Return to Monkey Island Reviews

Return to Monkey Island is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
92 / 100
Sep 20, 2022

A brilliant return to the series at its best that modernises the point-and-click form.

Read full review

Ryan McCaffrey
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island expectedly comes packed full of smartly crafted puzzles, funny dialogue, and memorable characters. But as series creator Ron Gilbert returns to the series’ director’s chair for the first time since 1991, it unexpectedly offers a lot of heart, too. It is an adventure gamer’s delight.

Read full review

Recommended
Sep 19, 2022

A deft and heartfelt journey through nostalgia.

Read full review

Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 21, 2022

A hugely successful reboot for the beloved point 'n' click adventure, that achieves its comeback without sacrificing either its sense of humour or some enjoyably tricky puzzles.

Read full review

Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a heartfelt and nostalgic return to a point-and-click adventure series that had long been left behind. It's fun, smart, and intuitive, with a story and presentation that is surprisingly self-aware. Whether this is your first brush with Guybrush Threepwood or your sixth, Return to Monkey Island is a swashbuckling adventure you won't want to miss.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is profoundly nostalgic and relentlessly funny, and I'm once again a kid, laughing at Guybrush's umpteenth last-ditch efforts to distract his opponents with, "Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!"

Read full review

9 / 10
Sep 19, 2022

The iconic point-and-click adventure series returns with a heartfelt and nostalgic adventure that any mighty pirate would be a fool to miss.

Read full review

Unscored
Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is yet another game in the Monkey Island franchise that makes only a slight effort to reflect the ever-shifting gaming landscape, while confidently clinging to the DNA that made it so beloved in the first place. And if you’re looking for the secret to creating an enduring franchise, you could do a lot worse than that.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

9 / 10
Sep 29, 2022

With all the wit and charm that you would expect from Gilbert and Grossman's writing, Return to Monkey Island is a decades-long reverie made reality and absolutely essential for fans of the series.

Read full review

87 / 100
Sep 19, 2022

It's not a perfect game, it's probably not the best Monkey Island. But, of course, it is a heartfelt love letter to everything we love about graphic adventures and, in short, a fun and nostalgic experience.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

Unscored
Sep 19, 2022

I love Return to Monkey Island, and I'm excited for you to learn its secrets, too.

Read full review

8.8 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2022

A glorious return for one of gaming's most beloved franchises, that provides fan with another satisfying pirate-themed adventure, some clever dialogue and memorable characters.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Return to Monkey Island feels like a bridge linking some of the absolute best point-and-click adventures of gaming's younger years with the sensibilities of the modern world.

Read full review

Unscored
Sep 19, 2022

Return To Monkey Island might be playing the entire nostalgia hand, nevermind the card, but it's also a very good modern point and click game that makes a perfect new entry to a beloved old series.

Read full review

90 / 100
Nov 12, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is a fantastic end to Guybrush's compulsive search for the secret of Monkey Island and perfectly encapsulates what made these iconic games so popular in the first place. Despite the 30 year absence, not a step was missed, as Return is just as funny as its predecessors and seeing Elaine, LeChuck, Stan, and the rest of the gang together again is rather bittersweet. Charming characters – old and new alike, great dialogue, fun puzzles, an intuitive hint system, and a story which sees Guybrush visit multiple islands, all blend to make Return everything I had hoped for. I'm glad that I was able to finally uncover the secret of Monkey Island.

Read full review

Sep 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island is everything I wanted and more. Daft humour with plenty of dad-worthy gags, puzzles to both frustrate and delight you, lovable throwbacks around every corner, and all while being effortlessly enjoyable. It feels like Monkey Island has fittingly come full circle with this title in many ways, and yet I can’t help but be selfish and want more Guybrush from Gilbert. There’s still room in the scrapbook for more adventures, and if we’re lucky, maybe we won’t have to wait 30 years for the next title.

Read full review

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

Read full review