Tales of Monkey Island: Rise of the Pirate God

I genuinely haven’t been this sad since the end of The Wire. For four chapters Telltale Games have delivered a damn fun story within the Monkey Island world worthy of the old titles. I’ve laughed, scratched my head and made mean faces but now it’s time to take the fight to LeChuck. Just a few problems stand in the way of Guybrush. He’s dead and…well it’s just that really.

Story-wise, you start inside Guybrush’s grave and after some digging you enter the fantastically gloomy afterlife. The art direction in general in the afterlife is great, interesting character design and an oppressive gloom which stands in stark contrast to the rest of the series. The puzzles you encounter are your standard collection types which have featured in chapters 1-4, but hit that perfect mix of easy for newcomers with one or two that will test even the seasoned Telltale fan. The final showdown in particular is an epic multi part puzzle-a-thon in the very best traditions of the Monkey Island universe.

You really don’t play these games for anything other than the writing though, and chapter five is a brilliant end to a very funny series. Guybrush shines when trying to be the hero yet failing dramatically, as does LeChuck at being such an unreserved bastard. The conflict between the characters adds to the depth and the addition of some great voice acting in the dead thief is welcomed. The humour in of itself is as sharp as ever, everything from mocking the traditional view of the iconic “boatman” to even the games own conventions (has Guybrush been carrying a dog in his pocket?!). It’s the little things that make you smile, the feeling you come away with is that you and the game have an in-joke and that’s exactly what episodic comedy gaming should feel like.

Overall it’s difficult to criticise chapter five in isolation as it’s the culmination of it’s predecessors and as such has the same issues. The sound is a bit bland and the puzzles could have a bit more variety but as a closing chapter it’s place isn’t to innovate. This closes the series off with humour and style, setting up a hopeful second series nicely. There are no disappointing ends here, chapter five is a fitting end to a fantastic series. Kudos Telltale.