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Escape
from Monkey Island
I’m an adventure game lover from way back, so when Rip
asked me if I wanted to take a look at LucasArts’ PS2
version of Escape from Monkey Island (EFMI),
I was eager to say the least. I’ve seen several “evolutions”
of adventure games, from the original text adventures
to the addition of still drawings, from basic 2D animation
to FMV adaptations (cf. Phantasmagoria, Under
A Killing Moon); this,
however,
was my first foray into the realm of 3D animation in
an adventure title
(lamentably
I have yet to play Grim Fandango). So, how did
it turn out?
Well,
if you’ve read Carpe M’Karzi’s PC
review of EFMI, you already know that the artists
at LucasArts managed to maintain the series’ cartoonish
feel in the transition from 2D to 3D, with only the occasional
glitch in the character models. If anything, they’ve managed
to clean things up close to perfection for the PS2 version.
For those of you new to Monkey Island, here’s the skinny.
EFMI is the fourth installment in the series, which follows
the misadventures of the unfortunately monikered Guybrush
Threepwood, pirate wannabe. Through the three previous
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Stats
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Genre:
Adventure
Release
Date:
Available
 Publisher:
Lucas Arts
Developer:
Lucas Arts
ESRB:
Everyone
System:
Playstation 2 |
iterations, Guybrush had to deal with the evil machinations
of the Pirate Charles LeChuck, all the while trying to
prove his pirately manhood and win (and keep) the affections
of Elaine Marley, Governor of Mêlée Island. By the time
EFMI rolls around, not only are you married to Elaine,
but you’ve even managed to go on a honeymoon; however,
not all is well.
It seems you’ve spent a little too long away from the
gubernatorial mansion, and an insidious character named
Charles L. Charles (does the name sound oddly familiar?)
has had Elaine declared as missing at sea - the office
of Governor is up for grabs, and someone is trying to
demolish your home. Your task, besides maintaining the
marital bliss, is to save your mansion, resuscitate Elaine’s
political career (so to speak), and do piratey things
- of course, things begin to get complicated very quickly.
EFMI uses features and controls that will be immediately
familiar to any veteran of the genre, yet which are simple
enough for even the greenest neophyte to pick up and get
into the game without a hitch. The PS2 controller mimics
the controls found in the PC version, and is very intuitive
to use: circle initiates “Examine/Look” mode; triangle
“Use/Talk”; square “Pick Up/Put Away”; and X selects the
currently highlighted action. Inventory management is
done from the shoulder buttons, and movement is controlled
by the left analog stick - simple as borscht. Actions
and dialogue options are indicated onscreen when you are
facing an object or person you can interact with, and
Guybrush’s head swivels to draw attention to the item
or character, serving to add a level of realism to the
gameworld interactions. Dialogue is all handled through
the use of dialogue trees, and is quite simple to use.
Rarely will a verbal choice get you into real hot water,
and some of the choices are downright hilarious. You can
spend hours just going through the various conversations.
Game mechanics are also familiar, with the requisite number
of varied areas to explore and brain busting puzzles to
solve. While the logic for some of them requires pretty
warped thinking, they all make sense, in a piratey kinda
way. There were a few areas that had me stumped, but nothing
in the game is impossibly hard or illogical to the point
of stupidity. Just keep trying everything, using every
inventory item on every object, and pay attention to dialogue
- many clues are hidden therein. Oh, and be sure to write
things down; there are several puzzles in the game that
ask you to remember things you’ve seen/heard before, and
one that involves a complex series of moves, all of which
you’ll need to memorize if you don’t record them.
EFMI brings back a lot of favorite characters from previous
games in the series; besides Guybrush, Elaine, and LeChuck,
you’ll be meeting up with the likes of Murray the talking
skull, Otis and Carla, and Meathook (who’s turned his
attention away from piracy and to the arts since last
we saw him). The larger plot involves all of these characters
and a host of others, but I won’t get into details, as
I’d hate to ruin this excellent gameplay experience for
you. Suffice it to say that in your quest to save your
house et al., you uncover a much larger, darker scheme
afoot, and it is up to Guybrush to be once again the unlikeliest
of heroes.
Of
course, this is Monkey Island, so the plot never
gets too dark. Humor abounds throughout the well-written
script, with characters making real world allusions
to anything and everything, from other Monkey Island
games and Lucas’ Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom
Menace, to Starbuck’s and our society’s rampant
commercialism. The characters break the fourth wall
from time to time as well, and this is about the only
area where the jokes begin to run a little thin after
a while. Each of the characters is well voiced, from
the good to the simply excellent, and no one lets the
cast down. Dominic Armato (Guybrush) and Earl Boen (LeChuck)
reprise their roles, and Nick Tate as Ozzie Mandrill
is particularly outstanding. EFMI has a ton of laugh-out-loud
moments, and is worth playing through simply for the
great dialogue and delivery if for no other reason.
