Tales of Monkey Island, Chapters 1-5 Reviewed

[Sky Warrior Bob]

So the last monkey has been caught, the game has been played & I'm sure you'd like to know what I think of the new Monkey Island game.

...

Okay, so maybe not. I mean all my reviews are terrible, but you people have only yourselves to blame (not giving me constructive criticism or chasing me off with pitchforks & torches).


Spoiler-Free portion:

The first thing I think I should point out about this game is that the tone isn't the same throughout. Chapters 1-3 are light hearted Monkey Island fair, with decent-to-great humor. Chapter 3 is the high point, with a great overall plot, fantastic character use & great jokes. This is followed by 1 (in terms of quality) which does a great job of introducing the plot, with a good mix of puzzles & humor. Chapter 2 is the odd member of this bunch, in that it introduces great characters, but the puzzles & some of the jokes are a bit forgettable.

Chapters 4 & 5 are much darker, and a dramatic change from previous Monkey Island titles. Chapter 4 starts off much like 1-3 level of light hearted fun, with a good mix of gallows humor. However, it begins to mix in some (heavy handed) drama. Chapter 5 does a much better job of mixing the humor & drama, and the story concludes with the definite message that there is more in store.


Story & semi-spoiler portion:

Now, onto the actual meaty portion of the review, where I talk about the plot. Tales of Monkey, begins with Guybrush attempting to kill LeChuck yet again. However, instead of killing him, Guybrush releases all of LeChuck's evil Voodoo magics & in the process brings him back to life.

At the same time, Guybrush's left hand, becomes infected by these very same magics, & develops a mind of its own. Similarly, the gaseous cloud of LeChuck's evil Voodoo, acts as a plague on all the other Pirates. In response, Guybrush seeks out Le Sponge Grandé, to cure everyone.

Other plot elements involve a crazed French scientist (who apparently was responsible for the creation of the Piranha Poodles in the first game,) seeking out Guybrush & his poxed hand. A Pirate Hunter™ hired by said crazy to seek out & capture Guybrush. The game also introduces a apparently reformed LeChuck, who is apparently good after turning human.

(Oh yeah, and Mermaids.)


Conclusion:

Well I mostly enjoyed the ride, but not entirely. As I've mentioned in my review, I felt that a good portion of the drama was too heavy handed, and at least not initially well executed. It doesn't ruin the game for me entirely, but it did seriously damper my enjoyment of Chapter 4.

Still it was a worthwhile experience, and I would recommend it to any fan of the Monkey Island series. People who aren't into the Monkey Island series should enjoy it too, just maybe not nearly as much.


Okay, I've tortured you people enough with my reviews. If you want quality reviews of each chapter, I suggest you go here, here, here, here & here.

I would also HIGHLY recommend that you watch the various fan-made: 'I Wonder What Happens In: Tales of Monkey Island, Chapter X' They're all pretty hilarious, and the very last one could even be described as epic.

Here they are: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4 & Ch 5.

I recommend that you watch each of these just before you play each chapter, as that's the way they were meant to be watched.

SWB