The Curse of Monkey Island

aka: A Maldição da Ilha dos Macacos, CMI, La Maldicion de Monkey Island, La Malédiction De l'Ile aux Singes, La maledizione di Monkey Island, MI3, Monkey Island 3, Prokljatje Ostrova Obez'jan
Moby ID: 547
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Description official descriptions

Having barely escaped LeChuck's dreadful amusement park, Guybrush Threepwood finds himself stuck in the middle of the sea, with nothing in his boat but a sausage and a diary. Musing over the events that have led him into this predicament, Guybrush suddenly discovers a ship navigated by none other than his archenemy. Once again, Guybrush saves his beloved Elaine from the claws of his undead rival. In the midst of the treasure that belonged to the defeated foe Guybrush finds a ring. Overwhelmed by his love to Elaine, he proposes marriage to her and gives her the ring. What he doesn't know is that the ring is cursed; before he is able to realize what is happening, Elaine is turned into a gold statue. Will Guybrush be able to lift the curse and to save his one and only love?

This third installment of the Monkey Island is, like its predecessors, a humorous puzzle-solving adventure game. The game features cartoon-style SVGA graphics and (for the first time in the series) voice-overs for all the conversations. The interface no longer involves a list of verbs that occupies a part of the screen; instead, it follows the same principle as in Full Throttle: the player chooses first the object to interact with, then the action from a menu that appears. Like the second game, The Curse of Monkey Island has two difficulty levels.

Spellings

  • Проклятье Острова Обезьян - Russian spelling (unofficial)
  • 猴岛小英雄3:猴岛的诅咒 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 猴島小英雄III:猴島的詛咒 - Traditional Chinese spelling
  • 원숭이섬의 저주 - Korean spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

318 People (272 developers, 46 thanks) · View all

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 90% (based on 42 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 322 ratings with 18 reviews)

Am I the only dissenting voice here?

The Good
It's glossy and well put together. The puzzles are ok, and they've got 2 difficulty settings. Murray is nearly amusing and the soundtrack is classic, but it is from the original Monkey Island anyway. Some of the voices are perfect and don't spoil anything (Le Chuck). It's not a BAD game or anything. If it was released without the Monkey Island label I'd probably enjoy it more; since it has the label you assume the games are going to be similar in some way, and this one ain't.

The Bad
The graphics, despite being quite artistic and well drawn (especially the clouds), are just wrong. Guybrush has been mutated. His height has tripled and he looks younger. In fact according to sources, he IS younger. Apparently Guybrush is 20 in this one, yet he's 21 in Monkey Island 2. The characters pixelate and look a little ugly when they go into the distance. The game seems very aware of the quality of it's predecessors, so bounces ideas and jokes off them frequently. But it's changed everything about what made the first 2 games so sublime. The magic has gone. I know it's unrealistic to say the game should never have used speech; but these old characters are immortal and it shouldn't have been done. Guybrush should never have a voice, not that the guy who does it is in any way bad because he's not, but because it immediatly ruins the character that your subconcious plants in in your brain. The text of the first 2 games meant that you could give your own voices to the characters, and you could laugh at the quality of the writing instead of the delivery of it. Imagine if someone remade the first game with speech, all those funny lines of dialogue would have to be read out perfectly so as to keep them funny. It's hard to explain. But this is why so many scripts are better than the films or programmes themselves. Ever read Calvin & Hobbes? Imagine if a voice actor did Hobbes voice. Travesty. Anyway back to the game and everything...Monkey Island 3 is not funny. It's just not. All the parts and lines seem overracted in case we don't get the joke or something, and often the joke is needlessly explained in detail by some overly hyperactive character. This is again why it would be better without speech. Turn it off, just use text. It's better. The insult swordfighting, once great, is tacked on unessecarily. Though not quite as shamelessly or as pointlessly as Monkey 4. The locations aren't that interesting. The game didn't really need to made considering the ending of the 2nd, which was terrific. It would be better if it stopped while the series was legendary as it once was. They could have made an original game instead of a sequel, but then it might not sell I guess.

