The traditional adventure game, the genre that grew to become the point-and-click, rose to prominence long before the internet was a thing. Its heyday, at least in terms of iconic genre-defining releases, was sometime in the early 1990s, with LucasArts (or Lucasfilm Games) delivering classics like Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Sam n’ Max, and the seminal Secret of Monkey Island.

So, when word broke that Return to Monkey Island was in development with series creator Ron Gilbert and fellow Lucas-vet Dave Grossman at the helm, it was a strange and exciting day for those of us who grew up playing games where literal verbs “Open” and “Push” delivered the action. A sequel of sorts to Monkey Island 2 from 1991, Return to Monkey Island presents a comedic story informed by two veterans reflecting on themselves and the series after long and successful careers. A new Monkey Island, released at a time when the very idea felt like an impossibility, and yet the execution is handled expertly.

Return to Monkey Island is brilliant, funny, charming, and up there with the originals in terms of tone and atmosphere. A joyous adventure game that, if you’ve ever been a fan, should be savoured like a tall glass of aged grape juice.

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Return to Monkey Island is brilliant, funny, charming, and up there with the originals in terms of tone and atmosphere. A joyous adventure game that, if you’ve ever been a fan, should be savoured like a tall glass of aged grape juice.

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It goes without saying that any game review is subjective, an opinion and formalised reaction born from experiencing and engaging directly with a digital something. There’s no rule or clause stating that credentials or any sort of experience or certain structure are required to present a worthwhile review. That said, that whole history lesson in lieu of an intro was what we in the writing biz call, a stream of consciousness. Top-of-the-head type stuff.


Say ‘adventure game’ anywhere near my freshly ironed chinos and you’ll probably get a lesson or two detailing how Sierra created the genre and LucasArts perfected it. Maybe even a link to that one time I wrote a novel-length series of features for IGN called A Year of Adventure chronicling the rise of the genre in the early 1980s through to its heyday in the Hammer Time 1990s. Like this one.

For repetition’s sake, and a chance to borrow a line from that kid that taught Keanu Reeves about how to use a spoon, there are no rules. About review writing. So this isn’t a flex - not that knowing the names of programmers who worked on Maniac Mansion could ever be called that - but merely, a slice of context. Consider me a super fan, to the point where getting to hear the Monkey Island theme again, see Melee Island again, visit the SCUMM Bar again, and talk to the ‘Ask Me About Loom’ guy again, was worth the price of admission.

Return to Monkey Island is so much more than fan service. So much more than a nostalgia trip into familiar territory. There are callbacks and familiar faces aplenty, but the story is original, engaging, and chock full of humour and warmth. It spans multiple islands and several well-realised locations. The fourth-wall breaking makes a return, as do a few tried and true story beats, but it still manages to feel every bit as original and timeless as what LucasArts delivered back in the day.

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Return to Monkey Island is so much more than fan service. So much more than a nostalgia trip into familiar territory. There are callbacks and familiar faces aplenty, but the story is original, engaging, and chock full of humour and warmth.

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There are modern touches, a few modern references, and even certain situations and characters are recontextualised. But Return to Monkey Island retains its anachronistic charm, to the point where it feels like nothing has been lost in the very long time it has been since Monkey Island 2. Story and characters remain at the forefront of it all. That, and some of the finest interactive comedy you’re likely to find this or any year. Of course, as any adventure game historian will tell you (remember, I wrote the “not an actual book but a series of gussied-up blog posts” on the subject), Monkey Island got a bunch of games after creator Ron Gilbert left LucasArts. Even a few from Dave Grossman during the early days of Telltale Games.


But, Return to Monkey Island is special because it doubles as a third game in a trilogy without erasing what came after. This is bolstered by the fact that it’s not the game we would have gotten if Ron and Dave worked on it thirty years ago. Thematically it’s as much a look at the process of returning to a franchise after so long, reflecting on its pieces, as it is a brand-new Monkey Island adventure starring Guybrush Threepwood and the evil ghost pirate LeChuck.

One of the reasons why games like the original Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle still hold up comes from stories, dialogue, and jokes holding up decades later. Return to Monkey Island is consistently funny, clever, and in step with this philosophy. How it combines logic and absurdity to create puzzles is genius and textbook Adventure Game Design 101. I didn’t write that one. Stuff that not only makes sense but creates a sense of fun and genuine laughter when solutions carry an air of discovery and meaning to the comedic story. There are a few mazes for the sake of mazes, but thankfully you don’t have to be stuck if you don’t want to be.

Return to Monkey Island is aware that the patience of the typical game player might not be in line with those that inserted Disk 2 of 4 in the pre-YouTube-walkthrough age. There’s a hint book system that is impressive in its implementation, with context-sensitive clues on offer relating to the things you’re currently doing. Throw in a to-do list that tracks objectives, pressing TAB to highlight interactive objects, and the ability to skip long walking animations to get from one location to another with ease, and Return to Monkey Island becomes an adventure game born from the past and not one that is beholden to it.

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How it combines logic and absurdity to create puzzles is genius and textbook Adventure Game Design 101.

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The hint book system might be contentious to some, but the very nature of a genre that thrives on puzzles feeling different from one another means you’re likely to get stumped at some point. Let’s face facts, most of us aren’t Matt Damon’s problem-solving janitor character from Good Will Hunting. John, something. This is a general feeling that grew and developed over the course of playing through Return’s surprisingly lengthy tale, where the complexity ramped up considerably in the second half. Everything felt fresh, exciting, and funny because it was all so different.


Similar to how the original game began on Melee Island but then expanded the adventure to other locations, but with a structure that’s different and more modern in how it eases into things versus simply throwing you into the deep end. Naturally, it’s a game that also benefits from the many technological advances seen over the years. The art direction is also bold, vibrant, and complimentary to the exceptional voice acting, writing, and music. Even though the original Monkey Island was released at a time when games didn’t feature things like voice acting, even the voice-less LucasArts adventures felt like you were playing an interactive animated film.

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If you’re a fan of Monkey Island and the classic adventures from LucasArts there’s an extra dose of joy to be found. A joy that comes from a game and sequel that is born from the past and not one beholden to it.

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Return to Monkey Island is a realisation of that in many ways, at least for the games designed by Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman. The performances, writing, and just about all of the jokes land. Whether that’s hearing the wordy and poetic-by-the-way-of-at-times-instructional-manual tone of writing or reading some of the funny mouse-overs describing the scene or an action succinctly and comedically.

This isn’t a review that delves too much into the who, how, and why, on account of great comedies only requiring a gentle nudge and “it’s hilarious” to warrant a look-see. Return to Monkey Island is the real deal, and like that quote above it’s hilarious. But, if you’re a fan of Monkey Island and the classic adventures from LucasArts there’s an extra dose of joy to be found. A joy that comes from a game and sequel that is born from the past and not one beholden to it.