Tales of Monkey Island: Launch
of the Screaming Narwhal
Platform: Windows
LeChuck advanced on Guybrush Threepwood as he stood between the possessed pirate and his lady love, Elaine.
"Say yer prayers, bilge-rat!"
"But, it's not even bedtime! And besides, I'm not done with you yet," Guybrush quipped as he swung at the pirate again with his cutlass.
"By the way," Guybrush paused in mid-sword fight, "did you know they're coming out with a new Monkey Island series?"
"Surely this isn't the time for this?" Elaine pointed out.
"No, really, it's being made by those guys that did Sam and Max, and the one about the guy and his dog."
"You mean Charlie Brown and Snoopy?" LeChuck interjected in mid-swing.
"No, no. The other guy and his dog. You know."
"Oh, you mean Wallace and Gromit!" Elaine exclaimed. "I love them!"
"Enough of this! Let's have at it, boy!" and LeChuck took another swing at Guybrush, which he artfully dodged.
"Look, how can I tell you about this new episodic adventure starring me, Elaine, and a whole cast of new piratey characters if you keep swinging that thing at me?"
"I dunno, but let us know when ya figure it out," LeChuch sneered.
"It's got lots of adventure, and puzzles, and... ummm... action figures!"
LeChuck stopped in mid-swing again. "Action figures, ya say?"
"I think you've got him, love!" Elaine whispered, "Now, finish him off and get us out of here."
"Not until I finish talking about chapter one of this great new adventure, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal!" Guybrush said.
"Oh, Guybrush," Elaine sighed. She would have put her head in her hands, but they were tied behind her, and she had already come to the conclusion that her head didn't tilt that way.
Yes, Guybrush, Elaine, and even LeChuck are back for more adventures in the first installment of the new Monkey Island episodes from Telltale Games. I'm happy to report that this classic adventure series is in very good hands.
For those who were looking for the remake of The Secret of Monkey Island, that one is set for release later this month. Tales of Monkey Island is a completely new series, an adventure that takes place "sometime after an imaginary Monkey Island 5" according to design director Dave Grossman. And from scene one, it looks, acts, and feels like it. We are greeted by familiar voices right off the bat, as both Dominic Armato and Alexandra Boyd have returned to provide the dialog for Guybrush and his lady love, Elaine. Unfortunately, Earl Boen was unable to return to voice LeChuck, but you will be able to hear him in the Secret of Monkey Island remake.
Analysis: The style of Tales of Monkey Island is in keeping with the style of the original series. In fact, the character designs and backgrounds are very similar to the series' first 3D outing, Escape from Monkey Island. Here the game is rendered in real-time, unlike Escape which mostly used pre-rendered backgrounds. Other advanced graphics effects are in use here, as well, such as lighting and focus pulling. The engine also supports high resolutions, although it ran somewhat choppy on my system at my maximum screen resolution of 1440x900. Lower resolutions render the game just fine, and it looks gorgeous anyway.
Of course, the sound here is top-notch. The voice acting, as always with the series, is extremely well done. Unlike other recent entries into the point-and-click adventure genre such as Jack Keane, the voice acting doesn't sound like it's being provide by the rejects of the local community theatre troop. Micheal Land returns to provide the background music for the new series and does a fantastic job. The soundtrack adds to the scenes in front of you without taking over, and is great to listen to in its own right.
The hallmark of the Monkey Island series has always been the writing, and series writers Mark Darin, Michael Stemmle, and Sean Vanaman do not disappoint. The snappy banter is there, as are the silly one-liners that Guybrush seems to always come up with. There are some great moments, such as when Guybrush is trying to guess what the password is to get in to see Deep Gut. "What's the word?" "I understand that the bird is, in fact, the word." Other encounters with characters are also well done. As you go through the dialog, you are presented with choices as to what to say next. One thing that I noticed is that you often do not say the text that you choose. I am assuming that perhaps we are given an insight into Guybrush's internal dialog as he talks with the characters, but it is odd, never-the-less.
The one complaint that I have about the game comes in when you have to control your main man, Guybrush Threepwood. Unlike previous games in the series (and pretty much every other point-and-click adventure game) Telltale Games has chosen to drop the usual "click to go here" control scheme. Instead, you have the choice of using the [WASD] keys or clicking and holding the left mouse button and rotating Guybrush in the direction you want him to walk. The click and rotate scheme gets annoying about 25 and half seconds into the game, as you bumble around the deck of your ship trying to find some root beer. Why they didn't stick with the standard interface is beyond me, but if you use the keyboard, you'll be a much happier pirate.
While Launch of the Screaming Narwwhal may not have the replayability of other entries in the Monkey Island series, it is an excellent lead-in to the set of episodes, and it includes enough witty dialog and head-scratching puzzles to keep you busy until The Siege of Spinner Cay makes it's appearance next month. With plenty of comedic value, and a surprising cliff-hanger of an ending, you'll definitely want to set sail with Tales of Monkey Island.
