LucasArts adventure games are absolutely legendary, and one that stands out above all others is the Monkey Island series. After the success of Maniac Mansion ( which we discussed here), the creator of that game, Ron Gilbert teamed with Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer to create the game that would usher in the golden age of LucasArts adventure games. Taking the SCUMM engine, and what they had learned from Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the developers refined and polished the formula to create something truly amazing. With an exceptional soundtrack that was like nothing else in adventure games at the time, The Secret of Monkey Island was the final step into a new era for adventure games that had started with Maniac Mansion.
Using a pirate setting inspired by the novel On Stranger Tides, with the Disney ride Pirates of the Caribbean providing influence for the game’s ambiance, the game mixed swashbuckling themes with a nice dosage of humour to create an amazing experience. Players controlled Guybrush Threepwood on his quest to become a mighty pirate and eventually defeat the ghost pirate LeChuck and rescue governor Elaine Marley. Of course, things are not so straightforward and the game throws plenty of surprises along the way. Sword fighting is a part of the game, but rather than action-packed combat, Insult Sword Fighting is used wherein there are two steps, Insults, and retorts. These were written by Orson Scott Card and are one of the most beloved parts of the game for how memorable they are. Some variation of Insult Fighting has shown up in the sequels, with the exception of the direct sequel.
Monkey Island was different, there was no way to die accidentally in the game, which was in contrast to the games produced by competitor Sierra On-Line. There was even a joke at Sierra’s expense later on, for their tendency to have multiple ways to die accidentally. There is only one way to die in the game and it is actually an Easter egg that must be done intentionally. The actual puzzles started out simple enough, with the game easing you into things. As the game continued on though, the puzzles got a lot more devious and required you to think more carefully. The results were often surprisingly simple but set up in a way that kept things from being too easy.
The game had memorable characters, amazing writing and as mentioned, excellent music. The game established a franchise that would go on to bigger and bigger things and create truly memorable experiences. The game was ported to multiple home computers as well as the Sega CD/Mega CD, before getting a remake in 2009 for PC and mobile, with console releases following the next year. This remake allowed for new graphics and voice acting from the cast of the later games, with the option to use the original graphics as well.
The Secret of Monkey Island is a truly memorable experience and one that any gaming fan should play at least once.
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