This review contains spoilers
Nostalgia is a strange beast. It's something of a dirty word in our current landscape, and for good reason. Nostalgia is blinding. It keeps you from facing the unpleasant truths or accepting the new. It's been a key motivator behind some truly heinous people committing some truly heinous acts. Nostalgia, more often than not, is bad.
But still, there’s something addicting about it. You can get how people fall into these traps with nostalgia properties and feelings. When I see the thing I recognize in the Marvel, I also hoot and holler. I’m not above it, even when I know in my heart the actual use of the things I recognize will upset me. It won’t really be the thing I like. It’ll feel shallow and pointless, partly because it is, but also because I’m not a child anymore. The same things don’t give me the same rush. And that’s alright.
When I was about 12, the special edition versions of Monkey Island were released. I understand why old fans didn’t like them, why they felt like something was lost in the process. But it was my first time playing the game and it set me on fire. It was the first non-Nancy Drew point and click I’d really played and it changed my whole world. It brought me into the wider world of the genre and it filled me with such a… lightness. I inhaled the whole franchise in one summer, followed by King’s Quest the next. I fantasized about having an “insult swordfighting” club with friends, I imagined the quiet, intimate moments of this goofy world, and I just let it all sink over me completely.
And despite rolling my eyes at those old fans all those years ago, I found myself falling into the same trap in 2022. My first reaction to the new art style was annoyance and confusion. It looked different. It wasn’t the thing I knew. It wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.
The marketing material around this game pitched it as Monkey Island 2B. Monkey Island 3-5 didn’t exist in Ron Gilbert’s vision, we’re back to where things left off. It's the old thing. It's the way it's supposed to be.
Except, that’s not exactly true. Because you can’t go back. You can’t turn back time. That’s just not how it works. The game instantly reveals that this was a prank. This is Monkey Island 6. Why would you want to go back?
When Guybrush Threepwood arrives on Melee Island, he’s excited to see all his old friends again. He’s decided he’s going to Return to Monkey Island to finally figure out the Secret of Monkey Island. He figures he’ll have to do a new version of the three trials from the first game, and heads off to the Pirate Leaders.
Except, that’s not true. You can’t go back. You can’t turn back time.
The Pirate Leaders have been replaced with new, even colder pirate leaders. They aren’t interested in playing ball with Guybrush, a washed-up hack who’s never really done much pirating. Guybrush is forced to figure out his own way. His old crew has moved on. Carla the Swordmaster is a Governor now, no time for insult swordfights. The Voodoo Lady is closing up shop and she can’t be bothered to keep up the mystery of her name anymore. Things are changing. Things are ending.
In Act 3, Guybrush hops on a cliff, close to the edge. I grin. I know they’re teasing me. In the first Monkey Island, if you fall off the cliff, Guybrush will simply hop back up and casually report: “rubber tree.” It’s a gag that destroyed me back in the day.
Later on, Guybrush is pushed off the cliff. Instinctively, I wait for him to pop back up. This is a clever way to call back to that gag, I think. Despite myself, I look forward to seeing a reference to the thing I liked as a kid.
The camera pans down. The rubber tree was cut down ages ago. Guybrush is broken and bruised on the ground. Recreating the past is just hurting him.
You can’t go back. You can’t turn back time.
The nostalgia in Return to Monkey Island works so much because it's not a shallow reference to help the audience go “I recognize the thing!” It's Guybrush himself feeling that nostalgia and missing how things used to be. He treats the returning characters with a bit more care and sincerity and they treat him the same way. Despite all the damage he’s done to them across the franchise, they seem to have genuinely caught onto Guybrush’s good nature. There’s a warmth there.
At the same time, there’s a real reckoning with Guybrush’s behavior.
You have two to-do lists throughout the game. Your main to-do list, where your general game tasks sit, and LeChuck’s to-do list, an encouraging pamphlet you acquire for “how to be like LeChuck.”
The top priority on Guybrush’s to-do list is “relive the glory days.” He wants to feel the rush of it all again. As Guybrush gets more extreme in his methods, LeChuck’s to-do list starts checking off too. The distinction between the hero and the villain blurs. Nostalgia is driving them both to horrible acts, just to feel the same way you did back in the day. But the heroes are old now. The world’s changed.
Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman have changed.
I’ve never been fond of the ending of Monkey Island 2 and especially not the ending of Thimbleweed Park. Both of these games swerve out to reveal that, surprise, this was a game all along. Monkey Island 2 does this metaphorically while Thimbleweed Park does this more literally. It was particularly egregious with Park, as all of the character developments and plot get tossed out the window to have a meta-journey finale. I’ve joked to friends that “Ron Gilbert’s been chasing his perfect twist ending for years and he doesn’t know when to let it go.”
Return revists this ending once again, but for once, Gilbert genuinely seems to have nailed it. It makes me reflect on my negative reaction to the previous two attempts and wonder why I got so frustrated to begin with. It was always a game, I knew that when I started. Why would I be frustrated when the game acknowledges that? It's just a story. Those stories can have power and beauty and meaning. The joy in stories comes from sharing them, even if you have to accept that the stories will mean different things to other people.
Guybrush: “I guess I thought there would be something more at the end.”
Elaine: “Could anything ever live up to what you imagined?”
Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman, and their cohorts helped cultivate an entire genre, help it thrive, and had to watch the business leave them behind. I can’t even imagine how frustrating that was for them. But whatever their personal journey entailed, and it's certainly no business of mine, they use that to infuse Return with this quiet, peaceful energy by the end. Who knows if it will be a swansong for Guybrush, but it feels like the swansong for their relationship with Guybrush. They all got to sit together again, crack open a grog, and marvel at the life they’ve led and the world they built.
Stop the rides, turn off the lights, and lock the door. It's closing time.
But still, there’s something addicting about it. You can get how people fall into these traps with nostalgia properties and feelings. When I see the thing I recognize in the Marvel, I also hoot and holler. I’m not above it, even when I know in my heart the actual use of the things I recognize will upset me. It won’t really be the thing I like. It’ll feel shallow and pointless, partly because it is, but also because I’m not a child anymore. The same things don’t give me the same rush. And that’s alright.
