Return to Monkey Island will not exactly return to everything fans may remember.
In a recent (and rare!) Interview with Ars Technica picked up by the folks at Eurogamer, Monkey Island co-stars Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman gave the first hints as to what the long-awaited sequel might look like.
While the two are tight-lipped about what Return to Monkey Island will be about, they are open about a few things they want to change.
“It is a new Monkey Island games rather than another Monkey Island game, which is a subtle difference, but an important one, ”Grossman said.
Two of the new things in store: a tipping system and a relaxed state. In almost any other video game (except maybe a FromSoftware title) this would not be such a big deal, but with a Monkey Island title it is. As a successor to Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (Return to Monkey Island will ignore the three successors Ron Gilbert -less successors), Return to Monkey Island follows up on top of classic adventure games, known not only for their wit, charm and character, but also for wildly difficult puzzles that encouraged players to embrace the sometimes absurd logic of the games and find everything the developers hid in each scene.
But that’s 31 years ago Monkey Island 2 and expectations are different, Gilbert says. Per Ars Technica:
A big part of why he changed his mind, Gilbert said, is simply the advent of the Internet. In the early ’90s, before Internet access was widespread, getting stuck in completely impenetrable riddles was just “what [adventure game] players expected, “he said. But today,” if [players] do not have a built-in tipping system, they just want to jump online and … read a review. ” To prevent this, Return to Monkey Island will include a hint system designed to make sense “in the imagination,” Gilbert said. It will provide “more than just a review.”
The full interview is worth reading – Gilbert and Grossman are both old-school legends who do not like to do much of their stature in game history, but are always incredibly insightful, even when angry.
Return to Monkey Island is scheduled for release later this year.