The SCUMM system was pushed to its limits, with Monkey Island’s characters and colourful Caribbean world hand-painted and animated with a distinctly Disney-like approach. But unlike its older siblings and Day of the Tentacle, it wasn’t rendered in old-school pixel graphics. The Curse of Monkey Island is 20 years old (I’ll give you a moment to have an ageing crisis). Surely it is the prime candidate for remaster work? It has recently been re-released on Steam and GOG after an agonising wait, but purely in its original form.
STEAM MONKEY ISLAND SERIES
The trend of exceptional LucasArts remasters started back with The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition in 2009, and with the first two games in the pirate comedy series given such great treatment, it seems only fitting that the next project be the third game (and last of the great SCUMM adventures): The Curse of Monkey Island.
STEAM MONKEY ISLAND FULL
The most recent, Full Throttle Remastered, takes a beloved 1995 classic, gives is a shiny new lick of paint, cleans up every aging element, and makes it run flawlessly on modern machines.
But fighting the good fight are the LucasArts updates. The game industry seems obsessed right now with re-releasing games from just a few years ago with slightly improved resolutions and little else. We kid, there’s a lot more, but you will need to be mighty to get them.It’s not hard to be cynical about remasters. SteamWorks Achievements: Only the mightiest of pirates can collect all three.Original developer commentary: Listen to select scene commentary from Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman as they share funny stories and chronicle the development of the original Monkey Island™ 2: LeChuck's Revenge™.Behind the scenes art: An in-game art viewer lets players view fantastic never-before-seen artwork from both the Classic and Special Edition versions of the game.Object highlighting: Interactive object highlighting provides quicker clues to finding hidden objects.Direct control: Choose how you play - use the classic point-and-click interface or the all new intuitive direct character control for a more interactive gameplay experience.Hint system: In-game puzzle hint system keeps the puzzles fresh and fun.Enhanced gameplay: All new intuitive game interface and controls provide a more interactive gameplay experience.Special Edition and Classic modes: Scene-for-scene hot swap lets you seamlessly transition between Special Edition and Classic modes at anytime during gameplay.Renewed music score: Re-mastered and re-recorded musical score using live instruments.Voice over: Complete voice over using original Monkey Island franchise cast members brings the story and characters to life like never before, now available for both the Special Edition and Classic modes.High-definition graphics: All new re-imagined contemporary art style, hand-drawn and presented in high definition.Play it again for the first time with signature Special Edition features: Voodoo dolls, spitting contests and amusement parks are just some of the challenges Guybrush must overcome as he meets old friends, fights new enemies and uses every ounce of his mojo to overcome the wrath of LeChuck’s revenge. Guybrush will have to use his wits, his humor and his insatiable desire for adventure to defeat his nemesis once and for all and truly prove himself the greatest pirate in the Caribbean. But wait, LeChuck is now back in zombie form and he's out for revenge. Having seemingly defeated the evil ghost pirate LeChuck in his first adventure, Guybrush Threepwood sets his sights on the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. Expanding on the highly successful in just about every way, fans will now experience new unique special edition features and interact with the world of Monkey Island like never before. Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge™ faithfully re-imagines the classic Monkey Island™ sequel in signature special edition detail. About This Game Wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood, and the now zombie pirate LeChuck, return in what has long been considered one of the greatest LucasArts adventure games of all time.