I keep coming back to this video because it really illustrates so eloquently how great this game is. However, there is one area I contend with slightly. Putting all the necessary items to be able to choose any trial to do in any order is a great bit of design, however in my experience watching countless blind let's plays of the game (and helping my girlfriend play it), nearly every single person ignores the kitchen after the chef yells at them not to go in and then goes on to be stuck for hours cause not a single puzzle can be solved without going in there.
And finally, "The Three Second-Biggest Arrrrguments on The Secret of LeChuck Strikes the Curse of Monkey Island Mega-Monkey - Being A Tale of Swashbuckling Adventure Games (But With More Puzzles)"
"and swordfighting takes place entirely in the dialogue system, because how else would you gamify an Errol Flynn movie?" - You're using Bonetti's Defense against me, huh? - I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain. - Naturally. You must expect me to attack with Capo Ferro! - Naturally. But I find that Thibault cancels out Capo Ferro. Don't you? - Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa... Which I have.
I have no nostalgic attachments to this game. The first time I played The Secret of Monkey Island, it was in 2016, and it was the remastered edition with Dominic Armato voicing Guybrush. So when I say that SMI is one of the my favorite games of all time, then know that I am not influenced by any past memories. I got it for free on the Xbox 360, and was kinda turned off. "A point-and-click adventure game? I don't wanna pixel-hunt and spend hours figuring out puzzles." But then I played it, and I was charmed like no other game had ever charmed me before. The game was so damn funny and clever, it blew me away. All the puzzles were surprisingly intuitive, and played into the world-building. I then went on to play all the other Monkey Island games. And believe me, trying to play The Curse of Monkey Island and Escape from Monkey Island in 2017 is NOT easy. But I still loved them. I loved all of them. I get what you said about Guybrush and Elaine in the later games. But c'moooon. It's good fun. It's super fun to play.
I'm surprised you talked about "something that will attract attention but has no real importance" being a theme and didn't mention how the game suggests that this applies to itself with the "Never pay more than $20 for a computer game," line at the end.
Looks like nihilism is a common theme to Ron Gilbert's games. The nihilist conclusion to Thumbleweed Park left me very unsatisfied and a bit sad for the characters.
It's kinda funny. I enjoyed watching Monkey Island as a kid being played by a Let's Player and not minding the messiness of the game's story but fast forward into my teens and Thimbleweed Park left me disappointed for having the exact same lack of focus.
I don't think it's any coincidence that one of the few classic adventure games whose narrative has consistent themes is also one of the few classic adventure games which is still fondly remembered to this day. The importance of theme is something that's hard to explain in a UA-cam comment, but the short of it is that you need a theme to build your story around, so it all has one coherent _something_ that the audience is left with when it's all over.
Note: Contrary to popular belief, a theme and a moral are not the same thing. A theme is just a subject. This can be a message, but it can also be a question, which the story sets out to answer, or even just a concept which the story explores.
I come back to this video every few days so I can remember what a well-argued, well-researched, well-written video essay ("essay" in the truest sense) looks like. It's very, very clear that when the author says that he has spent a lifetime playing and thinking about the game, he's a) not exaggerating b) not saying it to score credibility points, but that he's providing real personal background which is the foundation for the whole argument presented. Lots of videos on game history and analysis are either rephrasings or fancy presentations of encyclopedic facts and news articles, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I don't think they truly qualify as essays. This one certainly does. I know this all sounds kiss-ass-y, but whatever. Keep up the good work, man. *By now I think Ian already knows this, but Ron Gilbert has linked to this video in his blog.
So, the way you feel about Monkey Island 1 is (sorta) the way I feel about The Curse of Monkey Island. It was my first adventure game, and I love it to bits. I can see many of the strengths of MI1, but it just doesn't have the same charm to me. Which may also colour what follows. But I have to disagree with your portrayal of Elaine in CMI. I don't see her as a damsel in distress. This is a story of Guybrush causing Elaine all sorts of problems. Opening scene: Elaine is handling LeChuck pretty well, when suddenly Guybrush comes sailing into the fray, and gets captured by LeChuck. Then, when he - accidentally - manages to get off LeChuck's ship, he gets her cursed - and, because he didn't hide a solid gold statue on an island full of pirates, she gets stolen by a bunch of... let's call them pirates. Then he manages to get rid of the curse, but because he hasn't been careful, he's led LeChuck's henchmen straight to Elaine. In other words, if Guybrush hadn't been in the picture, Elaine would have repelled LeChuck, and been safe and sound in her fortress.
Monkey Island 2 .. the whole story started only because he needed to brag around about defeating LeChuck. He even met Largo only because he started to realized that his LeChuck stories just started to bore the s**t out of people and he needs to get something better.
I didn't know there was a "every cook makes substituotion" line until now; however, it was pretty obvious in the Part II segment. Setup & Pay off: the ending is resolved with a substitution too
I just recently thought about your points about how Guybrush's whole adventure was rather pointless (regarding his goal) and how 2, 3 and ToMI made it a theme, that the adventure Guybrush has to go on is because he messed up. Glad to see someone touching that subject as well! Please, do more and longer arguments on Monkey Island! (Also, nice insert of Seaside Rendezvous there. ;D)
The point about how the later games treat Elaine was really interesting. I played the games wildly out of order (4, 3, 1, Tales, 2, I think), so while I had some sense that she was a very inconsistent character, I hadn't realized there was this dividing line between 2 and 3. Still, 3 will probably always be my favorite.
Watching your other videos, there was always a tiny relatable sense of familiarity that drew me to them. Knowing what a potent impact The Secret of Monkey Island™ had on your formative years, it makes a lot of sense. There's something about this work that buries itself deep in your brain and continues to have a subtle effect on you for years to come. Thank you for making this. I can't imagine a more loving and thoughtful exploration of a title that's probably the closest to my heart, especially after all these years.
Listening to you talk about one of your favorite things always makes me WANT to make a video essay just so I could talk at length about one of mine. Thanks for sharing ✨
Wonderful review! I had the same issues with MI2 and Elaine's portrayal in the sequels as you did, but thought I was in the minority since MI franchise was such a big hit. Your analysis of the game's theme and the way that adventure game mechanics are structured in this game is pure brilliance! I've been playing those games for ages and I never thought about it!
I'm 42 and this video makes perfect sense. Keep making videos - you enact a sort of higher-role narrative that we all knew, but never spoke up... I akin this video to both "entering the world map after Midgar" and "the holy shit, you can click the view screen?" in The Witness. Both are essentially puzzle based hunts, but each developer, separated by both geography and time, definitely started as Guybrush. I agree.
To be fair to Monkey Island Three, you may rescue Elaine at one point but it's more a "Oh man, I fucked up really badly and need to fix my mistake" moment. She's a capable and strong character throughout the game, though you sadly don't get to see her too much.