When I was about 12, the special edition versions of Monkey Island were released. I understand why old fans didn’t like them, why they felt like something was lost in the process. But it was my first time playing the game and it set me on fire. It was the first non-Nancy Drew point and click I’d really played and it changed my whole world. It brought me into the wider world of the genre and it filled me with such a… lightness. I inhaled the whole franchise in one summer, followed by King’s Quest the next. I fantasized about having an “insult swordfighting” club with friends, I imagined the quiet, intimate moments of this goofy world, and I just let it all sink over me completely.
And despite rolling my eyes at those old fans all those years ago, I found myself falling into the same trap in 2022. My first reaction to the new art style was annoyance and confusion. It looked different. It wasn’t the thing I knew. It wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.
The marketing material around this game pitched it as Monkey Island 2B. Monkey Island 3-5 didn’t exist in Ron Gilbert’s vision, we’re back to where things left off. It's the old thing. It's the way it's supposed to be.
Except, that’s not exactly true. Because you can’t go back. You can’t turn back time. That’s just not how it works. The game instantly reveals that this was a prank. This is Monkey Island 6. Why would you want to go back?
When Guybrush Threepwood arrives on Melee Island, he’s excited to see all his old friends again. He’s decided he’s going to Return to Monkey Island to finally figure out the Secret of Monkey Island. He figures he’ll have to do a new version of the three trials from the first game, and heads off to the Pirate Leaders.
Except, that’s not true. You can’t go back. You can’t turn back time.
The Pirate Leaders have been replaced with new, even colder pirate leaders. They aren’t interested in playing ball with Guybrush, a washed-up hack who’s never really done much pirating. Guybrush is forced to figure out his own way. His old crew has moved on. Carla the Swordmaster is a Governor now, no time for insult swordfights. The Voodoo Lady is closing up shop and she can’t be bothered to keep up the mystery of her name anymore. Things are changing. Things are ending.
In Act 3, Guybrush hops on a cliff, close to the edge. I grin. I know they’re teasing me. In the first Monkey Island, if you fall off the cliff, Guybrush will simply hop back up and casually report: “rubber tree.” It’s a gag that destroyed me back in the day.
Later on, Guybrush is pushed off the cliff. Instinctively, I wait for him to pop back up. This is a clever way to call back to that gag, I think. Despite myself, I look forward to seeing a reference to the thing I liked as a kid.
The camera pans down. The rubber tree was cut down ages ago. Guybrush is broken and bruised on the ground. Recreating the past is just hurting him.
You can’t go back. You can’t turn back time.
The nostalgia in Return to Monkey Island works so much because it's not a shallow reference to help the audience go “I recognize the thing!” It's Guybrush himself feeling that nostalgia and missing how things used to be. He treats the returning characters with a bit more care and sincerity and they treat him the same way. Despite all the damage he’s done to them across the franchise, they seem to have genuinely caught onto Guybrush’s good nature. There’s a warmth there.
At the same time, there’s a real reckoning with Guybrush’s behavior.
You have two to-do lists throughout the game. Your main to-do list, where your general game tasks sit, and LeChuck’s to-do list, an encouraging pamphlet you acquire for “how to be like LeChuck.”
The top priority on Guybrush’s to-do list is “relive the glory days.” He wants to feel the rush of it all again. As Guybrush gets more extreme in his methods, LeChuck’s to-do list starts checking off too. The distinction between the hero and the villain blurs. Nostalgia is driving them both to horrible acts, just to feel the same way you did back in the day. But the heroes are old now. The world’s changed.
Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman have changed.
I’ve never been fond of the ending of Monkey Island 2 and especially not the ending of Thimbleweed Park. Both of these games swerve out to reveal that, surprise, this was a game all along. Monkey Island 2 does this metaphorically while Thimbleweed Park does this more literally. It was particularly egregious with Park, as all of the character developments and plot get tossed out the window to have a meta-journey finale. I’ve joked to friends that “Ron Gilbert’s been chasing his perfect twist ending for years and he doesn’t know when to let it go.”
Return revists this ending once again, but for once, Gilbert genuinely seems to have nailed it. It makes me reflect on my negative reaction to the previous two attempts and wonder why I got so frustrated to begin with. It was always a game, I knew that when I started. Why would I be frustrated when the game acknowledges that? It's just a story. Those stories can have power and beauty and meaning. The joy in stories comes from sharing them, even if you have to accept that the stories will mean different things to other people.
Guybrush: “I guess I thought there would be something more at the end.”
Elaine: “Could anything ever live up to what you imagined?”
Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman, and their cohorts helped cultivate an entire genre, help it thrive, and had to watch the business leave them behind. I can’t even imagine how frustrating that was for them. But whatever their personal journey entailed, and it's certainly no business of mine, they use that to infuse Return with this quiet, peaceful energy by the end. Who knows if it will be a swansong for Guybrush, but it feels like the swansong for their relationship with Guybrush. They all got to sit together again, crack open a grog, and marvel at the life they’ve led and the world they built.
Stop the rides, turn off the lights, and lock the door. It's closing time.
A toast of grog to feeling like a child again.
I puzzled and laughed a lot - I even kept notes.
A good mix of new characters and the old friends,
Return was an absolute blast. A few mishaps
including unfinished plot threads do slightly fend
off the experience from being exceptional,
but the overall joy I felt made great amends.
While it's no Revenge or Curse, I have to denote,
it's still worth playing to see the Island again.
I puzzled and laughed a lot - I even kept notes.
A good mix of new characters and the old friends,
Return was an absolute blast. A few mishaps
including unfinished plot threads do slightly fend
off the experience from being exceptional,
but the overall joy I felt made great amends.
While it's no Revenge or Curse, I have to denote,
it's still worth playing to see the Island again.
Essa foi minha primeira experiência com a franquia monkey island, e esse jogo foi EXCELENTE!
Uma história engraçada, bonita, e bem ritmada, repleta de puzzles que são hilários e na medida do desafiador para quem aprecia um bom puzzle.
Ele consegue te manter com um sorriso no rosto praticamente do início ao fim da sua jogatina.
RECOMENDADO!
Uma história engraçada, bonita, e bem ritmada, repleta de puzzles que são hilários e na medida do desafiador para quem aprecia um bom puzzle.
Ele consegue te manter com um sorriso no rosto praticamente do início ao fim da sua jogatina.
RECOMENDADO!
