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''Monkey Island'' is a
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...
of
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
s. The first four games in the series were produced and published by
LucasArts Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
, earlier known as Lucasfilm Games. The fifth installment of the franchise was developed by
Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
in collaboration with LucasArts. A sixth game was developed by Terrible Toybox in cooperation with Lucasfilm Games and
Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wilso ...
. The games follow the misadventures of the hapless
Guybrush Threepwood Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood is a fictional character who serves as the main protagonist of the ''Monkey Island'' series of computer adventure games by LucasArts. Guybrush is voiced by actor Dominic Armato in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ga ...
as he struggles to become the most notorious
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, defeat the plans of the evil undead pirate
LeChuck LeChuck is a fictional character in LucasArts' ''Monkey Island'' series of graphic adventure games. Created by Ron Gilbert, LeChuck was introduced in ''The Secret of Monkey Island'' and is the main antagonist of the series. Gilbert drew on aspe ...
and win the heart of Governor
Elaine Marley Elaine Marley (from ''Escape From Monkey Island'' onward called Elaine Marley-Threepwood) is a fictional character in the ''Monkey Island'' series of graphic adventure video games. Created by Ron Gilbert for LucasArts, the character first appears ...
. Each game's plot usually involves the mysterious Monkey Island and its impenetrable secrets. The first game in the series was created by
Ron Gilbert Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
,
Tim Schafer Timothy John Schafer (born July 26, 1967) is an American video game designer. He founded Double Fine Productions in July 2000, after having spent over a decade at LucasArts. Schafer is best known as the designer of critically acclaimed games '' ...
and Dave Grossman. Gilbert worked on the first two games before leaving LucasArts. Grossman and Schafer, who also worked on the first two games, enjoyed success on other games before they both left LucasArts. The rights to ''Monkey Island'' remained with LucasArts, and the third and fourth games were created without direct involvement from the original writing staff. Dave Grossman was the project leader of the fifth game in the series and Gilbert was involved with the first design of the game. Gilbert's studio developed the sixth game, ''Return to Monkey Island'', with Grossman assisting.


Overview

The Monkey Island series is known for its humor and "player-friendly" qualities. The player cannot permanently place the game in an
unwinnable A no-win situation, also called a lose-lose situation, is one where a person has choices, but no choice leads to a net gain. For example, if an executioner offers the condemned the choice of death by being hanged, shot, or poisoned, all choices lea ...
state or cause Guybrush to die without great effort. This "player-friendly" approach was unusual at the time of the first game's release in 1990; prominent adventure-game rivals included
Sierra On-Line Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, ...
and
Infocom Infocom was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone (software), Cornerstone''. ...
, both of which were known for games with sudden and frequent character deaths or "lock-outs". LucasArts itself used such closed plot paths for its drama games like '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure'' (1989), but preferred the open format for other humor-oriented adventure games such as ''
Sam & Max Hit the Road ''Sam & Max Hit the Road'' is a graphic adventure video game released by LucasArts during the company's LucasArts adventure games, adventure games era. The game was originally released for MS-DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release ...
'' (1993) and ''
Day of the Tentacle ''Day of the Tentacle'', also known as ''Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle'', is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game ''Maniac Mansion''. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli a ...
'' (1993). After '' Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge'' in 1991, the series went in hiatus until 1997, when it resumed with ''
The Curse of Monkey Island ''The Curse of Monkey Island'' is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1997. A sequel to 1991's '' Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge,'' it is the third game in the ''Monkey Island'' series. It follows protagonist Guybrush ...
''. After the fourth entry, ''
Escape from Monkey Island ''Escape from Monkey Island'' is an adventure game developed and released by LucasArts in 2000. It is the fourth game in the ''Monkey Island'' series, and the sequel to the 1997 videogame ''The Curse of Monkey Island''. It is the first game in ...
'', the franchise again went on hiatus, though numerous rumors persisted about a revival until the announcement of ''
Tales of Monkey Island ''Tales of Monkey Island'' is a 2009 graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games under license from LucasArts. It is the fifth game in the ''Monkey Island'' series, released nearly a decade after the previous installment, ''Escape fr ...
'' by
Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
in early 2009. A new entry, ''
Return to Monkey Island ''Return to Monkey Island'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Terrible Toybox and published by Devolver Digital. The sixth ''Monkey Island'' game, it was released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows on September 19, 2022, for L ...
'', was released in September 2022. Much of the
music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
of the games is composed by
Michael Land Michael Z. Land (born 1961) is an American video game composer and musician best known for his scores for various games produced by LucasArts. Biography Early life and career Michael Land was born in the North Shore area north of Boston, Massa ...
. The score largely consists of
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and dub-inspired music. The series also tends to break the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
, as several of the characters acknowledge that they are in a video game.