Honestly I might have been more into Elaine's role in MI3 if there was more Elaine with agency in the game. It's one thing to lampshade and subvert a trope and another to lampshade it yet functionally ending up in the same place as the usual faithful applications of the trope. My expectation at the beginning of MI3 was that I as a player would finally get to hear not only Guybrush but Elaine as well, but mostly what ended up on my plate was her absence.
That's one of the reasons the unfinished ending to that game is such a sore point for me. They planned a cutscene between Part Five and Part Six where, just as Guybrush shows up, Elaine escapes, steals LeChuck's sword, and starts fighting his minions. Guybrush is sent on the Rollercoaster of Death, but Elaine shoots the lever to switch the tracks so he ends up in the rollercoaster puzzle in Part Six rather than being sent into lava and turning into a skeletal minion. But the production team ran up against deadlines, and that scene was never made. (The ending of the game is terribly truncated for the same reason; they were going to put in another musical number.)
@@spinningchrysalis4061 that's why I don't think grouping MI3 with Escape and Tales is fair - even though the main portion of the plot revolves around saving Elaine with no presence from her, it's not really rescuing her from LeChuck but more of fixing your own mistake like OP said, and when she is actually captured by LeChuck she manages to escape on her own (just like in MI1) and actually helps or even saves Guybrush, so MI3 actually does MI1 Elaine justice and doesn't butcher the character as is implied in the video. If only they included that cutscene!
Didn't you notice the "I could literally bore you to death" undertone of "it could've been so much longer"? :p Longer isn't always better. This was a good video imo.
In Curse Elaine rescues herself. Lechuck said she escaped while he tried to bring her to the gates of Big Whoop. Also, in Tales she let herself be possessed by Lechuck because being rescued by Guybrush was her plan at that point. All games made Elaine justice
Great video! Good point about Guybrush being a dick in Lehcuck's Revenge. That's actually my favorite version of the character. I enjoy that I can choose (via the dialogue tree) how much of a jerk I want Guybrush to be. The comments he makes range from deadpan to mildly sarcastic to down-right cruel. And the other characters will respond to him in different ways based on what he says to them. I used to save and reload the game to see all the different responces. This was lost with the later games where every line was recorded by voice actors. There are less dialog choices and the player can select them one-after-the-other so that almost every line that is written and recorded is playable. This makes sense because why waste money on actor recording sessions if a good percentage of the dialogue will not be heard on one playthrough, but it was a sad loss for the characterization and opportunity for jokes.
I swear to god, if you had more videos like this, or related to culture and art in general (tomatoes or how not to define art, begginers artist, things of beauty:smash) you would be amazing, or at least even more amazing! Really great video, and thank you so much for making it, specially since i havent played any monkey island game yet...
I love how if you futz your way through Siege of Dragonspear, you character begins to question why they are carrying around weird items they haven't been asked for....
I didn’t realize how weird it was that Elaine was pretty much relegated to playing “damsel in distress” after the second game until you pointed it out. Your interpretation of her and Guybrush’s relationship is adorable btw
Just throwing this out there: If you're digging for a topic for another Co-Vid, I'd be really interested in hearing some more Monkey Island takes. I love all the videos on this channel, but I've listened to this one more than any other.
I genuinely enjoyed the entire series (I was introduced to the series backwards, and it was a great romp regardless). But you're observations are spot on to take criticism in the later series, and point and click games as a whole. Secret of Monkey Island had a lot of fun rhyme to their reason (even if was through puns, word plays, and honest to goodness detective work) which a lot of other point and click games, or ones that had evolved from point and click, tend to fall short on.
You probably won't read this, but this was game design therapy for me. I too loved this game, and I think this game among other media formed my sense of humor and overall philosophy on life. I would describe myself as an absurdist nihilist, but that's only slightly related. I'm an avid tabletop RPG fan and have written and run numerous adventures over the past twenty five or so years. This video blew my mind. This is how I write my games and this is exactly why my friends who are futzers and are about the journey more than the destination love my games, but why they fall flat when I run them at conventions or less close friends. My critics are frequently asking, "What's the point of this campaign?", or "Wait, we never could complete the assigned task, but only defeat the villain?". I'm not as talented as the makers of TSOMI, because they pulled this off well and in a satisfying way where I've generally failed. This now gives me some ways to write for strangers in a better way. You've revealed in 19 minutes something that I've been puzzling over for decades. (Also I think this explains a similar divide over the show Lost, The Last Jedi and other divisive media, but that's a whole other essay.)
The entire King's Quest series save III, V and VII leans on placing the character in an open environment in which they can walk in every direction from the very beginning of the game. In III this opens up once you get rid of the Wizard. KQ1 was particularly open ended. This is an almost Castlevania structure, released two years before Metroid was released.
I'm late to the party as usual, but it's refreshing to hear soon-to-be else was poetically about the game that singlehandedly shaped my love of adventure games
For everyone who nodded along to the music during the title card sections (great illustrations, by the by), this one can wholeheartedly recommend the full performance from Janne Lassila (and the rest of the musicians, including the woman playing the accordion for "Jojo the Monkey").
I grew up playing Curse of Monkey Island, and personally I do like it much more than the 1st or 2nd, however I totally get your viewpoint on how Elaine shouldn't be a damsel. That being said, I never saw her as a damsel in Curse because I saw it as guybrush just messing up his relationship and fixing it. I also just want to add, that to me what makes these games one of my all time favorite series is the music and that I guess I was born a futzer 😂
Oh my god. THe beeps and tweeps soundtrack. I remember playing this on my 286 with CGA display. No adlib sound card. Then I upgraded, got a sound blaster and enjoyed Monkey Island in vga glory!
Monkey Island 1 and 2 were my favourite games as a kid and I loved both equally. Nowadays my favourite Guybrush is the one from MI2, and interestingly enough I used to be similar to MI1's Guybrush as a person and over time gradually turned into MI2 Guybrush, and I have no idea whether that's just due to my flawed personal character or whether the influence of these games on me is so strong, playing Monkey Island all the time as a kid literally turned me into Guybrush Threepwood.
The red herring plays beautifully into your first point in that it completely subverses it. A red herring is the single item you would expect to do nothing but fill out the scenery and set you up on a wrong trail and that is exactly what this red herring doesnt do. And then it subverts the subversion by distracting the bridge troll. But the troll WANTED the red herring so thats a hattrick of subversions.
Awesome video! Curse will probably always be my favorite due to its beautiful art and music, as well as the unique melancholic atmosphere in the back-half... but you've given me a greater appreciation of Secret. If anyone's considering playing the original two games, I highly recommend looking into the Talkie edition, which allows you to play with the original graphics and Special Edition voice acting simultaneously.
I have never played Monkey Island but how you describe the guy sounds pretty much like a good metaphor for gamers. There is no real point to gaming besides the adventure. You usually dont gain anything useful outside of the game. As a player you know your abilities are limited. You dont have the power to rewrite the rules/code. But you want to experience the adventure so play along even when it doesnt make sense or there would be smarter ways that are just not implemented. We do what works within the rules of the game so we can progress in the adventure.