The Bottom Line
A solid and good game, but a shadow of it's parents. Slick, stylish, glossy, yet charmless. Lacks the Ron Gilbert magic that was so present in the first 2 and unfortunately does something to dampen the allure of them as well. The 2nd was worse than the 1st (barely), the 3rd is worse than the 2nd, and the 4th is worse than the 3rd. Stop now for the love of God and make a game like Grim Fandango again.

Windows · by Shazbut (163) · 2002

still well worth a look, although it's a drastic change from its predecessors

The Good
The graphics were technically flawless, the sound was awesome, the storyline was good (not excellent, mind you, but good), the jokes were mostly funny, and it's always good to rejoin your old friends from Monkey Island 1 and 2: Stan, the Voodoo lady, Lemonhead, Elaine, LeChuck, Wally, and so forth.

The Bad
Well, the change in style from Monkey Island 1 and 2 is very noticeable (of course it's been six years between MI 2 and 3), and quite a few fans didn't like it. To me, Guybrush was a little too cartoonish. Monkey 1 and 2 had serious graphics: remember Monkey Island 1? The ghost ship looked like a ghost ship and the lava cave looked quite frightening? The dialogues made the game funny, not the jokes. But it's mainly nitpicking. It looks to me that the designers tried to make the Monkey Island series more over-the-top with every new game in the series, and they shouldn't - the somewhat subtle humor made it so successful.

Elaine just isn't Elaine in this game - she was a strong stubborn woman in MI 1 and 2, and here she's a cartoonish chick with no own will. It's like a different person.

Where is Herman Toothrot?

Re-hashing the insult swordfight just seemed tedious and out of place. It had much more style in MI1.

Part V kind of sucked, all the puzzles were illogical, while the previous parts were mostly logical. Maybe it's just me. And the plot was much too linear. Do this on this island, move on to the next part. Remember the freedom you had in Monkey Island 2 when you could move freely between three islands? It seemed a lot less restrictive.

The Bottom Line
Wow, my "did not like" section looks a lot bigger than my "did like" section. I didn't quite intend it like that. Ron Gilbert's absence is noticeable. It's still a very good game and it was very nice revisiting old characters from the first two parts. But it's "good" when everyone expects it to be "great"; therefore a slight disappointment. Still, well worth a look. Monkey Island 1 is still the best game in the series, and I doubt that'll ever change.

Windows · by Gothicgene (66) · 2002

More of an homage than a true conclusion

The Good
Curse was the first Monkey Island game not developed by Ron Gilbert. Overall, the new team did a good job filling those very large shoes, most noticeably as far as gameplay mechanics are concerned.

Clearly, much effort has been put into puzzles, that very important cornerstone of adventure game design. There are quite a few mind-benders here; the golden tooth puzzle will probably be forever engraved in my memory - not just because it's tricky, but also because it's brilliantly designed and very amusing. And how can I ever forget the banjo competition? After several futile attempts I finally figured out the solution and couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Is this game still funny? The answer is "sometimes". It does borrow heavily from previous two games - for example, insult fighting is recycled (though now with rhymes) - but there are still bits of fresh, charming humor here. The usage of classic humorous mechanics from the predecessors is nowhere as blatant, as abusive, and - dare I say - as insulting as in the next installment. Even the salesman Stan, who is now being featured for the third time, manages to stay amusing - he now sells coffins, because at least the customers don't come back with complaints...

Veteran Monkey Island players will be delighted to discover the Easter eggs - that scene where you explore a location from the first game displayed with original VGA graphics is very amusing, and so is the brilliant false ending in the middle of the game. And how can you not appreciate a joke hidden in the game's menu options?..

The characters also do not disappoint. There aren't that many old acquaintances, and the game introduces one of the funniest characters of the entire series: the talking skull Murray. Even more forgettable characters are fun to be around thanks to the superb voice acting, which in my opinion contributes quite a lot to the atmosphere.

