Monkey Island Special Edition Collection

2011

point-and-click
puzzle
adventure
comedy
single player

The story

The Monkey Island Special Edition Collection (abbreviated as MISEC) is a retail release of the Special Editions of the first two Monkey Island games, being The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge. As well as all the features presented in the previously released Special Editions, the disc contains never-before-released bonus materials, including concept art for the games, full-length remastered game soundtracks, and the storyboard and concept art for the Monkey Island movie that was in production at one point at ILM.

What it’s like

Bright, hand-painted Caribbean scenes in saturated tropical colour: sun-warmed wooden docks, moonlit coves, lantern-lit taverns and sea-green water, all rendered in the crisp, cartoonish style of the original LucasArts games with the backgrounds repainted and the characters redrawn. A toggle lets you switch instantly to the pixelated 1990 originals, so the same rooms appear in their chunky VGA past. The soundscape is a jaunty, Caribbean-flavoured score of marimba, brass and tin whistle, with clipped sound effects and a chorus of sea shanties in the pubs. Pacing is unhurried and conversational, built around clicking through rooms, chatting with bizarre islanders and pondering inventory puzzles, with long stretches of easy wandering between set pieces. The tone is wry, warm and self-mocking, a steady stream of gags that rarely raises the stakes; the hero's bumbling ambition and his rivalry with a comically sinister pirate ghost give the story its gentle shape. Intensity is very low: sword fights are cartoonish, there is no gore or sexual content, and any danger reads as slapstick. It suits a lazy afternoon at the desk, a comfort replay, or anyone who loves witty dialogue and wants a playful, low-pressure puzzle adventure.

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