Return to Monkey Island announced for 2022

I'm still confused if this is an A fish that has gone to waste or a real thing. Perhaps we've been all trapped in a dream world made up by Lechuck?

I feel no game ever can live up to what we expect from "Monkey Island". Because we're not 12 anymore.

I wish they would do pixel graphics

Quoting: wit_as_a_riddleI wish they would do pixel graphics

Me too. I loved the retro style of Thimbleweed Park. Maybe just because I grew up with games looking like that. But what I never want to go back to, is having to read all that conversation on screen. Voice-Over please :-)

Unless what? Unless WHAAAAAT?

If Linux support is announced, this will be at the top of my wishlist immediately.

Quoting: frykBut what I never want to go back to, is having to read all that conversation on screen. Voice-Over please :-)

All of the later Lucasarts adventures had voice acting, including Curse of Monkey Island (MI3). So do the third party HD remakes of 1 and 2. Would be odd if a new Monkey Island game didn't.

EDIT: Never mind. Should have watched the trailer first. Nice to see that Dominic Armato is back as the voice of Guybrush.



I wonder if our hero has done the Harry Potter thing and aged with his fans. Would be nice to see how he's coping with early middle age.


Last edited by tuubi on 5 April 2022 at 2:27 pm UTC

Good news, I hope they won't do "pixel art" , I always found this way of making game totaly out of context. Back in the days, when these game were released you would play on very small screen with 256colors. That was because the hardware was very limited and because screens were pretty expensive. Playing on a 14/15' crt was pretty much the norm, and anything = or above 640*480 was already good quality. What is called pixel art is because if you launch those game on modern screen they look pixelated as the image is increasingly zoomed in.

Otherwise at the time it was not looking pixelated as much as modern pixel art does. It was looking smooth, almost like a cartoon especially on the point&clic genre.

Every classic game from that era that I launch on my modern screen looks terrible, but it still looks nice and neat on a 14'/15' crt screen. Using 2xsai filters in dosbox can partialy improve that pixalated aspect that did not exists back in the days, at least nothing as what they made a fashion of "pixel art" that is simply a waste of hardware in my opinion and in general looking pretty poor graphically and colorwise compare to what was done back in the days with only 256colors.

They could try to create nice graphics and animation instead of willing to be what it is not. I can't count the list of game that could have look great if not pixelated on purpose. And I really think this is a waste.

On the other hand if you take the exemple of the two remaster of Monkey Island the style really does not respect the original game. It went to some disney childish style, instead of poetic as it was in the original. If you look what has been done with day of the tentacle, they more or less kept the original aspect, but the minor tweaks are not perfect, and on top of that the animation is too stiff. It was some sort of compromise.

I hope they will make the right decisions for this awaited official third episode;


Last edited by Jahimself on 5 April 2022 at 2:34 pm UTC

Quoting: tuubiIf Linux support is announced, this will be at the top of my wishlist immediately.

They should develop it directly in ScummVM!

Quoting: Jahimself...

It's common for artists to restrict themselves in certain areas to create a context for their message. Pixel art is one way to do that. Hand drawn pixel art is an art form some people are very good at and seeing what they can do with attracts a lot of people. It's not cheaper nor inferior if executed properly.

Yet I'm also glad they don't go for pixel art here, cause monkey island was always about looking as comic/pop art as possible with current technology so they better follow comic culture.

Quoting: const

Quoting: tuubiIf Linux support is announced, this will be at the top of my wishlist immediately.

They should develop it directly in ScummVM!

Heh. That would be nice, but I doubt it. Unless Disney/Lucas gets a say, Gilbert is likely to bake his own engine, or rather base the engine on what he created for Thimbleweed Park. I'm basing this on the following excerpt from the Thimbleweed Park blog:

Quoting: Ron GilbertLots of great choices, but deep down (if I'm honest with myself), I'm a game engine snob. Whenever I use an engine, I keep wanting to modify it and hack into it to do what I need. I guess I've found over the years that it's a lot easier (and less stressful) for me if I just create my own.