Setting

Each of the games takes place on
fictional islands Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditio ...
in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
around the
Golden Age of Piracy The Golden Age of Piracy is a common designation for the period between the 1650s and the 1730s, when maritime piracy was a significant factor in the histories of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the Indian Ocean, North America, and West Africa ...
sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries, though in the fashion of a theme park: The islands teem with pirates dressed in outfits that seem to come from films and comic books rather than history, and there are many deliberate
anachronism An anachronism (from the Ancient Greek, Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronology, chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time per ...
s and references to modern-day popular culture. The theme park motif is particularly strong near the end of the second game, which seems to take place in the service section of a modern-day theme park, concrete tunnels complete with elevators and electric lighting. The third game begins with Guybrush adrift in a bumper car instead of a boat, and ends on a roller coaster ride on Monkey Island. Oblique references from dialogue within the games suggest this theme park motif may have been a misperception stemming from a voodoo curse, but ultimately leaves it unresolved. The main setting of the ''Monkey Island'' games is the " Tri-Island Area", a fictional
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. Since the first game in the series, ''The Secret of Monkey Island'', three of the games have visited the eponymous island of Monkey Island, while all have introduced their own set of islands to explore. ''Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge'' features four new islands, but does not return to Monkey Island until the final cutscene. ''The Curse of Monkey Island'' introduces three, and ''Escape from Monkey Island'', which revisits some of the older islands, features three new islands as well. As such, the "Tri-Island area" actually comprises a total of 13 visitable islands. ''Tales of Monkey Island'' takes place in a new area of the Caribbean called the "Gulf of Melange". The main islands of the Tri-Island Area are Mêlée Island, Booty Island, and Plunder Island governed by
Elaine Marley Elaine Marley (from ''Escape From Monkey Island'' onward called Elaine Marley-Threepwood) is a fictional character in the ''Monkey Island'' series of graphic adventure video games. Created by Ron Gilbert for LucasArts, the character first appears ...
in place of her long lost grandfather, Horatio Torquemada Marley. Elaine moves from island to island at her convenience, though she considers her governor's mansion on Mêlée Island, the capital island of the area, as home. Other islands in the region are considered under the umbrella of Tri-Island Area as well, even though not directly governed by Elaine include: Lucre Island, Jambalaya Island, Scabb Island, Phatt Island, Hook Island, Skull Island, Knuttin Atoll, Blood Island, Spittle Island and Pinchpenny Island. The Gulf of Melange has its own set of islands: Flotsam Island, the Jerkbait Islands (Spinner Cay, Spoon Island, Roe Island), Brillig Island, Boulder Beach, Isle of Ewe, and the Rock of Gelato. Monkey Island and Dinky Island are not officially part of any island area, but nonetheless are central to the series' overall back-story and canon.


