"I Am Rubber, You Are Glue..."
"Monkey Island" is a standout series for its whimsical humor, and "The Secret of Monkey Island" marks the series' first steps at sailing the seas of early 90's videogame stardom. After finally getting my hands on this classic point-n-click, I have to say that it's still a relatively funny experience. The puzzles can be a bit annoying, the story a bit slow paced, and the characters a bit dull at times, but the charm and adventure that brims throughout was a memorable treat.
The graphics are of course going to be aged, but damn do they charm. I love the little smiley faces and stupid details that made me grin, and the characters are so simple-looking when they're not in your face with detail. This paired alongside the soundtrack is nice, but there is far too much ambient sound without the help of any tracks, which can make the game feel slow at times.
The humor is very deadpan, especially with the lack of VA in the original. It fits pretty well, and most jokes toe the line between clever and stupid (in a good way). The puzzles play into the humor very well, but I have to say that there were some frustrating moments where I just needed a guide to continue. Too much back-and-forth on the world map, and a far too extensive fighting quest made the game crawl to a halt.
The writing is fairly good, if a bit outlandish because of the comedic elements. It's all in good fun though, and the characters you meet are snarky, rude, and cliche. Yet they made me chuckle here and there! I do wish more characters were fleshed out besides Guybrush, but I'm sure sequels will do a better job at this.
Again, this is a fairly solid game that just struggles with solid puzzles and pacing a lot of the time. The presentation and humor make it a fun experience, but it felt lacking. I hope the future entries manage to shore up the weaknesses, and then we'd be talking about a truly great game.
Final Verdict: 7/10 (Good)
"Monkey Island" is a standout series for its whimsical humor, and "The Secret of Monkey Island" marks the series' first steps at sailing the seas of early 90's videogame stardom. After finally getting my hands on this classic point-n-click, I have to say that it's still a relatively funny experience. The puzzles can be a bit annoying, the story a bit slow paced, and the characters a bit dull at times, but the charm and adventure that brims throughout was a memorable treat.
The graphics are of course going to be aged, but damn do they charm. I love the little smiley faces and stupid details that made me grin, and the characters are so simple-looking when they're not in your face with detail. This paired alongside the soundtrack is nice, but there is far too much ambient sound without the help of any tracks, which can make the game feel slow at times.
The humor is very deadpan, especially with the lack of VA in the original. It fits pretty well, and most jokes toe the line between clever and stupid (in a good way). The puzzles play into the humor very well, but I have to say that there were some frustrating moments where I just needed a guide to continue. Too much back-and-forth on the world map, and a far too extensive fighting quest made the game crawl to a halt.
The writing is fairly good, if a bit outlandish because of the comedic elements. It's all in good fun though, and the characters you meet are snarky, rude, and cliche. Yet they made me chuckle here and there! I do wish more characters were fleshed out besides Guybrush, but I'm sure sequels will do a better job at this.
Again, this is a fairly solid game that just struggles with solid puzzles and pacing a lot of the time. The presentation and humor make it a fun experience, but it felt lacking. I hope the future entries manage to shore up the weaknesses, and then we'd be talking about a truly great game.
Final Verdict: 7/10 (Good)