Return to Monkey Island gets a first gameplay trailer

Quoting: fleskWhat is the spirit of MI1 and MI2 though?

It was more realistic. The landscapes, proportions of characters (e.g. proportion of head to body) and so on looked pretty real, although in a painterly rendering. The new art style is very cartoony and I would argue it is more similar in spirit to Day of the Tentacle, which always had that super goofy cartoon style.

For illustration, compare the proportion between their head and their legs in these images:

Quoting: fleskI think nostalgia is the primary reason why everyone's being so critical of this new style.

Or, y'know, they just don't like it. I have no nostalgia for the franchise and I think it looks like ass. You can disagree, but stop using this fallacious argument to try to invalidate anyone who feels differently than you.

Quoting: TheSHEEEP

Quoting: fleskI think nostalgia is the primary reason why everyone's being so critical of this new style.

Ehrm, no.
I would see the same art style just as critical in any other game.
The reason it's so bad has very little to do with the game it is used for. It's just not a good choice of art style for anything, really.

That's just your opinion, and not the factual truth you make it out to be. We obviously disagree, but that's a meaningless refutal.

Quoting: TheSHEEEPAnd the reason you see so much backlash is because a lot of people actually care about Monkey Island. If it wasn't so, the game would with 90% certainty just silently die.
I don't think "divide your fanbase with a truly odd art style" is a great idea, no way how you look at it.

I don't think it's possible to make a sequel to a 30 year old franchise without dividing your fanbase though ("truly odd art style" is also just opinion). When Double Fine Adventure was announced as a classic point-and-click adventure, lots of people were disappointed because it turned out it wouldn't utilize pixel art, have a verb menu, and many other reasons which defined a classic point-and-click adventure for them. It's great that a lot of people care about Monkey Island (I do too), but I don't think a new art style is going to ruin the new Monkey Island unless that exact old art style was what made the originals for you.

Quoting: TheSHEEEP

Quoting: fleskWhat is the spirit of MI1 and MI2 though? If it's the exact art style of the originals, then neither Curse, Escape nor Tales are true to their spirit; all having distinctly different art styles. And, if you ask me, not even MI1 and MI2 share the same art style, as MI2 has a more "painterly" style, although they look similar by today's standards.

All of them utilized a comic-book-like art style, with 1 and 2 being a bit more on the "realistic" or "painted" look, 3 going full-on comic and 4 also trying to go for comic, albeit with little success due to being early age 3D.
Same style that the vast majority of point & click games from that era used, really.

Whatever this is, is nowhere near comic book.
It's a lot closer to a pop-up book for kids meets tumblr paired with cubism. Guybrush has rectangles for ears and LeChuck's face is a triangle, ffs!

I agree that MI1 and MI2 have a more realistic look than all of the other games, including this one, but that all of them except this one utilize a comic-book-like art style sounds absurd to me. There are hundreds, or even thousands, different comic-book art styles, so that this specific game falls outside of that definition in your opinion tells me that either you've read very few comics (which for some absurd reason resembled the styles of these very distinct games), or you're just making that up for the sake of argument. Even pop-up books for kids have wildly different art styles, so that just comes off as a stab at this game for no particular reason other than that you, personally (and others of course) don't like the art style.

Quoting: Mr. Pinsky

Quoting: fleskWhat is the spirit of MI1 and MI2 though?

It was more realistic. The landscapes, proportions of characters (e.g. proportion of head to body) and so on looked pretty real, although in a painterly rendering. The new art style is very cartoony and I would argue it is more similar in spirit to Day of the Tentacle, which always had that super goofy cartoon style.

For illustration, compare the proportion between their head and their legs in these images:

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Yes, that's true.

Quoting: Smoke39

Quoting: fleskI think nostalgia is the primary reason why everyone's being so critical of this new style.

Or, y'know, they just don't like it. I have no nostalgia for the franchise and I think it looks like ass. You can disagree, but stop using this fallacious argument to try to invalidate anyone who feels differently than you.

I've used the argument once, and clearly expressed it as opinion, although "everyone" was probably unnecessary hyperbole. Apologies if I offended anyone. I also have no issue with people thinking it looks like ass, as long as they don't claim it as factual truth.


Last edited by flesk on 28 June 2022 at 9:52 pm UTC

I seem to remember reading that the voice actor from previous games was returning for this one, and Wikipedia says as much:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Armato

But in the trailer, he sounds different from what I remember; is it just me?

