- #THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND SPECIAL EDITION SCUMM BAR UPDATE#
- #THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND SPECIAL EDITION SCUMM BAR PC#
#THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND SPECIAL EDITION SCUMM BAR PC#
These controls will be different for the PC version, of course, but the same interface simplicity will be featured. Selecting “Use” from the verb menu will also bring the inventory up automatically. Similarly, the right-trigger will bring up your inventory.
On the Xbox 360 controller, by default the B-button will be mapped to the most obvious verb whenever an object you can interact with is highlighted, but by holding down the left-trigger, the entire map of verbs pops up in a special window for alternate selections. Though the old SCUMM-system of applying verbs to nouns may seem outdated almost 20 years later, all of that functionality still exists in the updated version if you want it. It’s fascinating to watch, and I have a feeling players will be unable to resist playing with it nonstop. With the press of a button, the screen morphs between the classic and the remake with a very cool-looking transition effect, and you can even do this in mid-animation or mid-sentence with no interruption to the game’s flow. And if you’re undecided which you prefer, you can seamlessly switch between the original and HD versions of the game at any time. Still not satisfied? Then add in the fact that the original game is included in its entirety, with the old music, the old graphics, the old interface-everything exactly as it was. Even references that no longer make a whit of sense to a modern audience, like “ Ask Me About Loom,” have been retained. Behind the shiny HD graphics and smooth sounds, the whole thing is still running on the SCUMM engine, right down to the same number of frames of animation used.
All of the original text, puzzles, jokes, and gameplay are exactly as they were back in 1990. Yet what’s even more impressive is what they didn’t change-and remember we’re talking about a company somewhat infamous for “fixing” its old franchises. Every scene in the game was remade using hand-drawn art in 1080i resolution, all the voice actors from Curse of Monkey Island (including Dominic Armato as Guybrush, Alexandra Boyd as Elaine, Earl Boen as LeChuck-they even got Leilani Jones back as the Voodoo Lady!), and all the music has been re-recorded using actual instruments.
#THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND SPECIAL EDITION SCUMM BAR UPDATE#
It’s a heck of a balancing act trying to update a beloved classic so it’s accessible to new consumers while at the same time trying to please the existing diehard fans, and while the final results aren’t in, LucasArts certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort so far. At E3, I had a chance to talk with some of the producers from LucasArts and get a demonstration of the title’s coolest features (using the Xbox 360 version, for the record, though the platform versions should be functionally identical), and I’m very pleased to report that this isn’t just a simple remake, this is a love letter to all things Monkey. With Telltale’s Tales of Monkey Island set to take the franchise forward, LucasArts is also taking gamers back to where it all started in The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, the high-definition update of the original game for Xbox Live Arcade and PC. It’s been a nine-year long drought since Escape from Monkey Island was released, but when it rains, it pours. This last week has been quite an exciting one for fans of the classic Monkey Island franchise, with not one but two new MI-related projects suddenly announced.
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