Just before the end of September, Telltale released the third episode of its adventure game, Tales of Monkey Island. It’s recommended that you read my reviews on the previous episodes, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal and The Siege of Spinner Cay, since a lot of the comparisons will be made with them.
Sound (5/5)
Thankfully, the hissing that was evident in the last episode, isn't as noticeable in this one! So either they've made fixes in the sound department or there aren't as many scenes that provoke the dreaded s-s-s-nake oh it's a snake, a s-s-s-nake noises...
Music (4/5)
The soundtrack is once again excellent, and why wouldn't it be with Michael Land at the helm? Yes I know, I keep mentioning how good he is, but the music is such an awesome aspect of the Monkey Island series! There are some great new musical additions and there's even a short reprise of the underwater music you hear in Monkey Island 2! Also, you get to hear a re-hashed version of the Melee Island Lookout music, complete with an in-game character, supporting it with bongos - a nice touch!
Unfortunately the music tends to start and end abruptly in this episode more noticeably than others which means the aural pleasure isn't as great but that's really the only thing I can fault.
Lair of the Leviathan Gameplay Video
Graphics (4/5)
Not much change in the graphics score. It's pretty much the same as the previous episodes. Graphics are reasonably good, although some of the minor characters are obviously used with recycled models...
Plot (5/5)
I have to give an even higher score to this episode since it's got the best plot out of the episodes yet. The game would definitely appeal to the soppy romantics out there since there is a couple of romances going on here and it creates tension in the overall story with regards to one of them. All the characters in this episode tend to have more personality too thanks to a lot of back story being revealed - much more so than previous episodes. In the previous episodes, you'd be luck to catch even a fleeting glimpse of a major character's back story...
And for the fans, a certain demonic skull makes a reappearance in this episode...
Gameplay(5/5)
Still your above average point 'n' click adventure but I had a bit more fun in this one than the previous episodes - that's because a challenge very similar to insult sword-fighting returns in this episode, one of the hallmarks of the Monkey Island series. Unfortunately, it's not as comprehensive as previous ones and more slapstick but hey it's better than nothing!
Another fun puzzle is convincing a female manatee to go on a date with a timid male. This puzzle draws its inspiration from the insult swordfighting confrontation with Carla in Monkey Island 1 since you're given limited vocabulary in order to match wits. It's good fun and a welcome breath of fresh (ocean?) air.
There's also a fun puzzle involving you remembering certain aspects of Morgan's past which was enjoyable too.
Replayability (4/5)
Just like the other episodes, this game is about as replayable as adventure games get (without resorting to gimmicks like alternative endings and different classes - then you're entering RPG hybrid territory there :)).
Polish (4/5)
I didn't have any issues with this episode so it's about as polished as the first one.
Overall - 89%
The best episode of the series yet.
If you want to get the game, you can purchase it online off Telltale Games.
Sound (5/5)
Thankfully, the hissing that was evident in the last episode, isn't as noticeable in this one! So either they've made fixes in the sound department or there aren't as many scenes that provoke the dreaded s-s-s-nake oh it's a snake, a s-s-s-nake noises...
Music (4/5)
The soundtrack is once again excellent, and why wouldn't it be with Michael Land at the helm? Yes I know, I keep mentioning how good he is, but the music is such an awesome aspect of the Monkey Island series! There are some great new musical additions and there's even a short reprise of the underwater music you hear in Monkey Island 2! Also, you get to hear a re-hashed version of the Melee Island Lookout music, complete with an in-game character, supporting it with bongos - a nice touch!
Unfortunately the music tends to start and end abruptly in this episode more noticeably than others which means the aural pleasure isn't as great but that's really the only thing I can fault.
Lair of the Leviathan Gameplay Video
Graphics (4/5)
Not much change in the graphics score. It's pretty much the same as the previous episodes. Graphics are reasonably good, although some of the minor characters are obviously used with recycled models...
Plot (5/5)
I have to give an even higher score to this episode since it's got the best plot out of the episodes yet. The game would definitely appeal to the soppy romantics out there since there is a couple of romances going on here and it creates tension in the overall story with regards to one of them. All the characters in this episode tend to have more personality too thanks to a lot of back story being revealed - much more so than previous episodes. In the previous episodes, you'd be luck to catch even a fleeting glimpse of a major character's back story...
And for the fans, a certain demonic skull makes a reappearance in this episode...
Gameplay(5/5)
Still your above average point 'n' click adventure but I had a bit more fun in this one than the previous episodes - that's because a challenge very similar to insult sword-fighting returns in this episode, one of the hallmarks of the Monkey Island series. Unfortunately, it's not as comprehensive as previous ones and more slapstick but hey it's better than nothing!
Another fun puzzle is convincing a female manatee to go on a date with a timid male. This puzzle draws its inspiration from the insult swordfighting confrontation with Carla in Monkey Island 1 since you're given limited vocabulary in order to match wits. It's good fun and a welcome breath of fresh (ocean?) air.
There's also a fun puzzle involving you remembering certain aspects of Morgan's past which was enjoyable too.
Replayability (4/5)
Just like the other episodes, this game is about as replayable as adventure games get (without resorting to gimmicks like alternative endings and different classes - then you're entering RPG hybrid territory there :)).
Polish (4/5)
I didn't have any issues with this episode so it's about as polished as the first one.
Overall - 89%
The best episode of the series yet.
If you want to get the game, you can purchase it online off Telltale Games.
Comments
Post a Comment