Review: Tales of Monkey Island, Chapter 4

The Tales of Monkey Island is closing in on the finale, and the penultimate episode, The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood, will definitely leaving you hungering to find out how it all works out in the final chapter. After the vastly entertaining last episode, how does chapter four measure up?

While the setting isn’t nearly as creative as The Lair of the Leviathan, as you spend your time (again) on Flotsom Island, you do have several new locales and interesting characters to help keep things interesting, plus the nighttime setting also helps keep it fresh. Despite the setting, this fourth chapter has some of the most entertaining writing of the series, and that, combined with what has already made Tales of Monkey Island great, make this another stellar installation that left me little to complain about.

This episode finds Guybrush under arrest, as apparently several Flotsom Island citizens have it out for him, and are determined to get their revenge in Pirate Court. As a result, our hero quickly discovers he must figure out a way to clear his name of various charges in order to escape the gallows. Like a cheesy TV show, this episode is filled with “in the nick of time” appearances and mind-blowing revelations, which really fit in with the overall feel of the series, and helps draw you further into the story. By the end, you will be cursing the fact that you have to wait a month to find out the thrilling conclusion.

One nice thing about this episode is the puzzles are a little more challenging than in past episodes. While nothing is ever impossible, it was a bit refreshing, especially since some of the puzzles were as zany as ever. Also, I felt (although it may be my imagination) that this was the longest chapter thus far, which was also a nice change. My only complaint with the pacing was getting Guybrush from one side of the dock to the other is still tedious (I know you can hold Shift to make him run), especially when you may find yourself making several trips in the progress of solving various puzzles. Yes, I still dislike the navigation system.

Like the other episodes, this one can be divided into three parts: in the first, your focus is figuring out a way to clear Guybrush of three civil charges against him, and then defending himself in court. In the second, after a major story revelation, he must seek out ingredients to grow La Esponja’s power. Once you have accomplished these two sets of tasks, you’re left with the grand finale, filled with humor, romance, shocks, and more, but I won’t give it away!

My biggest overall complaint is that, while the night setting is a nice change of pace and offers some beautiful visuals, I found some of the scenes to be a bit too dark to make out some details. My monitor was already set up to the highest brightness setting, so this is a game you may find is better played in a dark room. Still, this is a minor complaint compared to all that this episode does right.

However, The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is definitely worth your change, and I know I am eagerly awaiting the series’ conclusion. I’ve really been surprised by how enjoyable this series truly is, and I think it may be the first time I ever replay a point-and-click game, which says a lot about the entertainment value of the series as a whole.