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Game 43 The Secret of Monkey Island Final Rating

I have to admit that Ive been pretty nervous about this Final Rating post. Blogging through one of the all-time classic adventure games is one thing, but giving it a score is another thing altogether! In the end Ive had to bite the bullet and trust that my PISSED rating system will come up with a result worthy of such a game. Here goes...

Puzzles and Solvability
The first thing to say is that I made it through Monkey Island without assistance, which suggests the game is perfectly solvable. That’s not to say it’s not without challenge though, as nine and a half hours of play time implies. I was stuck quite a few times, with at least two of those occasions taking the majority of a session to get past. The good news is that logical deduction was used to solve pretty much every puzzle in the game, but I should point out that the simplicity of the interface caused me to solve a few without knowing what I was doing. I found the file in the carrot cake and the key in the cereal box while attempting to do something completely different, and while it’s true I might have deduced their whereabouts unassisted given more time, I may have been in trouble had the game used a text parser system. The puzzle that caused me the most trouble overall was retrieving the key from the wall in LeChuck’s cabin, but once again the solution was actually pretty logical (it was my own preconceptions of the magnet’s use that gave me the trouble). Other solutions were so simple that they seemed unlikely, such as picking the idol up while trapped underwater, but that’s hardly a criticism if it’s only the occasional puzzle. In the end I’d say the puzzles in The Secret of Monkey Island are moderately challenging while remaining logical and fun, which is exactly what all adventure games should strive for. Probably my only real gripe is that collecting insults to defeat the Sword Master got old after a while, but it’s easy to forgive that when the idea was so unique and clever to begin with.
Rating: 8


Interface and Inventory
The interface in The Secret of Monkey Island is almost identical to the one found in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The only differences are in the layout, with Monkey Island having three vertical rows of actions followed by a vertical inventory, and Indy having four vertical rows of actions and a more horizontal inventory beneath it. As with other LucasArts games, there were actions in the list that I didn’t need (I never used Turn On or Turn Off), but I imagine trying to use them in certain spots may have resulted in some funny dialogue. The verb-based interface also played a role in one of the game’s funniest moments, where I could only see what was occurring in the next room by watching which verbs and items were selected by Guybrush. Movement is handled more than adequately, with Guybrush generally going exactly where I wanted him to whenever I clicked on the screen. There were two reasons why Indy got a 7 for this category and not higher. The first was because the inventory became a bit unruly at times, and I’m afraid that issue is a little bit exacerbated in Monkey Island due to an increase in collectible items. I was pretty happy when I was able to rid myself of a few unneeded knick-knacks while making the soup onboard the Sea Monkey, as that meant I didn’t have to scroll through so much to find what I needed. The second reason why Indy only got a 7 was because the many action scenes in that game were clunky to say the least. Monkey Island overcame this problem in the most genius of ways, making combat settled through selectable insults rather than through any sort of movement or mouse clicks. There has been no better interface so far, so…
Rating: 9


Story and Setting
When summarised, the story and setting of Monkey Island are simplistic and cliché. It’s a typical zero to hero tale, where a young man strives to become a respected pirate, having to pass a number of trials before confronting an evil villain in an attempt to get the girl. However, playing the game reveals that this overview fails to pick up on a couple of important things. There’s little doubt that Ron Gilbert and co. purposely took on all the standard pirate adventure tropes just so they could make fun of them. The whole first section of the game leads to Guybrush pulling together a crew to man his ship to sail to Monkey Island, but said crew ends up helping in no way whatsoever. The Legendary Lost Treasure of Melee Island ends up being nothing more than a tourist hoax. Even at the climax of the game, where our hero is determined to save the damsel in distress, it turns out the damsel requires no saving at all and is perfectly capable of looking after herself. On top of this, there can be no decent explanation for certain items that are found or events that occur, so the creators clearly figured the most entertaining thing to do was to take the piss out of the situation rather than try to make up something that no partially intelligent person would ever believe. The rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle (for which there can be no explanation) is a good example; the crew getting through the catacombs unassisted and then claiming ignorance is another. Despite this messing about, I never once felt cheated while playing. I was just having too much fun! In the end Monkey Island is more about the characters, which are all fantastic, than the storyline. There are an incredible amount of classic NPCs and villains. Who could ever forget The Fetuccini Brothers, the voodoo lady, the vegetarian cannibals, and Stan the salesman, not to mention LeChuck and Elaine.
Rating: 7


