Reader Review: Tales of Monkey Island

Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Hamish does, as he fights like a dairy farmer in Telltale’s scurvy new episodic adventure.

Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.

This review was submitted by Hamish Watt. If you’ve played Tales of Monkey Island, or just want to ask Hamish more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Tales of Monkey Island (PC)

Set sail for Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, the first instalment of Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale Games’ five-part revival of the classic franchise.

Loved
Coming Home: It’s been several years since my last adventure in the Monkey Islands and to be honest I was feeling more than a bit rusty on specifics. Amazingly though, right from the menu screen, Tales had me drowning in a flash flood of memories which left me instantly grinning like an idiot.

Sound of Monkeys: The percussion based music of the series is back along with half the old voice cast. Dominic Armato is still faultless as Guybrush.

Puzzles: Not scrambling-for-internet-walkthrough hard, but the puzzles are fun and there’s a good variety to them.

Humour: Arguably the staple of the franchise is just as sharp as ever, with quite a few moments having me chuckle aloud; an uneasy feat considering my own cynical aversion to fun.

Hated
Point’n’WASD’n’Click: Whilst not as painful as the setup from Escape from Monkey Island, Tales control scheme is an awkward marriage between keyboard and mouse. It doesn’t impede gameplay but it feels like an unnecessary complication to what could have more fluently been a mouse-only affair.

Linear Dialogue: Although moments appear to give you options during conversation, regardless of whether you choose “I want to save the day!” or “I want to sit this one out!” the spoken dialogue is always the same (usually least absurd) response.

Whether you’re a returning Mighty Pirate™ or new to the series, Tales of Monkey Island is probably the best of Telltale’s episodic games. Coming in at roughly four hours on the first playthrough, Chapter One will leave you salivating at the thought of what’s to come in the months ahead.

Reviewed by: Hamish Watt

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