Return to Monkey Island: Surprise! Ron Gilbert Announces New Monkey Island (Update)

On this message, Adventure fans have been waiting for almost 25 years: Ron Gilbert will release a new Monkey Island this year! The game listens to the title Return to Monkey Island and is developed by Terrible Toybox - so the same team that has already developed Ron Gilberts Thimbleweed Park. The Adventure was surprisingly announced with a first trailer, a teaser site is already online. Official information is still rare, but we already have the most important corner data. Return to Monkey Island is to build on the controversial end of Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge and continue Guybrush Threepwood's history.

Update : So far, we had assumed that the great third part of the Curse of Monkey Island and the disappointing successor Escape from Monkey Island in the new history are largely ignored. However, Ron Gilbert now has confirmed Via Twitter that Curse of Monkey Island is removed nicht from the official canon, it remains part of the official Lore. As evidence he introduces Murray, the demonic skull from Curse of Monkey Island, which is also visible in the Teaser Trailer to Return of Monkey Island. So that suggests that Return to Monkey Island will rode somewhere between the second part and Curse of Monkey Island (the Gilbert itself as "MI3"). You can watch Murray's return here in the teaser.

Already often Gilbert had expressed the desire to develop a "real" Monkey Island 3, but only on the condition that he could have been creative freedom and the story of Monkey Island 2 could continue. That's obviously the case. In one point, however, Gilbert is deviated from his plans: originally he wanted to "be" Monkey Island 3 in a retro graphic style, similar to Thimbleweed Park had already d1. However, the first trailer shows that Return to Monkey Island will rather set a high-contrast comic style. As it seems, Monkey Island makes a radical style change again.

All important insights into Return of Monkey Island summarized

• The game is developed by Terrible Toybox (Thimbleweed Park), as publishers are Devolver Digital and Lucasfilm Games on board
• Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman are responsible for the script and the game design. Gilbert and Grossman had already developed the first two games together with Tim Schaffer. Grossman was later responsible for Telltale for various projects such as Sam & Max. Tim Scherer is not an apparently involved in Return to Monkey Island.
• The music comes from the feather of Michael Land, Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian, which were largely involved in many Lucasart's titles in the early 1990s. The three composers and sound designers have not only created the iconic melodies from Monkey Island, but also designed the iMuse system and playing the soundtracks like Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, The Dig, Outlaws or Psychonauts composed.
• Dominic Armato will once again take over the English speaking role of Guybrush Threepwood. Armato has set Guybrush since Curse of Monkey Island and is considered a huge fan of the series. His achievements as spokesman have introduced him a lot of praise from the Monkey-Island-Fangemeinde.
• _Update: _ Ron Gilbert has confirmed that Curse of Monkey Island is still part of the official canon. The story will most likely play between Part 2 and Part 3.
• The teaser site is most likely not monkey Island, but Mêlée Island. On this island, Guybrush's Threepwood's legendary pirate adventure began in 1990.
• The game should appear 2022, platforms have not yet been mentioned. But one can look at a PC version as set.
• According to Ron Gilbert, the team has been working on the game for 2 years.

Incidentally, the announcement of Return to Monkey Island will be expected for us a year later than expected: Already in January 2021, it became known that Lucasfilm Games - if only as a brand - was to be revived. In his column Felix immediately hoped for a new Monkey Island. Preferably a Monkey Island 3 - from the feather of Ron Gilbert. Now that the desire was heard more or less - what do you think about the announcement? What expectations, questions and fears do you have to Return of Monkey Island? We would be happy to receive your comments!

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