Secret of Monkey Island 2 was my first PC game on a 486SX and VGA monitor. The sound came out of the PC speakers... One day I got an Adlib card and was blown away. Go ahead and download the remake on steam and notice something that kind of doesn't exist in any game (that I know): when you enter the scene on Scabb Island, the relaxed reggae beat changes ever so subtly depending on the bridge, the carpenter shop, the mapmaker, the bar, etc.
For example, you enter the mapmaker and the Wally music comes on, which is the same reggae bagdrop to a clarinet or oboe, the music is a little deeper in the carpenter shop, there's an evil background tone when Largo LaGrande shows up and a more subtle one in the hotel, etc.
With gorgeous hand painted digitized art.
They don't make games like that anymore. Can't wait to see if they actually did.
> the relaxed reggae beat changes ever so subtly depending on the bridge, the carpenter shop, the mapmaker, the bar, etc
That is cool! They don't receive a ton of attention, but other games do get into some fun stuff with music too. One such game is NieR: Automata. They built a pretty remarkable tone filter that seamlessly turns the playing music into an 8-bit equivalent via digital processing when the player starts hacking:
https://www.platinumgames.com/official-blog/article/9581
A more common thing you'll see are games that have dynamic battle music, which will add or remove elements from the soundtrack as the player encounters combat, encounters a boss, or leaves combat.
I'm not aware of other games that have nice little leitmotifs for so many scenes, though. That's great.
This was exactly my experience, first time I had ever heard sound out of an audio card.
Between these games and everything Sierra ever released, I really fell in love with both gaming, and computers in general. They led me to learn more about programming, and today I'm still at it.
I was delighted to see that this level of love for detail has been upheld by other design studios:
Here is a documentary [0] of the development of the orchestral music done for "Creaks" by Amanita Design, famous for "Samorost" and "Machinarium".
They contracted musicians from the Hidden Orchestra who went on to create music that develops and progresses based on how you progress in the game. Watch the documentary, it's really worth it.
Two other examples I can think of are Pokémon (the fifth edition I believe?) on the Nintendo Gameboy where the game will blend the low hp warning beeps into the music when it gets into the critical zone, but then quickly fade it into the background so it won't be annoying. In Nitronic Rush, the predecessor to Distance, the music will adapt to how cut down the players car is and in what mode it is. Flying, driving upside down and on walls will all introduce their own instrument mix.
Disappointingly, the successors of both games didn't feature those mechanics.
So far the puzzles have been fun, but not very difficult. The plot is a bit heavy with references to the story of the earlier games, but perhaps not too much (my partner enjoyed it too, having only played The Curse of Monkey Island, but not the others).
The "new" art style is a bit odd at first but it's nice and consistent and it has a style of its own. All the earlier games had a different art style to each other too, partly because the early installments had technical limitations they had to cope with (and then there was that thing with the 3d graphics).
The sound track is very nice with some tunes you'll probably know.
This is a great video essay. I especially enjoy seeing how they used progressive enhancement to take advantage of the leading hardware at the time, while still accommodating older systems.
I never enjoyed these types of games as a kid, and I never beat them. I'm thinking specifically of Myst, its sequel, and Monkey Island. I'm not an idiot, but whatever particular type of problem-solving skill is required to enjoy these games, I just don't have it. I can enjoy the most complicated and convoluted strategy games or RPGs, but somehow those skills don't translate to knowing which thing to click on with which other thing. I can't be the only one, right? A reasonably smart person who outright fails at point-and-click puzzle games?
I played the prologue. The new engine is great although I'm still not convinced by the art style. It's not horrible by any means but I don't find it as charming as MI2 and MI3.
At the core of nostalgia it isn’t just about an specific object or event that we cherish, but also the ERA during which it occurred, and the special people from that age:
My uncle who introduced me to computers, his eccentric genius friend who built a DIY amplifier for me, my aunt who walked in and smiled as I was humming the game’s tune while paddling across the swamp in Monkey Island 2… my other uncle who helped me read my first novel, The Hobbit, fanning my interest in the weird and whimsy, and passed away just before Rings of Power aired…
Mortality’s a bitch. I’m grateful for these little time machines, and I wonder what long-awaited sequel or remake will come out after I’m gone.. :)
Alternatively, if you want to experience the previous games but don’t feel like playing them you can watch full playthroughs of the previous games on YouTube without commentary.
The same channel that posted said video has posted full play through no commentary videos of other games in the series also.
I watched a few of these a while ago during night time as while I was falling asleep. As a mix between background noise and something that I paid some amount of attention to. Same way that a friend of mine likes to put on movies sometimes when going to sleep.
