The Monkey Island series is famous for its strange humor. However, the creator, Ron Gilbert, no longer wants to talk about the latest installment, which he developed himself. Fans of the games have been too insulting. After all, he invented duels of insults…
The main points summarized:
- With Return to Monkey Island, a sequel to a 31-year-old adventure game is being released.
- The developer is now refusing to write further about the game on his own blog. He has been too insulted and personally attacked.
- The criticism was initially mainly about the new graphics of Monkey Island, which were shown in the gameplay trailer:
Who is the creator? Ron Gilbert created Monkey Island. The first installment of the series was released 32 years ago. As the main character of the adventure, you play Guybrush Threepwood, an aspiring pirate who wants to marry his beloved.
In order to become a pirate, he must learn the art of dueling. This works a little differently in Monkey Island. Instead of letting the sabers do the talking, you must engage in a creative, verbal exchange of blows with your opponent.
An insult is stated, for example: ‘You fight like a stupid farmer.’ The opponent then responds: ‘How fitting. You fight like a cow.’ And so on. A real duel of insults.
Return to Monkey Island is the newest game in the series, set to be released in 2022. It continues from the second part from 1991, which was also created by Gilbert. Now, the developer no longer wants to talk about the game on his blog.
New graphics upset hardcore fans: ‘Looks like crap’
Why doesn’t Gilbert speak about his game anymore? Gilbert wrote in a post on his blog that he has been too personally attacked by gamers. The voice actor for the protagonist, Dominic Armato, shared a corresponding screenshot from Gilbert on Twitter. It states:
I’m closing the comments. People are just mean and I have to delete personal attacks. This is a great game and everyone on the team is proud of it. Play it or leave it, but don’t ruin it for everyone. I won’t post anything more about the game. The joy of sharing has been taken from me.
Indeed, it is still possible to see some comments on the internet archive. Among those that have not been deleted are statements like: ‘You are a despicable and miserable human being, Ron Gilbert. You should be ashamed. One can only hope that you withdraw from the industry and never come back’ – although most are more moderate.
How did the verbal battles come about? The trigger for most of the criticism is the new look of Return to Monkey Island. Compared to the pixel style of the earlier parts or the hand-drawn graphics from part 3, the latest installment seems too emotionless.
Part 3 was not developed by Gilbert, but is considered by many fans to be the highlight of the series. Now seeing that, for example, the protagonist bears little resemblance is hard for many to digest. The result was heated discussions. However, Gilbert himself is said to have not been uninvolved, and as PCGamer reports, this is not his first verbal battle on the internet.
It is said that he has been led to some comments himself that were quite unfriendly. He is said to have called some critics ‘retro-fascists.’ Some moderate participants then stated that such insults from both sides are not helpful.
Nevertheless, the reception of the new Monkey Island is quite positive. Many fans are looking forward to the new adventure. By the way, Return to Monkey Island is not the only title that is set to bring a popular game series back into the spotlight:
After 6 years, Deus Ex will likely be revived – a huge sales deal makes it possible
