Dantoine

I think despite my frustration with not fully figuring it out (I didn't take my time with it and was eager to get to the end) thematically wise it's kind of perfect. One final Trial to get to the secret and it's both a shrine to a bygone era of physical copyright protection methods (secure but crackable) and classic adventure gaming puzzles.

Ah I didn't spot those half faces!

Loved the game. A collection of random thoughts (will probably have endless more) Boybrush's voice and personality are perfect. The callbacks in the final scene (the stone coins), the huge dial-a-pirate puzzle, Lechuck and the (forget her name, Lina?) pirate recounting the entire series one line after another, made to me pretty clear that we were heading to a 'reality is caving in on itself' moment. Speaking of the ending, the whole game is a fourth wall breaking exploration on the concept of nostalgia and satisfaction (while simultaneously being a fun adventure in itself) so to that level it would have been disappointing had the secret been grounded in some form of 'reality'. Once you learn how 'the magic of movies' works, you can't unlearn it, but you can become immersed in the fantasy once more. I remember David Lynch in a recent Zoom interview talking about 'Rear Window', one of the guests tells him that the man in the corner house playing piano is the actual original composer of the Alvin and the Chipmunks theme. Lynch laughs for a second and then he basically states 'I don't like to know things like that, as it lessens the immersion into the fantasy' Speaking of Lynch, this game explores very similar concepts regarding nostalgia and 'going home' to Twin Peaks Season 3 (a show that returned 25+years after the original series ended), & Ron tweeted that he liked the new series. This was after development on the game had begun, but we know he was already a fan of Lynch/Twin Peaks, so this is a cool connection. Spoilers for the show - the lights go out at the end. 'I'm more button than man now' Speaking of that dial-a-pirate puzzle, it was the only thing in the game I couldn't figure out. I didn't cheat but I sort of had to semi-brute force my way through. I got the spinning down but couldn't figure the date. Was worried that Elaine might no longer be with us in the scenes with Guy & Boy. I was nearly getting emotional and then she showed up at the end. Phew. Speaking of Elaine, I loved her social pursuits & her semi-distant relationship with Guybrush. When I found the picture torn in half and then Elaine was investigating his path of destruction, I legitimately became concerned they were going to break up. It started to feel like a dark message was being brewed and that Guybrush would be made to pay for a lifetime of sins. But nope he just leaves Wally hanging again lol. Genuinely feel a replay urge to see the different lines of dialogue, which I haven't felt for a while with Monkey Island. I think Tales maybe didn't take this concept very far. I'm finished speaking