If you’re a gamer who would consider themselves seasoned or a little ‘old school’, then there’s no question that you’re familiar with Lucas Arts’ Monkey Island series. Arguably the most loved and critically admired of the 1990’s graphic adventure game boom, Monkey Island 2 has received a make-over for the 21st century.
Last summer saw a Special Edition of The Secret of Monkey Island – the first game in the franchise – which drew in widespread critical acclaim. What you can expect with Monkey Island 2’s update is much of the same, but with a noticeable amount of added polish and thought. Criticism’s against its predecessor have been smoothed out (main character Guybrush no longer sports a ridiculous haircut) and once again the game has been remastered with HD visuals and a new orchestrated soundtrack. The full cast return once more, with Dominic Armato reprising his role as Guybrush to perfection. Since Monkey Island 2 contains arguably the wittiest dialogue of all the games, it’s excellent to hear these lines read aloud as opposed to the original’s subtitles.
For those unfamiliar with the series, this second instalment follows Guybrush Threepwood (mighty pirate) as he attempts to seek ‘Big Whoop’, a legendary treasure of undetermined nature, whilst attempting to remain out of the clutches of his arch-nemesis; the zombie pirate LeChuck, and winning back the heart of his ex-lover; Governor Elaine Marley.
Once again you can swap seamlessly between the HD remaster and the 256 colour original, although this time the option is there to have the voice acting present in the original, pixilated form. The novelty of swapping between the Special Edition and the original hasn’t been lost since last years remaster, and seeing how the music has been transformed from MIDI to full-orchestra soundtrack is both interesting and provides a sense of nostalgia. The iMUSE system that featured in the original – where between areas the music would seamlessly alter; adding and removing various instruments and melodies – is used once more here, arguably with a better impact due to the new score.
This second Special Edition is also visually much stronger than last years, with better character designs and a noticeably more fluid set of animations. Whilst it still looks distinctly ‘old school’ due to its heritage and having the new art essentially pasted over the top of the old game, the animations are far more accomplished this time around and don’t retain the jerkiness of the 256 counterparts as characters did in the Special Edition of The Secret of Monkey Island. This, combined with the timeless artwork within the game’s environments, ensures that Monkey Island 2 is consistently a visual triumph.
Yet the biggest bonus of this Special Edition is the addition of a director commentary, featuring the game’s original creators Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman. At certain sections of the game a prompt will appear to allow players to listen to the musings of the three creators, often giving interesting insights and humorous quips. This is all done in a style reminiscent of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, with the silhouettes of the designers appearing in the bottom right corner as they talk about their memories. The only complaint that could be levelled against this commentary is the shortness of it, with only selected scenes having director commentary. Also, a few of these scenes are cut-scenes which cannot be paused, so playing the director commentary over it drowns out the voice cast, which is an unfortunate misstep.
Verdict: Back in 1991, Monkey Island 2 was easily among the best computer games ever created. Almost twenty years later, none of the impact of its wit, story or puzzle design has degraded with time. This Special Edition lovingly recreates this timeless classic for the HD generation, and should be enjoyed by both long-term fans and newcomers alike.