I have discovered this game recently. I'm slowly developing a point'n'click adventure game. Knowing the classics is very important to build on their foundation. My personal favorite game of the genre is Machinarium. It mixes good design with a good story and doesn't become self-indulgent as Samorost 3 did. I found the secret of monkey island somewhat overwhelming in the number of different puzzles presented to the player at the same time. When you have too many items and too many puzzles its hard to know what you can and cannot do. Perhaps, an in-game hint system would have helped, but I didn't feel like the game gave me enough direction. I love the fact that futzers are the main audience of adventure games and I couldn't say that I did consciously understand the fact that I need to design both for them and for normal players. Intuitively? Sure. But not as a fact. So thank you for that!
Great Video. The thesis presented in Part 2 is as immaculate as MI's design and I couldn't agree more with you on the Elaine bit; I can still remember (and still feel when replaying) the dissapointment when she is turned into a statue, after spending the entire first part waiting to see how would she save Guybrush from LeChuck's prison... I would also like to know Ron Gilbert's opinion on this video, because it's a great tribute to his work.
Very well thought out. The short arguments make sense even psychological sense. I have played MI 1, 2, 3 (Curse of MI) & 4 (Escape from MI) and seen 5 (Tales of MI). I got MI 1 & 2 when it first came out .
I knew something always bugged me about Elaine in the sequels, but I could never pinpoint it. Thanks for fixing that. Also thank you for making me realise why I fell in love with Guybrush when I was a three year old toddler.
This must be the best analysis of anything I've seen or read in my entire life. Possibly the best thing I've seen on UA-cam ever. This didn't just make my day, it revolutionized my view on the entire life I've lived since I played Monkey Island the first time ~28 years ago. Needless to say, the game had a monumental impact on my adolescent life and every pixel and sinus wave of its existence is burned into my memory like no other art or cultural experience I've had before or after. That entire memory just got a huge wiggle and gained 4-8 new levels of abstractions and perspectives. I don't know how many since I'm not yet done digesting this. It will probably take me months. Mindblowing!
And here I am, realising why I so absolutely love The Secret of Monkey Island and still remember so much of it, while the other games where funny, yeah, but not That Monkey Island I have in mind
Omg this video is so amazing. I don’t even really care about video games that much but the care you put into your critical analysis of some random thing you just happen to love so much reveals so much about art and life and the human experience and god damnit IT MAKES ME CARE ABOUT THIS GAME TOO! Stellar job, so happy to be a patron. 👏🏻
Even as a long time fan of the series, this video pointed out a lot of things that I honestly hadn't even considered before. Major kudos to you for this well thought out video! However, while I can kind of understand why you have a preference for the 'fresh faced innocent Guybrush' of the first game, that obviously couldn't have remained the case even if the sequel had gone in a different direction. After all, any sequel with Guybrush in it was going to include a more experienced Guybrush still pursuing the 'career' of his dreams. Of course, that didn't mean they had to take the 'jerk Guybrush' route they took in LeChuck's Revenge. I think that's a major reason why I appreciate Dominic Armato's take on the character so much, since it's a logical progression: a reasonably intelligent youth who, after stumbling his way to success, becomes an egoistic buffoon who bumbles his way into all sorts of trouble that he then has to get out of using his wit. In a sense, Guybrush essentially became a personification of the 'something that will attract attention but have no real importance' theme: a 'mighty pirate' who's reputation is mostly hot air and that almost nobody takes seriously. Of course, one COULD make the argument that it may have been better had SoMI never received sequels. But personally speaking, I appreciate how rich the universe is, despite its silliness (and loads of unfortunate retcons). On a different note, part of the brilliance of the first game (and I would argue the third as well) is its ability to help the player adapt to its unique brand of logic. Puzzles in adventure games are sometimes accused of being based on 'moon logic', i.e. based on a idea or premise that would only be understandable to the developer. Yet, despite being chock full of goofy solutions to even goofier puzzles, SoMI still manages to make it all work internally and seem to make sense in-universe. One more thing. While I agree with a lot of your points regarding Elaine, I don't think it's fair to chalk up her role in Curse as simply being 'damseled'. The only reason she winds up in trouble in the first place is because of Guybrush giving her the cursed ring and then failing to hide her while she was a statue (so another case of Guybrush having to fix a problem he caused in the first place). And then, when they are both captured and brought to the Carnival of the Damned, while Guybrush DOES defeat LeChuck, the only reason he gets to do that is because Elaine managed to break free on her own and rig the controls of the ride to save him. Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but I have a great love for the series. Thanks again for the excellent video essay. I look forward to more of your content.
One of the strengths of Monkey Island is just how damn meta it was for its time. A bit like UHF and Spaceballs. I clearly loved the material it lampooned.
Excellent video with loads of great points I've never considered before. On the topic of how Guybrush changes over the games though I always kinda felt he had a very clear character arc through the first 3 games. You already discussed his personality in the first two in great detail and I'm sure most can agree that the idea of his fame getting to his head and causing him to become less like he used to be and more like the other pirates makes sense as the middle point of a character arc. . What I want to focus more on is to make an argument for why his character in Curse properly finishes off his arc. This is a Guybrush who has been humbled by his exploits in Monkey 2. He outright berates himself in the beginning for sacrificing so much of what was truly important to him in his search for fame and glory. At the same time he also comes off as older and much more experienced than previously. This is a Guybrush that has seen things and knows how the world works, he's toughened up a little. He always struck me as far less arrogant compared to Monkey 2 but a lot more competent compared to Monkey 1. . The fact that he immediately proposes to Elaine and tries to make things right with her shows that he's learned what is truly more important to him and her being damsel'd is a direct result of his trademark carelessness and lack of ability to think things through. In that sense it's a story about Guybrush being forced to own up to his mistakes and set things right again. I know Elaine technically gets damsel'd (along with Guybrush) shortly after again but the game makes a point out of stating that she quickly escapes and messes with the roller coaster tracks so that Guybrush doesn't get dipped in lava and can face Lechuck. Elaine literally makes that entire final confrontation possible and clearly didn't need Guybrush's help once he got rid of the curse. . Maybe I'm biased because I love Curse of monkey island but to me, original vision be damned, it still serves as a good way to finish off a trilogy and Guybrush's arc as a character. I take more issue with Monkey 4 and Tales of monkey island. Don't dislike those games but they feel like they don't fit with the story arc that's seen through the first 3 games. . Anyway, just my two pieces o' eight on it!
I could listen to you waffle on and on about this franchise for hours. Seriously, go ahead and make an hour long video of you just talking about Monkey Island. Randomly. Just whatever comes to mind. I'd watch it.
