Created by 1000 monkeys at 1000 typewriters (Escape from Monkey Island (PC))

Member Name: MSSS

Product:	Escape from Monkey Island (PC)
Date:	13/05/01 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wounderfully cartoonish graphics, Now in 3D!, Mad comedy from Stemmle and Clark

Disadvantages: A bit short, Should really play the other MI games first

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana and in Escape from monkey island, a game that features few arrows and a lot of bananas, you wonder just where that time has gone. When you compare the number of Monkey Island games made in the past 11 years with the number of Tomb Raider games made in the past 5 years, you just have to wonder. The Monkey Island series of games has been a bit of a strange saga, like the James Bond movies, they never have quite the same team of people working on it, yet there is a formula that will always ensure that it entertains as much as the previous instalment. The future of the Monkey Island series looked uncertain when the original designer Ron Gilbert left Lucas Arts and adventurers the world over held their breaths in the hope that one day someone would dare and walk in Mr Gilbert’s footsteps but many people went blue in the face before Jonathan Ackley and Larry Ahern finally picked up the baton in 1997 with the Curse of Monkey Island. CMI boasted high-resolution 640x480 graphics and film quality animation, sadly this wasn’t enough to please every one and the game received mixed reviews, some calling it the worst ever Monkey Island game and some calling it the best, but the game sold and Lucas arts believed they could do better and so as 2000 drew to a close another Monkey Island game arose from the depths of the Lucas Arts studios entitled Escape from Monkey Island.

As any self respecting adventure gamer will know, Sean Clark and Michael Stemmle are the two warped minds behind ‘Sam & Max Hit the Road’ and these are the same two people who have been chosen to show the world that the Monkey Island series is still alive and kicking. You can tell almost instantly that this is a Clark and Stemmle game with the pert little jokes and just the overall scripting of the whole game. The main story is that Mr and Mrs Threepwood have arrived back on Mêlée Island to find that Elaine has been declared dea
d and the Governor’s mansion is scheduled for demolition. There is also a strange new guy running for Governor by the name of Charles L. Charles. Your first major task is to stop the governor’s mansion getting knocked down and then finding a way to get to Elaine’s family lawyers on a neighbouring island. As usual, to complete these two tasks you must first complete a series of smaller tasks such as finding objects and persuading other people to do things for you.

The first thing you might notice when you begin playing EMI is the fact that you don't use the mouse. The whole game can be controled using a keyboard, joystick or joypad and it is quite easy to get used to the method of control. For people who have difficulty trying to manoeuvre Guybrush to look at things he will handily turn his head in the direction of the nearest object of importance.

The puzzles in EMI are well balanced and progress in difficulty as you go through the game and none of them are illogical ‘use the turkey with the car to make a washing machine’ kind of puzzles. Some puzzles are quite hard though and the less experienced adventurer may require a walkthrough for a bit of assistance.

For anyone who hasn’t heard the news or seen the screen shots, the latest in the Monkey Island series features 3D graphics using the same, yet slightly tweaked, graphics engine from Grim Fandango. Colourful pre-rendered cartoon backgrounds fill the game and are occupied by even more colourful characters such as Stan and Pegnose Pete. The characters are each given a real sense of identity by the wonderful voice acting in which Dominic Armato, Earl Boen and Denny Delk reprise their roles as Guybrush, LeChuck and Murray.

EMI is a bit of a hard banana to peel but I do admire that wacky humour displayed by Clark and Stemmle. The game comes together well with impressive graphics, a very entertaining story (with a twist) and some of the mos
t memorable and well-created characters ever known. In the end it all boils down to just two faults. 1) It was a bit too short for me. Ideally I like a game to last around 2 weeks whereas EMI only lasted about a week, but I think I probably played it a bit too much or it might just be that I’m good at adventure games from having played so many (fat chance). 2) Although it won’t affect the game play much, it is better if you have played the previous 3 Monkey Island games otherwise you may miss out on some good jokes. Since you can now buy Monkey Island 1,2 & 3 in a ‘bounty pack’ I suggest you go buy them first to fully enjoy this less than perfect yet worthy addition to the Monkey Island series.

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