Return to Monkey Island Reviews

Return to Monkey Island is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
GameMAG
Top Critic
7 / 10
Oct 3, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a competent nostalgia-filled ride for loyal fans.

Review in Russian | Read full review

73 / 100
Sep 28, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a good modernization of a classic pirate tale, even if it overuses nostalgia. Its array of sensible puzzles and light humor outshine pacing issues and a discordant art style.

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75%
Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is no high flyer, but a good classical adventure game, far away from disappointment. Essentially it is fan service pure. That's a huge benefit for lovers of Guybrush's adventures, but series beginners don't really profit from the mass of allusions in any area. The great puzzle design or the top voice-over do not change anything about that.

Review in German | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island brings the beloved classic point-and-click series into the modern puzzle adventure genre, and it's a perfect fit. It's a fine addition to the Monkey Island series, but it nevertheless seems held back by Monkey Island 2's strange ending. In its attempt to explain it away, it just hurts its own narrative, which had the potential for more than it achieved. But it is still a fun ride, full of wild, funny, and surprisingly sincere moments. I will be keenly looking forward to the next Monkey Island game from the mind of Gilbert and his team.

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4 / 5.0
Dec 2, 2022

Like the older but wiser cast of characters, the puzzling gameplay has matured, taxing your wits, but not your patience, never leaving you so bogged down with frustration that you can’t enjoy the comedy. Some gaming franchises age like milk, some age like wine, but Return to Monkey Island has aged like the finest bottle o’ rum.

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Dec 13, 2022

On the whole, I had a really great time with Return to Monkey Island. I think it hits a lot of the right notes fairly consistently, and while it does feel very familiar, there are enough surprises to keep things interesting and rewarding as you stick through the game and see it to completion. What it doesn’t do (and I don’t think it’s trying to), is recapture that feeling of playing the original games for the first time. It’s a great vehicle for getting yourself back into the headspace of those games and immersing yourself in the lore again, but for everything that’s familiar, there is a lot that’s different, for better or worse. And, it’s also still an adventure game, which these days is something you need to be in the mood to play. Having grown up playing them, I’m nearly always up for this, but it’s just a different pace and feel from so much of what else we play nowadays. You can feel Return to Monkey Island trying to find its place in the current landscape, and in many ways I think the game is a success. It’s true what they say, you can’t go home again. Return to Monkey Island knows that, and it’s there to help you embrace that fact.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2022

The effort to help this genre is amazing and Ron Gilbert proves that he has a lot of ideas.

Review in Greek | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Oct 2, 2022

The creators knew they couldn’t make this the game all players wanted, so they instead made the version of the game that interested them, hoping many players would find it just as interesting. I can only speak for myself, but I definitely did. Return to Monkey Island is consistently funny, with a ton of charm and interesting puzzles to work through. The interface is the best in the series, and it’s incredibly well-paced. It may not be what every fan of the series has hoped for, but I think those who can look at it for what it is rather than what they might have hoped it would be will have a wonderful time with it.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2022

Return to Monkey Island shows there is a place for this style of game in the gaming world of 2022 for both new players and returning ones, Point and click games do not have to be pocking stuffed puzzlers, but they still can be at the same time. At its heart, the Witt and humour of the series shine through no matter how you are experiencing the game, and it is in this versatility the work of Ron Gilbert and Terrible Toybox shines through indeed.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2022

The Monkey Island series are adored because of their humor and charm, and Return to Monkey Island is no different. It retains all the same wit, puns, and groan-worthy dad jokes as the rest of the games. In fact, Return to Monkey Island feels more in-line with the earlier titles, no doubt due to Gilbert’s involvement, as well as most of the original cast. The art style might be initially off-putting for some, but it really does grow on you after a while.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2022

Despite being set between the second and third games in the series, Return to Monkey Island feels like a beautiful climax to a franchise that's seen games spread across four decades.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

It’s been a long time coming, but Return to Monkey Island is an absolute treat for fans of the series. It looks wonderful, it sounds wonderful, and its combination of excellent puzzles and expert writing will keep you transfixed from start to finish. Our only real complaint is that newcomers may find this a difficult starting point – but that’s easily rectified by jumping into the originals.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a perfectly judged return of an instant classic for the genre, with just the right level of complexity and challenge, aside from some minor quibbles.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Jake Su
Top Critic
4 / 5.0
Nov 14, 2022

At the end of the day, there were always some risks involved with Return to Monkey Island, and opinions are going to be divided among the hardcore fans and relative newcomers. What cannot be denied, however, is that this is an amazing point-and-click adventure that retains much of the beloved charm, while still updating the experience to be a more well-balanced affair. This is an excellent return, to say the least, and I can only hope this is the beginning of a new age that Terrible Toybox will be leading from the front.

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Atomix
Top Critic
80 / 100
Sep 19, 2022

This franchise returned in the best way, of course, with certain details that possibly will not convince at all. But if you really want to see more adventures of Guybrush Threepwood from now on, it is clear that you should not leave aside this installment. It may not be the best in the saga, but it is the latent proof that there is some interest in returning the life that he lost so long ago.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2022

Return to Monkey Island ably delivers the charm, humor, and sharp puzzles the series is known for, while offering a few tweaks to make things less intimidating for new crew members. A reluctance to try anything too daring in terms of design or storytelling dampens the proceedings a bit, but longtime Monkey Island fans ought to enjoy the voyage even if the series’ sails are getting a bit well-worn.

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Sep 19, 2022

Ageing fans will be relieved to learn that this comeback game from Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman is not just a greatest hits rehash

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Alex Donaldson
Top Critic
Sep 22, 2022

In that, it feels like the rare auteur-driven game – where it’s not just self-aware fun, but also a piece of art with something to say about the past, the present – and even how our changing understanding of ourselves, and our stories, can color the future. It’s brilliant, and exactly what I hoped it would be.

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8 / 10
Oct 5, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is an enjoyable game that I will definitely be telling my nephews and niece to play. It left me wanting more and now that the introduction is over, the next installment should provide the story progression that I was hoping for with this one. If nothing else this game will serve as a reminder to never say never. Ordinarily when a small company is bought out by a multibillion dollar conglomerate it usually goes quietly into the night never to be heard from again. The fact that this game was made at all is a truly remarkable accomplishment. Terrible Toybox and Devolver Digital have overcome the impossible and opened the door for more. Until then might I suggest playing through the entire original series as well as befriending the three headed monkey that’s behind you.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 22, 2022

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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