'The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition' First Impressions and Video
posted by Eli Hodapp on July 23rd, 2009 2:52 AM EDT in $7.99, Adventure, iPhone games, iPod touch games
LucasArts' first entry in the Monkey Island series hit the App Store tonight [$7.99] completely re-imagined with new art, complete voice-overs, and a new live instrumental musical score. Originally released in 1990, and having seen several revisions following the initial release including a port to the Sega CD, this Special Edition of The Secret of Monkey Island [App Store] is the best version of the game we've seen yet.
The game features Guybrush Threepwood, who washes up on the island of Mêlée™ and has high hopes of becoming a pirate. After meeting the pirate leaders in the SCUMM tavern, you're faced with a set of three challenges that involve swordfighting, thievery, and treasure hunting. These goals serve as your initial quests as your adventure begins.
The graphics of this remake are wonderful and have a whimsical hand drawn look to them. The new voiceovers and music add a whole new level of immersion to the game and should give even veterans of the series something new to enjoy as all their favorite characters now have associated voice personalities. The touchscreen interface and the way the pointer works feels a little awkward and does take a little getting used to. Once you get the hang of moving it around and double tapping on things to perform actions the game becomes very workable.
The coolest part though? Swipe with two fingers across the screen and the new graphics and audio work fades away to the game's original graphics. This transition is instant, and you can switch back and forth at any point during the game:
The entire game is an amazing package, and this same remake was also released for both the PC and XBOX Live earlier this month. Official reviews for those versions have been very positive. Here is an excerpt from the Team XBOX review:
If there was a PC Gaming Hall of Fame, The Secret of Monkey Island would be in it. It’s a game that many of us grew up with and to this day refer to regularly. As much as that can be said for the original classic of 1990, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a welcome addition to XBLA that will give fans an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, bringing them back simpler days in the gaming business, when games didn’t have the multi-million dollar budgets as they do today and they didn’t need high-profile marketing or fancy gimmicks to succeed. For long-time fans, it’s a chance to relive a part of our childhood; for newcomers, it’s a chance to experience what so many of us haven’t stopped talking about for nearly 20 years. Do yourself a favor and download The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (at the reasonable price of 800 Microsoft Points or about $10). Otherwise, you’ll be wearing my sword like a shish-kebab!
So far we can echo those sentiments, except instead of downloading it from the XBOX Live Arcade for $10, iPhone users can grab it from the App Store for $7.99! Here is a brief gameplay video from the iPhone version:
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
The Secret of Monkey Island has stood the test of time, and the newly released Special Edition somehow manages to make this classic even better. Refreshingly, it appears that the iPhone version isn't a second class citizen to the Xbox and PC versions of the game. If you're interested in learning about what went into creating this Special Edition of the game, see this "making of" video.
App Store Link: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, $7.99
The only issue I have is moving the "cursor" around. You have to swipe to move it left instead of tapping somewhere to instantly move it there. But other than that, it looks and plays great!! Love the voices!
Is seems a lot like moving your finger on a trackpad to move a mouse pointer. If so, that sounds OK to me: a pointer can offer precision that a finger alone lacks. (Which is why I like using that method with JaaduVNC to operate my Mac remotely. In fact, the pointer speed there is accelerated, so this might be even easier.)
I'm playing through it now, and already getting annoyed by the "touchpad" control implementation. Within the first hour of gameplay, there's alreadt been a timed event that required some basic dexterity to solve. On the PC, this wasn't even a dexterity puzzle, it was just a "first click here, then click there" puzzle where the timed aspect was just to add some realism to the animation. On the iPhone, the touch-pad implementation made this into a frustrating experience that made me want to quit messing around and just get the game on Steam.
The problem is that this is a straight port, rather than a re-purposed game for the form factor. Considering that notebooks will be moving towards touchscreens over the next few years, I hope all games will have touch control designed into them from the start, rather than as an iPhone afterthought.
Could I suggest adding this consideration as a standard when reviewing iPhone games. Sometimes it seems that games are being reviewed positively just because they were cool games on whatever platform they first came out on, and we're happy to have them on the iPhone. But now the bar is being set higher and higher, for a $10 game we should really be demanding a game that's been adapted to the platform, right?