I also think the design of Part I is brilliant but not necessarily perfect. The most glaring problem is the way the Guybrush-Elaine love scene is played out. When Guybrush emerges from the bottom of the ocean, he reunites with Governor and kindle their love for each other. This is one of the most pivotal scene of the entire game and a huge narrative device that propels the entire remaining portion of the game. But if a hapless gamer chooses to solve this puzzle (i.e., art of theivery) last for whatever reason (one-in-three chance), then this entire cutscene gets skipped because Guybrush discovers that Elaine is kidnapped right after he gets out of the water. And the pivotal dialog between the Guybrush and Elaine is replaced with a short monologue by Guybrush alone (basically amounting to "She's gone but now I realize that my love for her is real and I must go rescue her!"). This means, a full one third of the people who have played this game may have missed this important scene and never fully understood the special bond that these two characters shared.
Boy, this was really good. And the part about Guybrush and Elaine's characters and relationship is like, entirely true. That was the perfect way of describing them overall.
It's the only adventure game I keep coming back to and re-playing, and having one helluwa fun ride each time. It's just so bloody fun and well designed. And it fills me with wonderous nostalgia and sparks my imagination on every play-through, even though I know exactly what is going to happen. I just seem to sit and think "Uuuuh, now comes the part with..." and being excited for that particular comment from Guybrush or that particular item to land in my inventory. It's really quite odd. But I love it! This video provided some interesting in-sight to the game that I hadn't considered before. It's neat stuff!
the futzer thing also applies to people that write adventure game walthroughs. they always have you getting items in advance before you even know why you need them. thats nice for say a sierra game not so much for say day of the tentacle
Wow dude. Watching this made my day. Your analysis is amazing, and god bless the lack of objectivity (although it's not only passional but also very clever and lucid analysis). Hugs from Argentina.
Rewatching this after playing Return to MI, now where the series is back with Ron and Dave, the argument of Elaine being a strong, self sufficient woman and not a damsel in distress, holds true. As she clearly is in total control of the whole game, due to her setting it all up for Guybrush.
I have somewhat the same relationship with The Longest Journey that you have with The Secret of Monkey Island, I think. I first played the game when I was around 10 years old, it impacted me profoundly, I do not know how to live in a world where one hasn't played it, and I have carried it with me for the past 21 years. It is almost painful to see you reduce it to a singular rubber ducky puzzle in this video. I would argue that it's a game with both overt themes (journey and Balance) and as well as more subtle themes ("There is no "chosen one", April. There are only those who would, and those who wouldn't."), solid character development (notably in April, but also in the supporting characters) and a good, surprising and impactful story. Pacing ... I'll give you that one. Leaving aside the sequels, I think one could make as long a video essay on that game.
Tbh, for your argument two there ARE branching paths right at the start. You can go back to the map of the island instead of pressing forward or you can ignore the scumm bar door and explore the rest of the town. Also you do not need to talk to the pirate leaders (or the voodoo lady, or the sherrif in the alley etc etc) at all to finish the game. MI1 was not only released as a EGA title but also for VGA (and CGA).
Right but like that's another one of those scenarios like "barge past the bar's door because no one's going to tell you what to do." There's no way to design for that.
I loved argument 2 (thinking about the design of adventure games), argument 3 holds weight (Even though I love The Curse of Monkey Island, you're right, It does wrong by Elaine. I'd have to replay it, but I'd say Guybrush is pretty straight man in that game), but argument 1 didn't do much for me. I can't tell you how excited I was to see this in my subs this morning. More adventure game and video game content please :D
I still think 3 is my favourite. Yes, that art-style absolutely will have turned some people off. (It's the same problem the Spectacular Spiderman cartoon had) and yes they damsel'd Elaine, and I suspect that mostly was because they didn't know how to keep Guybrush relevant at all if they also had hypercompetent Elaine with him all the time. So, I guess the comeaway here is that nobody on Lucasarts has played Broken Sword. But seriously, 3 has some excellent ideas and wonderful little shout outs to previous games that aren't so commonplace that they become tiresome, as well as a very memorable cast, easily on par with anything the previous games came up with, with Murray and Wally being the standouts. Then there was that wonderful re-occuring gag/puzzle solution of the Hangover Cure, that get's used three times, each time with different components but because of a certain key phrase we know exactly what we have to do. I loved the first game. The first game wasn't just my first adventure game, it was my first game on IBM PC full stop. I continue to rave about how much I enjoyed the action parser bar jokes with the Trial of Theivery, or Insult Swordfighting, or just how great the town looks in VGA. But the thing is, all those things I've just mentioned? They're ALL from part 1. When I say I love Monkey Island, what I usually mean is "I loved Melee Island" I'm deeply ambivalent about the rest of the game.
It's interesting. I have played Monkey Island, but as an adult. When I was seven, I was playing Space Quest--that, for me, is the seminal adventure game. I haven't thought about it this hard, though.
"It could have been so much longer, you have no idea."
I would watch the shit out of an extended Monkey Island series.
great time to do it now with Ron back
Absotutely
Ahoy!
I keep coming back to this video because it really illustrates so eloquently how great this game is. However, there is one area I contend with slightly. Putting all the necessary items to be able to choose any trial to do in any order is a great bit of design, however in my experience watching countless blind let's plays of the game (and helping my girlfriend play it), nearly every single person ignores the kitchen after the chef yells at them not to go in and then goes on to be stuck for hours cause not a single puzzle can be solved without going in there.
looking forward to the sequel, "Three Enormously Long Arguments on the Secret of Monkey Island"
Three part video, each part being 1 and half hour long.
And finally, "The Three Second-Biggest Arrrrguments on The Secret of LeChuck Strikes the Curse of Monkey Island Mega-Monkey - Being A Tale of Swashbuckling Adventure Games (But With More Puzzles)"
@@guidofedeli851 I'd watch the shit out of all six parts of that.
@@professeurgideere5856Three mind-numbingly verbose arguments on The Secret of Monkey Island
ian give it to us it's been six years
"and swordfighting takes place entirely in the dialogue system, because how else would you gamify an Errol Flynn movie?"
- You're using Bonetti's Defense against me, huh?
- I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.
- Naturally. You must expect me to attack with Capo Ferro!
- Naturally. But I find that Thibault cancels out Capo Ferro. Don't you?
- Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa... Which I have.
I have no nostalgic attachments to this game.
The first time I played The Secret of Monkey Island, it was in 2016, and it was the remastered edition with Dominic Armato voicing Guybrush.
So when I say that SMI is one of the my favorite games of all time, then know that I am not influenced by any past memories.
I got it for free on the Xbox 360, and was kinda turned off. "A point-and-click adventure game? I don't wanna pixel-hunt and spend hours figuring out puzzles." But then I played it, and I was charmed like no other game had ever charmed me before. The game was so damn funny and clever, it blew me away. All the puzzles were surprisingly intuitive, and played into the world-building.
I then went on to play all the other Monkey Island games. And believe me, trying to play The Curse of Monkey Island and Escape from Monkey Island in 2017 is NOT easy. But I still loved them. I loved all of them. I get what you said about Guybrush and Elaine in the later games. But c'moooon. It's good fun. It's super fun to play.
