After nearly two full days of rest from my MonkeyThon, Telltale released the highly-anticipated final chapter of “Tales”: “Rise of the Pirate God”. And how did it measure up?
Well, everybody has their own opinion, but I found it extremely enjoyable. For me, it cemented “Tales” in place as a solid entry in the Monkey Island universe. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but what game is?
People who play adventure games solely for the puzzles are likely to be disappointed. There’s little variety from the “use object with object”/”choose right answer in conversation”/”interpret recipe correctly” standard, and there’s nothing that comes close to being as creative as the map from Chapter Four. Oddly enough, the best puzzle is the twist on insult swordfighting. I never thought I’d say this, but I would have loved if the insult swordfighting bit was longer.
People like me, who play the games more for story, character, atmosphere, and humor may enjoy the game, and they may not. I can’t presume to know what you all look for in a story, but I was grabbed from the start.
The jokes are enjoyable; maybe not as laugh-out-loud as they are elsewhere in the series, but at least Winslow gets two of his greatest lines of all time: “Sexyfish” and “I found the map!” The atmosphere of the majority of the game retains the franchise’s combination of spookiness and humor. Like some element in every game of the series, your transportation is more than a little reminiscent of that one ride at that one Anaheim/Orlando theme park. You’ll return to previous locations thanks to the Loom-esque rips only to find them almost completely destroyed. The final showdown contains all the terror of the finale of “LeChuck’s Revenge”, with solace in a bit of tenderness when talking to Elaine.
As for the ending? I see from other reviews that not everyone shares my opinion, but I thought it was the most satisfying conclusion to a Monkey Island game since “Secret”.
Let’s look at the endings to previous Monkey games. “LeChuck’s Revenge” has a fantastic ending, but it’s a cliffhanger, inconclusive by definition. “Curse”‘s ending is incredibly rushed, and the idea that being buried under snow would put any sort of stop to LeChuck is preposterous. “Escape” not only has a rushed ending, but it’s a rushed ending where you don’t do anything except stall.
“Tales” ends with a major showdown. LeChuck is beating the CRAP out of you, and when you defeat him this time, you feel like you’ve EARNED it. Follow that up with the most touching “use object” I’ve ever seen in an adventure game, and a post-credits scene setting up a new arc for a beloved character, and I was left with a huge grin on my face. (The incredibly-brief-and-vague teaser for Telltale’s next release didn’t hurt, either.)
Elaine’s role in the game has been a matter of controversy for many fans, but I thought she was superb. She felt like the Elaine from “Secret”–the one who is playing a different version of the adventure game than Guybrush is, and beating it faster than he is–but with as much love for Guybrush as she claims to have in “Curse”. While in “Secret” she almost completed the whole story without ANY help from Guybrush (and probably would have defeated LeChuck herself had Guybrush not ruined her plan by scaring away the monkeys with the root beer), here her gambit involves placing her full trust in Guybrush. Upon hearing that the Cursed Cutlass of Kaflu is being protected from ordinary mortal hands, Elaine sacrifices herself to become LeChuck’s demon bride just to be able to hold the cutlass and use it against him, knowing full well that if Guybrush doesn’t save her she could be doomed forever. THAT is trust.
Of course, the game is not without its flaws. The Ghost Laws of Physics are full of inconsistencies that probably have to do with Telltale not wanting to radically alter gameplay between ghost form and physical form. The reasons for not being able to leave the Club 41 are inadequate. I’m sure I had a few other complaints, but I can’t remember them.
Overall, for me, the good far outweighs the bad. I sincerely hope LucasArts continues to allow Telltale to weave their Monkey madness. And if Deathspank is done by then and Ron Gilbert is free to contribute even more to the story, you won’t hear me complaining.