
As such, the "Tri-Island area" actually comprises a total of 13 visitable islands. The Curse of Monkey Island introduces three, and Escape from Monkey Island, which revisits some of the older islands, features three new islands as well. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge features four new islands, but does not return to Monkey Island until the final cutscene. Since the first game in the series, The Secret of Monkey Island, three of the games have visited the eponymous island of Monkey Island, while all have introduced their own set of islands to explore. The main setting of the Monkey Island games is the " Tri-Island Area", a fictional archipelago in the Caribbean.

Oblique references from dialogue within the games suggest this theme park motif may have been a misperception stemming from a voodoo curse, but ultimately leaves it unresolved. The third game begins with Guybrush adrift in a bumper car instead of a boat, and ends on a roller coaster ride on Monkey Island. The theme park motif is particularly strong near the end of the second game, which seems to take place in the service section of a modern-day theme park, concrete tunnels complete with elevators and electric lighting. The series also tends to break the fourth wall, as several of the characters acknowledge that they are in a video game.Įach of the games takes place on fictional islands in the Caribbean around the Golden Age of Piracy sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries, though in the fashion of a theme park: The islands teem with pirates dressed in outfits that seem to come from films and comic books rather than history, and there are many deliberate anachronisms and references to modern-day popular culture. The score largely consists of reggae, Caribbean and dub-inspired music. Much of the music of the games is composed by Michael Land. A new entry, Return to Monkey Island, is scheduled to be released in 2022. After the fourth entry, Escape from Monkey Island, the franchise again went on hiatus, though numerous rumors persisted about a revival until the announcement of Tales of Monkey Island by Telltale Games in early 2009. After Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge in 1991, the series went in hiatus until 1997, when it resumed with The Curse of Monkey Island. LucasArts itself used such closed plot paths for its drama games like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (1989), but preferred the open format for other humor-oriented adventure games such as Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993) and Day of the Tentacle (1993). This "player-friendly" approach was unusual at the time of the first game's release in 1990 prominent adventure-game rivals included Sierra On-Line and Infocom, both of which were known for games with sudden and frequent character deaths or "lock-outs". The player cannot permanently place the game in an unwinnable state or cause Guybrush to die without great effort. The Monkey Island series is known for its humor and "player-friendly" qualities.

Atari ST, Amiga, DOS, Windows, Classic Mac OS, macOS, Mega-CD, PlayStation 2, XBLA, WiiWare, PSN, iOS, Nintendo Switch
