Rating | +5 | Linearity | straight, segmented |
Reasonability | reasonable | Connectivity | moderate |
Difficulty | challenging | Relevance | strong |
Interface | 3rd paned menu | Real-time | minor |
You are Guybrush Threepwood, a young man intent on becoming a pirate. You travel to Melee Island, a pirate hangout, to learn the trade and prove yourself. Along the way you meet the woman of your dreams and an evil ghost pirate.
Monkey Island is a hilarious game. The characters and events are funny enough, but the game also includes some neat devices that add to the fun. The combat system (non-real-time) is funnier than any role-playing game. The game also takes over for you at one point, playing itself off-screen; it may not sound like much, but the result will draw a few chuckles.
The actual play is fairly linear. There are many characters to interact with and a good sized world to explore, so this linearity is not obvious as you play. Furthermore, it is put to good use, creating a solid story to propel the play. While the play is not difficult, the challenges are still hard enough to keep you engaged.
There's no audio speech, but the dialogue is too funny to care. There's only VGA graphics, but it's well done in a cartoon style. The game's appearance is dated, but it's fun is timeless.
Related reviews: