demone

Yeah, I think it was one of Ron's earlier tweets from April where he said Herman is back to be just being an old coot.

I think the whole plot thread of Herman being Elaine's grandfather might be one they strategically omit.

I'm curious what specific plot points Ron really advised in Tales during the discussions on the game's story and structure. I would imagine the Voodoo Lady's character was a pretty big piece of those conversations. If Ron spearheaded that in those discussions, I think it's very likely it will at least be touched upon in Return, especially with Dave also involved and Tales already getting a reference in the first trailer.

I just noticed Devolver Digital's tweet yesterday talking about all the secrets in the game including the Secret. They are really hyping up the secret.

I don't necessarily agree that every piece of media should have a clean conclusion with no loose ends. I do think though, that if the intention is for a larger series with foreshadows, it needs to be appropriately mapped out, so there is some real pay off for those foreshadows. There is nothing quite as satisfying than when a story comes together. It adds further value to previous installments and makes it extremely satisfying to go back and see all the hidden references that now make perfect sense. Many writers will make the claim that they had the story mapped out. When watching or reading it though, it's usually incredibly obvious when a story was mapped out vs when it's not. I agree that too many forms of media are too preoccupied with jumpstarting a franchise, that they don't focus on making nice, self-contained entries that hint towards something more. When done right though, both can be achieved, and can be immensely gratifying to follow, so long as real thought and planning is given to the bigger picture and not skimping on the details and care for each, individual entry. That being said, I am hoping for some sense of closure with Return to Monkey Island. I'm fine with some loose threads, but would love for the larger narrative and saga to have some form of a conclusion, as the website is implying.

I'm also going to try to play the game without any hints as much as possible. To not do so I think takes away the main appeal of adventure puzzle games. I can't remember the last time I played a true adventure game with puzzles, so I'm curious how well I fare now that I'm much older and, hopefully, a bit more intelligent. What would typically happen to me in Curse is that I would know exactly how to solve a bunch of puzzles in a chain, but needed an item. The puzzle to get the item was what stumped me. Getting the scissors from the barbershop would be an example. I knew I needed them to cut through the jungle and needed to raise the chair to get them. I just didn't know how until I finally realized the lice work on the comb. Often times, I got stumped on the simplest solutions. Knowing I needed to nail down the murphy bed to get the book to fool Griswold, but didn't realize I could simply pick up the coffin nails. Curse I did beat without any hints though and I think that was the only one I did so. It was the first MI game I played at the age of nine. It was hard, but immensely satisfying. I would love to recreate that feeling for Return and come full circle.

Ron's tweets today make it seem like they're putting the finishing touches on the game now. Come on September release.

Not from what I can see. I wouldn't believe it unless we hear it from either Ron, Dave, or Devolver.

I really like the expression Guybrush has. It conveys pretty well that he's been through a lot. Even Dominic's lines heard so far are a bit subdued, especially in the trailer, so I'm really interested to see what Guybrush's character is like in this. Even his walk/run seems a lot more focused.

I think the implication is that Elaine found LeChuck physically attractive and had him over for dinner but once she found out how depraved he truly was, told him to drop dead.

It would be amazing if the release date is just casually revealed by Ron in a tweet to a user asking. Would be perfect for his type of humor. Sadly, that day is not today.

Posted by Ron. Glitch of the day

I think I have a certain bias when it comes to the whole marriage aspect. I started the series with Curse and only saw two characters that seemed in love, Guybrush royally screws up, but the rest of the game is spent undoing the mistake. So, it was never a leap to me. Then playing the first two games, I see things did not truly add up, but I guess my bias was always still there. There is a time jump and Guybrush is left stranded in the ocean, resenting his quest for Big Whoop and what it cost him. He seemed to have went through something horrible that put a lot into perspective. With Elaine, not sure as it's much more ambiguous and her shift is even more drastic than Guybrush. As others have said, the intention was for them not to get married and there is a lack of a journey to explain the shift, specifically for Elaine, once a new team took over, that I think is more of the problem. Not saying the relationship and marriage is endearing in every game, but for Tales specifically and the story and quest for the ring, I really enjoyed it as part of the storytelling.

Yeah, not to turn this into a personal discussion, but I'm not big on marriage either, but for MI, it was really nice to see a lot of genuine emotion as a centerpiece in the storytelling. There has always been emotion interwoven in the series but I really liked how Tales embraced it a little bit more and how, despite all his bumbling, Guybrush was able to always keep that ring safe.

I know Ron wasn't a fan of Guybrush and Elaine getting married, but I hope he still embraces that plot point. The whole ring mythology is one of my favorite aspects of the series.

Griswold was my favorite supporting character in Curse. A common complaint of that game was how underutilized the supporting cast was. While I largely agree with, especially for Guybrush's crew, Griswold was a real standout. He was also actually pretty integral to the series lore.

I just realized it hasn't even been 4 weeks since the trailer dropped. In less than a month, we got a trailer, a revamped and interactive website with Stan, new images, and a fairly in-depth summary, not to mention the reveal of the first title card and music, and two gameplay videos showcasing movements, environments, more music, and some dialogue and voice acting. They are really ramping up marketing and I don't think they'll want to reveal too much more. A September release is seeming more and more probable, especially with voice acting being done for over a month now and the credits all inputted. I'm seeing more and more positive comments on other channels saying they are really coming around to the art direction, so it's great to see more and more people getting excited as the release gets closer. Ron seems to really be enjoying doing the reveals too.

If they continue with the surrealism that really started to go crazy at the end of MI2, then this island might even be an extension of that. This is a tangent from the locations discussion, but I always put more stock in there being something much more complicated and even disturbing to the reality of MI and it not just being the over-imagination of two brothers. Perhaps that's a factor, but the idea that something just isn't right in the world of MI was what I really felt in MI2 specifically and I would love for that theme to continue in different and unique ways.

Some might hate this comparison but all the distinct locations are giving me an Uncharted vibe strictly in terms of the scope of locations being visited and how varied they are. The islands, underwater, LeChuck's ship, the carnival. So much is going on. Other MI games of course had plenty of locations, but the scope seems bigger than ever in this one. I hope you can go from island to island like in MI2. The puzzle chains that stretched across multiple islands is what made that game so amazing and satisfying for me.

In terms of the Giant Monkey Robot, I would ask how critical is it to the overall lore of the series? I just think having to explain how there was a robot that was actually and yet not actually the monkey head and how it's back in its original position might be more trouble to explain than it's worth, especially if the monkey head becomes a critical location again, which is all but confirmed that it will be. I hope that they still view Escape as canon and reference it, but the robot I have no issue with that just being left alone for fans to fill in the blanks.

Yeah, I think the robot and Herman being Elaine's grandfather will be completely ignored. Not refuted but ignored which I think will make all the difference for anyone wanting to make their own headcanons to still embrace those aspects. I think they will still reference other aspects of Escape. Carla being governor after last being seen looking forward to a cushy government job courtesy of a signed contract from Guybrush could very well be a reference.

I think the way Melee Island was presented in Escape was indicative of my main issue with that game overall. While I very much enjoyed the game and still do, I found it to be overall way too lighthearted. There were no real spooky or creepy locations or moments (the closest would the swamp on Lucre Island and that didn't do anything for me). Guybrush also had zero edge in that game; something that every character wasted no time in reminding Guybrush and us the players over and over and over again throughout the game. For most Monkey Island games, it you were to leave out all the crazy puzzles and dialogue and just tell what the overall story is about, it's pretty serious. Love, revenge, abandonment, betrayal, atonement, sacrifice and other similar themes and concepts are all pretty well ingrained in this series. With Escape though, the story itself is so over-the-top with a Giant Monkey robot, a talking monkey, Monkey Kombat etc., that it's almost impossible to take it seriously. Yes, other MI games have done crazy things to a certain degree, but always with a hint that something just wasn't right or adding up, implicating a very disturbing layer to the story. I think now, I see Escape's story as endearing and what gives that game its unique charm, but I will always prefer the more creepy stories not afraid to hint at something much deeper going on. It looks like Return, based off everything shown and spoken about, will have that in spades and that makes me so excited.

I wonder if LeChuck is in league with the new pirates leaders. Would explain why he is docked at the island and has a nameplate in his cabin. Based off the trailer image, the pirate leaders might also have voodoo artifacts and a level of control over them. Also, just a side note, but I've noticed that this game really seems to be fairly serious. No real jokes in the trailers and reveals so far, which I really love. Stan's dialogue trees on the website are great and hilarious, so the token humor will obviously still also be there, but I really love the aura this game has. Even in today's reveal; Guybrush running towards something (my guess to visit the voodoo lady based off Ron's tweet); no puns or jokes, just a lot of intrigue. Combined with what Dominic has said about this game, it sounds like this one is also going to be fairly emotional and deep. Can't wait.

Guybrush did give Carla a signed contract for a cushy government job lol

I really hope we get a release date next Monday, especially if it comes out in September. Would only be two months away (if it comes out on "International Talk Like a Pirate Day," it would be one day short of exactly two months) and it would be perfect time to open up preorders. Would also love if they keep tweaking Stan's dialogue trees on the site to match the reveals.