Characters

The games have a wide cast of characters, many of which reappear throughout the series. Each entry in the series revolves around three main characters: the hero
Guybrush Threepwood Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood is a fictional character who serves as the main protagonist of the ''Monkey Island'' series of computer adventure games by LucasArts. Guybrush is voiced by actor Dominic Armato in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ga ...
; his love interest
Elaine Marley Elaine Marley (from ''Escape From Monkey Island'' onward called Elaine Marley-Threepwood) is a fictional character in the ''Monkey Island'' series of graphic adventure video games. Created by Ron Gilbert for LucasArts, the character first appears ...
; and the villain, the Demon/Zombie/Ghost pirate
LeChuck LeChuck is a fictional character in LucasArts' ''Monkey Island'' series of graphic adventure games. Created by Ron Gilbert, LeChuck was introduced in ''The Secret of Monkey Island'' and is the main antagonist of the series. Gilbert drew on aspe ...
. Several other characters such as the Voodoo Lady, Stan the salesman, Murray the Demonic Talking Skull and Herman Toothrot make multiple appearances within the series as well.


Inspiration

Ron Gilbert Ron Gilbert (born January 1, 1964) is an American video game designer, video-game designer, video game programmer, programmer, and video game producer, producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably bes ...
's two main inspirations for the story were
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
's Pirates of the Caribbean ride and
Tim Powers Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels ''Last Call (novel), Last Call'' and ''Declare''. ...
' book ''
On Stranger Tides ''On Stranger Tides'' is a 1987 historical fantasy supernatural novel by American writer Tim Powers. It was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and placed second in the annual Locus poll for best fantasy novel. ''On Stranger ...
''. The book was the inspiration for the story and characters, while the ride was the inspiration for the ambiance. Gilbert said in interview that " he POTC Ridekeeps you moving through the adventure but I've always wished I could get off and wander around, learn more about the characters, and find a way onto those pirate ships. So with ''The Secret of Monkey Island'' I wanted to create a game that had the same flavor, but where you could step off the boat and enter that whole storybook world". Several specific references to the ride are made throughout the series, including a puzzle in the second game based on the ride's famous Jail Cell/Dog With Keys scene (the dog in the scene is even named
Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt Bel ...
). The banjo music in the opening menu of the third game is also very reminiscent of the banjo music at the beginning of the ride. Additional references are made to Disneyland and theme parks in general throughout the series, including Guybrush finding an
E ticket An E ticket (officially an E coupon) was a type of admission ticket used at the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom theme parks before 1982, where it admitted the bearer to the newest, most advanced, or popular rides and attractions. It is now commonl ...
.


Media


Games


''The Secret of Monkey Island''

The series debuted in 1990 with ''The Secret of Monkey Island'' on the
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
,
MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
,
Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
and
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
platforms; the game was later ported to
FM Towns The is a Japanese personal computer, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. ...
and
Mega-CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...
(1993). A remake version with updated graphics and new voiceovers was released for
PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
, PC Windows,
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
and
OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
. An iPhone version was also released on July 23, 2009. The game starts off with the main character Guybrush Threepwood stating "I want to be a pirate!" To do so, he must prove himself to three old pirate captains. During the perilous pirate trials, he meets the beautiful governor Elaine Marley, with whom he falls in love, unaware that the ghost pirate LeChuck also has his eyes on her. When Elaine is kidnapped, Guybrush procures crew and ship to track LeChuck down, defeat him and rescue his love.


''Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge''

The second game, ''Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge'' from 1991, was available for fewer platforms; it was only released for PC MS-DOS,
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
,
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
, and later for
FM Towns The is a Japanese personal computer, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. ...
. A Special Edition version, in a similar style as ''The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition'', was released in July 2010 for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. As Guybrush, with a
treasure chest Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
in hand, and Elaine hang onto ropes in a void, he tells her the story of the game. He has decided to find the greatest of all
treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
s, that of Big Whoop. Unwittingly, he helps revive LeChuck, who is now in zombie form. Guybrush is eventually captured by his nemesis, but escapes with help from Wally and finds the treasure only to find himself dangling from a rope, as depicted at the beginning of the game. As Guybrush concludes his story, his rope breaks and he finds himself facing LeChuck, whom he finally defeats using voodoo. The surrealistic ending is open to a number of interpretations. In the manual of ''
The Curse of Monkey Island ''The Curse of Monkey Island'' is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1997. A sequel to 1991's '' Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge,'' it is the third game in the ''Monkey Island'' series. It follows protagonist Guybrush ...
'', it is stated that Guybrush falls victim to a hex implemented by LeChuck.


