I grew up playing video games on consoles and didn't get my own proper gaming PC until the very end of the 1990s, so I missed just about every definitive point-and-click adventure game from that era, and that includes the entirety of LucasArts' Monkey Island franchise. I know the name Guybrush Threepwood and I've heard the phrase "insult swordfighting" but any references deeper than that sail right over my head.
That said, I recognize the magnitude of Ron Gilbert coming back to the series in 2022 to make a new game, appropriately titled Return to Monkey Island. Host Bob Mackey and returning guest Nina Matsumoto have been revisiting LucasArts classics for the past few years now, so they were all too happy to record a podcast about this very new* game.
Do take note that the first half of this week's episode addresses the game in very broad strokes, as Bob and Nina avoid any spoilers or in-depth puzzle discussion. They get to that stuff in the second half, so feel free to tune in even if you, like me, don't know your SCUMM from your GrimEs.
*Bob speculates that this might be the newest game ever covered on our retro video game podcast, and if you don't count the time that Jeremy and I talked about the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection within a week of its release (because that wasn't a "new" game really) then I think he's right! Though Jeremy's coverage of Chasm comes awfully close...
Description: It's been 11 years since the last proper Monkey Island entry, and more than three decades since series creator Ron Gilbert left Guybrush and company in the hands of others. So it goes without saying fans were more than delighted when mid-2022 saw the announcement of Return to Monkey Island, a proper sequel to 1991's Monkey Island 2—and one that somehow doesn't discount all the installments made in between. And now it's here! On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Nina Matsumoto as they set sail for yet another Monkey Island journey; but this time, it's to formerly uncharted waters.
Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.
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As with all of the episodes Bob produces, this week’s cover art is by Nick Daniel. Check out his Twitter, or patronize his Patreon!