Curse is somewhat ok bcs of El Pollo Diablo, but I'd leave the others alone.
Lucasarts made some other adventure games that are very good as well.
I'm surprised you talked about "something that will attract attention but has no real importance" being a theme and didn't mention how the game suggests that this applies to itself with the "Never pay more than $20 for a computer game," line at the end.
Ah, de 90s, rigth now is 60-80 + dlc
@@sas3dx The price for the brand new (Ron Gilbert doing it) one is 22,99€, So... Maybe that's 19,99 in USD?
Looks like nihilism is a common theme to Ron Gilbert's games. The nihilist conclusion to Thumbleweed Park left me very unsatisfied and a bit sad for the characters.
It's kinda funny. I enjoyed watching Monkey Island as a kid being played by a Let's Player and not minding the messiness of the game's story but fast forward into my teens and Thimbleweed Park left me disappointed for having the exact same lack of focus.
I don't think it's any coincidence that one of the few classic adventure games whose narrative has consistent themes is also one of the few classic adventure games which is still fondly remembered to this day. The importance of theme is something that's hard to explain in a UA-cam comment, but the short of it is that you need a theme to build your story around, so it all has one coherent _something_ that the audience is left with when it's all over.
Note: Contrary to popular belief, a theme and a moral are not the same thing. A theme is just a subject. This can be a message, but it can also be a question, which the story sets out to answer, or even just a concept which the story explores.
I come back to this video every few days so I can remember what a well-argued, well-researched, well-written video essay ("essay" in the truest sense) looks like. It's very, very clear that when the author says that he has spent a lifetime playing and thinking about the game, he's a) not exaggerating b) not saying it to score credibility points, but that he's providing real personal background which is the foundation for the whole argument presented. Lots of videos on game history and analysis are either rephrasings or fancy presentations of encyclopedic facts and news articles, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I don't think they truly qualify as essays. This one certainly does.
I know this all sounds kiss-ass-y, but whatever. Keep up the good work, man.
*By now I think Ian already knows this, but Ron Gilbert has linked to this video in his blog.
Have you watched @thewhyfiles ? It's a bunch of well-argued, well-researched, well-written video essays!
So, the way you feel about Monkey Island 1 is (sorta) the way I feel about The Curse of Monkey Island. It was my first adventure game, and I love it to bits. I can see many of the strengths of MI1, but it just doesn't have the same charm to me. Which may also colour what follows.
But I have to disagree with your portrayal of Elaine in CMI. I don't see her as a damsel in distress. This is a story of Guybrush causing Elaine all sorts of problems. Opening scene: Elaine is handling LeChuck pretty well, when suddenly Guybrush comes sailing into the fray, and gets captured by LeChuck. Then, when he - accidentally - manages to get off LeChuck's ship, he gets her cursed - and, because he didn't hide a solid gold statue on an island full of pirates, she gets stolen by a bunch of... let's call them pirates. Then he manages to get rid of the curse, but because he hasn't been careful, he's led LeChuck's henchmen straight to Elaine.
In other words, if Guybrush hadn't been in the picture, Elaine would have repelled LeChuck, and been safe and sound in her fortress.
Monkey Island 2 .. the whole story started only because he needed to brag around about defeating LeChuck. He even met Largo only because he started to realized that his LeChuck stories just started to bore the s**t out of people and he needs to get something better.
I have never seen anyone talk about this side of Monkey Island and never have thought of it myself, this is incredible!
I didn't know there was a "every cook makes substituotion" line until now; however, it was pretty obvious in the Part II segment. Setup & Pay off: the ending is resolved with a substitution too
Interesting video to watch after RTMI. I won't spoil anything, but I think its incredible how this video stands with the new context RTMI provides.
The theme of Monkey Island is summed up in one line: Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game.
30 years today.
I sometimes come back and watch this video, the analysis is really great and it perfectly hits various nails on their head.
I could literally listen to you talk about the Monkey Island series for hours. Please, make more.
7:45 "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" -Albert Camus
I just recently thought about your points about how Guybrush's whole adventure was rather pointless (regarding his goal) and how 2, 3 and ToMI made it a theme, that the adventure Guybrush has to go on is because he messed up. Glad to see someone touching that subject as well! Please, do more and longer arguments on Monkey Island!
(Also, nice insert of Seaside Rendezvous there. ;D)
5 was the first one I played, and then mi1, so I have more nostalgia for 5, but 1's pretty good too. This video really makes me wanna replay them.
i wish it had been so much longer!! i'd love to watch you gush about stuff you like
The point about how the later games treat Elaine was really interesting. I played the games wildly out of order (4, 3, 1, Tales, 2, I think), so while I had some sense that she was a very inconsistent character, I hadn't realized there was this dividing line between 2 and 3.
Still, 3 will probably always be my favorite.
CMI is def my favorite
@@natewilson111 Heretics!
Watching your other videos, there was always a tiny relatable sense of familiarity that drew me to them. Knowing what a potent impact The Secret of Monkey Island™ had on your formative years, it makes a lot of sense. There's something about this work that buries itself deep in your brain and continues to have a subtle effect on you for years to come. Thank you for making this. I can't imagine a more loving and thoughtful exploration of a title that's probably the closest to my heart, especially after all these years.
Listening to you talk about one of your favorite things always makes me WANT to make a video essay just so I could talk at length about one of mine.
Thanks for sharing ✨
Wonderful review! I had the same issues with MI2 and Elaine's portrayal in the sequels as you did, but thought I was in the minority since MI franchise was such a big hit.
Your analysis of the game's theme and the way that adventure game mechanics are structured in this game is pure brilliance! I've been playing those games for ages and I never thought about it!
I'm 42 and this video makes perfect sense.
Keep making videos - you enact a sort of higher-role narrative that we all knew, but never spoke up...
I akin this video to both "entering the world map after Midgar" and "the holy shit, you can click the view screen?" in The Witness. Both are essentially puzzle based hunts, but each developer, separated by both geography and time, definitely started as Guybrush.
I agree.
Monkey Island 2 was my first Monkey Island and remains my favorite. I think both of the first two did a lot of things right.
It'll forever be my favorite franchise in video game history.
To be fair to Monkey Island Three, you may rescue Elaine at one point but it's more a "Oh man, I fucked up really badly and need to fix my mistake" moment. She's a capable and strong character throughout the game, though you sadly don't get to see her too much.
Honestly I might have been more into Elaine's role in MI3 if there was more Elaine with agency in the game. It's one thing to lampshade and subvert a trope and another to lampshade it yet functionally ending up in the same place as the usual faithful applications of the trope.
My expectation at the beginning of MI3 was that I as a player would finally get to hear not only Guybrush but Elaine as well, but mostly what ended up on my plate was her absence.