"You fight like a dairy farmer..."
"How appropriate, you fight like a cow." (Sorry, had to do it.)
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
Walkthrough Guide
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Tales of Monkey Island Walkthrough
Launch of the Screaming Narwhal
Prologue
After watching the initial cut scene, walk to the left and click the voodoo recipe on the mast. It reveals you need enchanted fizzy root beer to spray on the cutlass.
Walk up to the wheel and pick up the monkey coffin to the right.
Examine the monkey coffin in your inventory to obtain root beer. Examine root beer to discover it is flat.
Combine the root beer and mints (already in your inventory) to obtain fizzy root beer.
Use the fizzy root beer with cutlass to satisfy the recipe.
After cutscene, move to the left and talk to Elaine. Ask her to throw the rope - she'll knock over the pole so you can cross over to her ship.
Examine Chuck the Plant and notice the overgrown roots. Use cutlass on the plant to get root.
Use the root and the mint with the barrel of grog. Then use the cutlass on your replacement fizzy root beer.
Use the enchanted sword with LeChuck to trigger cutscene and start Chapter 1.
Start a brawl!
Knock on door to Club 41 - you need a membership card.
Go left and talk to Nipperkin again.
Continue left past courthouse. On the screen to the left of the courthouse, pick up the Pirate Hunter sign on the post.
Continue on path to the dock and meet the Captain of the Screaming Narwhal. Talk about the ship, and his Club 41 membership.
Click on the socks on the clothesline to obtain the Club 41 membership card.
On your way back to the main part of town, go up the hill to the big house. Click on the flowerpot to pick it up, and examine in your inventory to get the Nose-Shaped Flower Pot.
Go back down the hill to the main road and stop at the glassblower's house to the right. Talk to Grimpdigit outside until he gives you the glass U Tube.
Return to Club 41 with your membership card. You will start a brawl inside, creating a story for Nipperkin.
Buried Treasure!
Notice the broken martini glass to the left of the Club. Pick it up to obtain the grogatini sword.
Take the path between the courthouse and the glassblower to reach the jungle entrance. Take the left path and talk to the guy with the dolls until he gives you the map.
Continue talking to him until you have the conversation option "Look it's Dark Ninja Dave!" When his back is turned, grab one of his dolls.
Use the martini sword with the doll to get the Action Figure with sword.
Continue left until you find the pile of bombs. Pick one up.
Return to town and go to the black ink vat to the left of Club 41. Use the Action Figure with Sword in the ink.
Examine the map in your inventory. You need to start the treasure path at the wishing well. You can find it by returning to the jungle entrance and going left and up.
Use the map with the well, as according to the map instructions. Now follow the map by listening for the correct animal sound as indicated on the map. This seems to be different in every game. Approach one of the forks of the path slowly until the animal sound can be heard, then take that path. The correct path can be back the way you came. Guybrush will say something encouraging if you are on the right path, along with a little happy sound effect. He will be frustrated if you take the wrong path.
When you arrive at the hole at the end of the map, use the Ninja on the hole.
Now return to the doll guy and tell him the map is real. After the cutscene, the reporter tells you he will soon reveal the Deep Gut information.
Seize a ship!
Return to the dock. Go to the Screaming Narwhal. Try to climb the plank - it is too slippery from bacon grease.
Now try climbing the anchor chain. This will cause a fire on the dock.
Use your bomb on the fire to acquire the lit bomb. Use the lit bomb on the frilly pink underwear on the clothesline.
Click on the clothesline itself - Guybrush will try to climb it, causing the captain to turn the crank to push Guybrush the other way, and will bring the lit bomb to the ship. Be sure to click the clothesline and NOT the crank. Clicking the crank will just cause the captain to send the bomb back your way. The lit bomb will blow the captain off the ship, triggering a cutscene.
Deep Gut
The reporter will now tell you the password to Deep Gut.
Return to the jungle entrance. Go left, up, up, up to find the creepy shack. Knock on the door and select the correct word when prompted.
Inside you'll find your old friend the voodoo lady! Explore all the conversation options.
Talk to the skeleton parrot, and then grab it from the floor when it falls.
On the next screen to the left of the voodoo lady, take the interesting bottle from the foreground.
Walk out of the house: examine and acquire the weather vane on the ground.
Leave the jungle and talk to the glassblower about the unbreakable bottle. He has a breaker, but really doesn't want to give it to you.
The Doctor's House
Return to the Doctor's house. After the cutscene you will find yourself locked into a medical chair. You can move to the left, right, up and down using the arrow keys or A, D, W, S.
Turn your body so it is facing the right, toward the key on the table. Recline in the chair so your feet face the key. Click the key to kick it off the table.
Turn to face the monkey and, still reclining, kick the key to the monkey. The clever guy wil let himself out of his cage.