I loved day of The Tentacle on my old Performa and looking forward to seeing that brought over but they have to fix the controls! The current scheme is so tedious you don't even want to play the game. If they fixed them I'd buy the full version in a heartbeat.
Wow, that's great news! I so much hope that this game gets the attention it deserves. Relive all those happy memories – that's definitely 7.99$ worth
The ONLY other difference I've noticed between the PC version and this iPhone version is that the "water" does not move in the iPhone version, but looks gorgeous in the PC version.
However, this should NOT stop you from buying the game!!
Yikes!
Can't wait 'til I get home tonight, this is an instant buy and is actually tempting me to leave the car and take the tube tomorrow, just so I can play this. To me this is the definition of great news…
Awesome, I didn't know this was coming. I wanted to buy it for the PC but a mobile version seems like it'd fit my lifestyle better.
Bought this straight away for my 3GS, didn't even think about it for a second! It looks pretty awesome, similar to the PC remake, but the cursor takes a bit of getting used to, need to go to work now, ahh
Damn, just bought this on Steam!
Is it worth having both I wonder…. shame the saves don't transfer.
I bought it on Steam too and I think it totally sucks that they did not tell us before that they gonna release MI for iPhone too. I won't buy it again!
It's not by choice, africaoutpost. The iTunes agreement prevents them from announcing it until the game is actually released and available… they tried to drop some pretty strong hints a few weeks ago, but clearly didn't want to run afoul of the agreement.
Weird – i was a cat hair away from clicking "buy" on steam as well last night.
Still not sure if the small screen is going to do it for me.
Prolly much better on 30" eh?
But unfortunately it doesn't fit very well in my pocket… hmm
I've been waiting for this for sometime. Just hit buy straight away. I have a feeling my things to do list is going to be awfully neglected for a while!
NO VOICE-OVERS.., downloaded this gem from appstore(austria) and i am missing voiceovers.
Setting the system language to 'english' didn't enable the voiceovers, now it shows english subtitles but still no voice.
any help is appreciated,
Heinz,
have the exact same problem, downloaded from the french appstore.
I suspect this is a problem with the localised version, really hope they patch it quickly.
Cheers
Same problem for me with the version from the german app store.
First time i start the app the voiceover works fine. But now they disappear.
I uninstall the app and mak a fresh install but it dosn't work.
Is your iPhone on silent mode? That seems to make a difference..
Hi,
I'm having the exact same problem: I bought tha game from the german AppStore and don't have any voice whatsoever – music, sound effects and all are there, but no voices. My iPod touch (1G) is switched to English, and of course it's not in silent mode. Any help?
my iphone with OS 3.0 is not in silent mode
I would appreciate some more info on this issue as I am going to buy it from the Romanian store, and I would like to know if there is problem with international stores.
Works fine in the Swedish store.
Same problem for me, US app store, no voice-over on the 2nd start of the application. No settings on the app or ipod have changed since the first start up of the game.
This is definitely a glitch, lets all send in error reports so it gets patched ASAP!
I FIXED IT.
At least in my case, changing the volume seemed to jump-start the voice over. It went from music only, to voice over as soon as I bumped the volume up a notch with the rocker switch on the side of my Touch 2G.
I have the same issue. No VoiceOver. I'm using and iPhone 3GS and bought it in the US store. When it happened at first I
just redownloaded the game and it started working, but now I'm midway through the game and the voices are gone again and I don't feel like starting over.
Is your sound turned on? Because I loaded the game the first time just fine with voiceovers.
Absolutely fantastic! Capone what do you think;-)?
I finaly solved this mystery, i SAS having very low Music mod Way in to the game, Well turning the alarm switch to Off and Then turning up the volume and then switching the alarm switch back on solved it.
So when alarm is off voice is off and you control the voice volume. When alarm is on voice is on and you controle the Music volume.
Wowz! No need to bother with ScummVM…
EPIC! This should be an instant by for those who remember the good old days, those who enjoy adventure games but haven't played one of the true classic gems before, and for those who missed the good old days when the point'n'click adventure games were the best games out there and 3D wasn't even heard of.
