9.0
The Secret of Monkey Island is a charming, swashbuckling adventure that, thirty-five years after release, still fights like a dairy farmer.
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
LucasArts · Jul 15, 2009
About
The game's twisty plot leads our naive hero on a hilarious, swash-buckling search for the fabled secret of Monkey Island. Tales of pirate wealth lure him to the port of Mêlée with high hopes, no money, and insatiable curiosity. If clever enough, he will win the confidence of Mêlée's pirates and find himself blown by the winds of fate toward the terrifying and legendary Monkey Island -- an adventure that would chill the bones of even the most bloodthirsty buccaneer.
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- 8.7The Secret of Monkey Island has a special place in the museum of videogames for its quick wit, its personality, and the way it surprises us at every turn. Playing this adventure will take you back to a simpler, more innocent time before games needed to bash us over the head with ultra violence to get our attention. They definitely don't make 'em like this anymore. The Special Edition doesn't offer any new gameplay, so its appeal may be limited if you've already been initiated. But if you've never seen a three-headed monkey, download this now.
- 8.0It's been long enough since I last played The Secret of Monkey Island that, despite the age of the source material, the experience still felt fresh. There are definitely moments where you can feel its age, and there's the distinct possibility that you remember The Secret of Monkey Island being funnier than it is, but this Special Edition is still a terrific way for both fans of the old point-and-click adventure games to revisit a classic, and for newcomers to get acquainted with it.
- 9.5Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition’s upgrades and enhancements don’t change or otherwise spoil the core game (unless you like using hints). For me, this was the most important thing LucasArts could have done. Memories of Secret of Money Island are cemented in my brain, and my original experience with the title is intertwined with my gamer soul. This is an incredibly special game already -- a benchmark for future adventure titles -- made even more special for the current-generation player with new art, UI, sound, and voice acting. Don’t miss this.
- 8.0It's possible to beat The Secret of Monkey Island in just a couple of hours if you go into the game armed with a complete solution. However, if you take the time to enjoy it and solve the puzzles yourself, it should last you anywhere between five and 10 hours. If you have a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle, two sticks of cinnamon, a length of rope, and 10 dollars in your pocket right now, the best advice we can give you is this: Spend the currency on The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and then figure out for yourself what to do with the rest of that stuff.
- 7.0The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a great starting point for new players to get a feel for the franchise and for tested veterans to experience the antics of Guybrush Threepwood in a whole new way. As is the case with nearly all point-and-click titles, adventure-puzzle buffs are the only gamers that need apply. Everyone else will likely find the magical world of Monkey Island to be little more than a parlor trick.
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