It's been nearly 20 years since I have played an actual "point and click" adventure game and I've been dying for an old fashioned, old school adventure game to come around and satiate my growing hunger. The early 90's saw an emergence of adventure games to hit the market; everything from the Space Quest series, to Kings Quest all the way down the line to a particular set of games that not only garnered high praise from the industry but acquired one of the most hardcore and ferociously rabid fan bases out there: The Monkey Island Series.Fast forward to the first day of E3 2009, a day that will live on forever in the hearts of fan-boys everywhere. A remake of Tales of Monkey Island was announced for the XBox 360 alongside another huge bombshell that there will be an episodic Tales of Monkey Island game landing on the Wii. For all intensive purposes, were going to hit on (and review) The Secrete of Monkey Island for the XBox 360's Live Arcade. So strap on your Pirate sword, get your big fancy swash-buckling hat on and prepare to dive back into a series known for its simplistic point and click adventure formula!
Staying true to their roots, Telltale Games has once again created an outstanding adventure game specifically catered for hardcore fans of the point and click genre. Simplistic controls accompanied by an intuitively streamlined inventory system complements the outstanding backdrop of hand drawn settings, quirky character expositions and wonderful story line. Meet Guybrush Threepwood, a floundering wannabee pirate hell bent on saving the recently captured "Governor" Elaine Marley. Through trials, tribulations, some cannibals and even rabid poodles, Mr. Threepwood eventually figures out that a ghost pirate named LaChuck is the one responsible for kidnapping the Governor and is located on...wait for it...MONKEY ISLAND!
Without giving away too much of the storyline and spoiling it for all you people who haven't had the privileged of playing the game, I'll get right into the nuts and bolts of the review. Mechanically, Monkey Island holds up extremely well. In fact, one would think that an old school formula such as point and click game play would be deemed impossible to recreate on the XBox. Through hard work and determination, Telltale (developer) has successfully captured the ease and docile feeling of the original. You move the cursor with the right analog stick. Click A to move and pick things up, click the B button to look at objects and press the start button for quick pause. The right bumper brings up your inventory and the left bumper brings up your "actions" table (push, pull, open etc.) You can easily pick up the control scheme within minutes and in all honesty its one of the easiest games to navigate.From a graphical standpoint, Secrete of Monkey Island wont knock you on your ass. However, if you don't appreciate hand drawn backdrops, excellent sprite animations and a minor plethora of other "nods" and "winks" to the original game, then by all means press the back button and return to the original graphics straight from 1990! I actually found myself doing this quite often; it reminded me of a time when I was young and had no worries in the world. The nostalgic remnants and nuance's you pick up while playing with the original graphics turned on is simply fun and a wonderful testament as to just how well this game holds up.
There is one gripe I have with the game: The SFX. They don't really 'pop' and they lack substance. Cannon's sound like toy pop guns, the ocean waves don't sound right and the sword fighting sounds more like silverware dropping on the floor. There are some bright spots though. With full voice acting now accompanying the script, Monkey Island feels just a rich and vibrant as it did back in 1990 when it was first released. The musical score is also fantastically rendered and puts you in the Caribbean mind set of relaxation and content.After all is said and done, The Secret of Monkey Island has finally gotten its "just due" with this excellent re-vamp. The adventure leaves you wanting more, the characters are hard to let go after completion and the setting alone will have you coming back time after time! With upcoming Monkey Island games rumored to be in the making, this wannabe pirate is screaming for more!
Monkey Island gets a 9.0 out of 10
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