Or in other words, everyone should try it
/Anders, who longs back to the good old AMIGA days, and the floppy juggling!
by = buy
Freck!
More money to spend
Buying it for sure…
Bah…
Bought it straight away…
Couldn't really resist this one!
This is the best damn news of the day. Download ahoy!
WOW – instant purchase and SO much fun! Hope they work on Monkey Island II – was my fav!
Billious bag of barnicle bait!
As someone mentioned – wish the controls were different, and it was a 'tap' controls as opposed to a drag… quite annoying
Love how you can switch between the two versions
Instant Buy! Monkey island is considered in my book to be the best adventure game of it's time… GROG! GROG! GROG!!!!
Awesome, bought it immediately. One of my favourite game of all time
Nearly purchased this on XBLA. Glad I waited.
A must buy on the iPhone for me.
This is great that they re did such a classic. Hopefully this will boost the popularity of the series (and maybe get Lucasarts to work on MI5). The remake was extrememly well done, and all the voice acting is great considering they got the same actors as they did in MI3 and 4. I'm not too huge on the graphical updates but I do like them, and I'm glad that they included the option to use the old graphics. I was kind of hoping for MI3 style graphics, but I like these. Hadn't I already beaten the game a couple of times and already had this on my iPod, this would be an instant buy for me, but considering my circumstances I'll wait for a price drop before I get this.
I guess you must have missed this… http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland
I suspect that's as close as we'll get to MI5.
Not a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of Monkey Island, but if Full Throttle/The Dig are converted, I'll buy them in a nanosecond.
I have them on all my 3 computers, and on my PSP, and have beaten them countless times. Still, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
How long is the game roughly, as have not played the original?
Also does it support profiles so multiple people can play independently?
Cheers,
Robert
Robert, the game has 3 acts and is a good length. Maybe 20-30 hours, more if you like exploring everywhere. Some of the puzzles are pretty hard so it could take you longer.
The game has 10 save slots so multiple people could play independently.
I heartily recommend it. With monkeys how can you go wrong?
Thanks Asa,
Sounds great!
Tim shaffer is my hero
I already bought on my XBOX 360, but I have also bought on my iPOD Touch.
So I can play it at home and on the way, not bad for 14 Euro.
The XBOX/PC version is much better. The controls are better, and also the graphics (HD). Glad i bought it on XBLA, 2 dollars for the best version isnt a problem for me.
But you can't play it anywhere and anytime you wish to, can you?
Ahem. SAM & MAX, s'il vous plaît.
Seconded. Add DOTT to the list s'il-vous-plaît
Everywhere I have a Mac has Sam & Max, DOTT, and Full Throttle and would do so on my iPhone in a heartbeat. While SoMI isn't an instant buy for me, I doubt I will make the day without buying it
(And no, the need wasn't so strong to jailbreak/SCUMMVM if there is such a beast)
Kids today with their fancy graphical games! In my day we had to type in "Open Mailbox" and "Get Mail" and "Go Eastl," and we liked it, dadgummit!
just watch out for those grues…
Holy three headed monkey!
here we go another port
I only wish text-based adventure games like those of Magnetic Scrolls and Legend Entertainment (my favorites) were also ported.
Brilliant! Immediate download!
I'm more familiar with the DotT and Fate of Atlantis, but can any hardcore Monkey fans out there tell me if the music is the same in the "old" version? I played the beginning and when I swipe to the old version it sounds like the music changes a bit, but to complete old school mode. Is that just me? Does anybody know?
Thanks! And yes, would love to get The Dig and Full Throttle.
It's the same score, but it's been re-recorded (or, recorded for the first time I guess) with live musicians
Hey Omar, thanks!
I knew about the re-recording, I'm just wondering when you switch to classic mode and you play the original version, is it also really the original music? Thanks though!
To my ear, the music that plays when you switch to the original version sounds EXACTLY the same — and it's drilled into my head pretty well
I just bought this, though I've never played the original.
It is incredible! I've laughed out loud loads of times already.
A must have, even for the ones of us that have grown up with fancy 3D games.