Quoting: PhlebiacI seem to remember reading that the voice actor from previous games was returning for this one, and Wikipedia says as much:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Armato

But in the trailer, he sounds different from what I remember; is it just me?

He's quite a bit older, I suppose he could sound different just because of that.

Quoting: fleskI think nostalgia is the primary reason why everyone's being so critical of this new style.

Nah, I just don’t like the weird geometry and flatness, especially on characters (the backgrounds don’t really bother me). If it were any other game I’d probably ignore it after a glance at the art style, but because it’s MI I’ll just suck it up. So, pretty much the opposite of being overly critical of it because of nostalgia.

Quoting: flesk("truly odd art style" is also just opinion)

No, it is not.
Here's the definition of the word odd:
different to what is usual or expected; strange.

I'd say that is objectively true here.
Unless, of course, you can show me the dozens or hundreds of games in that genre utilizing that cubism look that would make it appear less "unusual or unexpected".

Quoting: fleskI don't think it's possible to make a sequel to a 30 year old franchise without dividing your fanbase though

That's certainly true.
But the question is where you draw that division line.
For stuff like a verb menu, I'd say you wouldn't even lose 5% - the vast majority of modern "classic" point & click adventure games don't have that, either. It was always a matter of game limitation, in contrast to a deliberate art style.
But this? Very clearly from relevant comments and even like/dislike ratios on official videos, the division line is much closer to 50% than 5%. Because of its oddness. That's not some vocal minority.
With roughly a 1/3 division of "I like the art style", "I don't like the art style, but looking forward to the game anyway" and "I don't like the art style (no or negative comment on purchase plans)".
That you even have so many comments of the 2nd category proves that the art style was not a good choice - if you define good by "the target audience likes it".


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 29 June 2022 at 6:54 am UTC

Was initially excited to hear about this but in all honesty the art style has completely killed any enthusiasm I had for it. It simply looks horrendous. Call me shallow but having started out with these games on my Amiga 500 I have a preconception of what Guybrush and his compatriots should look like and this doesn't come close. Really can't see me getting past this either which is a shame.


Last edited by stylon on 29 June 2022 at 12:32 pm UTC

I wonder what were they thinking.
The principal audience of this game are the players that enjoyed the first gilbert chapters.
But this is gonna be a constant punch in their faces.
Is is not just the art style per se, but the lacking of the attention to details, the characters depersonalization.
Pixel art doesn't mean low resolution only.
It means that every single pixel is important, because there are not so many, so the artist is forced to pay attention to every single point of his work; making a single mistake for a single pixel has a big impact, not to mention animations!
What we have here? A bunch of flat textured polygons rotating and morphing.
The characters have been completely stripped from their personality, from ANY personality.
Why not take a vocaloid and do the voices too?
I will play it, but that punch in my face will constantly hurt.


Last edited by kokoko3k on 29 June 2022 at 5:26 pm UTC

I'm not a big fan of the art direction but this is going too far...
https://twitter.com/Liquidream/status/1542372459743256577?t=fUnwvlLe9c4nu0y6M5ReKg&s=19

Ahhh, yes.

1. Release long awaited game with very divisive X.
2. People complain about X (and some few take it too far and make it personal).
3. Shut down all commenting because "everyone's so negative!" (which really isn't the case).
4. Refuse further engagement, because only positivity is desired but that obviously cannot be enforced.

Classic.

If people want to see what the fuzz is all about (right now, the website is down):
https://web.archive.org/web/20220629185751/https://grumpygamer.com/rtmi_trailer
I assume that that one already had the worst comments removed, but I'm not sure. At least I'm not seeing more than a handful there that feel like they needs removal.

Seriously, some people nowadays are not able to take criticism anymore, unless it is padded in cotton and coated with honey.
When did they become so fragile? Or maybe they always were, but social media / internet has made it easier to be confronted with unfiltered opinions.

If you expect everyone around you to be diplomatic, maybe go into politics.
Cause "normal" people sure aren't holding back online and will occasionally get irrational.

Quoting: SpykerI'm not a big fan of the art direction but this is going too far...
https://twitter.com/Liquidream/status/1542372459743256577?t=fUnwvlLe9c4nu0y6M5ReKg&s=19

Don't know what was said specifically so I'm not defending anyone but surely he must have expected the change in style to be controversial?

Never had this problem of things being ripped apart on social media before they had even released back in the day. You just got a magazine review and possibly word of mouth from your mates and that was it. Simpler times indeed.

Quoting: stylonDon't know what was said specifically so I'm not defending anyone but surely he must have expected the change in style to be controversial?

