Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Demo

Telltale Games have the unique ability of producing some of the most interesting and captivating adventure games out there, as they proved over the years with series like Sam & Max, Game of Thrones, or The Walking Dead. Hence, it should not come as a surprise if they manage to successfully revitalize one of the most sacred adventure series in the industry: Monkey Island.

Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is about as silly as the title is, but that doesn’t mean the writers didn’t give it their best when it comes to plot, characters, and the dialogue. In fact, the humor in this particular episode is exquisite to say the least, as well as clever enough to make references to both the original series, and various pop culture facts.

Hence, the story talks about the same legendary pirate by the name of Guybrush Threepwood, who’s joined by his wife, Elaine, as they scour the seas of the world in search for treasure. However, after an unpleasant encounter with LeChuck, Guybrush finds himself washed ashore a mysterious island off which there seems to be no escape, with a green zombie arm instead of his own, just to complicate things a bit further.

The actual gameplay is split between talking to various characters and trying to figure out the puzzles. Most of these involve combining certain objects to obtain other items, but the fun is in the hunt anyway. The dialogue and the story itself are the most important components of the game, since the rest of the elements grew around them and you don’t notice them as much.

Visually, the specific Telltale style is present here as well, although it is a tad more colorful and comical than in the other titles. A lot of work went into the environments and the characters, on the other hand, because there’s plenty of detail to be admired in them. The same can be said about the spotless voice acting and the good sound effects, which only add to the atmosphere.

All things considered, Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal truly is a gem of the genre, since it managed to revive the series and provide the fans with a long-awaited continuation. Beside that, every other element shines as well, which is why the experience is worth a try from every adventure fan out there.