In incredibly surprising news in 2022, the legendary point-and-click adventure game Monkey Island will make its big comeback later this year when a brand-new game called Return to Monkey Island is released. The sequel was first announced by series creator Ron Gilbert — on April Fools’ Day, which truly did fool us because we assumed it was a joke. Three days later, the first trailer dropped and we realised this game is very, very real.
Return to Monkey Island is being directed by Gilbert and co-written by Gilbert and Dave Grossman, a writer and programmer on the original games. Dominic Armato is also returning to voice Guybrush Threepwood. Even better, the new game will follow on from Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. This is the last game in the series that Gilbert and Grossman worked on and had a surrealist ending that’s open to a number of interpretations. The next game attempted to explain the ending but it’s hard to know whether it’s what the creators had in mind. It’ll be interesting to see how the original creators finally resolve their own cliffhanger in Return to Monkey Island.
If you’ve never played, or it’s been so long that you can’t remember, the hilarious games follow the misadventures of Guybrush Threepwood, a hapless adventurer trying to become the most notorious pirate in the Caribbean. They’re often set on the mysterious Monkey Island and have something to do with solving its puzzles and collecting its treasures.
The trailer doesn’t reveal much about the game, except that fan-favourite character Murray — a talking skull who enjoys antagonising Guybrush — will return. Even so, it’s enough to get fans excited. Watch the trailer below to hear a reimagination of the game’s theme song and get a glimpse at the charming art style. Return to Monkey Island will release in 2022, although an exact release date hasn’t been announced yet.
