Antics at sea
Here we are, the new adventures based on Monkey Island finally land in Sea of Thieves! The Rare teams invite us to join Guybrush Threepwood in a narrative campaign not piqued by beetles that immerses us in an ubiquitous world populated by heads slapping. We were able to access, a little early, the first Fable of this funny epic. Like what was done with the Pirates of the Caribbean expansion, The Legend of Monkey Island is a standalone experience set on the Sea of the Damned. This means that players belonging to the same crew will never encounter other human pirates during their wanderings. This should reassure those who like to explore levels from top to bottom without having the pressure of PvP above their heads.
Like at home (but in 1990)
The arrival on Mêlée Island is necessarily a grand time for all fans from the LucasArts game: as the boat sails towards lights, in the distance, the mist suddenly disappears to reveal this piece of land loved by fans adventure games. Everything is thought out to tear a tear of joy from the approaching pirate : not only is the island superbly reproduced, but in addition, the theme of the series resonates in the eardrums. Being able to walk freely in the streets of the island is a nice gift for all fans of the franchise imagined by Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman, and on feels that the artists of Rare are fans of the original work, both the details and the nods are numerous. Everything is there: from the Scumm Bar to the rue de l’horloge, the famous places and the important characters of Monkey Island honor us with their presence.
“Look behind you, it’s a three-headed monkey”
Our first steps in Sea’s Monkey Island expansion of Thieves let us augur the best for the rest of the adventure. True to the spirit of the cult franchise, crafted with dizzying care, this adventure kicks off like any good self-respecting Monkey Island: with wacky characters and puzzles requiring you to turn around the four corners of the map. Of course, we don’t avoid a few self-referenced valves that are perhaps a little too strong, which are better seen as tributes, but in these first hours of play, Rare manages to immerse us in the hilarious world of Monkey Island. The first Fable based on the LucasArts soft universe is out today. The other two adventures will arrive in August and September via future free updates.
