the secret of monkey island special edition 2009

#The secret of monkey island special edition 2009 Pc#
#The secret of monkey island special edition 2009 series#

Not only does switching between the two modes provide an injection of nostalgia, it highlights exactly how much work has gone into the new version. Swiping two fingers across the screen transforms the game to classic mode, restoring the original graphics. Purists may scoff at the radical changes that the game has undergone, but they need not fear. The downside is the amount of time it can take to carry out a command using the menu, which leaves you at a disadvantage on those rare occasions when the game calls upon your reflexes (such as swiping the meat from the seagull).

Movement can be a little ropey, but this is never too detrimental to the overall experience.

Double-tapping certain objects will see Guybrush carry out the most obvious action to eliminate the need to access the action menu every time you need to open a door. The cursor follows your finger's trajectory across the screen, rather than moving directly under it to prevent items from being obscured. There can be few complaints with the game's control system. This system serves to maximise the entire screen of the iPhone, compensating for its limited size. For instance, the verb table used to carry out commands in the original is nowhere to be found, with all of Guybrush's actions and inventory tidied away into neat pop-up menus, accessed with a tap of a digit.

After twelve years in the role, it's hard to imagine anybody else voicing Guybrush Threepwood.Ĭhanges to the interface are more functional than aesthetic. The supporting cast deliver serviceable performances but Armato's tones really emanate zeal and passion towards the source material.

#The secret of monkey island special edition 2009 series#

The voice acting is impressive for a handheld title, but only series mainstay Dominic Armato sounds like anything other than a stereotype. The sound and visuals have been given a complete overhaul, with the original VGA graphics replaced by colourful hand-drawn backdrops and well rendered character models somewhat similar to 1997's Curse Of Monkey Island.The soundtrack has been similarly revamped, conjuring nostalgia for the original score while impressing as a brand new take on it. The title raised the bar for interactive storytelling though the medium of video games, and that revolutionary blueprint has not been tampered with in the Special Edition.Īll of the dialogue remains unchanged, along with the characters, locations and puzzles so most of the alterations effectively pertain to presentation and interface. But what made the original Monkey Island so groundbreaking in its day was its engaging protagonist. What follows is a gripping tale of swashbuckling adventure, romance and razor-sharp wit, with a healthy dose of puzzles to reason your way through. Unfortunately for Guybrush, the fearsome ghost pirate Le Chuck, who doesn't take too kindly to aspiring pirates, hatches an insidious plot to eliminate our hero. After meeting with the pirate leaders in a squalid bar, the aspiring swashbuckler learns that he must complete three trials before they will accept him into their fold: master the sword, steal the governor's idol and unearth some buried treasure. A young wannabe-pirate named Guybrush Threepwood arrives on the Caribbean island of Melee in search of his fortune. The title has been perfectly tailored towards the system's strengths, with an innovative touch-screen interface and a motion-activated pause menu.įor anyone yet to sample the joys of Monkey Island, the game's storyline is as follows.

#The secret of monkey island special edition 2009 Pc#

The iPhone version was always going to be more challenging for the developers than its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts so it's good to see that the team have really gone that extra mile when optimising the game for the handheld platform. Released in the wake of Tales, The Secret Of Monkey Island: Special Edition was always going to do one of two things: honour and celebrate the legacy of its predecessor, or stamp it with an ugly black mark. Fortunately, the episodic follow-up Tales Of Monkey Island successfully recaptured the essence of the series and proved that there's life in the old seadog yet. The news that LucasArts was resurrecting the iconic Monkey Island franchise for both a sequel and a remake was greeted with surprise, elation and just a dash of scepticism from its undying fanbase. The previous console generation wasn't particularly accommodating to the mighty pirate, with his last outing Escape From Monkey Island proving that the dwindling point-and-click genre never really survived the transition from 2D to 3D. Until recently, one could be forgiven for thinking that we'd seen the last of Guybrush Threepwood.