The Tales of Monkey Island saga hit a definite highlight with the last episode and so the big question for me was could they keep it going? And the answer is yes but certainly not in the way I was expecting. The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood or chapter four, keeps up the puzzles and humour while at the same time feeling strangely grim.
Guybrush is brought back to Flotsam, the island from the first chapter. Although you gain access to two previously inaccessible areas (the court and Club 41), you’re really just back to a location you’ve explored pretty thoroughly the first time around. This is a bit of a letdown but I guess it lets Telltale focus less on location design and more on the story and puzzles. It is night time now to change things up a bit and you’ll also run into a few familiar faces from previous episodes.
It seems our favourite hero has had a brush with the law. Guybrush is forced beyond his will to enter Flotsam Island’s court for a series of charges put against him. You have a selection of cases and Guybrush has to be his own lawyer, refuting these claims using evidence and taking witnesses to the stand. Fortunately due to a loophole in the law you’re allowed to explore the town but not the jungle just yet. While the first half of the episode you’ll spend in the court room, in the second you’ll spend your time cobbling up items across the entire island for a Voodoo recipe.
Last time we had a Murray cameo, now Monkey Island wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from the almighty Stan. They even managed to get his funky jacket animated like in the old games! Stan is your prosecutor and it’s pretty obvious why, he’s a bit bitter after all the bad things Guybrush had done to him in the past. He also operates a Souvenir Emporium of trial related merchandise. Always trying to make a quick buck is our Stan. Have a listen to the Guybrush doll he’s trying to flog off, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger voicebox is quite a hoot. These sorts of things have no bearing on completing the game but really add in atmosphere. So don’t forget to try different things and you might be rewarded with some funny dialogue. Back to the characters; Stan, LeChuck and the Voodoo Lady all appear in the town and it’s bizarre seeing them in such close proximity to each other.
Without giving anything away, this chapter is a lot darker than episodes previous. It’s a huge contrast to the traditional humour, so this did make it feel a little weird. Don’t get me wrong I love how it all played out, but it may take some time for me to get used to the shift in tone. There are a few more twists and turns than usual. Nearly every pirate is now poxed, and the dialogue that occurs when a character loses their temper has lost it’s effect since the early episodes. It’s usually a bunch of insults strung together that aren’t that clever or funny. Although winding up the judge was quite amusing.
In the first episode especially, there were complaints of character models being re-used. In Trial and Execution some of the characters have more than one profession or appear in multiple places. It’s almost as if Telltale did it just to have a little laugh and avoid further criticism. I was a bit disappointed to see no new unique puzzles after such an incredible effort last time. No pirate face-off or manatee pickup lines here I’m afraid. Each puzzle I took always seemed to require an extra step, which is always good for an adventure game in terms of difficulty and longevity.
Closing Comments
With the big ciffhanger and one more chapter to go I’m excited to see what Rise of the Pirate God will entail. Hopefully we’ll be whisked off to some new locations, I don’t know if I could stand another episode on that same stretch of land! Overall I liked the darker path the series has taken, it’s a little jarring but it’s still something I’d like to see more of.
Released 31/10/09. Download Season One here.
