The Monkey Island series is considered a classic by pretty much anyone who was old enough to play video games in the 90s. I remember playing it when I was 12 and again on a drunken night in 1996. I fact I’ve probably played through this game half a dozen times since it was first released. I was thrilled to hear it was getting a revamp for the Xbox 360 and enjoyed this latest play through every bit as much as I enjoyed it the very first time.
For those of you who haven’t sampled the delights of LucasArts’ classic point and click adventure, it revolves around the young Guybrush Threepwood; a wannabe pirate trying to earn the respect of the denizens of Mêlée Island. The somewhat clueless Guybrush is set three challenges to prove his pirate credentials – Sword Fighting, Thievery and Treasure Hunting. Along the way he falls for the beautiful governor of Mêlée Island, meets the dread ghost pirate Le Chuck and hangs out with lowlifes, cannibals and Monkeys.The story is lighthearted and presented with genuine humour, the characters are genuinely funny and the scripting flirts with comedic genius. Memorable moments include insult sword fighting, the directions to Monkey Island and any interaction with the proprietor of Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels.
The Special Edition allows you to play through the game in two ways; either using the classic sound, graphics and interface or with a host of new features. You can switch between both views seamlessly at any point, either to relive your youth or to laugh at what people like myself once considered to be amazing graphics. So,how have the new look, sound and voice over changed the game?
Visuals
The backgrounds have been improved considerably, offering more atmospheric environments and highlighting some of the more obscure hidden jokes in the original (although I’m yet to find the Sam and Max reference as the one I was aware of has been changed to Day of the Tentacle). The characters have had varying levels of redesign with varying levels of success, switching between the two modes will allow you to choose your favourite. Guybrush and Elaine go from soft likable features to being gaunt and unattractive caricatures, while Stan the used boat salesman is hilariously rendered, maintaining his flailing movements and the static pattern on his jacket. In fact the movements have been retained from the original throughout which can be hilarious or distracting in equal measures. Though some may prefer the new character designs, I personally didn’t like some of the faces, especially when coupled with the retention of the original mouth movements.
Sound
The music is a vast improvement, sections of the original which were silent are now rich with music and background sounds. The voice acting is good but doesn’t manage to consistently interpret the original script to its full comedic potential. The comic timing sometimes misses the mark and the jokes which were designed for a text based game sometimes fall flat. It is telling that one of the funniest sequences in the game is an entirely text based battle which takes place behind a wall. Also, as sections like insult sword fighting require repitive sections of dialog, the voice acting can occasionally prove somewhat annoying. With speech that is slow to enable the player to switch between classic and SE mode without missing out, some scenes feel unnatural and are best viewed in their original form.
Controls
The control system is pretty hit and miss. It’s easy enough to navigate around the environments and complete basic tasks but when it comes to combining items or some of the more fiddly puzzles, the new interactions will often hinder you. There seems to be too much opening and closing of menus to helop the player to complete some of the more obscure actions. At several points I was forced to play the game in classic mode in order to progress. The developers have added a handy Hint button for those who are struggling so there will be no more chance of players getting horribly stuck and giving up as they may have done in the past. The hint system gently guides the player in the right direction at first but if used several times on the same puzzle will essentially bludgeon you with the answer. As a veteran of point and click I can say a little bludgeoning is occasionally what is required.
Overall
Secret of Monkey Island is a classic. It’s genuinely funny and the characters are relatable and well designed. At only 800 MS Points this is definitely worth a play. The Special Edition offers a new look at a great game and is definitely worth a download for those wanting to relive their youth or discover the Secret of Monkey Island for the first time. Some of the changes are hit and miss but this is largely an improvement on the original game.