I plan to revisit the Caribbean at least once more,
just to make sure I explored every dialogue option.
Further on the topic of sound, I found the score to
be just about perfect. The requisite pirate airs are
here and suit, and the music ebbs and flows with the
activities occurring on the screen. Top-notch production
values shine throughout.
The biggest change in EFMI from the rest of the series,
as I’ve already mentioned, is the transition to 3D.
The PS2 version is crisp and clean, and one of the best
looking titles I’ve yet seen on the platform. The cartoonish
feel from the previous titles is kept, and the enhanced
graphics allow the use of plenty of devious visual puzzles.
The color palette is bright and pleasant to look at,
even in some of the more sinister locations, and this
game is appealing to the eye of any and all ages (though
some of the humor is of a bit more adult - or at least
teen - nature).
On the technical end, LucasArts has produced an extremely
clean product. The time between the PC release and the
PS2 version have allowed them to deal with any minor
graphical issues that were present (cf. our PC review
again), and saves are handled by pressing the Start
button at any point in the game. I didn’t have any problems
in this area.
While I’ve been playing adventure games for something
over two decades now, Escape from Monkey Island
is the first such title I’ve played on a console system.
If it’s any indication of what’s possible on the PS2,
I hope that more developers will go the route of LucasArts
and convert their titles over to this new platform.
This is simply one of the best play experiences to be
had on the PS2 today, and comes highly recommended to
anyone interested in excellent gameplay, well-written
dialogue, or laugh-out-loud humor. Kudos, LucasArts.
The
plot by nature is fairly linear, as certain things must
occur in a certain order for the plot to progress. The
puzzles are the part of the game that allow for interaction
and problem solving. EFMI is no different as the plot
is very linear but in a few places there is a degree
or randomization to make replayability possible, though
there is only one outcome. I can see my self replaying
this game a couple of times just to make sure I have
explored everywhere and used all of the dialogue choices.
The puzzles are perfect for the game and series. The
usual logic and memory puzzles rear their well-worn
heads, but there are a few nice action/reflex puzzles
that more than make up for any rough spot in this area.
Even the standard Maze puzzle takes on a new and warped
persona. The only advice I have is to write down everything!
An above average gamer that has played the previous
games should get through EFMI in about 10 hours, but
they will miss some of the interaction. I would think
it would take 15-20 hours for the average gamer. A replay
will probably take about 8 hours.
Back to the voice work and sound. Dominic Armato reprises
his role as Guybrush Threepwood from Monkey 3 as does
Earl Boen as Charles L Charles (LeChuck). W. Morgan
Sheppard, the great British character actor (Max Headroom
- Blank Reg) joins as Mr. I Cheese and Charity James
adds her talents to the role of Elaine Marley -Threepwood.
Other notables are Rob Paulson, Jess Harnell, and Tress
MacNeille (Wakko , Yakko and Dot - The Warner Brothers
and sister).
Needless to say the voice acting is perfect, amazing,
great, too funny - you choose. The timing of the jokes
is perfect and even the throwaway lines to end conversation
are hilarious. Go talk to the Bartender at the SCUMM
bar and the close off dialogue choice is “I have to
go.” The comeback from the Bartender is “Well, Grog
will do that.” Yes, it’s juvenile but it’s funny as
well. I could fill out another three pages just quoting
lines from the game, and believe me the temptation is
there [But I won’t let him - EiC]. In-jokes abound
touching everything from previous Monkey Island
games to Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace.
The music is rousingly piratey and perfect for the game.
Even the occasional music is good enough that it fades
to the background and merely heightens the game as opposed
to overpowering it.
This is a game worth replaying just to listen to certain
lines again and again. I have almost four pages of save
points just to show off some of the great voice work
and jokes.
Escape from Monkey Island is the fourth and hopefully
not the last in this great series (if the voodoo lady
is to be believed number 5 will be coming someday).
The transition to the 3D engine was handled perfectly
and as usual with all LucasArts adventure games, from
Sam and Max to Maniac Mansion to Grim
Fandango, it is the plot and humor that carries
you along.
If you liked any of the previous Monkey Island games
or just adventure games in general this is a must have
game.
See you all on Monkey Island.
Concept
Monkey Island in 3D. Can’t go wrong. |
92
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Gameplay
Er, Monkey Island in 3D. Can’t go wrong .
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95
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Graphics
Some odd clipping but captures the 2D feel in
3D. |
90
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Sound
Music great and the voice acting superior to
anything out there.
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96
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Technical
Some problems solved by patch. |
85
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Overall
Monkey
Island is still the best place to play. |
92
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