Adventure Gamers - Forums

I really had issues with it. I was more excited than anyone and respect RG to death but the game isn’t finished.

Agreed.  The game clearly shipped in an unfinished state. Not in terms of bugs and glitches, but in terms of cut content.  The clearest evidence of this can be seen on Terror Island (multiple locations with nothing to do) and Scurvy Island (multiple locations on the map which cannot be visited, such as the lighthouse). Of course, there’s also the confirmed cut location; Gear Island, which even had all of its background art completed but unused.  Then there are the story arcs which go absolutely nowhere, without resolution (such as LeChuck and the new Pirate Leaders).

The whole game feels slapdash and rushed, which is especially unfortunate given that Ron Gilbert had 30 years to contemplate the game he wanted to make.

Like i said, i will prob try it when it goes on deep discount, but RG only knows one word and that is meta and that makes me want to play it even less than the art style.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 06:38 AM

For those who complain about the art style: don’t you understand you can’t please everyone? I have read about Wadget Eye Games: “Dude, we are in 21st century, and still pixel art?”

Yeah, we have Unity, we have Unreal Engine, let’s do adventure games using those. The problem here is that everyone (and when I say everyone I mean every single one of the millions of people who played Monkey Island back in the day) imagined how this game should be. Do you really think they will be happy with the art style however it would be? It is just like your favourite band: next album, shit, why did they change? I prefered how they played before… On the other side: really? They always sound the same, why they don’t evolve?

I haven’t played Return to Monkey Island yet, I have literally no time, but I am glad Ron Gilbert made what he bloody wanted to. First, he earned that right long time ago. And second, if you know you are going to be criticized whatever you do, at least do whatever you feel like…

Have you been drinking again lol. My favorite art style is curse of monkey island even when it first came out, which is nothing like MI1 or MI2. So your narrative is completely false not everybody will hate the new Art style no matter what. I just don’t like this style and no matter how many people scream at me that is what Ron wants me to like bc it is his game, is going to make me like it period.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 06:38 AM

For those who complain about the art style: don’t you understand you can’t please everyone?

Of course I understand that.  An art piece can’t possibly please everyone, nor should it aim to.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 06:38 AM

The problem here is that everyone (and when I say everyone I mean every single one of the millions of people who played Monkey Island back in the day) imagined how this game should be. Do you really think they will be happy with the art style however it would be? It is just like your favourite band: next album, shit, why did they change?

The thing is that you’re projecting reasons why I don’t like the art style onto myself and others.  Believe me when I say that I know my own mind better than you do.  I just don’t like that kind of art style.  I find it to be intrinsically unappealing and ugly.  In fact, when playing through the game, I frequently felt a little bit sick in the stomach (and I say that without any level of hyperbole).  I genuinely find that type of art style to be repugnant. It’s got nothing to do with not accepting a change in aesthetics.

As Jdawg445 said above, I adored the graphics in The Curse of Monkey Island (in fact, it quite possibly remains the single most beautiful game that I’ve ever played) and that was a huge change in style from the first two games.  I would have been perfectly happy with a new art direction for Return to Monkey Island, if it had been an art style which I personally gelled with.  Unfortunately, that was not to be.  Does that mean that I think that Ron Gilbert shouldn’t have chosen that particular art style, just to appeal to me personally?  No, of course not, but I ought to be extended enough respect of opinion to say that I didn’t like the art style and that it absolutely negatively impacted my overall enjoyment of the game, because it did.

It would be nice if the people who do like the art direction for Return to Monkey Island would just respect others right to a contrary opinion, without trying to tell them why they’re wrong.  It’s not like those of us who don’t like the art style are trying to ascribe dismissive reasons as to why you and others did like it and surely if someone did do that, you’d find it somewhat offensive and presumptuous, right?  Well, it works both ways.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 01:52 PM

First and foremost, I must apologize if I offended anyone with my comment. It was a general comment, not addressed to anyone here in particular. You must understand that I am Spaniard, so English is not my mother tongue, and I can make mistakes when writing in English (especially being a bit drunk).

My point was (even if I didn’t explain myself properly) that opinions are like butts: everybody is got one. And that it was impossible for Ron to please everybody. If art style is so different from the original, some people might complain “Why did he change it?”. If art style was pixel art, some people might complain “Really? With the tools we have nowadays, and still pixel art?”

Or other people might say “Ok, I understand he changed art style, but I just hate it”. All of you have the right to express your opinion. Maybe I was very harsh when expressing mine. It’s just I felt some people was judging the book by its cover.