You can't talk about Return to Monkey Island without a dash of nostalgia. This is definitely no perfect game. It isn't even a perfect point & click. But it oozes the feel of The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. Return is to Secret what The Force Awakens is to A New Hope. A homage to the original. Very similar progression, no risks. And like Star Wars 7 Monkey 6 doesn't always manage to succeed. The art style takes some getting used to. It is not bad per se but is a hard break from the cartoonish/realistic styles its predecessors have. Some places look stunning nonetheless. One specific map of an island on the other hand looks just awful. The puzzles are pretty easy, even in hard mode. Except for one big fat red herring and one puzzle that just misses giving the player feedback. In general, the game is very stingy with feedback while using or looking at items. Then there is the missed opportunity of using objects with other objects and some hilarious responses. In this game, you only can combine objects that are meant to be combined. A lot of failings in my opinion. But the humour, the gameplay, and the locations are elevating the game to this neat experience every Monkey Island had. Guybrush is witty, idiotic and never shy to say something stupid. Then there is this great addition of new characters like Trent, Lila and Madison. Elaine is lovely as ever. You set foot on Mêlée and you feel like coming home (if you are a geezer like me). It feels familiar but less mysterious but more upbeat. You know your way around and meet some familiar faces. And then the journey begins and you travel around. The style is getting to you, the music brings you nostalgic goosebumps and Guybrush stuffs his pockets with everything that isn't glued to the floor. A great adventure. If there wasn't the ending. Seriously, if you hope that you finally get a conclusion to this over 30-year-old mystery you should probably work your way around this game. It is stupid, it doesn't make sense and if you blink you might miss it because the end is short. Like really short. A lot of stuff gets just thrown overboard, making some important characters feel underdeveloped. Also, eight save slots!? It is 2022, we have big ass SSDs in our computers and you limit the number of possible saves? But the question should you play the game? If you are a fan of the franchise or point & click adventure and if you don't have high expectations of the ending then this is a must-play. It's like a best-of Monkey Island 1+2. It is colourful, and the characters are lovely, whacky and weird. The puzzles are okay and the music is once again fantastic. Without the nostalgia, then it is a big maybe. It is still a great voyage if you think the path is the goal. If you want finally answers to Monkey 2s ending or the whole franchise. NO! But it is yours to decide! Grab your rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle and slide down into this adventure or replay the fantastic first three games.
backloggd dot com doesn't let you post gifs, so imagine in your mind's eye that i've just posted that one gif of trinity the tuck from rupaul's drag race clapping while shouting "WHERE. ARE. THE JOKES!?" because i can't imagine anything else i could say being more succinct
Fantastic sequel to the series after so many years, a sequel with heartwarming twists and a wonderfully playful ending that will warm your heart.
There is an implied spoiler in this review, however, it is one EVERYONE who pays money for this game should know. I don't go into any detail about what happens in the plot.
I am so torn on how to review this. As someone who never played Monkey Island, I came in ready and willing for a high seas adventure game with a camp atmosphere and plenty of references I wouldn't get, but enjoy on behalf of those hardcore fans.
As I played through it, I enjoyed every minute of it. The narrative felt small scale, but that was kind of the point! Two washed up pirates chasing their former glory in middle age. But it was exciting, funny and clever for a solid 8 hours. Then, the game ended. Abruptly. In the most insulting way possible. I cared about the plot, and was had tempered expectations, knowing it was going to go meta. But not like this.
Everyone who thinks of playing Return to Monkey Island deserves to know that there is no conclusion to the events of the game. It is as close as possible to being a book with the last 4 chapters torn out.
I dont give a shit about Ron Gilbert being a bitter washed up sod, I deserve an actual ending to this pirate adventure game I paid actual money for. If you wanted to make a surprise statement about your midlife crisis, make this shit free. Or maybe they want you to pirate it, in the spirit of the game?
Either way, I no longer have a desire to play these beloved classics because I just got through 8 hours of build up....to absolutely nothing. And its so sad because I was ready to give this 4 1/2 stars until I found that out.
Here's my "secret post review" message for Ron Gilbert: Enjoy retirement, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
I am so torn on how to review this. As someone who never played Monkey Island, I came in ready and willing for a high seas adventure game with a camp atmosphere and plenty of references I wouldn't get, but enjoy on behalf of those hardcore fans.
As I played through it, I enjoyed every minute of it. The narrative felt small scale, but that was kind of the point! Two washed up pirates chasing their former glory in middle age. But it was exciting, funny and clever for a solid 8 hours. Then, the game ended. Abruptly. In the most insulting way possible. I cared about the plot, and was had tempered expectations, knowing it was going to go meta. But not like this.
Everyone who thinks of playing Return to Monkey Island deserves to know that there is no conclusion to the events of the game. It is as close as possible to being a book with the last 4 chapters torn out.
I dont give a shit about Ron Gilbert being a bitter washed up sod, I deserve an actual ending to this pirate adventure game I paid actual money for. If you wanted to make a surprise statement about your midlife crisis, make this shit free. Or maybe they want you to pirate it, in the spirit of the game?
Either way, I no longer have a desire to play these beloved classics because I just got through 8 hours of build up....to absolutely nothing. And its so sad because I was ready to give this 4 1/2 stars until I found that out.
Here's my "secret post review" message for Ron Gilbert: Enjoy retirement, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Holy shit, it's sooooo good.
The hint system is PERFECT and every adventure game like this should integrate a system similar to this one.
After seeing the ending, I couldn't stop simultaneously crying and laughing for over half an hour. I'm pretty sure my flatmate is very concerned with my well being right now, because I definitely sounded crazy.
I have nothing but love to express for this game and the incredible team behind it <3 !
I feel just like I did after finishing Thimbleweed Park. I'm so incredibly excited for what terrible toybox will do next.
It feels like nothing they announce could ever hit me as hard as the teaser for Monkey Island 6 did, but they did it once, they may just fucking do it again.
If I admire this studio for one thing, it's their subversive approach to adventure games. And I'm here for it! I will always be
The hint system is PERFECT and every adventure game like this should integrate a system similar to this one.
After seeing the ending, I couldn't stop simultaneously crying and laughing for over half an hour. I'm pretty sure my flatmate is very concerned with my well being right now, because I definitely sounded crazy.
I have nothing but love to express for this game and the incredible team behind it <3 !
I feel just like I did after finishing Thimbleweed Park. I'm so incredibly excited for what terrible toybox will do next.
