Return to Monkey Island, the eagerly awaited sequel from creator Ron Gilbert, has been confirmed for launch on Nintendo Switch. Better yet, the Switch version will be the first console to see its release alongside the PC.
The game sees the return of protagonist Guybrush Threepwood in a game showcasing some radically different art style. No firm release date has been set, but we'll be diving back into the world of Monkey Island later this year.
Here's some extra info from publisher Devolver Digital:
Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling: Bringing classic point and click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze.
Embark on Archipelago Adventures: Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrrmuda to make allies and enemies alike.
Hopefully, the first two games will launch beforehand so we can all catch up with the story!
Will you be grabbing Return to Monkey Island when it launches later this year? Let us know!
Comments 41
Cannot wait to play this. Been craving a good point and clicker. Hah
This is definitely one of my most anticipated games of the year. I wasn't too hot on the art style at first, but it's starting to grow on me now.
Hoping this may trigger other Monkey Island games to sneak onto Switch!
I like that point and click adventures are coming back into style recently, and the writing in Monkey Island games is always good. I'm still not feeling the art style but I'll try and get past that, I want to support the devs and the genre in general.
Oh my god. The moment the trailer starts. The music... Chills. So excited!!
Only game on the direct I was excited about but already knew it was coming, probably get portal, otherwise pretty meh direct. Feel like Stan just sold me that nintendo direct, and the mast just fell off!
"Hopefully, the first two games will launch beforehand so we can all catch up with the story!"
What do you mean, first two. Curse and Escape deserve more respect and I never actually played Tales. Bring me a complete collection.
Hm... big fan of the series but really not a fan of this art style
@PineappleLake Came here to say the same. I love every game of this series so much (other than tell-tale ones). Curse of Monkey Island is a top 10 game for me mostly because of the addition of the phenomenal voice acting, but this art style honestly has me worried.
I LOVE Monkey Island!!!!! I do not love this art style. If we're going back to 2D, this just seems like such a downturn from the lush, rich world of Curse. I mean was Bill Tiller not available?
I much prefer the look of Curse of Monkey Island. But that's not going to stop me grabbing this as soon as it's released!
@stereobread Curse is my favorite of the series but I think they are just mentioning that since this one is sorta a "soft reboot" that takes place after MI 2.
That being said, hot dang would I be pumped if they released a complete collection of all 4 on the switch.
Yep I knew people will hate this art style.
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Never played Monkey Island.
Yes more of this series for Switch is a blessing.
@stereobread I guess they're just referring to how this is meant to be Gilbert's Monkey Island 3 but this one is clearly set after the others as it has Murray and even shows a picture of Elaine fighting Morgan from Tales.
I'd be happy with a re-release of the first three games. Tales would be cool if they combine it into one adventure, and bring back the Earl Boen chapter 1 redub that weirdly only exists in the physical copies of the game
@Sam_TSM Yes its the animation rather than the art style itself - which could look super cool in still frames. The background paintings look pretty nice, and I like the purposefully deformed style... it just all falls apart in motion. This is a perfect example of the long detailed discussion I had on this site recently when someone was insiting that only HD graphics look good for modern 2d games and pixel art should be left in the past...
SO many modern 2d games use vector art to make essentially puppets that are moved around using tweening and automatic animation, and it all looks sooo "meh" and either lazy or cheap. Frankly, it all feels like flash browser games, principally because thats exactly what they did. And they didn't do it because it was modern and high res and somehow better... they did it to load quicker and save memory, and because it could be produced so much faster and cheaper, and no-one would complain as they were only free browser games.
I get that not every game or inde dev has the budget or artistic skill to make beautiful, frame by frame hand drawn animation, but thats the only way to avoid the issues. In this case, I'm not bashing the skill of the background painters or character designers, they actually did a fine job! But as soon as you animate it by just warping and wobbling stuff around moving between keyframes, it usually loses all charm, unless you are purposefully pushing for a "paper cutout" or "puppet" aesthetic like South Park or old TV shows like Pugwash and Ivor the Engine...
