KestrelPi

Anyone else notice the music at the start of the trailer is very very similar to this version?

looks more like this guy to me:

Given the trajectory the games were going I thought that LeChuck might just be one giant lip in this game, so I'm glad they've walked that back.

I bet you're glad you released this yesterday.

I did really think the next trailer would give us a date. I expect this means one of two things.. either it's pretty soon and they just want to DROP it on release day, or, more likely it's a bit later on in the year and they're not ready to say it yet. So November-ish is now looking a bit more likely to me.

Given the message that Jake has added, I'm going to remove the spoiler tags from my post and just assume we can talk about everything that is officially announced/shown in here.

Yeah, so far what we've seen seems a little more on the 'grounded' side of Monkey Island? It's got its anachronisms and comic bits, but it feels very atmospheric and moody.

Yeah... yeah. But I just remember: there will literally be no pleasing some people. Some people will only be happy if it: a) looks exactly like Monkey 1 or 2 or possibly 3 with no changes to that style b) looks 'amazing' in some undefined way that they can't actually explain. Fact is, they've gone with a very distinct art style and not everyone's going to love it. But I do hope that any sensible person, regardless of their own opinion of it, will now be able to see that the visuals in this game are done with a LOT of love and detail.

He said it would be live, not orchestral. And not 100% - that would probably be not particularly practical, there's some stuff that is just easier to manage or just source with samples. I might want a mellotron in my soundtrack, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna have access to one, etc. So I'm taking it to mean that the soundtrack was composed with live instruments in mind, and they used live instruments wherever that was practical.

I guess it's easier to get real violin in there when you're a violinist. But yeah, I'd say what we get in the actual game might be more live and a bit more understated.

I'm not sure.... Sounds a lot like the sort of stock kind of tin whistle sounds you can get in sample packs nowadays. It's getting a bit harder to tell between samples and live nowadays because computers have enough ram to load samples that are packed with loads of articulations which make the performance sound more realistic, and multiple performances of the same note that are randomly picked between, legato transitions and so on. In any case, to me it sounds like this is a piece of music designed for the trailer, and we'll be getting something else in game.

I'm kind of glad for the shorter brush, overall. I feel like ever since CMI the tendency has been to make him really loooooong and they've sort of retained that for the head, but they've redressed the balance a bit.

OK, onto some details from the website: Story information: So, what that means is... looks like we are indeed dealing with a bit of a time skip. Do I detect a hint of grey in Guybrush's stubble and some wrinkles around the eyes, too? I also predicted Melee Island going downhill was going to be a plot point. I'm good at predicting stuff! Then, on the interface: Context-sensitive interactions - called it. Still don't know what it means, but called it! Reactive dialog trees - wonder what this is getting at. easy-to-use-inventory system - Was it hard to use before though? Locations: Well... I have a love-hate relationship with the name 'Brrr Muda' (edit: oh, we're NOT doing spoiler tags? I don't mind, but we should probably establish a convention)

The website has also had a revamp that you will want to see: https://returntomonkeyisland.com/ ...edit: scratch that, you will REALLY want to see this. It gives a lot more information!

I wonder if the version of the theme tune used in the trailer is representative of the one in the game. It's got quite a lot of range... way more of an orchestral direction than I expected. Not QUITE sure how I feel about that aspect, as I always feel like the theme sounds better with a smaller ensemble, but they do an amazing job with it here. Exciting!

Oh wow, there's so much to process here. I need to go through it pausing every millisecond. But first impression: WOW. It looks so incredible in motion!

Ok so I was wrong about it wouldn't be in the Nintendo Direct. WHOOOOO time to actually watch it

Did you ever notice that Monkey 2 also seems to share a motif with Fate of Atlantis (no, not the obvious one). Okay, not identical I think but VERY similar and it's such an unusual melody that I can't help but think this was deliberate. Compare:

I was actually thinking about this a little when I was making my cover of the Monkey Island theme because you have this bit at the end of Monkey Island 2 with the lovely interplay between the Monkey Island and LeChuck Themes: Then at 1:31 you get this slightly modified, elaborated version of the Monkey Island theme. Where the part in the original theme goes; F# G G A, but here we get F# G G B A E... So when I was imagining how a Return to Monkey Island theme might start, with that mysterious chord, I though, 'well, if we want to echo back to the moment that everything changes, it's right there, so at 5 seconds in you hear that little melodic sequence.

I always enjoyed the appearance of the LeChuck theme here. Not only is it quoted directly in parts like at 1:00 in the muted trombone but the clarinet seems to answer it at 1:08

I'm referring to gaming for sure. I use my TV for my games PC and for my consoles too. I haven't watched a 4K film on it, but I think I've watched fullscreen 4K video. I would say the difference is likely to be a bit more subtle for films than games, but I'm sure it would still be noticeable. But yeah, I doubt it'd be easy to notice the difference between 1440 and 4K (which is... 2160?) in films.

Fantastic. Hugely enjoyed all the nice little animation touches.

I'm forced to admit as someone who thought they wouldn't know the difference... I can tell the difference. Or.. to be more accurate I can *definitely* tell the difference between 1080 and 1440 on my (nowadays fairly modest) 40 inch screen, sitting about 2m away. but from there up it's diminishing returns. I really didn't think I'd be able to, but... well, you know when 720/1080 first started emerging and both looked pretty sharp compared to what we had before? But then if you got used to 1080 you'd start noticing being juuuust a little less sharp if you accidentally switched to 720 or used a device on it which maxed out at 720 (like the Wii I think?) Well it's like that. If something boots up in 1080 I can tell that it's off, and when I boost that to 1440 I see an improvement that I like. But when I boost further up to 4K resolutions ... meh. There might be a very slight improvement, but not enough for me to accept the performance hit on games. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I'm pretty sure that Disney could afford to do a pretty effective 4K upscale assisted by AI if they really wanted to.

That's true, I suppose it would have been more accurate to say that it deviates somewhat from the most basic interpretation of the implied harmony of the melody. Don't have it in front of me to check but in my head it sounds like perhaps it uses a III chord sometimes where a I chord would be more obvious, say.

Thanks, yes, that second link demonstrates it perfectly. The MI version is different only insofar as it adds some repeated notes to fill the gaps created by the move from 3/4 to 4/4 n.b. I suppose it also quirks up the harmony a bit - something the trio are also known for doing with trad melodies. (See Grim Fandango's version of Home Sweet Home, or MI2's version of Blow the Man Down, and Dem Bones, they're never quite harmonised straightforwardly), and adds a kind of improvistic kind of solo later on in the piece.