The Bad
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I felt there was always something dark and slightly deranged in Monkey Island games. Admittedly, I liked the first one more than the second, which had a cynical break-up of a couple, dangerous voodoo rituals, and a spitting contest. But Secret also had unsettling scenes, and the whole premise of a ghost pirate ship lurking beneath a mysterious island was not taken lightly. The third game has lost that particular edge; it's funny, but it's not crazy enough - it's too tame. That's why I still prefer the second game with all its idiosyncrasies.

I have no complaints about the puzzles, but the game's structure is formulaic and not inventive enough. Just like the first installment, it begins with a search for a crew; each potential recruit requires you to undergo a lengthy trial of puzzles until you meet his whimsical requirements and he agrees to accompany you. The plot is also not particularly interesting, and instead of the weird ending of LeChuck's Revenge we are treated to a stereotypical final confrontation adorned with a disappointingly short ending.

I can't say I loved the simplified interface they carried over from Full Throttle. LucasArts' adventures have always been more restrictive than Sierra's, but at least specific verbs enhanced the interaction. Here, it's just basic pointing and clicking.

I think the game's main problem is excess of reverence. The designers clearly tried their very best to capture the elusive, enigmatic spirit of the series, but perhaps they tried a bit too hard, and failed to come up with a strong idea of their own. The game, therefore, feels like a respectfully designed, well-measured, tasteful tribute, but not the grand finale to the series that we were expecting.

The Bottom Line
Perhaps I'm being unfair to this undeniably well-crafted, solid game, but I can't help feeling underwhelmed by its timid adherence to the series' formula and its lack of dark and bizarre imagery that distinguished its predecessors. It's a characteristic example of what people call "good, but not great".

Windows · by Unicorn Lynx (181780) · 2016

[ View all 18 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Like a good wine... The Fabulous King (1332) Jul 9, 2013

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Curse of Monkey Island appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cancelled movie

There used to be a department somewhere within Industrial Light and Magic, that was tasked with writing screenplays for animated films based on Lucasfilm's intellectual property from other media. One such screenplay was a Monkey Island movie, entitled The Curse of Monkey Island, likely loosely based on the game of the same name. In the big reorganization of Lucasfilm that occurred a couple of years ago the department was killed and the movie (still in pre-production) with it.

Cut content

  • A love song called "Plank of Love" was planned to be in the game but was never recorded. A stanza from the song, written by Chuck Jordan:

Elaine: "Oh, how I love you Guybrush."

Elaine: "Not even your corny jokes'll..."

Elaine: "Make me wish that I was not your bride..."

Elaine: "When you carry me 'cross your fo'c'sle!" * In a PC Gamer sneak preview of the game, the designers admitted that Gary Coleman's character, Kenny Falmouth, was supposed to answer "What-chu talkin' about, Guybrush?" to a certain question, but they decided to remove the line since they didn't want to risk offending the former star of Diff'rent Strokes.

Development

LucasArts initially designed longer end scenes for the game but due to budget and time restrains were forced to drop those plans.

Development tools

The Curse of Monkey Island used 3 engines: SCUMM (the last LucasArts game to use it), INSANE and iMUSE.

Fingers

You can notice how all the characters in the game have only four fingers on each of their hands. Hard to notice when you're too busy finishing the story, but you can check the end credits. You'll be able to see that quite clear.

Gags

  • When Van Helgen is doing his guitar riff, Guybrush will pull out a lighter if you don't move him for about a minute.
  • On the in-game menu there's a button which appears as disabled and it says "Enable 3D acceleration", but when you get over it with a mouse, it says "No, really, there's no 3D acceleration in this game."

German version

The German version of the game changed the character Rottingham into "Röchelieu" (an obvious pun referring to the cardinal Richelieu, the French politician of the 17th century), and he talks with French accent. Another slight change concerned Palido Domingo, which is a parody of the famous singer Placido Domingo. In the German version it was changed into "Blasido". Why is it funny and why did they change it? Because "blas" means "pale" in German! This way, the joke is even funnier, since the name "Blasido" is more similar to "Placido" than "Palido". Other changes: the character Minestrone is called "Meistersuppe", which is "master soup", and Haggis talks with a broad Frisian accent instead of the original Scotch.

