| Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal - review |
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| Written by Edwin H. | |
| Tuesday, 07 July 2009 | |
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Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Game summary from Telltale Games: Review summary:
Rating: 4 out of 5
Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal (Chapter One) - review Coming into a game with fresh eyes is really becoming a bit of an asset (that I'll most certainly lose in the future). It lets me look at a game without judging it by its prequels or sequels, spin-offs, etc. At least if it's my first foray into the series like it is here. What really surprised me about Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is the amount of personality and creativity that goes into everything. This is the games biggest asset. 
Gameplay The way that Tales of Monkey Island (TOMI) works is that your character, Guybrush Threepwood (Mighty Pirate TM) is viewed in a similar way as early Resident Evil games. That is through a mostly fixed camera. From there you can move around using the standard WASD movement keys within that space and use an ever present mouse button to click on clues. In fact, this can be summed up as a point and click adventure since all you do is move and, well, click on stuff. Unlike the original Resident Evil games, you can simply go right by hitting right instead of having to hit forward while looking to the right. Also, TOMI has 3D backgrounds which have an interesting cartoony aesthetic, which reminds me of the recent Wallace and Gromit game (also by Telltale Games). The camera system tends to work for the most part since it doesn't get too close to Guybrush, however once in a while it annoyingly doesn't pull back like it should. For example, in a small room I can understand zooming in, but also being zoomed in while on docks is just odd. Maybe a zoom out feature is what's needed? 
What works about this adventure is that the puzzles and story go hand in hand. Unlike some other games, I never felt like Tales of Monkey Island was throwing puzzles at me just for the sake of getting to another room. Everything seems to add a bit more to the story. See a weird set of eyes carved on the wall, it may just be scenery, add to the story, or be the answer to your riddle. Things like trying to get a monkey to free you from shackles by coaxing him to go different places and trying to open an unbreakable bottle all feel like they just fit. 
Presentation The presentation in Tales of Monkey Island really drives the entire experience. From the graphics to the sound, it is all part of a unified package. To start off, the script is extremely funny and very well written. If you pay attention, there are some not so subtle shots at institutions like YouTube that were written in very well. Also, the fantastic voice acting really sells the experience. There is something special about hearing the word "PP Pirates" said in the way it was in this game. Once in a while there is a corny joke tossed in, but the majority of the humor here is fresh and inventive so those barely register. *Note - Pay extra attention to the system requirements for running this game (see below). I installed it on a system that met the requirements but didn't exceed them so much. When I tried playing, it started running almost like a slide show until I turned my resolution down to the lowest setting. I find this strange since my machine can run Doom 3 with good settings, however you can't knock Telltale Games for it since they tell you what the requirements are beforehand. Overall I am definitely impressed by Telltale's Monkey Island revival after about a decade. The game is fun, looks good, sounds good and offers a good price-to-fun ratio. If you were looking into getting this as a series fan or puzzle junkie, I completely recommend it. In fact, if a rabid shooter fan like me can grow fond of it, maybe fans of other genres can give it a swing too. System Requirements: |
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