Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1 (PC, WiiWare)

“Guybrush Threepwood! Mighty pirate.”

It’s a name and introduction that should be somewhere in the memory of all gamers. Whether you’ve played the previous Monkey Island games or not, it’s hard to have never come across those who fight like a cow, or will try to sell you a fine leather jacket. The series is a staple of the highly revered LucasArts classic catalogue, and on the cusp of the original adventure being released for the new generation; it’s fallen to Telltale Games to raise the sails and take Guybrush out to sea one more time.

Well, to be factually correct, it’s five more times: as the latest epic tale is split up in to five, monthly chunks of swashbuckling goodness – it’s not just a story arc, but an ongoing saga. This first chapter, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, drops you right in to the middle of the seas as your wife Elaine is being held captive by arch nemesis LeChuck, and your first task is to put together a Voodoo potion to thwart the crazy pirate captain.

To do this, you’ll have to navigate your environment, picking up objects, using and combining them to find the correct solution to the problem in the classic point and click style, but brought up to date with 3D environments.

There’s two ways to work your way round the wonderfully styled world: the simple keyboard controls, or clicking and dragging the mighty pirate around the screen. It’s really a matter of personal preference, but for me with the 3D world and the occasional camera niggles, the familiar arrow key movement seen in Wallace and Gromit was just easier to get to grip with.

Hitting tab or the middle mouse button will open up the most important way of interacting with the world, the inventory. Consisting of items you pick up through various means during your travels, it’s the tools to complete the puzzles – and that could be anything from a dead parrot to a wheel of cheese.
Whether it’s trying to find your way round a forest, or helping someone out (well, maybe misleading them at the same time) the puzzles in the game are well thought out, and quite tricky – and prepared to get thrown in to a difficult one quite early on in the game, although they never really get extremely tough… possibly not a bad thing, this is just chapter 1.

It’s really a case of trying to think in the mindset the game wants you to: and like all adventure games, it seems backwards, but it makes sense in it’s own, weird way. Monkey Island is a series about personality, with puns and wit, with a tongue that couldn’t possibly be paced any more firmly in its cheek. It’s something that you see in every aspect of the game, from the slightly ridiculous solutions to the wacky and entertaining islanders you meet when Guybrush is thrown among the inhabitants of Flotsom Island – as he try and figure out and solve the mystery of the island. That’s all I really want to say about the plot – it’s not particularly complex, but part of the joy is seeing everything for yourself and learning by talking to the characters and the unique situations you find yourselves in.

Humour is right at the core of the game, as every character from the egocentric Guybrush (who really doesn’t have the most sensible table of priorities) to a glassblowing pirate and crazy Doctor with a matching over the top accent. Each of them presented with top-notch voice acting, really bringing life to the dialogue. It’s genuinely funny, and it’s something that you see in absolutely everything, including Guybrush’s reactions to things in the environment and his silly but lovable wit and puns.

In true adventure game style, you take control of some of these chats, with a few dialogue options to choose from. There’s been some upset online as sometimes, the response you select will not exactly match up with what Guybrush says – but the writers have struck a clever balance, where your options strike a nice balance between the character’s thoughts and what he will actually say, without being too far away from what you hear… and much of the time, that’s not actually an issue.

Another thing there has been concern about is the length of the episode, and like pretty much everything else in the game, you can be happy, as it feels right. It’s not an easy thing to judge, as some parts may get you stuck for a while, as you work things through slowly… but it’s around the same as Telltale’s other games, with around 4 hours being an approximate time for the average player.
But if you’re stuck, you don’t need to get too flustered, as in the game settings you can crank up the hint system, and Guybrush will drop little clues more frequently, where little things like “the Doctor is in…” can give you the kick to figure out what happens next.

For a franchise with such prestige, placing it in the hands of a different developer could be a risk – especially after it’s been resting for a few years. However, it’s turned out well, as Telltale has put out a worthy addition to the Monkey Island series. Launch of the Screaming Narwhal has a fun plot with some weird but fitting scenarios told through a funny dialogue and cast, with classic references sprinkled throughout the game without being too overbearing for those new to the series. The charm and unique logic of Monkey Island still survive through the puzzles and challenges, whilst still being really easy to get in to – and whether it’s your first adventure on the seven seas or you’re ready for more, this cannot be recommended enough.
The only major thing that has let me down after finishing Chapter 1… is that I’ll have to wait another one more month to see where Guybrush ends up in the next stage of his quest.

Launch of the Screaming Narwhal was reviewed on PC. A WiiWare version will be released in future.