''The Curse of Monkey Island''

''The Curse of Monkey Island'', the third in the series, was exclusively available for PC Windows in 1997 after a 6-year hiatus. ''The Curse of Monkey Island'' was released after what could be said to be the biggest technological change in the gaming industry. This new era saw the advent of digital audio, CD-ROM technology, and advancements in graphics. ''Monkey Island I'' and ''II'' were originally released on floppy discs with text dialog only. The visuals of the third installment was also an advance over the old game, using a
cel animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Proce ...
style. ''The Curse of Monkey Island'' is the only game in the series to feature this style of animation; subsequent games used 3D polygon animation. Guybrush unwittingly turns Elaine into a gold statue with a cursed ring, and she is soon stolen by pirates. He tracks her down before searching for a ring that can lift the curse. LeChuck appears in a fiery demon form, and is on the heels of Guybrush until a stand-off in LeChuck's amusement park ride, Monkey Mountain.


''Escape from Monkey Island''

''Escape from Monkey Island'', the fourth installment, was released in 2000 for PC Windows, and in 2001 for
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
and
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
. When Guybrush Threepwood and Elaine Marley return from their honeymoon, they find that Elaine has been declared officially dead, her mansion is under a destruction order, and her position as governor is up for election. Guybrush investigates and unearths a conspiracy by LeChuck and evil real estate developer Ozzie Mandrill to use a voodoo talisman, "The Ultimate Insult", to make all pirates docile in order to turn the Caribbean into a center of tourism.


''Tales of Monkey Island''

''Tales of Monkey Island'' is the fifth installment within the series, co-developed by
Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
and LucasArts, with a simultaneous release both on
WiiWare WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii S ...
and PC. Unlike other installments, ''Tales'' is an episodic adventure consisting of five different episodes. The first episode was released on July 7, with the last one released on December 8, 2009. During a heated battle with his nemesis, the evil pirate LeChuck, Guybrush unwittingly unleashes an insidious pox that rapidly spreads across the Caribbean, turning pirates into zombie-like monsters. The Voodoo Lady sends Guybrush in search of a legendary sea sponge to stem the epidemic, but this seemingly straightforward quest has surprises around every corner. ''Tales of Monkey Island'' was also released on
PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
as a bundle for US$20.00. In November 2011, when CEO of Telltale games Dan Conners was asked a question about another season of ''Monkey Island'', he replied: "I wish we had the rights to do more ''Monkey'' but we don't. Right now what I gather is LA is focused on building AAA titles internally but honestly we don't talk much these days". There had also been some speculation on Telltale Games forums about a possible sequel to ''Tales of Monkey Island'', although this was dismissed by Gilbert, who stated: "Basically, when we were working on ''Tales'', I understood that ... I'm too old for that job now" in an interview with ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' in March 2010. The ''Tales'' team claims that, despite a considerably increasing fanbase since 2009–10, there were not any plans to continue the series within the next five-year interval. In 2018 Telltale Games closed down.


''Return to Monkey Island''

