. would likely enjoy Full Throttle. IMO what effectively is an Interactive Visual Novel; vaguely set in the same universe, but centered around a biker gang in a nebulous American-locale.)

I would not want to see a sequel to Full Throttle. Not anymore and not 'today', anyway.
However, a spiritual successor set in 'maybe-maybe-not' the same setting (ala Volition has done with their IPs over the years) would be welcomed. If they nailed the visual narrative and gameplay, I might be able to excuse the other implicit 'modernisms'.
This new Monkey Island game is already failing on artistic style and presentation, IMO big parts of the overall visual narrative. Hijacking and potentially reversing a large portion of the existing story for the characters, are amongst those 'modernisms'.

Ah, Volition! Right in the nostalgia!

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Big Whoop - Return to Monkey Island Makes its Long-Awaited Arrival on PC & Nintendo Switch Today

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