Quoting: wit_as_a_riddleI wish they would do pixel graphics

Maybe I'm the only one, but I quite liked the style in Curse. The graphics, Murray, and the voice acting was probably the best parts of the entire game.

Quoting: frykBut what I never want to go back to, is having to read all that conversation on screen. Voice-Over please :-)

Hah! I'm very much the opposite. Zero patience for voice. I finish reading. I click to skip.

Curse was my first foray into Monkey Island, so if they do it with a 2D painterly style like the teaser suggests, that suits me fine. Either way, probably an instant purchase!

In addition to Dominic Armato returning as Guybrush, I’m happy to see Michael Land doing the music again. I’ve been listening to MI3’s soundtrack a lot lately. So comfy.

It won't be the same unless I have to swap floppy disks

Quoting: KohlyKohlIt won't be the same unless I have to swap floppy disks

That's really not something I'm nostalgic for. Twelve floppies for a damn adventure game. I can still almost feel the frustration of finding out disk 10 of my copy of MI2 had multiple errors...

Ron Gilbert did a few posts two years ago when he switched his development setup from Mac to Linux.
He order a Linux laptop, made a post after and a few month later the Linux native version of Dolores was ready for testing and eventually released. (Same in-house engine as Return of Monkey Island.)

IDK if he is still developing on Linux nor the platform plans of Devolver, but my guess is chances are high for a native Linux version.


Last edited by micha on 5 April 2022 at 5:43 pm UTC

QuoteNo idea yet on exactly what platforms it will support but we'll be keeping an eye on it.

The only real and true platform that comes into question is Amiga with AmigaOS. ;)

Quoting: whizse

Quoting: frykBut what I never want to go back to, is having to read all that conversation on screen. Voice-Over please :-)

Hah! I'm very much the opposite. Zero patience for voice. I finish reading. I click to skip.

What I never get is why they voice the replies that my character does, I mean I read the entire reply when choosing to click it so why did I just have to spend time hearing it as well?

Quoting: JahimselfGood news, I hope they won't do "pixel art" , I always found this way of making game totaly out of context. Back in the days, when these game were released you would play on very small screen with 256colors. That was because the hardware was very limited and because screens were pretty expensive. Playing on a 14/15' crt was pretty much the norm, and anything = or above 640*480 was already good quality. What is called pixel art is because if you launch those game on modern screen they look pixelated as the image is increasingly zoomed in.

Otherwise at the time it was not looking pixelated as much as modern pixel art does. It was looking smooth, almost like a cartoon especially on the point&clic genre.

Every classic game from that era that I launch on my modern screen looks terrible, but it still looks nice and neat on a 14'/15' crt screen. Using 2xsai filters in dosbox can partialy improve that pixalated aspect that did not exists back in the days, at least nothing as what they made a fashion of "pixel art" that is simply a waste of hardware in my opinion and in general looking pretty poor graphically and colorwise compare to what was done back in the days with only 256colors.

They could try to create nice graphics and animation instead of willing to be what it is not. I can't count the list of game that could have look great if not pixelated on purpose. And I really think this is a waste.

On the other hand if you take the exemple of the two remaster of Monkey Island the style really does not respect the original game. It went to some disney childish style, instead of poetic as it was in the original. If you look what has been done with day of the tentacle, they more or less kept the original aspect, but the minor tweaks are not perfect, and on top of that the animation is too stiff. It was some sort of compromise.

I hope they will make the right decisions for this awaited official third episode;

Pixel art didn't look better back then because screens had lower res. It was because CRT didn't show the pixels as clearly as LCDs do. So if you get the same pixel art that looks smooth and nice on a CRT and show it on LCD it looks like garbage. Artists back then "worked around" the pixel art by taking advantage of CRTs' analog-ness. Pixel arts of today are a totally different thing.

Here, some photos: https://www.google.com/search?q=pixel+art+crt+vs+lcd

Anyway, my point is, pixel art back then has little to do with pixel art now.

there is also a new tomb raider in the making. will feral make a linux port again?