With the purchase of LucasArts by
the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
in 2012, the rights to the franchise are now property of Disney. In the second half of 2010s, Disney Interactive ceased the production on gaming and transitioned to a licensing model. Gilbert wrote on Twitter that he was interested in buying the ''Monkey Island'' and ''Maniac Mansion'' properties. Fans of the series launched an online petition asking Disney to sell the franchise to Gilbert; by December 2021, the petition had gathered about 29,000 signatures. ''Return to Monkey Island'', the sixth ''Monkey Island'' installment, was released on September 19, 2022 on the Nintendo Switch and Windows, coming to other formats later. It is a collaboration between Gilbert's Terrible Toybox studio and
Lucasfilm Games Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...
, and published by
Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wilso ...
. A
frame story A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...
in the game serves to explain and continue from the ending of ''LeChuck's Revenge'', while the main narrative takes place after the other games in the series. Ron Gilbert has expressed his desire to tell a simple and focused pirate story in the game, whilst also redefining the adventure game user interface and incorporating an increased emphasis of meat pies into the greater lore. In addition to Gilbert, Grossman returns as co-writer, with music from veteran series composers
Michael Land Michael Z. Land (born 1961) is an American video game composer and musician best known for his scores for various games produced by LucasArts. Biography Early life and career Michael Land was born in the North Shore area north of Boston, Massa ...
,
Peter McConnell Peter Nelson McConnell (born April 19, 1960), also known as Peter Mc, is an American video game composer and musician, best known for his work at LucasArts and for composing the soundtracks for every '' Sly Cooper'' game since the second instal ...
, and
Clint Bajakian Clint Bajakian (born 1962) is an American video game composer and musician. Biography Bajakian was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was linked with music since age of eight. In middle school, Bajakian played in marching bands, and also pla ...
, and
Dominic Armato Dominic Armato (born November 18, 1976) is an American voice actor, journalist and food critic. He is best known for his work on LucasArts games. His most famous role is the voice of the pirate Guybrush Threepwood in the ''Monkey Island'' series ...
,
Alexandra Boyd Alexandra Boyd is a British actress, director, screenwriter and producer. Her acting credits include Clarissa Mason in ''Coronation Street'' and Sarah Olmsted in Mr Holland's Opus. In recent years she has turned to screenwriting and film directi ...
, and
Denny Delk Denny Delk (born May 28, 1950) is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice of Murray in the ''Monkey Island'' series as well as a range of voices in LucasArts games. Background and career Delk learned a knack of acting from ...
reprising their roles as Guybrush, Elaine, and Murray.
Jess Harnell Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series ''Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in ''Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' films ...
replaces the retired
Earl Boen Earl Boen () is an American retired film, television and voice actor, best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in ''The Terminator'' (1984), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003) and ...
as the voice of LeChuck.


Other appearances

In ''
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine ''Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine'' is an action-adventure video game by LucasArts released in 1999. The first 3D installment in the series, its gameplay focuses on solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and completing various platforming sec ...
'', Guybrush can be accessed as a playable character via a
cheat code Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...
; in addition, a ''Monkey Island''-themed secret room can be found in the game's final level. Guybrush also appears in '' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II'' as a playable skin for
Starkiller Starkiller, born Galen Marek and also known as The Apprentice, is the fictional protagonist of the '' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' video games and literature, part of the now non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' expanded universe; however, ...
named "Guybrush Threepkiller". Guybrush is paid homage in the
Naughty Dog Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...
video game '' Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'', where a pirate with major similarities to Guybrush is featured as one of the twelve pirate captains that founded Libertalia. Although he remains unnamed throughout the game, the resemblance is uncanny and his
sigil A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
is represented by a monkey. His portrait can be seen in the Libertalia treasury with the other founders and though his name is partly scratched out, the letters still visible spell out the truncated name "Guy Wood". Several elements from the ''Monkey Island'' series appear in ''
Sea of Thieves ''Sea of Thieves'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios. The player assumes the role of a pirate who completes voyages from different trading companies. The multiplayer game sees players explore ...
'' as part of its June 2021 "A Pirate's Life" update. Developed in collaboration with Disney and primarily themed after ''Pirates of the Caribbean'', multiple references to the characters and locales from the Monkey Island franchise can be found in journals by Kate Capsize scattered around the wreckage of The Headless Monkey during the update's first Tall Tale, accompanied by an original arrangement of the Monkey Island theme. According to the journals, Guybrush and Elaine Threepwood are celebrating their honeymoon somewhere upon the Sea of Thieves. In an update to ''
Hitman 3 ''Hitman 3'' is a 2021 stealth game developed and published by IO Interactive. It is the sequel to the 2018 video game '' Hitman 2'', the eighth main installment in the ''Hitman'' series and the third entry in the ''World of Assassination'' tri ...
'', a new pirate-themed map was added, which featured an Easter Egg referencing ''Monkey Island'' in the form of a gravestone in the environment reading "G Threepwood, Mighty Pirate", a clear reference to Guybrush.