A sequence missing in the European versions of the game is the shanty Guybrush's crew sings in chapter three: A Pirate I was meant to be. For reasons not yet known, the song was cut from non-English versions of the game: in an interview from 2021 designer Larry Ahern says he was not even aware of the song being cut and does not remember ever being asked about it, so he assumes it was probably a decision made by the localization team alone.

Macintosh

Although no Mac version of the game was released, it is possible to play on Mac OS X using ScummVM and the game files from the PC CDs.

Murray

Murray, the demonic skeleton, was only planned to be near LeChuck's ship in the original script. But thanks to loads of positive feedback on the Curse of Monkey Island demo and some initiative of the programmers, the character was added to four other locations in the game in the last few months of development. Murray even has to be used as an inventory item to solve a puzzle at one point.

References

  • In The Curse of Monkey Island there's a place where you can enter the 'forest' screen from original The Secret of Monkey Island. You can only see your new Guybrush head, lurking like from some hole in a tree-stump. From another place, the dying scene under water can be visited. More information about both easter eggs can be found in the tips & tricks section.
  • When you enter the dialogue with LeChuck in part V of the game, Guybrush threatens LeChuck that should he kill Guybrush, there will be no more sequels and LeChuck's name will be forgotten, just like Bobbin Threadbare's. Bobbin Threadbare, of course, is the name of the main character in Loom, and thanks to the low sales of the game, there never was a sequel.
  • The dead guy at Blondebeard's restaurant is none other than Manny Calavera - the main character from Grim Fandango.

References to the game

The Curse of Monkey Island was parodied in an episode of "Die Redaktion" (The Editorial Team), a monthly comedy video produced by the German gaming magazine GameStar. It was published on the DVD of issue 02/2007.

Ron Gilbert

Ron Gilbert, designer of the original two games of the series, said that the game was done well considering the tough job they had, but his biggest complaint was that Elaine fell in love with Guybrush. Gilbert says that Elaine thinks of Guybrush as more of a brother, and she would never do something like that.

Time

  • The church clock tower on Plunder Island always shows exact time in reality, Guybrush will tell you exactly what time is it.
  • Ask Palido Domingo about how long he's been staying at the beach. The answer it will depend on the date set on your computer clock.

Translation

Puerto Pollo, one of the main areas in the game, means Port Chicken in Spanish.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • March 1998 (Issue #164) – Adventure Game of the Year
  • PC Player (Germany)
    • Issue 01/1999 - Best Adventure in 1998

Information also contributed by Adam Schoales, Daniel Albu, Emepol; Gothicgene, James1, Jason Harang, Little Yoda; Marek, MAT, MDMaster, Scott Monster, Tom Murphy, Unicorn Lynx, Zack Green, and Zovni

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Related Sites +

  • CMI Walkthrough
    A walkthrough of The Curse of Monkey Island by Cindy Wells, which provides direction through both the regular and MegaMonkey modes of the game.
  • Escape from Monkey Island
    A website with lots of stuff about Monkey Island.
  • Hints for Curse of Monkey Island
    These hints are written so you can gradually get the help you need without spoiling the game for you.
  • LucasFans
    The unofficial LucasArts fan website.
  • ScummVM
    Get "Curse of Monkey Island", as well as many other adventure games, to run on modern systems by using ScummVM, a legal and free program.
  • The Curse of Monkey Island
    Official Website
  • The Scumm Bar
    A really good unofficial Monkey Island fan-club with lots of fan art, music and info about the game.
  • World Of Monkey Island
    An excellent fan-club with lots of things to look at such as errors in the game, screen shots, and more.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 547
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by robotriot.

Macintosh added by Stelios Kanitsakis.

Additional contributors: MAT, Swordmaster, Itay Brenner, Adam Baratz, Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Jeanne, Apogee IV, James Isaac, chirinea, Sciere, MDMaster, Zeppin, Paulus18950, federicocrane, Mastran, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack.

Game added December 7, 1999. Last modified March 6, 2024.