Playing Return to Monkey Island reminded me of the point-and-click adventures of my youth

Date:
Sat, 23 May 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
I've finally found time to dive into the sixth Monkey Island game, which originally came out in 2022.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge launched in 1991, and I picked up a copy not long after, in the early years of high school. It became the experience that basically defined my youth, as far as computer games went: I spent hours immersed in the swashbuckling, wisecracking world of Monkey Island and its pirates, clicking on and exploring every pixel on my 286 computer (that didn't yet have Windows). From the Backlog Every gamer has a backlog and thats no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first-plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating established favorites in new ways. Read the full series here . Three Monkey Island games followed, though without the involvement of series creator Ron Gilbert, which I dipped in and out of.
Then, in 2022, we got Return to Monkey Island : Gilbert was back on board,
the game was being positioned as a direct successor to Monkey Island 2 , and
I bought it as soon as I could. And then I never got around to playing it, for one reason and another (there are obviously a lot of different pressures on your time in your 40s, compared to when you're a teenager). When TechRadar Gaming started up its From the Backlog series , though, I knew it was a sign I had to get reacquainted with lovable rogue Guybrush Threepwood and the
ghost pirate LeChuck. Latest Videos From You may like Playing The Last of Us with friends made my favorite PlayStation game feel brand new again The 28 best Xbox Series X games to play right now I trapped a clone of my boss on a desert island in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and it only got weirder from there Back in the game Just to reiterate: there were 31 years between Monkey Island 2 and Return to Monkey Island . That's a long time by any measure in terms of video games and technology, it's eons. And yet Ron Gilbert and his team have managed to produce an experience that's very
similar to what got me so absorbed back in the 1990s.

There's even an option to get a recap of the Monkey Island story so far, much like you might see something done for TV shows, but I suspect this is a game you're only going to get the most out of if you're already a long-time fan of the series otherwise a lot of the jokes and references may go sailing over your head. Catching up with old friends, in old haunts (Image credit: Future
/ Terrible Toybox) This is very much a game that gives the fans what they want: lashings of nostalgia. A lot of the old Monkey Island 2 locations and characters are back, from cartographer Wally to smooth-talking used ship salesman Stan, and it's fun to see these places and people get a graphical revamp for the 2020s.

And the graphics are probably what have impressed me most in my playthrough. This is a gorgeous-looking game, with artwork that's rich, detailed, and full of character it's like the exact opposite of AI slop. There are so many neat touches here, and the sound design is almost as impressive too (complete with the classic Monkey Island theme tunes). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. An open world game, of sorts (Image credit: Future / Terrible Toybox) When I'm standing on the deck of LeChuck's ship as Guybrush Threepwood, for example, I've got swaying lights casting ever-changing patterns on the boards beneath my feet, jagged drops of rain shooting down from the sky in front of me, and the atmospheric sounds of rain and thunder all around me.

The game may use a simplified, cartoon style, but it's done with heart and care. Each scene comes with so many cool details to explore (which will often advance the plot or solve a puzzle), and I quickly found myself as invested
in the Return as I was in Monkey Island 2 all those years ago. The point-and-click approach Monkey Island 2 was part of a wave of games that
used a 'point-and-click' interface in the 1990s, an early precursor to the open-world games of today. It lets you interact with the environments around you, talk to other characters, pick up and use items, and navigate the world and the same basic mechanics are here in Return to Monkey Island, too, albeit updated with a more modern feel. What to read next Skulking in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is superb, and the Nemesis System is yet to be bested by 12 years of action games I'm still playing Forza Horizon 3 a decade after
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It's refreshing to go back to the old way of gaming, where options are more limited, the pace is slower, and the emphasis is on plot rather than action (the sword fights here are won by the quality of your jokes and comebacks). There are puzzles to solve and challenges to overcome, but the game is as
much about exploring a story and its characters as it is about achieving objectives. The game's artwork is gorgeous to look at (Image credit: Future / Terrible Toybox) That can be frustrating, on occasion "this all seems needlessly complicated" is a line Guybrush says, at one point but I've
really enjoyed wandering around chatting to characters and exploring scenes
to figure out how to progress, rather than blasting away enemies or trying to beat countdown clocks.

And the sense of humor so prevalent in the earlier games is here again. The dialog and indeed the storylines come packed with gags and whimsy, which
means that spending an hour or two inside this game is a genuinely fun and relaxing experience, a welcome respite from the stresses and strains of the day and isn't that what games are for? Callbacks to earlier games are many and frequent (Image credit: Future / Terrible Toybox) I've not yet finished the game and discovered the true secret of Monkey Island, but I'm more than half the way there (I think). I've crawled along the sides of ships in turbulent seas, played tunes on impaled skulls, stolen eyepatches by distracting parrots, and followed maps to mop trees, and I've loved every minute. I really should have started this game a lot earlier.

Game franchises are incredibly common, of course, but it's hard to think of one that's quite like Monkey Island in its longevity, its idiosyncrasies, or its complicated history. I'm very glad Ron Gilbert and the team came back for another adventure, though, and it's reminded me just how much I like this world and these characters. The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/xbox/playing-return-to-monkey-island-reminded -me-of-the-point-and-click-adventures-of-my-youth


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