Return to Monkey Island (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.1.1 Update + DLCs

Return to Monkey Island is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Terrible Toybox and published by Devolver Digital. The sixth Monkey Island game was released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows on September 19, 2022, for Linux on October 26, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 8, 2022, and for iOS and Android on July 27, 2023. It was the first Monkey Island game by the series’ creator, Ron Gilbert, since Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (1991).

Gilbert worked on the first two Monkey Island games before leaving the development company, LucasArts, in 1992. Further installments were developed by LucasArts and Telltale Games without him. The Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to Monkey Island when it purchased Lucasfilm in 2012; in 2019, Gilbert negotiated to create a new Monkey Island with the designer Dave Grossman, who had worked on the first two games. Return to Monkey Island was announced in April 2022. Dominic Armato reprised his role as the protagonist, Guybrush Threepwood. The game received generally positive reviews.

GAMEPLAY

Return to Monkey Island is a 2D point-and-click adventure game. The objective is to move the story forward by solving narrative-based puzzles. This can be done by exploring locations, talking to non-player characters to acquire information, collecting items, and using them at the right time. The player controls the pirate Guybrush Threepwood, who sails the seas and visits islands.

The user interface is different from previous 2D Monkey Island games. Tooltips over screen hotspots guide the player’s actions: when the cursor is moved over an interactive zone of the scene, a brief phrase appears, suggesting what action Guybrush will take. The inventory uses a drag-and-drop interface to easily use and combine items and the interface has been designed to work with controllers or mice. The game includes a hint system designed to discourage players from looking for walkthroughs online and make sense “in the fantasy” of the game. The game also includes a simplified mode called “casual mode” for less experienced players.

PLOT

Guybrush and Elaine’s son Boybrush (Ava Hauser) are playing with his friend Chuckie (Courtenay Taylor) at an amusement park, re-enacting his father’s adventures. At Boybrush’s prompting, Guybrush decides to tell him the story of how he found the secret of Monkey Island.

Having learned that LeChuck has obtained a map to the exact location of the secret, Guybrush travels to Mêlée Island in an attempt to gather a crew and ship to get there first, but the new Pirate Leaders Madison, Lila, and Trent refuse to back his venture. With his options limited, Guybrush obtains a magical eyepatch that disguises him as a zombie, allowing him to infiltrate LeChuck’s crew before they shove off.

Along the way, the potion used to guide the ship to Monkey Island is ruined, but Guybrush discovers the Pirate Leaders are also heading for Monkey Island and secretly completes their potion so LeChuck’s ship can follow them. As they approach the Island, Guybrush takes LeChuck’s map and replaces it with a fake, but accidentally removes his eyepatch and LeChuck throws Guybrush overboard.

After washing up on Monkey Island, Guybrush follows the map but falls into a trap by the Pirate Leaders, who had intended it for LeChuck. As they have the real map but it is magically encrypted, they agree to a truce to find the secret’s location. With Guybrush’s help, the map reveals the secret to be at the International House of Mojo on Mêlée Island. The Pirate Leaders betray Guybrush and throw him off a cliff before setting sail; LeChuck, realizing the deception, pursues them. Elaine arrives to help Guybrush, and they escape the island by rebuilding his old ship, the Sea Monkey. While at sea, LeChuck battles the Pirate Leaders before eventually agreeing to a truce to find the secret.

Arriving at the International House of Mojo, Guybrush learns the secret is hidden inside a safe locked by five golden keys, which have been scattered. Following a series of clues, Guybrush travels the Caribbean to find each of the keys, frequently leaving a trail of destruction in his wake due to his single-minded obsession with the secret. In his absence, LeChuck and the Pirate Leaders attempt to use magic to open the safe instead, but they eventually turn on one another and LeChuck kills the Pirate Leaders.

After obtaining the last key, Guybrush opens the safe, only to find a locked chest. LeChuck appears and steals the chest, taking it back to Monkey Island to perform the necessary ritual to open it and obtain the secret. Guybrush and Elaine follow, though Elaine repeatedly questions if the secret could live up to his expectations.

Descending beneath Monkey Island, Guybrush follows the catacombs and opens a hidden door. He emerges in a theme park recreation of Melee Island, revealing it to be the true setting of all his adventures, with LeChuck and the others all being animatronics. Guybrush can open the chest containing the secret and find a novelty T-shirt inside. Boybrush finds this ending unsatisfying and questions its veracity, but Guybrush remains ambiguous in his answers. Elaine arrives and invites Guybrush to join her on a new adventure. The game offers multiple different post-credits scenes depending on the player’s choices in the final sequence.