The Monkey Island games are considered a classic of adventure gaming. In my attempt to sample the old LucasArts games I finally gave this one a try. I know it’s the 3rd, but I was drawn to this one for its hand drawn animation look. As such, I probably missed a few things that someone who played the 1st two would’ve caught. Still, this game can be enjoyed without prior knowledge from them.

So, the graphics, that’s what drew me to this, ha pun. It looks great and has a Saturday morning cartoon feel to the world. There are a lot of cutscenes and those are made all the better by the animated look. There is a downside, sometimes you get stuck in pixel hunting and with the painted backgrounds it’s hard to tell what’s an interactable object and what’s set dressing.

I’ll admit, like with most old adventure games, I had a guide handy for most of this game. There’s some moon logic going on in Monkey Island. Some puzzles make sense, sometimes it feels like there is a simple option you have, but it doesn’t work, and plenty of puzzles have outlandish solutions. Maybe we were all smarter as kids back in the 90s, but a lot of the time you aren’t given a clear idea of what is being asked of you. Had I not had a guide I would’ve defaulted to the old ‘use everything on everyone’ option, which is never a fun option. One puzzle I remember that was kinda fun was making a hangover remedy, which required you have a dog bite you so you could use it’s hair, “hair of the dog” get it.

The writing in this game is top notch and I feel is what it is best remembered for. Guybrush is a fun main character with lots of great snark & quips and the zany people he encounters usually get in a joke or two. There were times when I had to pause the game because I was busy laughing too hard. As far as the story, it’s short and simple, your pirate bride is turned to solid gold via a curse and you have to reverse it while being dogged by the dread pirate LeChuck. You visit two main islands, each with a handful of locations. The game seems like it’s a good length for what it is, but it does feel like just a bigger version of a Flash game you could play for free on NotDoppler back in the day.

The music is catchy as heck. I’ve caught myself humming the main theme at work. Each area has a fun ditty that matches the location; the graveyard has organs, the port city has a Spanish guitar feeling, etc.

All in all, if you want a good laugh for a few bucks, this game can provide it. I think it’s reputation is relatively well earned even if the puzzles are a little ridiculous.

I'm not sure I can be completely objective about this one. Curse is the first game in the series I ever really dove into (I had the first one on Sega CD as a kid but I didn't understand it then) and it kind of blew my mind as a dumb teenager. I didn't realize games could be so witty and clever while looking like what Dragon's Lair promised and failed to deliver. I remember buying it at Best Buy and when I got home, our phone line wasn't working all weekend, so I was forced to play through the game with no walkthroughs or hints. I did manage to get through it too! I think it's the one and only time I finished an adventure game completely on my own. I don't have the patience these days to brute force my way through the world trying everything on everything and the temptation for walkthroughs are too strong.

I do think this game is the best balance for the puzzles in the series though. It doesn't have complete moon logic puzzles that make you think "How could anyone have ever figured this out???" but it does require plenty of out of the box thinking that has its own logic that works. It doesn't require constant backtracking like Monkey Island 2 either, which is a relief. The inventory is large but it doesn't become overwhelming like the previous game either. Combine all of that with the great animation, voice acting, and cast of characters, it's just a wonderful game.

I do have a few minor quibbles with it though. Act V just kinda happens, it doesn't really have any sort of intro to it. I don't really like how Elaine got sidelined either. She had all sorts of agency in the first one and rescued herself but here, she's literally turned into an object. Kinda rubs me the wrong way.