Escape from Monkey Island – PC Review

In the world of gaming, every genre has an iconic title—one that has become legendary due to its merits and has inspired (or even been directly copied by) other games. For example, nearly everyone would think of Quake when discussing first-person shooters, or Warcraft when choosing the most representative real-time strategy game.

When it comes to graphic adventures, that title would be Escape from Monkey Island. Its gameplay, its vast number of puzzles to solve, and above all, its absurd sense of humor, secured it a permanent place in the hearts and memories of fans.

However, after two glorious installments, the third game took years to arrive and wasn’t met with the same universal enthusiasm. Beyond any flaws the game may have had, many fans saw it as merely recycling situations and jokes from the past. In other words, many players who were new to Guybrush’s pirate world didn’t quite see the appeal—especially in an era where heroes were expected to slice, crush, and disintegrate their enemies in real-time.

Yet here we have a new installment in the adventures of our (favorite?) pirate, ready to prove that the graphic adventure genre is still alive and has a place in today’s entertainment software landscape. In short: not everything has to be about filling the screen with battling armies and horribly mutilated bodies.

What is Escape from Monkey Island?

It’s like a Monty Python movie, replacing dark humor with a layer of innocent white paint—a series of hilarious and absurd situations. The story begins when our (intrepid?) pirate, Guybrush, returns from his long honeymoon trip. His beloved wife, the governor of Melee Island, has been declared dead in his absence.

Not only is her position now vacant, but a demolition company has been hired to tear down her house. From here, Guybrush’s peculiar intelligence kicks into gear as he sets out to solve the problem and uncover who’s responsible—a certain Charles L. Charles, who is also connected to the mystery of the Ultimate Insult.

Graphics

The visual style of Escape from Monkey Island is one of its strong points. The game uses a technique of overlaying 3D characters on 2D backgrounds. While the character designs aren’t spectacular by today’s standards, they never clash with the environment or show noticeable flaws. The background graphics, however, are quite impressive—vibrant, colorful, and full of charm.

Writing

The writing is also outstanding. Not only is the story engaging from the very beginning, but it’s also dripping with humor. There are countless memorable moments and characters, jokes based on absurdity and parody—like when Guybrush sits on a bench and exclaims that life is like plundering ships because you never know what you’ll find… Undoubtedly, this is the strongest aspect of the game, to the point where you’ll stop to interact with objects or talk to characters just to enjoy their witty remarks.

Gameplay

For those new to this genre, the gameplay system in Escape from Monkey Island is quite simple: to progress, you need the right object and must use it in the right place. Your character can’t die, and it’s virtually impossible to "mess up" to the point of needing to restart. At first glance, this might make the game seem easy—even boring. You might say, "Oh, if Guybrush needs to climb down a cliff, he just needs to find a rope, problem solved."

But not so fast, my friend. In reality, objects often have unexpected—even absurd—uses. Sometimes you must combine them with other items, use them in the presence of a specific character, or… well, you get the idea. In fact, some puzzles can be downright frustrating, leaving the player clueless about what to do next, with in-game hints being scarce. There are even puzzles that can’t be solved by mere trial and error, forcing players to either consult a walkthrough or practice the ancient art of Hardware Tossing Out the Window (printer, scanner, and gamepad included).

This isn’t necessarily a flaw—after all, you can always ask a more experienced player or consult a guide—but what is a real issue is the game’s interface. This is its true weak point. Mouse controls have been removed, and the character must be controlled with a gamepad or keyboard, like an action game. And the controls are far from precise.

First, you must turn the character in the right direction, then press forward—and getting used to this is a challenge. Not to mention, if the character hits an obstacle, they automatically turn around and keep walking. It can be maddening to watch them run in the opposite direction of where you want to go. In my humble opinion, a simple point-and-click system would have been much more intuitive and enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Despite its minor flaws, Escape from Monkey Island is an absolutely recommended PC game—even for those unfamiliar with or skeptical of the "graphic adventure" label. Its appealing visuals, the music that accompanies the action, the incredible voice work, and, of course, the tremendous sense of humor that ties everything together, all combine to create a game that deserves a 9 out of 10. As far as I’m concerned, it stands as the best in its class to this day.

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