It feels like nothing they announce could ever hit me as hard as the teaser for Monkey Island 6 did, but they did it once, they may just fucking do it again.
If I admire this studio for one thing, it's their subversive approach to adventure games. And I'm here for it! I will always be
I feel like the adoration for this game this year may have been driven in large part by nostalgia - what I saw in this was a pretty generic point-and-click game. I don't think I ever had that lovely 'aha' moment from any of the puzzles, and I never cared enough about the dialogue and humour to not skip through it.
I'm probably one of the odd souls out here who isn't actually too much of a fan of the classic Monkey Island games. Specifically the first two since those are the only ones I've played. I love the humor and writing, the aesthetic and creativity, etc. It broke a lot of the mold of what video games were at the time, while also satirizing pop culture/media and having a surprisingly layered meaning to the contents within. It's a game franchise that I can greatly respect, but in one way or another, be it the frustratingly obtuse puzzles or outdated gameplay, I've just never had too much joy in actually PLAYING them... until I played Return to Monkey Island.
This game basically takes everything that I DID enjoy about the first two games, and removes/improves a lot of the stuff that I DIDN'T. The gameplay has been simplified, but in a good way, leading to puzzles in the game never feeling as unfair. It's "easier", even on the hard mode which I played, but I personally found the puzzles more enjoyable this time around because I rarely ever got stuck trying to think of the solution for too long. Not to mention there's a hint system that helps to discourage just blatantly searching for it online.
The visuals have had a bit of controversy since it's quite a drastic departure, but I really adore it. Not only is it one of the best looking games of the year, so far, but it's also the best looking title in the series in my opinion. I love the look, the colors, and the amazing amount of personality put into every single corner of this game.
It's a passion-filled title that is very enjoyable front to back. Guybrush is an absolute instant favorite character in gaming for me after this. Loved the characters and all the silly interactions that had me laughing my ass off from beginning to end.
This game basically takes everything that I DID enjoy about the first two games, and removes/improves a lot of the stuff that I DIDN'T. The gameplay has been simplified, but in a good way, leading to puzzles in the game never feeling as unfair. It's "easier", even on the hard mode which I played, but I personally found the puzzles more enjoyable this time around because I rarely ever got stuck trying to think of the solution for too long. Not to mention there's a hint system that helps to discourage just blatantly searching for it online.
The visuals have had a bit of controversy since it's quite a drastic departure, but I really adore it. Not only is it one of the best looking games of the year, so far, but it's also the best looking title in the series in my opinion. I love the look, the colors, and the amazing amount of personality put into every single corner of this game.
It's a passion-filled title that is very enjoyable front to back. Guybrush is an absolute instant favorite character in gaming for me after this. Loved the characters and all the silly interactions that had me laughing my ass off from beginning to end.
The first two monkey island games are 2 of my most favorite games. I love point and click adventures, and I know they're out of fashion, but it was so exciting to see the original creator back after leaving the second game on a cliffhanger. The game has such great art, characters, so funny, challenging and thoughtful, I'm sad it was short, but like all the Monkey Island games it had a level of heart and poetry to it that most games wouldn't dream of. A welcome return I can't wait to play again
I liked the ending. I bet a lot of people won't, but I'm into it.
Most of what I have to say is pre-empted by the developers' note at the end. All I have left is I wish the game was more about the stuff it's about, but Monkey Island is a particular breed of adventure game that can only ever be what it is. I guess, I only played the first two. That dev note does make me want to go fill in the rest though.
Also the art style RULES and Twitter is awful.
Most of what I have to say is pre-empted by the developers' note at the end. All I have left is I wish the game was more about the stuff it's about, but Monkey Island is a particular breed of adventure game that can only ever be what it is. I guess, I only played the first two. That dev note does make me want to go fill in the rest though.
Also the art style RULES and Twitter is awful.
As someone who never played point e click adventures it was nice to see how this game trasnformed and broguht the medium to modern days, being easily playable on controller and with an amazing tip book that leaves all those nonsensical puzzles on the past.
As for the game it had a great cast of characters, some good puzles, an interesting narrative with a weird ending but that doesn't takes away from the experience as a whole, it sure is worth your time.
As for the game it had a great cast of characters, some good puzles, an interesting narrative with a weird ending but that doesn't takes away from the experience as a whole, it sure is worth your time.
I Expected so much for the return, but it was like the designers hadn't had played an adventure game in 30 years. Also, I didn't hate the art, but looking at "Curse of... " this just feels like a downgrade.
A charming last hurrah for the series. The art style takes a second to get used to but one you do you kind of forget about it. The writing was fun, and I would describe the comedy as one that creates sensible chuckle.
It's a new monkey island game with all that comes with it. Although maybe you might want to take the sensible advice of Guybrush from the first game and get it on discount.
It's a new monkey island game with all that comes with it. Although maybe you might want to take the sensible advice of Guybrush from the first game and get it on discount.
return to monke
Having just dragged myself through Gilbert's unforgivably bad THIMBLEWEED PARK, my expectations for this were low to say the least. So it was the pleasant surprise of the century that not only did this not suck, but it was, in fact, fantastic! And probably my favorite of the series.
The writing is absolutely on point from start to finish. We're talking great averages here - multiple chuckles per minute, minimum two belly-laughs per hour, easy. More grinning/nodding/pointing at the screen 'I see what you did there' moments than you can count. Truly, I haven't played a game this consistently entertaining in a while. It more than lives up to the series' rep for humor and wit, and I'm glad of it.
But just as important - possibly even moreso - as the writing in making this game truly special is the voice acting. One of my biggest problems with THIMBLEWEED was the horrendous VA. This LucasArts style dry humor is really tough to find the right tone for and they just did not have it. Dominic Armato, on the other hand, has it so hard he basically invented it. Guybrush specifically is a character that exists at a very precarious balance where he could be anything from grating to cloying to overdone, etc. in the wrong hands, and any one of those would just turn the player against him and instantly sink the whole game. But Armato is so natural and funny that Guybrush's doofy, upbeat obliviousness is endearing instead of annoying, and that basically justifies the entire plot of the game and indeed the series. I don't think anybody else could do it so well. It's up there with Jeff Kramer's York from DEADLY PREMONITION as a game-defining lead VA role in a game that very much needed the home run they gave it. And thankfully, the rest of the supporting cast is good as well. (side note: RIP Earl Boen - a shame he couldn't do this one)
And thank God, the fully expected meta elements of the game's story and ending really worked for me. Once again, these were areas where THIMBLEWEED fell flat on its face and had me worried to even start this thing, but that game's relationship to this one is basically a Goofus and Gallant-type situation where everything that sucked ass and was embarrassing there is done near-perfectly here. A consistently engaging meditation on nostalgia and our (and the game's creators') relationship with the originals that both skewers and indulges our (and their) desire to relive the glory days. The ending had me stunned - in a good way. Just sitting there staring off into space, nodding somberly for a good couple minutes. It's a rare video game that gets that reaction.
