I should confess, I do have some troubles with games in episode formats. It just feels to scattered for my taste, and the waiting periods between each episode often is very long (like for example Telltale Games titles). I would rather have the whole cake from the get go instead of getting little slices each month with other words.
But fortunately there are options for the downers like myself. namely to wait for all the episodes of a game to be released in one neat package. And this is what is possible right now with Tales of Monkey Island as the series has reached its fifth and last episode with the concluding part Rise of the Pirate God. The PC-package with all the parts is now available for purchase with cryptocoins (like Steem and Steem Dollars) over at BITGAMING.
Spoiler Alert!
A minor spoiler alert in case you have not played all episodes yet, you should be warned before continue reading the review.
Launch of the Screaming Narwhal
Me and other Monkey Island-fans where quite nervous for the first episode that was released, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. As the three first awesome Monkey Island-titles were put down by the clumsy 3-dimensional design. Would Telltale Games be able to nail that Monkey island-feeling that so many of us gamers miss and know, but just can't define.
It turned out to work just fine. The first part gets a medium score from me and even though there are some flaws like constantly clumsy controls and some odd choices in graphical design, episode 1 still was a fun and enjoyable homecoming to a nostalgia feeling and puzzle logic we so dearly have missed (not to mention the awesome pirate-themed soundtrack composed by Michael Land). Telltale Games themselves where quite happy with their title and called it the "most successful Telltale-launch to date". Something I would agree with.
The Siege of Spinner Cay
And then when The Siege of Spinner Cay came out we got to continue our hunt for Guybrushs darling Elaine that his nemesis LeChuck has kidnapped. And this time Guybrushs finds himself on Jerkbait Islands. The main goal is to find a cure for the voodoo-epidemic that Guybrush accidentally spread in the first episode. Here we get to experience a wild and fun conflict between the epidemic-infected pirate McGillicutty and the native Vacaylian-people as we try to find 3 artifacts that together should cure the new plague. And of course this set the course for some extremely tricky and humorous puzzles and dialogues.
Lair of the Leviathan
In the Lair of the Leviathan we went from classical island environments to a much darker and slimy location; Guybrush even had to solve puzzles inside a giant manatee. Even thou the environments weren't classical Monkey Island it was exactly what the series needed. Guybrush as a person has always had an chilled out, relaxed approach to all the crazy things that happens around him, and this is also very clear in the more dark and sinister Lair of the Leviathan.
In the sea creatures body we also get to meet the character Coronado de Cava who also were on the hunt for the cure La Esponja Grande. To learn about de Cavas life inside the manatee is both absurd and fun, while at the same time making Lair of the Leviathan to one of the most original episodes of all five. Its quickly playtroughed though and I would have wanted a few more hours in the gameplay.
The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Once Guybrush success in escaping the dark manatee cave he immediately encounters new problems in episode 4, The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. After being betrayed by the companion Morgan LeFlay, Mr. Threepwood returned to Floatsam island and there got to answer for his crimes. The list of crimes was not a short one either; burning av a pirate-thigh with nacho-sauce, stole a "X" that of course "marks the spot" and also he infected the whole island with the infamous voodoo-disease. The puzzles are therefore this time centered around defending yourself against the accusations and find proof that will hold up in court. Not the best part of the series maybe, as the start was some what slow and the environments familiar. The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood was not bad in any way thou, and when Monkey Islands most favorite npc character Stan appears as a lawyer for Guybrush, its hard to not smile while you play.
Rise of the Pirate God
In the Rise of the Pirate God it was time for Telltale to tie it all together and this was clear in the design of the game. Much more focused was on the story than puzzles and the first part of episode 5 basically played itself. It was thou compensated by the surroundings and environments, which were a cozy tribute to the death kingdom that gave the whole episode just the right feeling as a concluding series climax. Places with dark and full colors are everywhere you turn, but he colors does in some cases become a bit "to much" for my taste. The last fight with LeChuck also was some what of a disappointment as the time based puzzles the fight the pirate could be frustrating as the were repeated every time you fail.
Anyway, the way I see it is that once the last story pieces fell on their place in Rise of the Pirate God, and looking back on all 5 episodes I would say that Telltale Games did pull of the honor-mission of revitalizing the Monkey Island we all remember and love, even thou they did it in their own style and flair. Tales of Monkey Island is a peculiar, charming and challenging series of games that is a awesome way to compliment all the action titles that dominate most gamers gaming libraries these days.
Sources
- http://store.steampowered.com/app/31170/Tales_of_Monkey_Island_Complete_Pack/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Monkey_Island
I played adventures of monkey island on the Amiga 500 30 odd years ago and at the time it was the best game I had ever had.
Yea the nostalgia feeling is strong with the Monkey island series. I remember playing them on PC when PC's first started to come out and I instantly fell in love with the games puzzle-logic! So much comedy and humor in the puzzles I just loved it right from the get go :)
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