That's one of the reasons the unfinished ending to that game is such a sore point for me. They planned a cutscene between Part Five and Part Six where, just as Guybrush shows up, Elaine escapes, steals LeChuck's sword, and starts fighting his minions. Guybrush is sent on the Rollercoaster of Death, but Elaine shoots the lever to switch the tracks so he ends up in the rollercoaster puzzle in Part Six rather than being sent into lava and turning into a skeletal minion. But the production team ran up against deadlines, and that scene was never made. (The ending of the game is terribly truncated for the same reason; they were going to put in another musical number.)
@@spinningchrysalis4061 that's why I don't think grouping MI3 with Escape and Tales is fair - even though the main portion of the plot revolves around saving Elaine with no presence from her, it's not really rescuing her from LeChuck but more of fixing your own mistake like OP said, and when she is actually captured by LeChuck she manages to escape on her own (just like in MI1) and actually helps or even saves Guybrush, so MI3 actually does MI1 Elaine justice and doesn't butcher the character as is implied in the video. If only they included that cutscene!
I think most of your fans appreciate longer videos. You do video essays, the longer the better.
Didn't you notice the "I could literally bore you to death" undertone of "it could've been so much longer"? :p
Longer isn't always better. This was a good video imo.
I think it's often a side-effect of a thing being good that you're let craving for more.
I double that, I even watched the essay twice just because I didn't have enough of it.
His long videos sure are long, but they're also PACKED. They move at the same rate as this video, there's just more points floating around.
In Curse Elaine rescues herself. Lechuck said she escaped while he tried to bring her to the gates of Big Whoop. Also, in Tales she let herself be possessed by Lechuck because being rescued by Guybrush was her plan at that point.
All games made Elaine justice
Great video! Good point about Guybrush being a dick in Lehcuck's Revenge. That's actually my favorite version of the character. I enjoy that I can choose (via the dialogue tree) how much of a jerk I want Guybrush to be. The comments he makes range from deadpan to mildly sarcastic to down-right cruel. And the other characters will respond to him in different ways based on what he says to them. I used to save and reload the game to see all the different responces. This was lost with the later games where every line was recorded by voice actors. There are less dialog choices and the player can select them one-after-the-other so that almost every line that is written and recorded is playable. This makes sense because why waste money on actor recording sessions if a good percentage of the dialogue will not be heard on one playthrough, but it was a sad loss for the characterization and opportunity for jokes.
I swear to god, if you had more videos like this, or related to culture and art in general (tomatoes or how not to define art, begginers artist, things of beauty:smash) you would be amazing, or at least even more amazing! Really great video, and thank you so much for making it, specially since i havent played any monkey island game yet...
I love how if you futz your way through Siege of Dragonspear, you character begins to question why they are carrying around weird items they haven't been asked for....
I think that the best content is made by people who are extremely passionate about a creative work or works that I have no knowledge about whatsoever
I didn’t realize how weird it was that Elaine was pretty much relegated to playing “damsel in distress” after the second game until you pointed it out.
Your interpretation of her and Guybrush’s relationship is adorable btw
Just throwing this out there: If you're digging for a topic for another Co-Vid, I'd be really interested in hearing some more Monkey Island takes. I love all the videos on this channel, but I've listened to this one more than any other.
I genuinely enjoyed the entire series (I was introduced to the series backwards, and it was a great romp regardless). But you're observations are spot on to take criticism in the later series, and point and click games as a whole.
Secret of Monkey Island had a lot of fun rhyme to their reason (even if was through puns, word plays, and honest to goodness detective work) which a lot of other point and click games, or ones that had evolved from point and click, tend to fall short on.
You probably won't read this, but this was game design therapy for me. I too loved this game, and I think this game among other media formed my sense of humor and overall philosophy on life. I would describe myself as an absurdist nihilist, but that's only slightly related. I'm an avid tabletop RPG fan and have written and run numerous adventures over the past twenty five or so years. This video blew my mind. This is how I write my games and this is exactly why my friends who are futzers and are about the journey more than the destination love my games, but why they fall flat when I run them at conventions or less close friends. My critics are frequently asking, "What's the point of this campaign?", or "Wait, we never could complete the assigned task, but only defeat the villain?". I'm not as talented as the makers of TSOMI, because they pulled this off well and in a satisfying way where I've generally failed. This now gives me some ways to write for strangers in a better way. You've revealed in 19 minutes something that I've been puzzling over for decades. (Also I think this explains a similar divide over the show Lost, The Last Jedi and other divisive media, but that's a whole other essay.)
The entire King's Quest series save III, V and VII leans on placing the character in an open environment in which they can walk in every direction from the very beginning of the game. In III this opens up once you get rid of the Wizard. KQ1 was particularly open ended. This is an almost Castlevania structure, released two years before Metroid was released.
I'm late to the party as usual, but it's refreshing to hear soon-to-be else was poetically about the game that singlehandedly shaped my love of adventure games
Got so excited when I saw that Innuendo Studios uploaded a new video
I wanna hear what else you have to say about the Game!
Make it "so much longer"!
It's not head-canon, my friend, it's a well reasoned and insightful analysis. Loved this video.
How do you think this video holds up in the wake of Return To Monkey Island, and Ron Gilbert's various interviews on the subject?
"And it could have been so much longer, you have no idea'
I definitely now want the longer version!! :)
For everyone who nodded along to the music during the title card sections (great illustrations, by the by), this one can wholeheartedly recommend the full performance from Janne Lassila (and the rest of the musicians, including the woman playing the accordion for "Jojo the Monkey").
The PC speaker theme at the end hits right in the kokoro.
I grew up playing Curse of Monkey Island, and personally I do like it much more than the 1st or 2nd, however I totally get your viewpoint on how Elaine shouldn't be a damsel. That being said, I never saw her as a damsel in Curse because I saw it as guybrush just messing up his relationship and fixing it. I also just want to add, that to me what makes these games one of my all time favorite series is the music and that I guess I was born a futzer 😂
Oh my god. THe beeps and tweeps soundtrack. I remember playing this on my 286 with CGA display. No adlib sound card.
Then I upgraded, got a sound blaster and enjoyed Monkey Island in vga glory!
Ah, cga was ugly even back then, but it was the only one I had.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 were my favourite games as a kid and I loved both equally. Nowadays my favourite Guybrush is the one from MI2, and interestingly enough I used to be similar to MI1's Guybrush as a person and over time gradually turned into MI2 Guybrush, and I have no idea whether that's just due to my flawed personal character or whether the influence of these games on me is so strong, playing Monkey Island all the time as a kid literally turned me into Guybrush Threepwood.
The red herring plays beautifully into your first point in that it completely subverses it.
A red herring is the single item you would expect to do nothing but fill out the scenery and set you up on a wrong trail and that is exactly what this red herring doesnt do.
And then it subverts the subversion by distracting the bridge troll.
But the troll WANTED the red herring so thats a hattrick of subversions.
Awesome video! Curse will probably always be my favorite due to its beautiful art and music, as well as the unique melancholic atmosphere in the back-half... but you've given me a greater appreciation of Secret.
If anyone's considering playing the original two games, I highly recommend looking into the Talkie edition, which allows you to play with the original graphics and Special Edition voice acting simultaneously.
