Things seem to keep getting worse for Guybrush. Although he did manage to find La Esponja Grande in the last episode, he was captured and returned to Flotsam Island to stand trial for pretty much everything that happened since the start of the first game. Tales does manage to keep the humor up and continue to mention previous characters from other Monkey Island games, making the entire world feel rather organic. The setting of the first game just makes this episode feel like more of a retread in spite of new content.
Guybrush still controls exactly the same as the last three games, down to the hint system that gives more and more precise clues on the area that the player is stuck. It is also mechanically sounding, just like the other games. This is pretty much to be expected as the game is built month after month on the same engine that the previous one. All of that said, this game seems to feel a little lacking, almost over tired.
It could be the fact that this is the first time that the game has set the majority of the action in areas that have already been explored. It is nice to walk around the Island and see how some of the actions from the first game have caused changes, however minor they might be. Although Tales is sound and enjoyable, it ends up feeling not as full and amazing as the previous installments. The fatigue at playing one of these games a month for the last four months is not helped by the return to Flotsam Island though.
As always, the game has the same stylized graphics that and ability to run on pretty much any recently bought computer, and look good doing it. Also returning are the same spot on, consistently funny, and well timed voice actors. Although it probably isn’t just the return to previous areas, and probably more that it has been four months of similar jokes complied into a story that sort of feels like it is just tying together lose ends instead of really pushing the plot forward. Everything feels a little less impressive than it did in previous episodes.
The game needs to be purchase all at once, which makes sense because it makes no excuses for anyone who hasn’t played every episode through this point. At first this pricing felt pretty oddball, but with the way that the story itself has been structured it makes a kind of sense. Although it would still be nice if the first episode should still be able to be purchased by itself without the others, even just for a taste.
The Trial and Execution of Guybrush isn’t a terrible game by any means, as a matter of fact it is very good when compared to any other adventure game that is done by any other company. The problem is that the last three titles had been steadily getting better and better and this episode feels more like a dip in the upward climb then the fulfillment of that trend. With only one month to go, it seems like an easy recommendation to anyone with a PC to pick up this game.
Not As Good As: The other episodes
Also Try: Sam and Max Season 2
Wait For It: The season to finish
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