Preview

Tales of Monkey Island Preview

By Tae Kim
June 10, 2009 11:25 AM PST
Print
Email this!
Share
- Digg
- Yahoo Buzz!
- FaceBook
- StumbleUpon
- del.icio.us

Off For Adventure!

The storytelling is obviously true to the original franchise but what about the gameplay? From what I saw, the puzzles and character interaction pays homage to the preceding games but Telltale is trying hard to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. That means no convoluted puzzles with solutions that no one with a sane mind could think of and no long, endless dialogue trees that lead nowhere. The company is using some of the lessons in learned with their previous efforts to ensure that Tales of Monkey Island moves along at a brisk pace and offers enough challenge to keep gamers engaged but never frustrated.

Visually, the game is a departure from the original series; using the same engine that powered the Wallace and Gromit games, Tales has a bright, vibrant style that's infused with a pirate-y goodness. It's a marked change from what old school fans will be used to but I personally dug the new art style. I also appreciated that the original Guybrush voice actor was brought on board, as was the voice actress who voiced Guybrush's wife Elaine Marley.

Welcome to the jungle.

Ahoy and Avast

I promise that when Tales of Monkey Island comes in for review (it'll be released on PC and WiiWare in episodic chunks just like Wallace and Gromit and if you pre-order, you get an actual box art sleeve drawn by Steve Purcell which is awesome), I won't personally review it. I'm afraid that I'll be seen as biased considering how much I've gushed about the game already after an admittedly short demo. I'll make sure the game is reviewed by someone who can be objective and fair.

But I personally will buy the game regardless of what score my reviewer gives it because I'm a huge fan of both Monkey Island and Telltale Games. And while the reviews editor in me is trying its best to reserve judgment until I get my hands on the final product, the fanboy in me can't help but be excited to set sail on the seas with Guybrush again. Now, here's hoping Murray will make a cameo.