Cancelled film

Shortly after
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
, a spinout from Lucasfilm, found success with the first ''
Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...
'' film in 1995, there had been a push across Hollywood for more digitally animated films. Lucasfilm's
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
(ILM), in the midst of transitioning from practical to digital effects, offered its services for producing these films to other studios. One of the first projects they tried to work on was with
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
to revive the
Universal Classic Monsters Universal Classic Monsters (also known as Universal Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s. Although not initially concei ...
line with a film called ''Frankenstein and the Wolfman''. While several scripts and preliminary art was produced for this film, shake-ups at Universal due to the financial failure of '' Babe: Pig in the City'' led to changes in leadership for the film and ultimately its cancellation. David Carson, who had been set to direct ''Frankenstein and the Wolfman'' but left after the Universal shake-up, came back to ILM with the idea of an animated film based on the first ''Monkey Island'' game around 2000. With initial support from ILM, Carson worked an initial script with Corey Rosen and Scott Leberecht as to pitch the idea to
Amblin Entertainment Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal ...
, the production company owned by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
. Spielberg had told Carson that he had previously told
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
that he should have made a ''Monkey Island'' movie years before, and other meetings with Amblin went well to proceed to further screenwriting work. The rest of ILM's story department was brought in to help write, including
Steve Purcell Steven Ross Purcell (born October 1, 1961) is an American cartoonist, animator, game designer and voice actor. He is the creator of the media franchise ''Sam & Max'', for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007. The series has grown to i ...
, but this team worked separately from the writers that were developing the actual games, creating a disconnect between story the film was going with and the narrative already established in the video game series. As they continued to work out the screenplay, the direction of the film continued to veer further from the video game series, including at one point where Spielberg had suggested the game be about the monkeys on Monkey Island instead of the pirates. According to Carson, the lack of a creative direction at this point led to the film being shelved at ILM. Details about the film were first revealed publicly in 2011 as part of the ''Monkey Island Special Edition Collection'' which included some of the film's concept art, storyboards, and scripts. It had been rumored that Ted Elliott and
Terry Rossio Terry Rossio (born July 2, 1960) is an American screenwriter. He co-wrote the films ''Aladdin'', ''Shrek'', and all five of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Shrek' ...
had been involved in the writing of the ''Monkey Island'' script which they subsequently used as the basis for the first ''
Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
'' film. Both Elliott and Rossio had been to ILM and were shown parts of the ''Monkey Island'' script, around the same time they were working on their script for ''Pirates''. When ''Pirates'' was released, many fans of the ''Monkey Island'' series made comparisons of parts of the film to the games, and when news of the cancelled film first arose in 2011, the potential connection of Elliott and Rossio to the ''Monkey Island'' script started. Both Carson and Rossio stated that many of the tropes in both ''Monkey Island'' and ''Pirates'' are based on the classic pirate movies and that there was no direct reuse of the cancelled ''Monkey Island'' film in ''Pirates''.


Common themes

The games in the series share several
minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
s, puzzles,
in-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...
s, and references.


Maps

Each game contains a map puzzle, wherein Guybrush must use an unconventional map to find his way through a maze. The first game features a set of dance instructions that point the way through the dense forest of Mêlée Island to find the Island's fabled treasure. In the second game, Guybrush must use a song from a dream sequence to find his way through LeChuck's dungeon. The third game is the reverse of this, as the instructions the player receives are traditional directions and need to be used on a theatre light board. The fourth game has a set of directions based on time, and the fifth based on animal sounds and the direction of the wind and finally a map to get one of the items needed for "The Feast of the Senses". The sixth features a map of the Mêlée Island forest that is based on cardinal direction in Casual Mode, and based on the plant life seen at each exit in Hard Mode.