In the main menu of the game, there's a "scrapbook" feature with a brief history of Guybrush Threepwood's adventures if you haven't played the earlier editions.
But the game (as far as I played it so far) contains a lot of characters and jokes that might be more fun if you've played the earlier ones.
If you want to play them, there are "special editions" of the first two in Steam. They have improved graphics and voice acting, with the option of switching to the original graphics and back with the press of a button.
To understand where the plot picks up, you should (re)play MI1 and MI2.
A few things I understand were borrowed from Curse of MI, but you don't need to know them beforehand. They were borrowed because they are charming and funny, not because they add something to the canon (cannon?).
I played 2hours and actually it is definitely so much for fans that I would say everyone should play at least the first one (secret of monkey island) first before playing this one (and then why not play the second one, too? :D).
So much I can say: This definitely feels like a Monkey Island game.
Game 3 and 4 (The Curse of Monkey Island and Escape from Monkey Island) come with the caveat that they are from the Windows 9x period. Getting them to run reliably on a modern computer is an adventure in its own right.
The first two are wonderful games. Charm aside, they are quite fair for adventure games while not being easy (though if you want easy, walk-through guides are a click away)
You made my day. I did not even know about this. This is one of the series I enjoyed the most in my whole gaming life. And there has been quite a bit of that.
About an hour in, and I'm pretty happy with the art. Doesn't detract at all from the game. I liked the art style of Monkey Island 3 the most, but this is also good.
Agreed. I really don't like the art style. I've never played the original games though so I would like to get around to playing them before I play this though anyway.
Many people have troubles with it launching to a black screen on GNU/Linux (including Deck). Switching the renderer from Vulkan to DirectX 12 in config file seems to sometimes help.
Appears to work on Deck, although the Steam Store page doesn't list any compatibility information yet and protondb doesn't have any entries. But I'd say your chances are good that it runs on linux without issue.
Fantastic art style (although I'm not digging the character faces especially). The trailer is superb, makes you (me, that is) really excited for the game... something that cannot be said about a lot of game trailers these days.
[+] [-] mancerayder|3 years ago|reply
Secret of Monkey Island 2 was my first PC game on a 486SX and VGA monitor. The sound came out of the PC speakers... One day I got an Adlib card and was blown away. Go ahead and download the remake on steam and notice something that kind of doesn't exist in any game (that I know): when you enter the scene on Scabb Island, the relaxed reggae beat changes ever so subtly depending on the bridge, the carpenter shop, the mapmaker, the bar, etc.
For example, you enter the mapmaker and the Wally music comes on, which is the same reggae bagdrop to a clarinet or oboe, the music is a little deeper in the carpenter shop, there's an evil background tone when Largo LaGrande shows up and a more subtle one in the hotel, etc.
With gorgeous hand painted digitized art.
They don't make games like that anymore. Can't wait to see if they actually did.
[+] [-] lelandfe|3 years ago|reply
That is cool! They don't receive a ton of attention, but other games do get into some fun stuff with music too. One such game is NieR: Automata. They built a pretty remarkable tone filter that seamlessly turns the playing music into an 8-bit equivalent via digital processing when the player starts hacking: https://www.platinumgames.com/official-blog/article/9581
A more common thing you'll see are games that have dynamic battle music, which will add or remove elements from the soundtrack as the player encounters combat, encounters a boss, or leaves combat.
I'm not aware of other games that have nice little leitmotifs for so many scenes, though. That's great.
[+] [-] Braini|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] EMM_386|3 years ago|reply
Between these games and everything Sierra ever released, I really fell in love with both gaming, and computers in general. They led me to learn more about programming, and today I'm still at it.
[+] [-] Simon_O_Rourke|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] purerandomness|3 years ago|reply
I was delighted to see that this level of love for detail has been upheld by other design studios:
Here is a documentary [0] of the development of the orchestral music done for "Creaks" by Amanita Design, famous for "Samorost" and "Machinarium".
They contracted musicians from the Hidden Orchestra who went on to create music that develops and progresses based on how you progress in the game. Watch the documentary, it's really worth it.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67S-rAyku3U
[+] [-] f1refly|3 years ago|reply
Disappointingly, the successors of both games didn't feature those mechanics.
[+] [-] exDM69|3 years ago|reply
So far the puzzles have been fun, but not very difficult. The plot is a bit heavy with references to the story of the earlier games, but perhaps not too much (my partner enjoyed it too, having only played The Curse of Monkey Island, but not the others).
The "new" art style is a bit odd at first but it's nice and consistent and it has a style of its own. All the earlier games had a different art style to each other too, partly because the early installments had technical limitations they had to cope with (and then there was that thing with the 3d graphics).
The sound track is very nice with some tunes you'll probably know.