I think this is the problem.
Some people move only within their very limited bubbles, especially in the games industry. And those bubbles then have extremely limited diversity (of opinion).
I can 100% imagine someone like Gilbert being mostly surrounded with yes-men and even if someone didn't like that art style, they most likely shut up about it as to not interrupt the positivity.

And then being shocked that actually his bubble didn't represent the real world accurately.

It's still blown out of proportion, though.
I won't play the game due to hating that art style, as will a lot of others I imagine. It simply was not a good choice and they will lose customers over it.
But the game will likely do well, regardless - it's a Monkey Island, after all.


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 30 June 2022 at 11:19 am UTC

Quoting: https://web.archive.org/web/20220629185751/https://grumpygamer.com/rtmi_trailerRon Gilbert 1d ago
It will be released on the Mac. 90% of the programming team is on the Mac. Windows is the "port".

Another game to throw at Wine / Proton. Yay. I hope I am wrong but I don't think so.

Quoting: TheSHEEEPI can 100% imagine someone like Gilbert being mostly surrounded with yes-men and even if someone didn't like that art style, they most likely shut up about it as to not interrupt the positivity.

And then being shocked that actually his bubble didn't represent the real world accurately.

It's still blown out of proportion, though.
I won't play the game due to hating that art style, as will a lot of others I imagine. It simply was not a good choice and they will lose customers over it.
But the game will likely do well, regardless - it's a Monkey Island, after all.

I did a quick scroll through the comments of the archived site and couldn't see anything particularly heinous, just a fairly even mix of love it/hate it posts. If that's the reason he's shut down the comments then on the face of it it does seem like a pretty childish thing to do.

I too won't be getting the game purely because of the way it looks but I'd hazard a guess that we are part of a small vocal minority and like you said it will still do well regardless.


Last edited by stylon on 30 June 2022 at 11:48 am UTC

Very nice adventure gaming year turning out. Return to Monkey Island, Return of the Amazon Queen, Ken and Roberta Williams' Colossal Cave 3D, Blade Runner Enhanced etc.

Found another upcoming new one too, Splittown https://splittowngame.com looks like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango style!

Quoting: heidi.wengerVery nice adventure gaming year turning out. Return to Monkey Island, Return of the Amazon Queen, Ken and Roberta Williams' Colossal Cave 3D, Blade Runner Enhanced etc.

Found another upcoming new one too, Splittown https://splittowngame.com looks like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango style!

Have you seen the reviews for BladeRunner 'Enhanced'. By all accounts it would appear to be the exact opposite...

Quoting: TheSHEEEP

Quoting: stylonDon't know what was said specifically so I'm not defending anyone but surely he must have expected the change in style to be controversial?

I think this is the problem.
Some people move only within their very limited bubbles, especially in the games industry. And those bubbles then have extremely limited diversity (of opinion).
I can 100% imagine someone like Gilbert being mostly surrounded with yes-men and even if someone didn't like that art style, they most likely shut up about it as to not interrupt the positivity.

And then being shocked that actually his bubble didn't represent the real world accurately.

It's still blown out of proportion, though.
I won't play the game due to hating that art style, as will a lot of others I imagine. It simply was not a good choice and they will lose customers over it.
But the game will likely do well, regardless - it's a Monkey Island, after all.

My first reaction to the trailer was: Wow, this is awesome. Everything is perfect. I'm so looking forward to the game.

Then I became aware of the criticisms. I think it is sad to see so many people say they find the art style off-putting and that they won't play the game. I feel that the game designers nailed it. They did something new that still has the monkey island feeling to it.

It's one thing to say that the art style doesn't appeal to you, and another to claim the people in the team didn't feel safe giving their opinions on where it was going.


Last edited by Ketil on 30 June 2022 at 1:22 pm UTC

Quoting: stylon

Quoting: heidi.wengerVery nice adventure gaming year turning out. Return to Monkey Island, Return of the Amazon Queen, Ken and Roberta Williams' Colossal Cave 3D, Blade Runner Enhanced etc.

Found another upcoming new one too, Splittown https://splittowngame.com looks like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango style!

Have you seen the reviews for BladeRunner 'Enhanced'. By all accounts it would appear to be the exact opposite...

Well i have eyeballed some of it. Maybe out of proportion aswell. I read the ORIGINAL is included with the purchase so... One thing i right out understand is that apprantely some sections of the game are missing from the Enhanced. Maybe Nightdive Studios works them in later price is not too harsh in any case as its about 8 bucks!

Videogaming seems some serious business