The wait for Tales of Monkey Island HD episodes is over. In one of the craziest App Store maneuvers I’ve ever seen, Telltale Games pushed out the remaining four episodes of the five-episode arc in a single afternoon. Each title is available at an agreeable $6.99, which a few dollars shy of what they continue to cost on other downloadable services.
In the interest of drumming up interest, Telltale has also slashed the price of the first game to $0 for a limited time. It’s a good game at a great price, and like the rest of the titles in the series, it’s faithful to the vision of Monkey Island while also still exhibiting its own charm and takes on the universe.
I’ve been there and back again with the series, so allow me to give you a little look at each app:
Monkey Island Tales 1 HD, $2.99 - [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Talk about opening with a bang. Within the first minutes of the Tales series, Guybrush defeats his arch-nemesis the evil pirate LeChuck. Unfortunately, in the process, Guybrush loses his wife, his ship, and… unleashes a deadly pox into the world. Most of this episode centers on Guybrush getting a ship in order to find Elaine.
Monkey Island Tales 2 HD, $2.99 – Things don’t easier even though a few minor goals were met in the previous episode. In this adventure specifically, Guybrush re-unites with his wife and meets the Mer-people in his search for La Esponja Grande, which is otherwise known as the cure for the misanthropic pox infesting the world.
Monkey Island Tales 3 HD, $2.99 – You’d roast me if I revealed the setting for this episode, but I do want to note that it’s something COMPLETELY different than the previous episodes. In this place, Guybrush meets two new characters to the series, one of which becomes a key driver in the rest of the story arc.
Monkey Island Tales 4 HD, $2.99 – Guybrush goes on trial in the place where it all started. How does he defend himself against the accusations thrown at him? If only it was as simple as “Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!"
Monkey Island Tales 5 HD, $2.99 – Now, the task is to save the world against a threat. How Monkey Island of Telltale. Oh, and if it wasn’t plain, this is indeed the last episode of the series. But what a conclusion, let me tell you.
As a whole, this is a fantastic series. Sure, there are spots where the story drags and, yeah, there are definitely some horrible puzzles, but this series is easily some of Telltale Games sharpest work. The writing in particular is impressive. If you dig the first episode — don’t forget, it’s free — definitely start diving into the rest of these. They’re worth your time.