I'll rate it four monkeys and a pegleg.
[+] [-] FireInsight|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] runarberg|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tails4e|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] btschaegg|3 years ago|reply
> "What did you sell?"
> "Nothing! Nothing fungible, anyway…"
Well, they obviously lost nothing in the humor department xD
[+] [-] standardUser|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] huhtenberg|3 years ago|reply
[1] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2060130/Return_to_Monkey_...
[2] https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/return-to-monkey-isl...
[+] [-] smcl|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Rant423|3 years ago|reply
https://fineleatherjackets.net/monkeyinflation
[+] [-] mzs|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pier25|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Razengan|3 years ago|reply
My uncle who introduced me to computers, his eccentric genius friend who built a DIY amplifier for me, my aunt who walked in and smiled as I was humming the game’s tune while paddling across the swamp in Monkey Island 2… my other uncle who helped me read my first novel, The Hobbit, fanning my interest in the weird and whimsy, and passed away just before Rings of Power aired…
Mortality’s a bitch. I’m grateful for these little time machines, and I wonder what long-awaited sequel or remake will come out after I’m gone.. :)
[+] [-] thesuperbigfrog|3 years ago|reply
Talk like a Pirate, but don't fight like a dairy farmer.
[+] [-] dang|3 years ago|reply
Return to Monkey Island trailer [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31911065 - June 2022 (128 comments)
When I made another Monkey Island - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31246530 - May 2022 (211 comments)
Return to Monkey Island, Coming 2022 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30957917 - April 2022 (84 comments)
If I Made Another Monkey Island (2013) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30908723 - April 2022 (4 comments)
Return to Monkey Island - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30908395 - April 2022 (60 comments)
Return to Monkey Island, follow-up to Monkey Island 2 [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30907723 - April 2022 (1 comment)
If I Made Another Monkey Island (2013) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15004266 - Aug 2017 (86 comments)
If I Made Another Monkey Island... - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5557443 - April 2013 (83 comments)
also:
Monkey Island Director Will No Longer Post About the Game Due to Online Abuse - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31939339 - June 2022 (21 comments)
Ron Gilbert won’t post about Return to Monkey Island following online abuse - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31937333 - June 2022 (6 comments)
[+] [-] GavinMcG|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jonplackett|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] codetrotter|3 years ago|reply
For example:
Curse of Monkey Island - No Commentary Play Through - THE SCUMM BAR - https://youtu.be/zfAo3O2qZR0
The same channel that posted said video has posted full play through no commentary videos of other games in the series also.
I watched a few of these a while ago during night time as while I was falling asleep. As a mix between background noise and something that I paid some amount of attention to. Same way that a friend of mine likes to put on movies sometimes when going to sleep.
[+] [-] exDM69|3 years ago|reply
But the game (as far as I played it so far) contains a lot of characters and jokes that might be more fun if you've played the earlier ones.
If you want to play them, there are "special editions" of the first two in Steam. They have improved graphics and voice acting, with the option of switching to the original graphics and back with the press of a button.
[+] [-] RajT88|3 years ago|reply
A few things I understand were borrowed from Curse of MI, but you don't need to know them beforehand. They were borrowed because they are charming and funny, not because they add something to the canon (cannon?).
[+] [-] lawn|3 years ago|reply
If you don't have time or energy for that though, I'll echo that watching a let's play is also very good.
[+] [-] Tarsul|3 years ago|reply
So much I can say: This definitely feels like a Monkey Island game.
[+] [-] NohatCoder|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aidenn0|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ortusdux|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lelandfe|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] germandiago|3 years ago|reply
On top of that... I own a Switch!!!! :D
[+] [-] gpderetta|3 years ago|reply
I will still be buying this today!
Edit: I realized my steam deck will be arriving in the next couple of days. Now I know what I'll be playing in it first.
[+] [-] CobrastanJorji|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _joel|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jccalhoun|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Razengan|3 years ago|reply
Where’s the guy spinning on the chandelier in the Scumm Bar, the cook walking around delivering drinks? The people walking around is the force?
Everything feels a lot “stationary” in comparison, so far. But I love how they masterfully ret-conned the ending of Curse of Monkey Island!
[+] [-] bzzzt|3 years ago|reply
Maybe the spinning pirate's perpetual motion machine was broken ;)
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Razengan|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mondi|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ggambetta|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] account42|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] seba_dos1|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zumzumzum|3 years ago|reply
Appears to work on Deck, although the Steam Store page doesn't list any compatibility information yet and protondb doesn't have any entries. But I'd say your chances are good that it runs on linux without issue.
[+] [-] boudin|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ggregoire|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kleiba|3 years ago|reply