{"id":203841,"date":"2022-09-22T10:56:18","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T08:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=203841"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:26:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:26:15","slug":"return-to-monkey-island-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/return-to-monkey-island-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to Monkey Island review | Puzzle adventure fun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Return to Monkey Island is a point-and-click adventure game<\/strong> that sees the return of Guybrush Threepwood. Developed by Terrible Toybox and published by Devolver Digital, it launched on September 19, 2022. The story continues years later with the pirate hero setting sail again to the mysterious island.<\/p>\n\n\n

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With a similar but different art style and upgraded visuals<\/strong>, you\u2019ll uncover clues to solve puzzles<\/strong> and help some friends along the way. The gameplay is easy with a few nostalgic elements from the previous five games. Stay tuned as I take you on a swashbuckling adventure in this Return to Monkey Island review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to Monkey Island: The hero is back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with my favorite part of all games: the story. Return to Monkey Island Island continues from the first five games, years later after Guybrush Threepwood defeated the zombie pirate LeChuck once again. It\u2019s time to see how our hero has been faring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tale of a father<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Return to Monkey Island starts with two children running around and investigating a small island. Eventually, they reach an aged Guybrush Threepwood<\/strong>. One of the boys is his son, and he wonders why his father never discovered the secret<\/strong> of the mysterious island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s then that Guybrush decides to tell him another story, one where he returned to Monkey Island<\/strong> to finally discover its secrets. While he\u2019s narrating the tale, you\u2019ll see them now and again in the park as they discuss plot elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heading back to Monkey Island<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After Guybrush\u2019s last adventures before the Return to Monkey Island, he ended up on Melee Island. Elaine Marley<\/strong>, the love of his life, has turned away from governing the island<\/strong>, and our hero doesn\u2019t know what to do with himself. That\u2019s when he discovers LeChuck and his zombie horde have a ship that\u2019s heading back to Monkey Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined to discover the island\u2019s secrets first, Guybrush embarks on a plan to get there. You\u2019ll spend the first part of the game working out how to reach the island<\/strong>, before spending time on a ship on your way there. When you return to Monkey island, that\u2019s when the real adventure begins<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finding Trivia cards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the fun of playing a game if you don\u2019t learn anything? As you play Return to Monkey Island, you\u2019ll discover Trivia Cards<\/strong> along the way. They ask you multiple choice questions, and you\u2019ll get a tick if you answer correctly. For some reason, getting it wrong makes the card vanish, so be careful<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scrapbook memories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a special treat for newbies to the series and those who\u2019ve played the previous games. The main menu of Return to Monkey Island has a scrapbook section<\/strong>. When you click on it, you open a book with memories<\/strong> from the former titles. Selecting images will have Guybrush explaining what happened in each adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How does it take to play Return to Monkey Island?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you just want to complete the story, or is collecting every trivia card and exploring every part of the islands important to you? If you\u2019re in the former group, Return to Monkey Island will take about 7 to 9 hours<\/strong> to play. Should you want to play the game to completion<\/strong>, you\u2019ll see about 11 to 13 hours<\/strong> of gameplay. It also depends on how long it takes you to solve the puzzles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding answers in Return to Monkey Island<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s as much as you need to know about the story elements for Return to Monkey Island. Now, I\u2019m going to explore some of the gameplay mechanics<\/strong>. Veterans of the series will quickly see how alike it is to previous titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to Monkey Island tooltips and hints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve never played a game in this series, Return to Monkey Island might scare you a bit at the start. It requires you to think and determine what to do next<\/strong>, even when it looks like there\u2019s nothing left to do. Fortunately, you\u2019ll see tooltips<\/strong> now and again when hovering your cursor over items. Also, you\u2019ll have a hint book to guide you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I love about the hint book<\/strong> is that it doesn\u2019t outright give you the solution. You\u2019ll select a question, then keep selecting more questions until you reach the answer at the end. Return to Monkey Island wants you to try and find the solution on your own before telling you what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pointing and clicking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main way you\u2019ll play Return to Monkey Island is by pointing and clicking<\/strong> at shops and items<\/strong>. If you\u2019re using a controller, you can simply move the left stick to run around. Using a keyboard and mouse requires you to click on the screen where you want to walk, much like in Diablo III<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Puzzles and clues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The essence of Return to Monkey Island is finding clues<\/strong> to your next actions. Guybrush will always have an overarching quest, such as reaching the island. However, there are small steps along the way you\u2019ll have to complete first. When you reach an obstacle to a mission, you\u2019ll need to work out how to overcome it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Traversing the map<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019ll mostly travel between various scenes<\/strong>, there is a way to fast travel<\/strong> in the game. There are locations where the island\u2019s map opens<\/strong>, which is when you can move Guybrush to different areas. It\u2019s the best way to get to where you want to be quick so you don\u2019t waste time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Helping others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, progressing in Return to Monkey Island means helping others<\/strong> when they need it the most. Some quests require you to help NPCs<\/strong> with fetching items or doing something for them. I recommend you perform these menial tasks<\/strong>, as they usually result in a reward <\/strong>that will help you with a future puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Searching everywhere and speaking to everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a quick tip<\/strong> for you. I know this Return to Monkey Island is meant to provide a detailed overview of the game, but I feel this will help you if you\u2019re stuck without going to the hint book. Don\u2019t skip areas<\/strong> or chats with NPCs. Otherwise, you may end up standing for a long time wondering what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search every location <\/strong>to death and talk to all characters<\/strong>. There\u2019s always something that will help you continue with your tasks, even if you don\u2019t know it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Games like Return to Monkey Island you\u2019ll enjoy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, any former games will be like Return to Monkey Island, such as The Secret of Monkey Island<\/strong><\/a> and The Curse of Monkey Island<\/strong><\/a>. Some other games with similar mechanics or gameplay are Day of the Tentacle Remastered<\/strong><\/a>, Full Throttle Remastered<\/strong><\/a>, and Gemini Rue<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to check out our full list of games like Monkey Island<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PC requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Return to Monkey Island doesn\u2019t have demanding requirements <\/strong>relative to some of the latest AAA games I\u2019ve been seeing. As long as you have the graphics card, memory, and storage sorted, you should be fine. It plays wonderfully on Windows 11 without any performance issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n