I have never played Monkey Island but how you describe the guy sounds pretty much like a good metaphor for gamers. There is no real point to gaming besides the adventure. You usually dont gain anything useful outside of the game.
As a player you know your abilities are limited. You dont have the power to rewrite the rules/code.
But you want to experience the adventure so play along even when it doesnt make sense or there would be smarter ways that are just not implemented. We do what works within the rules of the game so we can progress in the adventure.
As a guy who appreciates conciseness and also doesn't have much time, thank you for not making it "so much longer".
I have discovered this game recently. I'm slowly developing a point'n'click adventure game. Knowing the classics is very important to build on their foundation.
My personal favorite game of the genre is Machinarium. It mixes good design with a good story and doesn't become self-indulgent as Samorost 3 did.
I found the secret of monkey island somewhat overwhelming in the number of different puzzles presented to the player at the same time. When you have too many items and too many puzzles its hard to know what you can and cannot do. Perhaps, an in-game hint system would have helped, but I didn't feel like the game gave me enough direction.
I love the fact that futzers are the main audience of adventure games and I couldn't say that I did consciously understand the fact that I need to design both for them and for normal players. Intuitively? Sure. But not as a fact. So thank you for that!
Omg. They might be giants music?! Specifically off the spine.....?
We are kindred spirits my friend....
Great Video. The thesis presented in Part 2 is as immaculate as MI's design and I couldn't agree more with you on the Elaine bit; I can still remember (and still feel when replaying) the dissapointment when she is turned into a statue, after spending the entire first part waiting to see how would she save Guybrush from LeChuck's prison...
I would also like to know Ron Gilbert's opinion on this video, because it's a great tribute to his work.
Very well thought out. The short arguments make sense even psychological sense. I have played MI 1, 2, 3 (Curse of MI) & 4 (Escape from MI) and seen 5 (Tales of MI). I got MI 1 & 2 when it first came out .
Didn't expect to hear some random TMBG music for a quick gag, good pick too. The Spine is one underrated album.
I knew something always bugged me about Elaine in the sequels, but I could never pinpoint it. Thanks for fixing that. Also thank you for making me realise why I fell in love with Guybrush when I was a three year old toddler.
Amazing analysis. I never got why I couldn't complete Monkey Island 2 and I loved the first one. Now I know
"and it could have been so much longer."
Much appreciated! Brevity etc.
This must be the best analysis of anything I've seen or read in my entire life. Possibly the best thing I've seen on UA-cam ever. This didn't just make my day, it revolutionized my view on the entire life I've lived since I played Monkey Island the first time ~28 years ago. Needless to say, the game had a monumental impact on my adolescent life and every pixel and sinus wave of its existence is burned into my memory like no other art or cultural experience I've had before or after. That entire memory just got a huge wiggle and gained 4-8 new levels of abstractions and perspectives. I don't know how many since I'm not yet done digesting this. It will probably take me months. Mindblowing!
And here I am, realising why I so absolutely love The Secret of Monkey Island and still remember so much of it, while the other games where funny, yeah, but not That Monkey Island I have in mind
Wow.... that was deep. And I thought I've got this games figured down long ago, but this? Great stuff!
God I wish there was a whole rabbit hole of videos of Lucas Arts like this I could watch
Omg this video is so amazing. I don’t even really care about video games that much but the care you put into your critical analysis of some random thing you just happen to love so much reveals so much about art and life and the human experience and god damnit IT MAKES ME CARE ABOUT THIS GAME TOO! Stellar job, so happy to be a patron. 👏🏻
All: A pirate I was meant to be!
All: Trim the sails and roam the sea!
Was waiting for you to upload! Welcome back man!
Even as a long time fan of the series, this video pointed out a lot of things that I honestly hadn't even considered before. Major kudos to you for this well thought out video!
However, while I can kind of understand why you have a preference for the 'fresh faced innocent Guybrush' of the first game, that obviously couldn't have remained the case even if the sequel had gone in a different direction. After all, any sequel with Guybrush in it was going to include a more experienced Guybrush still pursuing the 'career' of his dreams. Of course, that didn't mean they had to take the 'jerk Guybrush' route they took in LeChuck's Revenge.
I think that's a major reason why I appreciate Dominic Armato's take on the character so much, since it's a logical progression: a reasonably intelligent youth who, after stumbling his way to success, becomes an egoistic buffoon who bumbles his way into all sorts of trouble that he then has to get out of using his wit. In a sense, Guybrush essentially became a personification of the 'something that will attract attention but have no real importance' theme: a 'mighty pirate' who's reputation is mostly hot air and that almost nobody takes seriously.
Of course, one COULD make the argument that it may have been better had SoMI never received sequels. But personally speaking, I appreciate how rich the universe is, despite its silliness (and loads of unfortunate retcons).
On a different note, part of the brilliance of the first game (and I would argue the third as well) is its ability to help the player adapt to its unique brand of logic. Puzzles in adventure games are sometimes accused of being based on 'moon logic', i.e. based on a idea or premise that would only be understandable to the developer. Yet, despite being chock full of goofy solutions to even goofier puzzles, SoMI still manages to make it all work internally and seem to make sense in-universe.
One more thing. While I agree with a lot of your points regarding Elaine, I don't think it's fair to chalk up her role in Curse as simply being 'damseled'. The only reason she winds up in trouble in the first place is because of Guybrush giving her the cursed ring and then failing to hide her while she was a statue (so another case of Guybrush having to fix a problem he caused in the first place). And then, when they are both captured and brought to the Carnival of the Damned, while Guybrush DOES defeat LeChuck, the only reason he gets to do that is because Elaine managed to break free on her own and rig the controls of the ride to save him.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but I have a great love for the series. Thanks again for the excellent video essay. I look forward to more of your content.
One of the strengths of Monkey Island is just how damn meta it was for its time. A bit like UHF and Spaceballs. I clearly loved the material it lampooned.
this man steady coming out with relevant content. This game was a favorite of mine as a kid
Excellent video with loads of great points I've never considered before. On the topic of how Guybrush changes over the games though I always kinda felt he had a very clear character arc through the first 3 games. You already discussed his personality in the first two in great detail and I'm sure most can agree that the idea of his fame getting to his head and causing him to become less like he used to be and more like the other pirates makes sense as the middle point of a character arc.
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What I want to focus more on is to make an argument for why his character in Curse properly finishes off his arc. This is a Guybrush who has been humbled by his exploits in Monkey 2. He outright berates himself in the beginning for sacrificing so much of what was truly important to him in his search for fame and glory. At the same time he also comes off as older and much more experienced than previously. This is a Guybrush that has seen things and knows how the world works, he's toughened up a little. He always struck me as far less arrogant compared to Monkey 2 but a lot more competent compared to Monkey 1.