Overall:
The writing is absolutely on point from start to finish. We're talking great averages here - multiple chuckles per minute, minimum two belly-laughs per hour, easy. More grinning/nodding/pointing at the screen 'I see what you did there' moments than you can count. Truly, I haven't played a game this consistently entertaining in a while. It more than lives up to the series' rep for humor and wit, and I'm glad of it.
But just as important - possibly even moreso - as the writing in making this game truly special is the voice acting. One of my biggest problems with THIMBLEWEED was the horrendous VA. This LucasArts style dry humor is really tough to find the right tone for and they just did not have it. Dominic Armato, on the other hand, has it so hard he basically invented it. Guybrush specifically is a character that exists at a very precarious balance where he could be anything from grating to cloying to overdone, etc. in the wrong hands, and any one of those would just turn the player against him and instantly sink the whole game. But Armato is so natural and funny that Guybrush's doofy, upbeat obliviousness is endearing instead of annoying, and that basically justifies the entire plot of the game and indeed the series. I don't think anybody else could do it so well. It's up there with Jeff Kramer's York from DEADLY PREMONITION as a game-defining lead VA role in a game that very much needed the home run they gave it. And thankfully, the rest of the supporting cast is good as well. (side note: RIP Earl Boen - a shame he couldn't do this one)
And thank God, the fully expected meta elements of the game's story and ending really worked for me. Once again, these were areas where THIMBLEWEED fell flat on its face and had me worried to even start this thing, but that game's relationship to this one is basically a Goofus and Gallant-type situation where everything that sucked ass and was embarrassing there is done near-perfectly here. A consistently engaging meditation on nostalgia and our (and the game's creators') relationship with the originals that both skewers and indulges our (and their) desire to relive the glory days. The ending had me stunned - in a good way. Just sitting there staring off into space, nodding somberly for a good couple minutes. It's a rare video game that gets that reaction.
Overall:
What an absolute blast we had, with our return to monkey island. Ron Gilbert and his gang managed to provide just enough fan service and familiarity, all the while still feeling like a fresh and modern take on a classic. There is so much great writing in here, wonderful and fun storytelling, great characters and the puzzling you would come to expect in a monkey island game. If you feel remotely drawn to the game, don’t miss out!
To get it out of the way, the artstyle is bad. However, it kind of fits? And they do clever things with it. It was as charming and funny as it needed to be, while still falling into the meta twist trap in a couple of places. A good time overall!
Enjoyed significantly more than I expected as I am not really a fan of the genre. Well written, clever and funny throughout. Short and sweet, you can tell the passion put in for a grand return of this series. Controversial ending that I respect but ultimately felt unsatisfying.
The aptly named Return To Monkey Island is a voyage back in time to a golden era of point-and-click adventures when Monkey Island ruled supreme. This is a game tailor made to players for whom Monkey Island was a formative video game in their childhoods. With Ron Gilbert back in the director’s chair for the first time since 1991’s LeChuck’s Revenge, it is packed with all the charm that made his original games so beloved. The title hints at a nostalgia trip down memory lane, and this is evident not only in its abundance of cameos, Easter eggs and references, but equally in its storyline—a tale of reliving past glories and finding closure to unfulfilled promise. It is sure to delight fans, but it is hard to imagine newcomers feeling anything other than alienated.
Guybrush may be entirely beholden his past in Return To Monkey Island, embarking on yet another adventure to find the titular island’s secret and prove his worth as a mighty pirate, but the game itself embraces at least some modernity. Smoother movements eliminate the once frustrating experience of backtracking environments in search of clues, for instance, whilst a revamped interface makes it easier for players to recognise what items they can or cannot interact with. Contrary to expectations, there has also been a major overhaul in game’s visual style. Gone is the pixel art of old in favour of Henry Selick-esque angular, wonky animation. It faced criticism from those anticipating a throwback to the past, but this is the best a Monkey Island game has ever looked.
As it always has been, the stand-out aspect of Return To Monkey Island is Gilbert’s stellar writing. Guybrush’s new adventure is a simple one, but it plays host to a colourful cast of characters both old and new, as well as plentiful anachronistic, fourth-wall breaking gags that fans will be very familiar with. Puzzles aren’t quite as inventive or challenging, but they are never anything short of delightful to piece together, and in the one or two instances I needed help, the new hint book is a great feature, gently nudging you in the right direction rather than ruining the fun.
Guybrush may be entirely beholden his past in Return To Monkey Island, embarking on yet another adventure to find the titular island’s secret and prove his worth as a mighty pirate, but the game itself embraces at least some modernity. Smoother movements eliminate the once frustrating experience of backtracking environments in search of clues, for instance, whilst a revamped interface makes it easier for players to recognise what items they can or cannot interact with. Contrary to expectations, there has also been a major overhaul in game’s visual style. Gone is the pixel art of old in favour of Henry Selick-esque angular, wonky animation. It faced criticism from those anticipating a throwback to the past, but this is the best a Monkey Island game has ever looked.
As it always has been, the stand-out aspect of Return To Monkey Island is Gilbert’s stellar writing. Guybrush’s new adventure is a simple one, but it plays host to a colourful cast of characters both old and new, as well as plentiful anachronistic, fourth-wall breaking gags that fans will be very familiar with. Puzzles aren’t quite as inventive or challenging, but they are never anything short of delightful to piece together, and in the one or two instances I needed help, the new hint book is a great feature, gently nudging you in the right direction rather than ruining the fun.
Although i really enjoyed this game, i don’t think there’s really much to say about it. It doesn’t have real high pretentions, other than just exploiting nostalgia in a very pleasant way. In that sense, the game delivers. It’s a game designed for the fanbase. You shouldn’t play this game at all if you haven’t played, at least, the first three entries of the series.