Recipes

Each game features a sequence of some sort, where players must gather the ingredients to create an item. Then, later in the game, the player has to create the item again, but this time around with improvised materials. In 'Secret', Guybrush must brew a voodoo concoction but, lacking ingredients, must improvise with the contents of his inventory, leading to amusing puns. In ''Monkey Island 2'', at two points of the game, Guybrush has to create a voodoo doll, one of Largo LaGrande with legitimate ingredients, and one of LeChuck with improvised ingredients. The same goes with the hangover medicine in 'Curse' and the Ultimate Insult in 'Escape'. 'Tales' starts with Guybrush having to obtain fizzy root-beer then dropping it and him having to instead put together some fizzy root-grog. Later 'Tales' requires Guybrush to put together a 'feast of the senses' to increase the size of La Esponja Grande, and later track down a reversed recipe for the 'diet of the senses'.


Minigames

Each game also contains a minigame based on learning and repetition of a sequence in order to become more proficient: Insult Sword fighting in the first and third games, a number-based "password" as well as a spitting contest in the second,
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
fighting in the third, insult
arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The s ...
and Monkey Kombat in the fourth, and Pirate Face-Off in the fifth. The first, second and fourth games also feature a puzzle which involves following another character through several locations, a trick also used in ''
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis ''Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by LucasArts and originally released on June 1, 1992 for Amiga, DOS and Macintosh. Almost a year later, it was reissued on CD-ROM as an enhance ...
''. Some other minigames include naval cannon battles, and platform diving.


Pop culture references

The ''Monkey Island'' series is full of spoofs,
in-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...
s, humorous references, and
Easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
: so many, in fact, that entire web sites are dedicated to their detection and listing.
Running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...
s include lines such as "Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!", the introduction "My name is Guybrush Threepwood and I'm a mighty pirate", "How appropriate, you fight like a cow", "I'm selling these fine leather jackets" (a reference to '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure''), and "That's the second biggest bjectI've ever seen", a catchphrase from the TV series ''
Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'' (and in EMI "That's the second largest... No, that IS the ''largest'' conch shell I've ever seen!"), and the astounding fact that Guybrush can hold his breath for ten minutes. ''The Secret of Monkey Island'' poked fun at rival company Sierra's game-over screens. For example, when Guybrush falls off a cliff, a "game over" window appears, but then Guybrush bounces back to the top of the cliff, explaining that he landed in a "rubber tree". Also, when Guybrush stays underwater for more than ten minutes, he dies and a "game over" dialog box identical to that of Sierra's ''
King's Quest ''King's Quest'' is a graphic adventure game series, released between 1980 and 2016 and created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following th ...
'' series appears, giving the player an option to restore a saved game and jokingly stating: "Hope you saved the game!" The "stump joke" made fun about the use of multiple floppy disks for one program, but was not initially recognized by gamers as a joke. In ''The Secret of Monkey Island'', Guybrush comes across a passageway hidden beneath a stump, at which point a screen says to insert Disk No. 114. Later, in ''The Curse of Monkey Island'', Guybrush looks through a crack in the ceiling of an underground crypt to find himself peeking out of the same stump. The stump joke is also referenced in other games developed by ''Monkey Island'' team members, such as ''
Grim Fandango ''Grim Fandango'' is a 1998 adventure game directed by Tim Schafer and developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer graphics overlaid on pre-rendered static background ...
'' and ''
Psychonauts ''Psychonauts'' is a 2005 platform video game developed by Double Fine Productions. The game was initially published by Majesco Entertainment and THQ for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2. In 2011, Double Fine acquired the rights for t ...
''. Ron Gilbert has openly admitted that sections of ''Monkey Island 2'' borrowed extensively from the original Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride, such as the famous "dog holding the keys to the jail-cell". He has also said that he thought the second film ('' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'') may have 'borrowed' from the ''Monkey Island'' series. The opening menu banjo music in ''Curse'' is also very reminiscent of the beginning of the Disneyland ride. Each game in the series features cameo appearances by
Steve Purcell Steven Ross Purcell (born October 1, 1961) is an American cartoonist, animator, game designer and voice actor. He is the creator of the media franchise ''Sam & Max'', for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007. The series has grown to i ...
's characters
Sam & Max ''Sam & Max'' is an American media franchise about Sam and Max, a pair of anthropomorphic vigilante private investigators. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his yout ...
, who were featured in their own LucasArts adventure game, ''
Sam & Max Hit the Road ''Sam & Max Hit the Road'' is a graphic adventure video game released by LucasArts during the company's LucasArts adventure games, adventure games era. The game was originally released for MS-DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release ...
''. These are replaced by the purple tentacle from yet another LucasArts adventure game
Day of the Tentacle ''Day of the Tentacle'', also known as ''Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle'', is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game ''Maniac Mansion''. The plot follows Bernard Bernoulli a ...
in the special edition versions. There are many comic references to various Lucas projects, especially Star Wars. For instance, in ''Monkey Island 2'' the Voodoo lady exclaims, "I just felt a sudden disturbance in the Force, as if a tiny, tiny voice just called out in fear", as an homage to Obi-Wan's speech in '' Star Wars: A New Hope''. In ''Curse'', when the player clicks on the fort that has been damaged by cannon fire from LeChuck's ship, Guybrush replies "That's funny, the damage doesn't look as bad from out here", which is a line spoken by the droid C-3PO in the same ''Star Wars'' film. When trying to gain access to the Brimstone Beach Club on Plunder Island, Guybrush attempts to use a "Jedi mind trick" on the Cabaña Boy at the entrance. In Part V of ''Curse'', LeChuck says to Guybrush during the opening dialogue "Search yer feelings, you know it to be true!", to which Guybrush replies "Oh no! It can't be!", lines that mirrored the dialogue between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in ''Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back''. This scene is also reenacted at the end of ''Monkey Island 2'' almost verbatim. In ''LeChuck's Revenge'', the Governor of Phatt Island, Governor Phatt, says in his sleep "Be careful with those snacks, Eugene" in reference to the
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
song "
Careful With That Axe, Eugene "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is an instrumental piece by the British rock band Pink Floyd. It was recorded in November 1968 and released as the B-side to the single " Point Me at the Sky", and featured on the 1971 compilation album ''Relics ...
".