For games with a lower budget that can't afford to hand draw each frame to high quality HD art, pixel art can give a much more pleasing result, if done skillfully. The original Monkey Island games looked brilliant, and still do, to my taste. The limitations of having such a low resolution means you can have less frames of animation and the movement doesn't have that weird "its the same pictrue just sliding around the screen" feeling. A good example for me is how much more beautiful and artful Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse look compared to Half Genie Hero and Seven Sirens. I understand to some extent its persobnal preference but I'll never understand those who insist the new games look "so much better" just because they are HD.
Never played these but aware of the series. I may try it.
@stereobread Yeah, Ron is ignoring everything he didn't touch. :/
I was really excited for this, and still kinda am, but the art style is just awful. The series definitely had its peak with 3.
No sir, I don't like it. The artstyle that is. I'm still gonna play it because it's a new Monkey Island, but the way it looks is a bummer. I think anything else would've been preferable.
Keenly anticipated. Looking fwd to it.
@MKCustodial He said Curse would still be canon and I noticed Morgan LeFlay from Tales in the trailer, so he's not ignoring everything after 2 apparently.
I'm glad they tried something different and new with the art style rather than go retro. Monkey Island can be the best point and click adventure again, but not by looking back - by doing something unexpected and new.
Monkey Island is so good, and I can't wait to see this with the return of Ron Gilbert - it looks like (based on the art) he's been given some license to go do what he wants even if its risky, which should be great for the passion behind it. Can't wait to see stan!
I was super excited for Live A Live and now I can't even care there's a demo for it, that's how happy this announcement makes me. Now hopefully it does well enough that we get the other games too.
@PineappleLake looks like crap not gonna lie. they made a better looking game 20+ years ago. with today's tech and development tools you can't tell me this is the best they could do, even if there are budget constraints. this is indie level art, I doubt they opted out for this style based on style alone. seriously disappointed
Now this lil' baby brings back some memories. Now, doesn't it?
"Hopefully, the first two games will launch beforehand so we can all catch up with the story!"
Oh that would be doubly sweet.
@stereobread Apparently they're doing that "ignore the later sequels" thing and are making it more in line with the first two. I've not played anything beyond Part 2, but hopefully this one won't contradict anything, it'd be nice to have the entire series on there.
I am beyond excited for this, and I’m sure I’ll get used to the art style. I wish we could get the two Indiana Jones games (Last Crusade is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played). I would also sell my soul for the unexpected revival of The Adventures of Willy Beamish.
@SonOfVon Can we NOT start that art style debate again please it was annoying enough in April
Looks pretty nice to me, but probably not as nice as number 3.
Fantastic, so it launches on Switch with no delay! Would have loved a concrete date but yay!
And I’ll second that we’d love to get the first 2 games too.
When the articles surfaced that people were complaining about the art style (what little we've seen so far) ti brushed it off as nonsense...
I get it now...this is one butt ugly game...
Wasn't big on the art style the first time I saw this game but I've honestly grown to love it.
The more I see of this, the more I worry about how it can be a direct sequel to Monkey Island 2. No spoilers here, but the ending of MI2 changes everything, and I can't see how they're going to sensibly get around that.
I love Monkey Island since my Childhood, but this looks so absolutly ugly.
I am not sure if i can get used to this ugly Style.
Oh yes, I hope the other games come to the Switch first! I was very excited by this announcement!
The bad news is, I really am not feeling this art style at all. The characters, specifically. The good news: I’ve wanted a new Monkey Island for so long that I’m way more than willing to dive into an art style I dislike, just for everything else. I’m in! And who knows? Maybe it’ll grow on me.
Every time I hear the Monkey Island theme my body tingles. I think that means it's ready for this game!
It looks like a Monkey Island from Drinkbox, the Guacamelee developer.
Now all we need is Day of the Tentacle and The Dig and I'll be extremely happy
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