This new Special Edition of Monkey Island 2 promises to be the definitive version of the point and click classic for both old and would-be pirate explorers featuring enhanced audio and visuals, developer commentary, hint system, and a revised control scheme for every platform the game has been released on. The game is still as entertaining as it was years ago, but if you’re not one for playing traditional point and click Adventure games, there’s a fair share of choppy waters in this Caribbean.
Story
Story wise, the game is exactly the same as the original version. Guybrush Threepwood is off on a new adventure hunting down the lost treasure of Big Whoop. However he has somehow accidentally revived his nemesis, LeChuck, and he is out for revenge! The game delivers with it’s over the top storyline and characters. Players can unfurl the endless backstory of each character as they wish, gather hints and can even mess around with the denizens of each island through the branching dialogue trees. A playthrough of the original is not neccesary as theres no story arc to get acquainted with.
Gameplay
Exploring the many islands has been streamlined even further compared to the previous Special Edition of Monkey Island. Lucasarts fitted new features into the game to help players who get stuck in certain puzzles. The original game featured a verb system that gave you nine commands which had to be selected in order to use specific actions. This remake features a streamlined control scheme where you can hold a button to provide a wheel that shows all the verb actions that can be done. For console players, the left stick can be used to directly control Guybrush directly on foot which makes navigating around less tedious, although trying to move on some of the smaller paths can be a bit troublesome. Players can also use a highlight feature that shows all the objects that can be interacted with or picked up. It marginally helps to pick up some of the loose objects that will be sitting out in the open that could be easily missed. But the biggest offender for the game has to be the hint system. Since LeChuck’s Revenge is nowhere near as linear as the first game, the hint system tends to throw you around on a wild goose chase and sometimes fails to give you an appropriate hint as to what to do next and will cause you to get stuck by not telling you what exactly needs to be done next, on more than one occasion the game failed to let me know of an item or two I needed to go collect before returning to an area that it keeps telling me to go to. There were even points where the game would give a hint for the wrong area and have nothing to do with any of the objects or items I could get to. Don’t be too discouraged to look up an outside hint guide. The game also allows you to play the game in its original VGA form from 1991 at any time during the game. This mode doesn’t harness all of the extra features the new graphic mode entails, but it’s nice for the purists who want to go back and experience Monkey Island as it was seen years ago.
Sound
One of the greatest aspects of the Special Edition comes from the game’s sound. Most importantly, all of the actors from other voiced editions of Monkey Island reprise their roles. Dominic Armato, Earl Boen, Alexandra Boyd and more return to reprise their roles, along with a host of other recognizable voice actors play the role of the peripheral characters. The only issue (And the biggest disappointment comes in the form of the songs in the game. While the original version didnt have voice overs, the Special Edition fails to sync the voices along with the song played in conjunction regardless of which version of the game is being played.
The remastered music is the biggest treat the game has to offer. Providing live orchestrated music in the remake that attempts to replicate Lucasarts’ old music system called ‘iMuse’ by bridging different variations of songs together without interruption as you move from one area to the next. As for the iMuse functionality in the VGA classic mode, it seems to vary between the different versions. For example, navigating around rooms in the Xbox 360 version causes the music to abruptly change.
Graphics
The graphical detail in the Special Edition mode received an improvement over the first Special Edition. Most importantly, Gubrush is sporting some swanky hair this time around. All of the art in the game has been redrawn and up scaled to a higher resolution. It loses the realistic detail that both the first and second Monkey Island games shared to sport a stylish cartoonish look that doesn’t stray too far from the VGA original with a few blemishes. Locations sport fancy lighting effects, some of the animation flows smoother with more frames over the original, and certain objects appear bigger to help identify objects that can be picked up during Guybrush’s adventure.
Replay Value
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition foregoes the difficulty modes, (Where one difficulty would take out certain puzzles to help streamline the experience) leaving it on the hardest difficulty. Even one play through will take you through every nook and cranny the game has to offer, besides the Easter Eggs of course. The game offers concept art from both the original 1991 game as well as art for the redrawn characters that unlock as you progress through the game and perform certain actions. The one major feature, the audio commentary is very hit or miss. Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer, and Dave Grossman have been brought together to talk over certain scenes in the game as they regale about their time developing the game. Not all of the bits of commentary are as insightful, and certain infamous quirks of the game have been skipped over with no explanation whatsoever. Regardless, even for die hard Monkey Island fans, it’s nice to hear them share some anecdotes about the game, and a nice excuse to play through the game at least twice.
Bottom Line
It certainly is Monkey Island to its core, as it was remembered all those years ago. Fans of the original will definitely want to check out the new bells and whistles that make up the game. For those who wish to charter a new ship in the Carribean without the patient mindset of an Adventure gamer might want to look into a guide for some of the trickier spots as the game has a little trouble with the hint system. Even for the price it’s still worth playing through to check out some beautiful scenery with some great humor.