So, like someone who says it rains, Ron Gilbert just announced Return to Monkey Island. It’s been about an hour since it was posted the tweet with the surprising and very exciting news, and I bet there are already many, many of us who are pulling our hair out to find out more about it. And if you are among the people who have reacted in this way, you will be happy to know that the wait will not last too long, since the plans of its creators are to publish it this very 2022.
And who would be behind Return to Monkey Island? Here comes the good news, and as we can see both on its website and in the game’s announcement trailer, the responsibility is shared between Lucasfilm Games, Devolver Digital and Terrible Toybox, which may not tell you anything, but You should know that it is the studio of Ron Gilbert, the creator, among others, of the first two installments of Monkey Island and the also unforgettable Maniac Mansion. He is, along with Tim Schafer, one of the great leaders of the golden age of Lucasarts graphic adventures.
You may be surprised that Return to Monkey Island was announced today, and is scheduled for release later this year. And no, it’s not that we’re talking about exceptionally fast development. Gilbert makes it clear in his tweet: “TOsomething we have been working on for the last 2 years in complete secrecy.«, which is the text that is displayed next to the YouTube video that you can see just above these letters.
An interesting point, yes, is found in the description that accompanies the Return to Monkey Island announcement video on YouTube, and that is that the text states the following: «Announcing Return to Monkey Island, the long-awaited sequel to the legendary Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge from Ron Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox in collaboration with Devolver Digital and Lucasfilm Games, coming in 2022«. Are we then to understand that only the first two installments of Monkey Island make up canon What is this new title based on? We will have to wait to see it.
A little something we’ve been working on for the past 2 years in complete secrecy.https://t.co/qwmxpYjpe5
— Ron Gilbert (@grumpygamer) April 4, 2022
The most exciting thing about this project, without a doubt, is the involvement of part of the original team. We are, unfortunately, used to seeing how the name of a classic work is taken and put into the hands of anyone, to try to exploit the power of the name and nostalgia. In this case, however, Return to Monkey Island will have the same signature as the originals, and therefore we can imagine that also, at least, the same love in development that many of us have for the original saga. This, while not a guarantee, is an excellent starting point.
And well, if you’re going to come and tell me that it’s better not to get excited about Return to Monkey Island, which will surely disappoint us, that games like the old ones are no longer made, the only thing I have to tell you is that you fight like a farmer… and I hope you answer me that I fight like a cow.