Sound and Graphics
Let’s start with the music. The music in The Secret of Monkey Island is second to none in my opinion! It had been a decade since I’d played any of the series prior to this playthrough, and yet I could still hum the main theme at a second’s notice. It’s ridiculously enjoyable and memorable, as is pretty much all of the music throughout the game. Sound effects are used sparingly, but I can’t say I noticed their absence while playing. The main gripe I have with the audio is the same one I have for most games of this era. Far too much time is spent in complete silence! This was made even more obvious in this game when characters onscreen are chatting away or highly animated, yet silence reigns supreme. I imagine the voice version of the game would pretty much remove this gripe, but I can only rate what I played. Moving onto the visuals, I’d already been in awe of the use of colours in LucasArts’ previous game, Loom. The Secret of Monkey Island does just as nice a job, only this time I finally got to experience a LucasArts game in VGA. I absolutely adore the look of this game! The Melee Island scenes in particular, which are all set at night, are gorgeous, with the contrast of dark blues and bright yellows creating much eye candy. Oh and don’t get me started on the lava filled underground catacombs of Monkey Island! The animation is first rate for the time, with each of the game’s main characters having distinctive ways of standing, walking and even talking. Take Stan for example, with his jaw wagging open and closed, and his arms flying all over the place in exaggerated emphasis. The close-ups are stunning, even if the “animation” in them is restricted to a few changes of expression. If it wasn’t for the underuse of sound and the fact that LeChuck’s colour scheme blends into the background, I’d give it a 9.
Rating: 8


Environment and Atmosphere
Once again I have very few negative things to say for this category! The environments of Monkey Island perfectly encapsulate the game’s pirate theme, with a few unlikely surprises thrown in for good measure (such as the travelling circus in the middle of nowhere and the cannibal’s village being located as far from humanity as possible). Both Melee and Monkey Island have distinctive locations that are beautifully crafted (it’s worth noting that one island is perpetually night time while the other is permanently day). I particularly love the use of overhead maps to give the player a true sense of where they are and what locations are available to them on each island. These maps are a work of art as much as they are perfectly functional, and they remove the need to convince the player that there’s a much bigger world outside the game area (because there isn’t). As for the game’s atmosphere, well I mentioned during one of my earlier posts just how similar the tone of Monkey Island is to Pirates of the Caribbean. Fun and silliness pervade both series (well, for most of both series), leaving a consistent smile on the viewer’s face, and yet both of them manage to keep the drama and excitement at a satisfying level too. A pirate comedy wouldn’t normally rank high on my list of genres (subjectively I’d prefer something a bit less silly), but Monkey Island offers something for everyone in a very complete package.
Rating: 8


Dialogue and Acting
The Secret of Monkey Island is downright hilarious! Sure, I’ve laughed quite a bit during certain Leisure Suit Larry scenes, and just as much while playing Space Quest games, but never as hard and consistently as I did during Monkey Island. The dialogue is pure genius, and makes the most of some really great set-ups. If you want to know how great the comedy writing is, just go and watch a few minutes of Stan’s boat sales pitches. It’s like a stand-up comedy act with audience participation! Probably the part that had me in stitches the most though was the nutritional discussions that the cannibals were having in their village. “But think of your arteries!” Oh, and having to book a time slot to loot the Governor’s mansion would be a close second. The game’s dialogue isn’t limited to what other characters say though, and this is where things become particularly groundbreaking. Indiana Jones had already brought branching dialogues into the mix, but the system was clunky and repetitive. Not so here! What you find in Monkey Island is pretty much what you would expect today in any decent third person adventure game! There are stacks of awesome dialogue options available throughout every conversation, and combining this with the fact you can’t die or dead-end yourself while playing, means the player can take a huge amount of enjoyment out of saying whatever they want. The things you want to ask always seem to be available, but it’s the things you would never have thought to say that bring the most joy. The only thing stopping a perfect score here is the fact that there isn’t any voice acting. It’s therefore pretty likely I would give full marks to the CD version.
Rating: 9