Escape from Monkey Island

"Monkey business as usual"

Monkey Island is widely held as the point and click series. So when it sheds it's point and click mechanics in favour of fancy 3D graphics and direct control over the character, and turns up on - of all things - a games console, what is the result? Well, it's mixed to say the least, although not because of either of the changed factors. It delivers excellent dialogue, well acted, lots of clever puzzles and an attractive gaming world. The problem is, it doesn't do any of these things as well as the previous Monkey Islands did.

The story is quite uninspired when compared to that of any other Monkey Island, but it does the job alright. Guybrush Threepwood, 'mighty' 'pirate' and his wife Elaine (Governer of Melee Island) return to said Island from their long honeymoon only to find Elaine has been declared dead. So another election for position of governer is to be held, with a suspicious stranger called Charles L. Charles up for the job. Also causing a stir is an Australian land developer, Ozzie Mandrill, who is looking to buy up everything in the Caribbean, including Melee's precious SCUMM bar! Guybrush must gather up a crew to travel to Elaine's lawyers to sort out this mess, and so the adventure begins.

At first, you are thrown into a practice scene on Guybrush's ship, returning from the honeymoon. It is here you must get to grips with the controls. You will struggle at first, especially if you don't have the manual, but you'll muddle through eventually. It's actually all very intuitive, and everything will soon flow smoothly. The L3 button also has the handy function of returning you to the main map whenever it is pressed.

The first thing that will strike you about EFMI is it's non-stop humour, and excellent voice acting, both of which are missing from console videogame acting these days (And I should know, I've just been playing Shenmue). Without these two factors, the game would be absolutely worthless, and this becomes ever more apparent in some of the more laborious segments. But really it could have done with a better story, the one offered up is too weak and has one or two obligatory predictable 'twists' but really it fails to drum up any interest within you whatsoever.

But it's a compelling game. There are plenty of funny conversations, and solving a particularly hard puzzle is immensely satisfying. And, at the beginning of the game, you are filled with optimism and excitement from playing a NEW Monkey Island game so you will put up the even the most nonsensical of puzzles (Put the rubber band around the cactus. Of course). But as time goes on, you'll tire of these obscenely obscure, obtuse riddles, because there are just too many of them. And they just aren't unique at all, they could have been plucked out of any point and click adventure. Fair enough, the genre doesn't allow much room to move, but without a convincing story, EFMI needed something else if it was to fully succeed. It just hasn't improved on the last game in any facet besides the graphics.

Moreover, the game's world has lost something, it's just not as fascinating anymore. It seems totally unconvincing and it seems as if the bare minimum has been put into helping the atmosphere. There are a record low of unnecessary characters, and characters in general. The recycling of old MI veterans will interest fans of the series, but there are hardly any new or exciting ones. It really does make the game seem lazy, especially when coupled with the dull narrative. But, in it's defense, there are some hilarious lines of dialogue, and you can get a lot of entertainment from just cycling through all the possible lines and getting responses. There's nothing in there worth actually laughing over, but the frantic back and forth pace, along with the fantastic voice acting, make for some consistently entertaining and amusing scenes.

Ridiculously illogical puzzles aren't the only irritating thing in this game, you'll also face unnecessarily lengthy ones as well. In one such instance, you have to find out which rock a hat is hidden under, there are at LEAST twenty rocks. Sounds simple enough, but you have to ask a couple of seagulls if this is the rock the hat is under at EVERY single rock. Not helping the matter is the fact that one of the seagulls is lying, so you have to guess which one is the truth teller and then follow his answers until you get to the rock. Discovering the truth teller (And coming across the fact the birds know the location in the first place) is tricky enough. So why does the game have you stumbling around a field of rocks for twenty five minutes doing the exact same thing over and over again? To extend the lifespan I imagine, but I tell you, I wasn't in a hurry to progress further after that.

A small, but fairly original factor of the game that I feel I should mention is Monkey Kombat. It vaguely resembles insult swordfighting, but with a lot more depth, and a complicated system. It would be a futile exercise to try and have you understand the system. But suffice to say it involves a lot of practice and writing things down on a nearby sheet of paper. The general consensus among gamers seems to be that this section was long and boring. But I found it to be just about the only unique point of the game, it had quite a bit of depth, and I enjoyed learning the moves and playing with the system. It does take a while to get through, but it's memorable and entertaining enough to justify any time spent on it.

So why the high-ish score? Well despite being a relative disappointment and having quite a few flaws, EFMI is still enthusiastic and entertaining. It's a bit shorter than the other games I found (I had it finished after about 7 or so hours) and it's significantly less involving, but it's nothing if not charismatic. There are enough comedic highlights, such as the pirate who will open fire on any group of three or more pirates talking (He thinks they are conspiring), to make the game a blast. Far too many to list, but I will tell you to look out for the pirate rehabilitation center for my favourite moments of the game.

Graphically, the game's stylised backgrounds are lovely, but quite devoid of actual detail. The characters also look good, and the animation is great, but some are a little blocky and so expressions are far more rudimentary than what series fans will be used to. It's a pretty world, but certainly doesn't have the PS2 ticking over, some more impressive set pieces would have been nice. And there are loading times at every corner (Literally) as well as most times you dive into your inventory. Luckily they aren't very lengthy.

In all honesty, I had a great time playing EFMI, and I only wish it would have lasted for a little longer. It certainly isn't up to Monkey Island standards, and it's ancient ideals are starting to show their age, but it's still intensely entertaining and a breath of fresh air the PS2. Just bear in mind a funny film or book can provide the same kind of entertainment this does without the twenty five minutes of seagull conversation. But such is the appeal of the Monkey Island series, a lower level of interactivity but a higher level of intelligence and humour. But this doesn't deliver as much as it could have. It's not only the click that is gone, the game has also slightly lost the point.

The Great Escape
+ Consistently funny, well written dialogue
+ Interesting characters
+ Enough funny situations and highlights to keep you happy throughout
+ Clever puzzles
+ Monkey Kombat is a good idea, well implemented

Monkey Nuts
- Shallow game world and atmosphere
- Inferior to the previous series installments
- Some cheap lifespan enhancing tricks and awfully bizarre puzzles
- Not as much to do as there was before
- The final third of the game almost loses it completely and the ending is awful
- Story nowhere near as strong as it should be
- Could be longer

If you like this....

The monkey Island Series - PC: No point in separating them, they are all great. there are three, in case you were wondering
Day of the Tentacle - PC: Different to this game, but a lot more fulfilling. Still very funny point and click adventure
Sam and Max hit the road - PC: One of the best point and clickers around, and hugely entertaining, while also offering a pleasingly high level of actual interaction.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/02, Updated 03/14/02