I should probably preface this review by pointing out that I first played The Secret of Monkey Island soon after its original release in 1990, and have happily revisited it every few years since; I can hardly claim to be objective when it comes to seeing it remade and altered. For those unacquainted with the beloved adventure game classic, The Secret of Monkey Island charts the quest of young wannabe pirate and unfortunately-named Guybrush Threepwood as he attempts to grasp fame, fortune, a pointy sword and the heart of beautiful and feisty Governor Elaine Marley whilst doing battle with the evil zombie pirate LeChuck. Combining genre-defining point-and-click puzzling genius with oodles of wit, character and rapid-fire laugh-out-loud hilarity, it’s hard not to see why it’s become such a fondly-remembered classic. And for those unfortunate souls who were born too late to experience LucasArt’s seminal masterpiece, the gaming gods have seen fit to re-release it with a spiffy new next-gen-friendly HD makeover.
Devoted fans of the beloved game might squeal in terror at Guybrush’s new appearance – complete with questionable undercut hairdo yoinked from a boy band circa 1991 – and while the HD makeover does give the game an all-too-clean Flash animated feel, lacking a little of the original’s character, purists can always just play through the unaltered 1990 version of the game at the press of a button should they choose. The transition from and to the Special Edition makeover is a smooth and instantaneous one, and for long-time fans who can ditch their purist hesitance, it’s hard not to just hit the ‘Select’ button in each new location just to see what’s been changed for the update and to check out all the new fancy bells and orchestral whistles that’ve been added to Guybrush’s newly-HD world. The difference is a huge one, and the colourful updated cartoon-like widescreen visuals, with oodles of added detail, will undoubtedly appeal to newcomers adverse to the original game’s pixelly retro look.
The visuals aren’t the only update though, with a new souped-up, re-recorded score and full voice acting to replace the original midi audio and text dialogue for the Special Edition version. Dominic Armato, voice of Guybrush since the 3rd game in the series, Curse of Monkey Island, returns to lend his voice to our lovable doofus of a protagonist. Like the new sparkly HD cartoon look, the full voice acting will no doubt make it easier for text-shy newcomers to jump in and enjoy, while those who’ve played the game countless times before will surely find it a welcome addition too; Armato’s note-perfect line reading and comic timing manage to give even the most familiar jokes a fresh and especially-hilarious spin. Series stalwarts wary of change and who know the script like the back of their hand might question the delivery from a few characters, and speaking from experience, it’s tough to be objective when you’ve had your own idea of how a character sounds floating around your grey matter for a decade, but for the most part, the voice acting is wonderful, and adds a whole new layer of character. In fact, it’s a shame there’s no option to play the original game with the new voices and music, but it’s apparently an option LucasArts have wisely added in for the upcoming sequel re-do for Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge.
But while the Special Edition coat of paint is mostly applied with care and great results, it’s not without some awkward rough edges. When jumping to the original version, jerky snippets of the Special Edition’s voice track bleed through at the beginning of every line of dialogue, which can be distracting. The Special Edition’s newly-recorded ambient background sounds and music also – presumably unintentionally – carry over into the original at times, overlaying the midi track. Capping off the strange glitches, attempting to access the (admittedly rather pointless) score leaderboard from the menu freezes the PS3 console. It’s entirely possible that these glitches will be rectified in a later patch, and may be exclusive to only a few select unlucky consoles, but it’s incredibly unfortunate that a game with such a long development time and problem-free releases on PC and Xbox Marketplace has been allowed a blemished release on the Playstation Network.
It’s also unfortunate that the interface for the Special Edition sadly isn’t nearly as intuitive as that of the original; rather than the bottom-of-the-screen block of easily-selectable verbs and items to click and choose from, the bulk of the actions and Guybrush’s inventory are now hidden away in two separate menus that pop up with a press of the shoulder buttons. For the most part it poses no major game-ruining issues, but time-sensitive tasks which require fast selection of actions and inventory, like the Grog mug or cannon puzzles, are pretty much impossible in Special Edition mode, leaving it necessary to jump to the original version of the game to complete said tasks. There’s a fast-select option for verbs mapped to the D-Pad, but it’s rather awkward in itself, as hitting the diagonal actions requires safe-cracking precision. Occasionally the revamp misses out a few added gags from the original, too (the awesome end credit jokes are absent from the Special Edition, for example), though a few new/alternate references are thrown in (keep an eye out for effigies of Purple Tentacle and Manny Calavera hidden in the scenery).
Awkward problems aside, the core game itself is still just as much an hilarious masterpiece of adventure gaming as it was in 1990. Holding up on all fronts, the dialogue is as gut-strainingly funny as ever thanks to some great comic voice work and gifted writing, and gags that sailed over my head when I first played it as a rambunctious primary school kid suddenly clicked now, while the puzzles are just as clever today as they were two decades ago (the solution to Guybrush’s near-drowning puzzle is still as hilariously ingenious as it was on the game’s release). The odd straining pixel-hunt still remains, but with a new three-tiered hint system to aid easily-stumped gamers added to the Special Edition, frustration will be spared for those wanting to speed through any puzzles they find obtuse or frustrating. Due to some unfortunate glitches and awkward controls, it’s a perfect game imperfectly re-released, but The Secret of Monkey Island is still a sublime work of genius worthy of revisiting for fans and newcomers alike.
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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is out now for PS3 in the US, with a UK release to follow soon.