It’s worth noting how easily you can get accostumed to the new art style. This was kind of a heated debate prior to it’s release. I actually disliked the art-style intensely when the first screenshots and trailers came out. But the truth is that, once you’re playing it, it flows pretty naturally and organically, and you even get to appreciate it.
The game also adopts the simplest take on puzzle design that has been the fashion during the last decade of adventure gaming. No moon logic, no monkey wrench puzzles. This time things are pretty simple. And even if you get stucked at some point, the game includes an in-game hint system which might come in handy.
It’s worth noting how easily you can get accostumed to the new art style. This was kind of a heated debate prior to it’s release. I actually disliked the art-style intensely when the first screenshots and trailers came out. But the truth is that, once you’re playing it, it flows pretty naturally and organically, and you even get to appreciate it.
The game also adopts the simplest take on puzzle design that has been the fashion during the last decade of adventure gaming. No moon logic, no monkey wrench puzzles. This time things are pretty simple. And even if you get stucked at some point, the game includes an in-game hint system which might come in handy.
The first new Monkey Island game in 13 years doesn't really miss a beat with all that time off and feels like a natural fit within the rest of this franchise. Some annoying console control sections and some puzzle RNG that feels unnecessary are really the only major flaws. The art will also be hit or miss with some (it was fine overall for me) but if you are a fan of this franchise or Monkey Island has always been something you've been interested in, this game is well worth your time.
Lots of backtracking, needless repeat clicking and poorly sign-posted puzzles, but a helpful tiered hint system and breezy dialogue make this still pretty fun. The ending seems controversial to some but - I liked it!
“Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!”
The nostalgia factor is definitely strong with this one! The Secret of Monkey Island, the beginning of the franchise, has a truly special place in my heart. It was the very first adventure game, one of the first PC games and, in general, one of the first video games I ever played as a kid, and also one of the main reasons why I started taking my English studies way more seriously – I had to understand all those jokes, after all! :D
Ever since Guybrush walked into my life, I’ve been obsessed with point ‘n’ click adventures, and, naturally, I played through all the sequels (with The Curse of Monkey Island being my favorite). When they announced yet another (and probably the last) installment, I could hardly contain my joy – and now, finally, the time has come for me to return to my beloved Monkey Island.
I think it’s safe to say that Return to Monkey Island is all that fans of the series could have hoped for. Yes, the art style is quite different from what we’re used to, but trust me, if you start playing, you’ll quickly realize how great everything looks. The characters move smoothly, the locations are detailed and vibrant with colors, and nothing or no one looks out of place. The writing is just as superb as it was in the old days, the puzzles are challenging (or not, if you choose casual mode), and the voice acting is stellar. This is how you modernize a classic genre!
For me, this isn’t simply a game, but a way to relive my childhood all over again. A huge thanks to everyone involved for making this trip down memory lane possible!
The nostalgia factor is definitely strong with this one! The Secret of Monkey Island, the beginning of the franchise, has a truly special place in my heart. It was the very first adventure game, one of the first PC games and, in general, one of the first video games I ever played as a kid, and also one of the main reasons why I started taking my English studies way more seriously – I had to understand all those jokes, after all! :D
Ever since Guybrush walked into my life, I’ve been obsessed with point ‘n’ click adventures, and, naturally, I played through all the sequels (with The Curse of Monkey Island being my favorite). When they announced yet another (and probably the last) installment, I could hardly contain my joy – and now, finally, the time has come for me to return to my beloved Monkey Island.
I think it’s safe to say that Return to Monkey Island is all that fans of the series could have hoped for. Yes, the art style is quite different from what we’re used to, but trust me, if you start playing, you’ll quickly realize how great everything looks. The characters move smoothly, the locations are detailed and vibrant with colors, and nothing or no one looks out of place. The writing is just as superb as it was in the old days, the puzzles are challenging (or not, if you choose casual mode), and the voice acting is stellar. This is how you modernize a classic genre!
For me, this isn’t simply a game, but a way to relive my childhood all over again. A huge thanks to everyone involved for making this trip down memory lane possible!
A very fitting finale for this series of games. I played the first two Monkey Island games followed by Return to Monkey Island™ pretty much back-to-back. The writing was consistently great all throughout all three of these wonderfully charming games.
The art is very stylized and it was clearly a deliberate choice to make the game look this way. While I personally am not crazy for it, it’s not a terrible look, and I do think that this drastic artstyle is a big help in conveying some of this game’s themes: themes of change, growing older, and the animosity between the old and new generations. I can’t speak for the games that come after Monkey Island™ 2, but at the very least, I feel like the Ron Gilbert titles have worn their themes, messages, and plot elements on their sleeves and Return to Monkey Island™ is no different.
I was pleased to find that a large number of the previous voice actors came back for this one. Sadly, LeChuck had to be recast because the original voice actor for him retired, but the new voice actor still does a fantastic job with him.
Return is a fair bit longer than its predecessors. While the other games took me about six and a half hours each to complete, Return took me about nine and a half to finish. It combines the structures of the first two Monkey Island™ games by railroading you to specific islands at the start before giving you a number of different islands to explore at around the midway point. I’d say it’s mostly well-paced, but this game’s puzzles tend to have a lot of steps to them that you wouldn’t initially realize. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I had a puzzle figured out only to find there’s an extra step or two to the puzzle that requires an item in a different location in order to finish it. Only to find that that item ALSO has a set of steps needed to acquire it. It can be frustrating at times having to backtrack to locations to get something I had no idea I ever needed in the first place, but since you can double click to increase the speed Guybrush walks or the Sea Monkey sails, it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.
I could write up a whole rant on the ending and the fact that people are pretty willfully ignorant about the truth of these games and their themes, but I don’t think that this is the place for it. All in all, Return wraps things up in a mostly tight, yet very satisfying fashion. They leave room for a possible sequel, but in all honesty, this feels like the definitive ending for the franchise and I think it’s the best possible way for this series to conclude. I had a great time with it.
The art is very stylized and it was clearly a deliberate choice to make the game look this way. While I personally am not crazy for it, it’s not a terrible look, and I do think that this drastic artstyle is a big help in conveying some of this game’s themes: themes of change, growing older, and the animosity between the old and new generations. I can’t speak for the games that come after Monkey Island™ 2, but at the very least, I feel like the Ron Gilbert titles have worn their themes, messages, and plot elements on their sleeves and Return to Monkey Island™ is no different.
