When Guybrush
Threepwood was last left in the previous Monkey
Island chapter, he was in stuck in yet another prickly pickle. A nefarious
villain held his wife captive, and he’d finally acquired the means to track
them down when suddenly some unseen assailant drew a blade to the hero’s
throat. Yes, Monkey Island makes full use of every swashbuckling cliché in the
book. Fortunately, the tale plays out just as captivatingly (if not more so)
than previous pirate yarns thanks to its stylish presentation and generous use
of humor.
Any fan of the franchise knows how
integral humor is to the Monkey Island games. Many times, you will find
yourself struggling with that last bit of an absurd puzzle, just so you can
hear what Threepwood is going to say next. Like a
contemporary Odysseus, our young hero relies on his guile and guts to get
through each adventure. More than perhaps any other character,
Threepwood possesses the gift of an acerbic
tongue. No matter how desperate or dire the circumstances, he always manages
to find a clever solution and spout a few wisecracks along the way. His
intelligence might not be what you’d call “genius,” but that really doesn’t
matter when most of the other characters are so thoroughly idiotic.
Like the previous chapter, “Siege
of Spinner Cay” begins with an action sequence. In classic Monkey Island
fashion, all potentially fatal events are met by
Threepwood with an air of smug sarcasm. It is during this
fully-animated duel sequence that the player is tasked with working out the
first few interactions aboard the Screaming Narwhal,
Threepwood’s latest vessel. This is a rather unusual introduction to
the gameplay, as rather than moving the character with the traditional keypad
or mouse, Threepwood must interfere with the pace
of combat by tossing insults at his foe. This rather brilliant integration of
cinematic scripting allows the combatants to leap from one part of the vessel
to the next, giving Threepwood access to a few
interesting things that offer him the upper hand in the fight. Once the fight
is finished, Threepwood is reunited with his wife,
and the real game begins.
Upon reaching the oddly-named
“Jerk Bait” islands, Threepwood has most of his
work cut out for him. Zelda fans might roll their eyes at the
Zora-like native populace, but most of the
environments feel nicely diversified, a substantial
improvement over the previous chapter. Also of note is the seemingly elevated
number of sex jokes littered throughout the game. Admirably, most of them are
sly innuendos which could scarcely cause offense to younger audiences, so
parents needn’t break into a panic over them. The bulk of the narrative is
pleasantly spread across a variety of scenarios, without as much of the
annoying back-tracking of the previous game. Telltale deserves credit for
integrating gameplay mechanics that are just as clever as the in-game
dialogue.
As before, there are a few
interactions that reward the quick thinker. Special timed events require
Threepwood to perform a certain action, for
example, in a stealthy manner so as not to alert a briefly distracted guard.
These can get tricky when you’re fumbling with the mouse, but it should be
worth nothing that Threepwood can break into a
full sprint by double-clicking the mouse before holding the button down. This
also lets him cover ground more quickly, which can be helpful during those
prolonged island treks.
The visual style of the previous
game is well-preserved in Spinner Cay; however, the variety of environments
does certainly spruce things up a bit. This adventure is certainly easy on the
eyes, with flowing geometry and whimsical color schemes aplenty. Not
surprisingly, the audio holds up very well, with memorable voice performances
from every character encountered, and catchy musical numbers highlighting
every significant event. I would say that Spinner Cay is a pleasant surprise
for adventure gamers, but only because some felt let down by the first
chapter. Fortunately, this is a definite improvement over the first outing,
and highly recommended.
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Gameplay: 8.0
Highly
accessible gameplay, yet the puzzles are clever enough to keep seasoned
players interested.
Graphics: 7.0
Vivid
colors and lively animations make the characters not only credible, but
genuinely likeable.
Sound: 8.5
Great voice work
and music, as we’ve come to expect from the franchise.
Difficulty: Medium
There are hints
offered to help overcome some obstacles, but a few are still good head-scratchers.
Concept: 6.0
A
continuation is rarely a source of great innovation, but the improvements here
are very reassuring.
Overall: 8.4
A
very satisfying and incredibly funny romp through
Threepwood’s twisted world of pirating, this chapter definitely
outshines its predecessor. Adventure lovers will be pleased.