Still reclining, turn to face the wall with the projection screen with the pirate image. While still in horizontal position, kick the bell. The monkey will change the picture to an image of the strange machine in the corner.
The right pedal on the floor in your current position gives the monkey a banana. Return to vertical position and hit the right pedal. This will cause the monkey to consult the picture on the wall, an image of the machine, and will go over to the weird machine.
Now hit the left pedal - it will shock the monkey, causing him to knock over an x-ray of the bones of your hand. Turn Guybrush left so he is facing your computer screen. In vertical position he can pick up the x-ray with his feet.
Turn toward the projector wall again, and recline into horizontal position. Kick the x-ray into the box of pictures.
Ring the bell with your foot again - the monkey will come over and change the projected image to the x-ray of your hand.
With the image of your skeletal hand on the wall, return to vertical position and give the monkey another banana using the right pedal. He will scamper over to the skeleton near the door.
While the monkey is over by the skeleton, hit the left shock pedal. The key in the skeleton's hand will attach to the magnetized monkey tail.
Return to horizontal position and hit the bell with your foot. The monkey will come over to the projector and change the picture to the pirate. Now get vertical and hit the banana pedal to make the monkey come to you. You can take the key and escape.
The Portal
Return to the Screaming Narwhal and board using the anchor chain. Talk to the captain, and go down to the deck and grab the cheese wheel on the left.
Use the cannon - it will break the glassblower's unicorns.
Return to the glassblower's house - he is nowhere in sight. Take the Unbreakable Glass Breaker from the crate outside the house.
In your inventory, use the unbreakable bottle with the unbreakable glass breaker to receive an Ancient Scroll. However, it is blank.
Walk back to the courthouse to your right. There is now a man outside. Talk to Hemlock about his indecipherable scroll until you get the Eye of the Manatee from him. Use the Eye on the Ancient Scroll.
Return to the jungle and go to the Altar just to the right/up of the entrance. Place the map on the altar.
Some of the clues on the map are animal noises like the previous map. The new icon is for Weather Vane - when it shows the vane, examine it in your inventory and follow the indicated direction. One other instruction in the middle of the list directs you to put the flowers from the Nose Pot into the well. Then follow the weather vane, as indicated on the map. Later, the calendar instruction means to walk around the calendar you will encounter once counterclockwise. After following all the instructions, you will arrive at an Ancient Portal.
After the cutscene, use the Unbreakable Glass Breaker on the blue Crystal Nose in the door. Pick up the weird door face that falls to the ground.
Put the parrot from the Voodoo Lady's house through the small hole in the door.
Return to town and talk to the Marquis. Tell him you have proof that he's up to something. This will trigger a cutscene, give you access to the huge wind device, and Guybrush will pick up the Ancient Tool.
Summon Wind Gods
Examine the giant wind device. Use the Ancient Tool with clamshell next to the device to trigger a cutscene where four idols rise from the ground.
Walk to the idol near the wind device and examine it. Notice the interesting socket on top.
Insert the weather vane into the idol and notice the face symbols on both objects. Change the face symbols on the idol to match the vane.
Now use the Ancient Tool on the clamshell right next to the idol to trigger a cutscene where a giant finger will move on the wind device, and the Marquis comes and blows you out of the area.
Go back into town and head to the jailhouse. Notice the carvings on the outside. Use the cheese wheel from the ship on the carvings to acquire a wheel similar to those on the idols.
Go to the world map and click on the idol on the north of the island. It is missing a wheel. Luckily you can use your now engraved cheese wheel to replace it - then use the weather vane again and change the face. Use the Ancient Tool in the clamshell as before. Again, a finger will move and the Marquis will come try to thwart you.
Go to the enigmatic idol to the south of the island. This one is missing a nose - replace it with the Nose-Shaped Flower Pot, and then follow the same process as the previous idols.
Finally go to the messed up idol on the eastern island. You must do this one last. When you arrive the Marquis will already be there. Select the "Look its King Louis!" conversation option, and use the U Tube with his rifle.
The last idol is missing the axle so you'll have to figure out the face on your own. The easiest way is to just turn the wheels and listen to the Marquis' response. If it is incorrect, he will squawk in discomfort or pain. It is the right face part, he will sigh with relief. Do this until the face is complete, then use the Ancient Tool on the clamshell. This will trigger a long cutscene of the Launch of the Screaming Narwhal!
Set Sail
On the boat, your hand won't allow you to give directions for where to sail. Try taking the wheel - this will roll the tar in front of the cannon.
Now shoot the cannon - this spills the tar.
Finally, try to use the map. Guybrush falls over and gets his possessed hand stuck in the tar. You can now click Winslow to tell him where to go!
After a cutscene, this chapter of the game will end. Congratulations!
Posted by: eileen
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July 19, 2009 12:22 AM