I was pleased to find that a large number of the previous voice actors came back for this one. Sadly, LeChuck had to be recast because the original voice actor for him retired, but the new voice actor still does a fantastic job with him.
Return is a fair bit longer than its predecessors. While the other games took me about six and a half hours each to complete, Return took me about nine and a half to finish. It combines the structures of the first two Monkey Island™ games by railroading you to specific islands at the start before giving you a number of different islands to explore at around the midway point. I’d say it’s mostly well-paced, but this game’s puzzles tend to have a lot of steps to them that you wouldn’t initially realize. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I had a puzzle figured out only to find there’s an extra step or two to the puzzle that requires an item in a different location in order to finish it. Only to find that that item ALSO has a set of steps needed to acquire it. It can be frustrating at times having to backtrack to locations to get something I had no idea I ever needed in the first place, but since you can double click to increase the speed Guybrush walks or the Sea Monkey sails, it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.
I could write up a whole rant on the ending and the fact that people are pretty willfully ignorant about the truth of these games and their themes, but I don’t think that this is the place for it. All in all, Return wraps things up in a mostly tight, yet very satisfying fashion. They leave room for a possible sequel, but in all honesty, this feels like the definitive ending for the franchise and I think it’s the best possible way for this series to conclude. I had a great time with it.
So I'm going to fly in the face of popular opinion here and say that Return to... is the worst game in the Monkey Island franchise for me. I'm going to fly in the face of popular opinion even more and say that Ron Gilbert is an overrated and washed up writer.
See, my introduction to this series was with the much-frowned upon fourth entry, Escape from Monkey Island. It's largely treated like the runt of the litter now, but when my young self stumbled upon it on the PS2, I was bewitched. It felt like I was playing an eccentric, interactive Saturday morning cartoon. The characters were charming, the jokes were laugh out loud funny and the gorgeous pre-rendered environments really ramped up the game's atmosphere. Sure it had its problems, but by the time the credits started scrolling, I was already a fan. From that point onwards, I borrowed a school friend's copies of the original Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. I wasn't nearly as smitten with them, but they were still enjoyable (although I hated the latter's ending). From there I moved on to Curse of Monkey Island, which instantly went down as one of my favourite games of all time. I loved it then and I still love it to this day. Years later, the series got a new lease of life with Telltale's episodic entry Tales of Monkey Island. While opinion is divided on it, I thought Telltale did an admirable job of capturing the overall spirit of the series. It's the developer's best game, and episode 3 in particular is a hilarious highlight (thanks mainly to the undead but lovable skull Murray).
So now here we are, many years later, and Monkey Island has been revived once again. This time with some of the original talent back in the saddle. Cause for celebration right? Well errrrr, no. Not so much.
First thing's first - RtMI looks horrid. It looks visually unappealing. The garish art style became an early point of contention among fans, and while I do not condone at all the direct abuse the developers had to endure in the build up to the game's release, I do sit on the side of the fence that the art style is very much to the detriment of the overall gaming experience. It's cheap, ugly, and all the characters look like Canadians from an episode of South Park. In truth, the whole game is blighted by a lack of budget and necessary production values. Playing this game, I found myself yearning for the beautiful hand-drawn animation of Curse, or the detailed environments of Escape, or even the 3D movement and sense of scale of Tales. RtMI is not an ambitious game; it feels very safe and it feels like it was running on the tightest budget possible. This is not necessarily the fault of any of the developers, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by small scale of it all.
The game is also not particularly funny. This is a Ron Gilbert problem for me, because I didn't laugh much at the first two games either. The biggest reaction the gags got from me here was a sensible chuckle. Compare that to the three games that Gilbert was not involved with, and there's a night and day difference.
There's also the ending. Already known to be polarising among the fans, the ending in my opinion is... well, it's fucking shit. Gilbert opted to go for another meta denouncement, similar to how he ended LeChuck's Revenge and Thimbleweed Park. It wasn't particularly funny or clever back then, and it isn't now. Is this a personal failure on his part? Does he just not know how to give a story a solid and satisfying conclusion? I would say that RtMI's last ten minutes are its greatest failure. I could go on, but I think I should just leave it at that.
The game is not a complete stinker. If it was I would not have given it a 3 outta 5. It definitely does capture the spirit of old-school Monkey Island. The way certain chapters are structured, you have multiple objectives that you can complete in any order. I like this approach, as it enables the player to go do something else if they get stuck, much like the second game. The hint system is helpful and a welcome inclusion, the puzzles are never too irrational, and the music has that classic Monkey Island flavour.
But Return to Monkey Island is undeniably a disappointment for me. Like I said before, it is the worst entry in the series, and if there's a follow up in the works (and it seems like there could be given some of the winks and nods in the ending) then there are a plethora of issues to address. I personally would love to see Tim Schafer take another crack at it, with a decent sized budget this time! But I'm not holding my breath.
See, my introduction to this series was with the much-frowned upon fourth entry, Escape from Monkey Island. It's largely treated like the runt of the litter now, but when my young self stumbled upon it on the PS2, I was bewitched. It felt like I was playing an eccentric, interactive Saturday morning cartoon. The characters were charming, the jokes were laugh out loud funny and the gorgeous pre-rendered environments really ramped up the game's atmosphere. Sure it had its problems, but by the time the credits started scrolling, I was already a fan. From that point onwards, I borrowed a school friend's copies of the original Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. I wasn't nearly as smitten with them, but they were still enjoyable (although I hated the latter's ending). From there I moved on to Curse of Monkey Island, which instantly went down as one of my favourite games of all time. I loved it then and I still love it to this day. Years later, the series got a new lease of life with Telltale's episodic entry Tales of Monkey Island. While opinion is divided on it, I thought Telltale did an admirable job of capturing the overall spirit of the series. It's the developer's best game, and episode 3 in particular is a hilarious highlight (thanks mainly to the undead but lovable skull Murray).
So now here we are, many years later, and Monkey Island has been revived once again. This time with some of the original talent back in the saddle. Cause for celebration right? Well errrrr, no. Not so much.