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The fact that he immediately proposes to Elaine and tries to make things right with her shows that he's learned what is truly more important to him and her being damsel'd is a direct result of his trademark carelessness and lack of ability to think things through. In that sense it's a story about Guybrush being forced to own up to his mistakes and set things right again. I know Elaine technically gets damsel'd (along with Guybrush) shortly after again but the game makes a point out of stating that she quickly escapes and messes with the roller coaster tracks so that Guybrush doesn't get dipped in lava and can face Lechuck. Elaine literally makes that entire final confrontation possible and clearly didn't need Guybrush's help once he got rid of the curse.
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Maybe I'm biased because I love Curse of monkey island but to me, original vision be damned, it still serves as a good way to finish off a trilogy and Guybrush's arc as a character. I take more issue with Monkey 4 and Tales of monkey island. Don't dislike those games but they feel like they don't fit with the story arc that's seen through the first 3 games.
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Anyway, just my two pieces o' eight on it!
I could listen to you waffle on and on about this franchise for hours.
Seriously, go ahead and make an hour long video of you just talking about Monkey Island.
Randomly. Just whatever comes to mind.
I'd watch it.
OMG, this is all close to heart. Be nice to not get the joke ending once in a while though.
I also think the design of Part I is brilliant but not necessarily perfect. The most glaring problem is the way the Guybrush-Elaine love scene is played out. When Guybrush emerges from the bottom of the ocean, he reunites with Governor and kindle their love for each other. This is one of the most pivotal scene of the entire game and a huge narrative device that propels the entire remaining portion of the game. But if a hapless gamer chooses to solve this puzzle (i.e., art of theivery) last for whatever reason (one-in-three chance), then this entire cutscene gets skipped because Guybrush discovers that Elaine is kidnapped right after he gets out of the water. And the pivotal dialog between the Guybrush and Elaine is replaced with a short monologue by Guybrush alone (basically amounting to "She's gone but now I realize that my love for her is real and I must go rescue her!"). This means, a full one third of the people who have played this game may have missed this important scene and never fully understood the special bond that these two characters shared.
This is that rare kind of wonderful video which seems to keep getting better, right the way to the final line :)
Happy 30th birthday Secret of Monkey Island!!! (we're all getting older right along with you...)
Boy, this was really good. And the part about Guybrush and Elaine's characters and relationship is like, entirely true. That was the perfect way of describing them overall.
Well done! This video really explains why I love this game so much and still do to this day, it's a masterpiece.
I didn't know I could love this game more, but you just made it. Thank you for this,
One of the best explanations I've heard so far.
Great video, definetly could watch a longer version
I so love that this was my first video I found of yours, allowed me to follow your channel in practically natural lifetime progression p:
I like the use of the instrumental of "Seaside Rendezvous".
It's the only adventure game I keep coming back to and re-playing, and having one helluwa fun ride each time. It's just so bloody fun and well designed. And it fills me with wonderous nostalgia and sparks my imagination on every play-through, even though I know exactly what is going to happen. I just seem to sit and think "Uuuuh, now comes the part with..." and being excited for that particular comment from Guybrush or that particular item to land in my inventory. It's really quite odd. But I love it!
This video provided some interesting in-sight to the game that I hadn't considered before. It's neat stuff!
the futzer thing also applies to people that write adventure game walthroughs. they always have you getting items in advance before you even know why you need them. thats nice for say a sierra game not so much for say day of the tentacle
Wow dude. Watching this made my day. Your analysis is amazing, and god bless the lack of objectivity (although it's not only passional but also very clever and lucid analysis). Hugs from Argentina.
Excelent analysis! It has been a pleasure to watch and digest. Congrats!
Rewatching this after playing Return to MI, now where the series is back with Ron and Dave, the argument of Elaine being a strong, self sufficient woman and not a damsel in distress, holds true. As she clearly is in total control of the whole game, due to her setting it all up for Guybrush.
I have somewhat the same relationship with The Longest Journey that you have with The Secret of Monkey Island, I think. I first played the game when I was around 10 years old, it impacted me profoundly, I do not know how to live in a world where one hasn't played it, and I have carried it with me for the past 21 years. It is almost painful to see you reduce it to a singular rubber ducky puzzle in this video. I would argue that it's a game with both overt themes (journey and Balance) and as well as more subtle themes ("There is no "chosen one", April. There are only those who would, and those who wouldn't."), solid character development (notably in April, but also in the supporting characters) and a good, surprising and impactful story. Pacing ... I'll give you that one. Leaving aside the sequels, I think one could make as long a video essay on that game.
Tbh, for your argument two there ARE branching paths right at the start. You can go back to the map of the island instead of pressing forward or you can ignore the scumm bar door and explore the rest of the town. Also you do not need to talk to the pirate leaders (or the voodoo lady, or the sherrif in the alley etc etc) at all to finish the game. MI1 was not only released as a EGA title but also for VGA (and CGA).
Right but like that's another one of those scenarios like "barge past the bar's door because no one's going to tell you what to do." There's no way to design for that.
We demand a sequel. You have one year. Get cracking!
I loved argument 2 (thinking about the design of adventure games), argument 3 holds weight (Even though I love The Curse of Monkey Island, you're right, It does wrong by Elaine. I'd have to replay it, but I'd say Guybrush is pretty straight man in that game), but argument 1 didn't do much for me. I can't tell you how excited I was to see this in my subs this morning. More adventure game and video game content please :D
As a futzer who loves MI2, you hit the target on my back.
Great video. Brought back good memories. I only played the remastered version for the phone though.
Very nicely put together too
I still think 3 is my favourite. Yes, that art-style absolutely will have turned some people off. (It's the same problem the Spectacular Spiderman cartoon had) and yes they damsel'd Elaine, and I suspect that mostly was because they didn't know how to keep Guybrush relevant at all if they also had hypercompetent Elaine with him all the time.
So, I guess the comeaway here is that nobody on Lucasarts has played Broken Sword.
But seriously, 3 has some excellent ideas and wonderful little shout outs to previous games that aren't so commonplace that they become tiresome, as well as a very memorable cast, easily on par with anything the previous games came up with, with Murray and Wally being the standouts.
Then there was that wonderful re-occuring gag/puzzle solution of the Hangover Cure, that get's used three times, each time with different components but because of a certain key phrase we know exactly what we have to do.
I loved the first game. The first game wasn't just my first adventure game, it was my first game on IBM PC full stop. I continue to rave about how much I enjoyed the action parser bar jokes with the Trial of Theivery, or Insult Swordfighting, or just how great the town looks in VGA.
But the thing is, all those things I've just mentioned? They're ALL from part 1. When I say I love Monkey Island, what I usually mean is "I loved Melee Island" I'm deeply ambivalent about the rest of the game.
Just wanted to say: "How to get ahead in Navigation." Also, great vid.
It's interesting. I have played Monkey Island, but as an adult. When I was seven, I was playing Space Quest--that, for me, is the seminal adventure game.
I haven't thought about it this hard, though.
You know... even part 1 alone would had been a good video. Good job!