The Secret of Monkey Island

None of the first five games explicitly reveal the "Secret of Monkey Island". LeChuck himself, when asked in the second and third games, refuses to answer the question; Guybrush can eventually prod LeChuck to confess that he does not know what the secret is. The team behind ''Escape from Monkey Island'' attempted to resolve the issue by showing that the Giant Monkey Head was actually the control room of a Giant Monkey Robot. The cut-scene in which the revelation was made is called "The Real Secret of Monkey Island". Gilbert stated that he never told anyone what the true secret of Monkey Island is. Gilbert stated in a 2004 interview that when the game was originally conceived it was considered "too big", so they split it into three parts. He added that he "knows what the third
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
is" and "how the story's supposed to end", indicating that he had a definite concept of the secret and a conclusive third game.Idle Thumbs
Ron Gilbert Speaks: Part 2
The true nature of the secret acts as the focus of ''Return to Monkey Island'', with several characters competing with one another to find "the Secret" and debating as to its nature. The game's conclusion reveals the secret to be a novelty T-shirt earned as a prize at a pirate-themed amusement park, which has acted as the setting for all of Guybrush's previous adventures. Guybrush, as the game's narrator, is intentionally ambiguous as to whether this is the actual secret, suggesting that the secret is different things to different people, and putting forth the notion that the story of the journey and the joy of speculating about the secret with others is more valuable than the reward itself.


See also

*
LucasArts adventure games From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, LucasArts was well known for their point-and-click graphic adventure games, nearly all of which received high scoring reviews at the time of their release. Their style tended towards the humorous, often ir ...
* SCUMM *
ScummVM Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine (ScummVM) is a set of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system, it also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monkey Island (Series) LucasArts franchises Video games about skeletons Video game franchises Video games about pirates Video game franchises introduced in 1990 Video games set on fictional islands Video games set in the Caribbean Video games set in the 17th century Video games set in the 18th century