First thing's first - RtMI looks horrid. It looks visually unappealing. The garish art style became an early point of contention among fans, and while I do not condone at all the direct abuse the developers had to endure in the build up to the game's release, I do sit on the side of the fence that the art style is very much to the detriment of the overall gaming experience. It's cheap, ugly, and all the characters look like Canadians from an episode of South Park. In truth, the whole game is blighted by a lack of budget and necessary production values. Playing this game, I found myself yearning for the beautiful hand-drawn animation of Curse, or the detailed environments of Escape, or even the 3D movement and sense of scale of Tales. RtMI is not an ambitious game; it feels very safe and it feels like it was running on the tightest budget possible. This is not necessarily the fault of any of the developers, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by small scale of it all.
The game is also not particularly funny. This is a Ron Gilbert problem for me, because I didn't laugh much at the first two games either. The biggest reaction the gags got from me here was a sensible chuckle. Compare that to the three games that Gilbert was not involved with, and there's a night and day difference.
There's also the ending. Already known to be polarising among the fans, the ending in my opinion is... well, it's fucking shit. Gilbert opted to go for another meta denouncement, similar to how he ended LeChuck's Revenge and Thimbleweed Park. It wasn't particularly funny or clever back then, and it isn't now. Is this a personal failure on his part? Does he just not know how to give a story a solid and satisfying conclusion? I would say that RtMI's last ten minutes are its greatest failure. I could go on, but I think I should just leave it at that.
The game is not a complete stinker. If it was I would not have given it a 3 outta 5. It definitely does capture the spirit of old-school Monkey Island. The way certain chapters are structured, you have multiple objectives that you can complete in any order. I like this approach, as it enables the player to go do something else if they get stuck, much like the second game. The hint system is helpful and a welcome inclusion, the puzzles are never too irrational, and the music has that classic Monkey Island flavour.
But Return to Monkey Island is undeniably a disappointment for me. Like I said before, it is the worst entry in the series, and if there's a follow up in the works (and it seems like there could be given some of the winks and nods in the ending) then there are a plethora of issues to address. I personally would love to see Tim Schafer take another crack at it, with a decent sized budget this time! But I'm not holding my breath.
Point and Click Meisterwerk
Really good. Mechanically a great modernization of old school adventure gameplay, and the overall package is a surprisingly really good Monkey Island revival. Sweet, sentimental story that does justice to the series and gorgeous visuals. Not quite as sharp as 1 from a humor standpoint but better in a lot of other ways. Hope they do another one!
Fácilmente la aventura gráfica más brillante en todos sus aspectos que he tenido el placer de probar.
Combina todo lo clásico de los Monkey Island originales con todos los avances en diseño de videojuegos modernos para ofrecer la experiencia más agradable y cómoda que he visto en el género. Es una auténtica delicia de jugar porque el juego coopera contigo en todo momento, no tienes que pelearte con una interfaz arcaica y puedes centrarte simplemente en resolver los puzles.
Los puzles en sí son BRILLANTES. El sistema de pistas funciona muy bien, pero la mayoría de cosas están tan bien diseñadas que simplemente con ser un pelín ingenioso puedes discurrir qué hacer a continuación.
Y es que este juego es mágico en cuanto a su universo, sus personajes y cómo aprovecha todo eso para darte en el hueso de la nostalgia sin que sea todo un festival de "mira, ¿te acuerdas de esto?". Las nuevas incorporaciones son fantásticas y sigue teniendo ese humor finísimo y agudo de los originales, que ya de por sí era muy actual en su época, y que no se ha perdido ni un poquito.
Es una obra de arte y un pequeño milagro en forma de videojuego. Qué alegría que exista.
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Easily the most brilliant graphic adventure in every way I've ever had the pleasure to play.
It combines everything from the original Monkey Island games with all the advances in modern videogame design to offer the most satisfying and comfortable experience I've seen in this genre. It's a joy to play because the game cooperates you all the way through, you don't have to struggle against an archaic interface and can simply focus on solving the puzzles.
The puzzles themselves are BRILLIANT. The hint system is great, but most of the puzzles are so well designed you can figure them out just by being a bit creative and it's easy to know what to do next.
And this game is magical in terms of its universe, its characters and how it takes advantage of all that to hit you in the nostalgia bone without turning it into a "hey, remember this?" festival. The new additions are fantastic and it still keeps that sharp, witty humor from the original ones, which itself was really modern for its time, and it hasn't been lost even a little bit.
It's a work of art and a small miracle in the shape of a videogame. I'm so happy this exists.
Combina todo lo clásico de los Monkey Island originales con todos los avances en diseño de videojuegos modernos para ofrecer la experiencia más agradable y cómoda que he visto en el género. Es una auténtica delicia de jugar porque el juego coopera contigo en todo momento, no tienes que pelearte con una interfaz arcaica y puedes centrarte simplemente en resolver los puzles.
Los puzles en sí son BRILLANTES. El sistema de pistas funciona muy bien, pero la mayoría de cosas están tan bien diseñadas que simplemente con ser un pelín ingenioso puedes discurrir qué hacer a continuación.
Y es que este juego es mágico en cuanto a su universo, sus personajes y cómo aprovecha todo eso para darte en el hueso de la nostalgia sin que sea todo un festival de "mira, ¿te acuerdas de esto?". Las nuevas incorporaciones son fantásticas y sigue teniendo ese humor finísimo y agudo de los originales, que ya de por sí era muy actual en su época, y que no se ha perdido ni un poquito.
Es una obra de arte y un pequeño milagro en forma de videojuego. Qué alegría que exista.
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Easily the most brilliant graphic adventure in every way I've ever had the pleasure to play.
It combines everything from the original Monkey Island games with all the advances in modern videogame design to offer the most satisfying and comfortable experience I've seen in this genre. It's a joy to play because the game cooperates you all the way through, you don't have to struggle against an archaic interface and can simply focus on solving the puzzles.
The puzzles themselves are BRILLIANT. The hint system is great, but most of the puzzles are so well designed you can figure them out just by being a bit creative and it's easy to know what to do next.
And this game is magical in terms of its universe, its characters and how it takes advantage of all that to hit you in the nostalgia bone without turning it into a "hey, remember this?" festival. The new additions are fantastic and it still keeps that sharp, witty humor from the original ones, which itself was really modern for its time, and it hasn't been lost even a little bit.
It's a work of art and a small miracle in the shape of a videogame. I'm so happy this exists.