Going to your point about wadjet eye games even they are starting to try to update their graphics. just look at unavowed and the new one old skies. Plus for a while there they were trying to make technobabylon 2 in fully 3D, I think the Unity engine. so they are trying to appeal to more than just a pixel art crowd now.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 01:52 PM

First and foremost, I must apologize if I offended anyone with my comment. It was a general comment, not addressed to anyone here in particular. You must understand that I am Spaniard, so English is not my mother tongue, and I can make mistakes when writing in English (especially being a bit drunk).

Don’t fret, your command of the English language is perfectly fine.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 01:52 PM

My point was (even if I didn’t explain myself properly) that opinions are like butts: everybody is got one. And that it was impossible for Ron to please everybody. If art style is so different from the original, some people might complain “Why did he change it?”. If art style was pixel art, some people might complain “Really? With the tools we have nowadays, and still pixel art?”

Well, yes; everyone has different opinions.  We all know that.  I’m not sure why that needs to be pointed out?  Your prior post didn’t come across as a non-sequitur reminder that people have different opinions.  It came across as an attempt to explain and dismiss criticisms of the game’s art style.  Also, it bears repeating; I’ve literally never encountered anybody say that their problem with the art style in Return is that it wasn’t pixel art.  I really wish that people would stop claiming this as though it was a common thread among the critics.

walas74 - 06 October 2022 01:52 PM

It’s just I felt some people was judging the book by its cover.

Nobody was doing this on this forum though.  There were people (myself included) who pointed out that they didn’t care for the art style in the run up to release and that was and remains a valid response to pre-release material.  We weren’t saying anything about the game as a whole (story, puzzles, music, voice acting etc.).  Also, the game has been out for a while now and plenty of us have completed it and lots of those people still hate the art style (again, myself included), so it’s really not “judging a book by its cover”, when people have read the book from start to finish.

I see, fair do’s. That would indeed fall under the umbrella of ‘judging the book by its cover’.  However, to be fair, it’s not as though one is duty bound to pay money for a product that they don’t like the look of.  It’s also perfectly reasonable for people to state the reasons as to why they aren’t compelled to pay money to purchase a product, based upon their reactions to promotional material and other people’s reviews.  Opinions are still valid, even without experiencing the product in its full, just as long as the person isn’t claiming that those opinions are a review of the final product itself.

Also, quite frankly, I don’t think that Jdawg445 will enjoy the game very much.  He/she seems to have very similar reservations to the game that I did in the run up to its release and also seems to have the same distaste for meta narratives that I do.  I suspect that Jdawg445 would likely be left feeling disappointed with the game, were they to play it.  I know I was.  It’s not as though the art style is magically different upon playing the game, or that the meta narrative ending ceases to be a typical meta narrative ending.  That’s before getting into the litany of other issues with the game; it being unfinished; the puzzles being too easy/uninteresting/repetitive; LeChuck no longer being intimidating etc. (which seem to be aspects that even those who enjoyed the game overall admit were issues).

walas74 - 06 October 2022 03:52 PM

“This game was made by a group of developers that have a different sense of humor than today’s standards. With the risk of being offensive in this very warning, we want to let you know that the game has jokes about fictional characters, not meant to depict real life or our own beliefs.
All we want is for players to have fun, laugh and leave a good review. Remember this is just a game, the jokes are not meant to be offensive. We respect all religions, genders, sexual orientations and races.
If, by any chance, you got offended while reading this warning, then don’t even go to the menu. Just close the game and ask for a refund.”

That’s a pretty darn silly (not to mention passive aggressive) disclaimer.  Kinda difficult to know whether a joke offends you or not, without hearing the joke first.  If a joke or the game in general does offend someone, then that player ought to be encouraged to leave an honest review stating their reasons as to why.  That just reads as the developers essentially saying “this game is kinda edgelord. If you have a problem with that sort of thing, don’t even think about evaluating out work at an artistic level and reviewing it.  Only play and review this game if you’re gonna be positive about it. Our edgelord humour is above reproach”.

Regardless, that type of disclaimer doesn’t even apply to Return to Monkey Island, given that it doesn’t contain any controversial humour. How exactly would a disclaimer in a similar vein for Return to Monkey Island read?

“This game was made by a group of developers. All we want is for players to have fun, laugh and leave a good review. Remember this is just a game. If, by any chance, you suspect that you may not totally love and adore this game, then don’t even go to the menu. Just close the game and ask for a refund.”

Are you suggesting that if people play the game and don’t like it, then they should ask for a refund and leave it at that?  Are they not allowed to not request a refund and leave a review stating their reasons for not liking the game?  Is that something to be discouraged?  Why have I got no pants on?