Devolver Digital has announced that an addition to the legendary adventure series is finally on its way. The long-awaited sequel to The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge will have the fitting name Return to Monkey Island.
We thought it was an April Fool’s joke when creator Ron Gilbert released a blog post notifying fans of the new game on the first of the month. But what Monkey Island fans have been waiting for eagerly is now, after more than three decades, finally happening. And the good news does not stop here: While a specific date has not been announced yet, it is clear that the release will happen as early as 2022! Protagonist Guybrush Threepwood, once again voiced by Dominic Armato, is back.
Official information is still sparse, but the adventure was announced with a first trailer, revealing a new graphic style. A teaser website is already online as well. I suggest bookmarking it for further updates.
More background information
According to Ron Gilbert and co-creator Dave Grossman, the game has been in the works for two years. It’s being made by Terrible Toybox – the same team that developed Ron Gilbert’s Thimbleweed Park in 2017. It’s being published by Devolver Digital and Disney-owned Lucasfilm Games, which was involved in the first four Monkey Island games as well. Rex Crowle, who crafted the very satisfying design of both Tearaway and LittleBigPlanet, is the art director. This means that the game will once again go through some radical style changes.
Up until now, it was assumed that the third game, The Curse of Monkey Island, and the sequel Escape from Monkey Island, would be largely ignored in the new story. However, Gilbert has now confirmed via Twitter that Curse of Monkey Island will remain part of the official lore. The story of Return to Monkey Island will thus likely take place somewhere between MI2 and MI3.
The game is scheduled to appear later this year. Till then, check out this 2013 blog post by Ron Gilbert himself, titled “If I Made Another Monkey Island”. Maybe you’ll find some clues about the things we can expect.
See you on the palatial Caribbean shores!
Words by Joanna Fragoulis
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