It's a little rough round the edges graphically, but it looks like a good conversion save for the AWFUL controls. It desperately needs a 1:1 movement mode for the pointer, and the ability to tap things without having to S-L-O-W-L-Y scroll the pointer.
Nice first effort LucasArts, but it needs an update.
Very glad this title has come to the iPhone, but a couple of tips for Lucasarts:
- Antialias backgrounds when converting them to a lower resolution like the iphone – the results will look much better
- The iphone is a touch device. Use touch for controls. Not a poor emulation of a mouse.
Also the zoom mode simply shows a larger version of the same image, all pixelated – if they are going to have zoom mode it should allow you to zoom in and see the beautiful hi-res background of the new PC version (not that I think zoom is really necessary for this game)
Lovely! Now for Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders…
Peter that would be nice but if zoom worked like that it would take up much more space. The Steam version requires 2.5 GB.
another vote for Sam & Max here – that would be beyond awesome!
I can understand all the demands for "touch" control (and I bet we get it) but really, the current mechanism is brilliant and when it is working I find I'm zipping around the game just as easily as with a mouse and PC. That being said, at first play I thought they were horrible and I was fumbling around like a newbie. Once I read the "How to Play" docs (gasp!) and spent a few more minutes applying what I learned there, the play became very intuitive. Unfortunately, I believe there is a bug in the control system that keeps the double-click "default" action function from working all the time. This drives me a bit crazy since I then have to enter the verb menu. But I view this as a bug and not as a deficiency in the control scheme.
Beyond the controls discussion, this is a AAA title in every aspect. You can tell LucasArts poured some real love into this version.
Ok, went back and realized that the double-tap "default" function works but you need to tap insanely fast to ensure it recognizes the action.
Maybe because I'm on a 3GS? Any 3G users or first gen seeing this sensitivity?
Omg just bought it! Brilliant!
@ Capone
You too;-)
…just realized after getting frustrated with the control that – unlike the person playing in the video – there is no need to drag the mouse cursor along, just use the iphone screen as a mouse track pad, scroll the cursor from anywhere and tap anywhere on the screen, no need to hit the objects with your finger, as long as the curser is on the righ spot – the first awkward controls turned into something very convenient. Love this game!
Yep, exactly!
Absolutely awesome!
It's interesting how the voices are silent when you switch off the sound using the iPhone external "muter", but the music stays on.
No voice overs here too on a 3GS. US app store, voice overs worked the first time. Part way through playing, they became a lot less obvious, and the music was more prominent. Started playing again later with my headphones, and the voices were back. But now I don't have any voices. Not sure how to file a bug report yet.
NO VOICES for me either on first gen iPhone
Downloaded from uk site, worked initially, then disappeared…
Great to see this ported, but the way the controls are implemented make this game unplayable.
Also missing voiceovers, bought from the Finnish store. Also have problems accessing the pause menu, twisting my iPhone 3G doesn't seem to help. I'll try that "turn the volume on" tip.
* SOLUTION TO MISSING VOICEOVERS PROBLEM *
Make sure you have the vibrate/sound switch turned on (=not red). This solved it for me. If the ringer sounds are set off, the music is still played through the speakers, but for some reason the voiceovers are missing.
Hmmm, tried All solutions listed here and still no joys with the voices… Very strange… Annoying, don't really wanna play without 'em ;(
Missing voices problem: I just had the problem, but managed to fix it by plugging and unplugging headphones… as well as fiddling with the silent/ringer switch and up/down volume. Try all three!
Voice over Solution for 1st gen iPod touch (well it worked for me). Go to the sound settings and change sound effects to headphones or both, I had it on speaker initially and its done the job!
For those who can't hear the voices, change the sound effects option in your settings to headphones or both. I found that I couldn't hear the voices in my head if speaker was selected!
To fix the voice overs I exited the app and raised the ringer volume and then re-entered the game and made guybrush look at something
I had the no-voiceover issue on a 1G touch, but sonny c's solution fixed it – go to the sound settings and change sound effects to headphones or both.
Cant get grog to fill in other cups on iphone version of game. Can someone help me? After hours of game play I dont want to give up now!!