Arrgh! Here we are, matey… back once again for the third episode of Tales of Monkey Island!

As was true the last time, I can’t reveal too much about where things start without spoiling the second episode, but it really doesn’t matter for two reasons: as with each of the previous two episodes you begin at sea, and also immediately there is a major plot event that launches you in a direction that will dominate the remainder of the episode. This time, you are swallowed by a giant manatee!

Whereas the first two episodes gave you considerable amounts of geography to explore, the third is much more limited: you are on a boat inside a giant manatee for the majority of the episode. Naturally that puts the emphasis on exploring the characters in the game, which is fairly risky for an adventure game. The results are astounding and make this absolutely the best episode yet!

The episode takes its time developing the characters and really allowing you to get into some depth with them in a way that rivals anything done in the Sam & Max series. You finally get to meet Coronado De Cava, and he is an interesting and hilarious character who was in search of La Esponja Grande when he ended up in similar circumstances. We also get to meet with De Cava’s crew, who are a wildly varied bunch with loads of funny stuff to say. The other main character we get to explore is Morgan LeFlay, who still has a penchant for violence, but is given tons of great lines and interactions throughout the episode… right up to the very end. There is also a return by a certain ‘head’ character from the earlier series, and he is given the full respect and disdain you would expect from Telltale!

The other great thing about Lair of the Leviathan is the puzzles. I had a hard time deciding whether the puzzles or character development were the best part of the episode, so I decided to call it a draw and be happy for such excellence on both fronts. Once again the puzzles have been tuned to be more direct, but conversely they aren’t as easy as some of the earlier episodes. I found myself working at a couple of puzzles for quite a while, and eventually finding the solutions felt very satisfying rather than frustrating. There were certain things that showed up as an evolution of earlier puzzles, which makes for a nice sense of both continuity and growth, and was very well done.

Unlike The Siege of Spinner Cay, I didn’t find this episode too short. Between spending loads of time getting to know every character I could, and working through all of the puzzles, this episode took me longer than any of the others, and never dragged a bit.

Now that I’ve completed this latest episode, I will state that The Siege of Spinner Cay is at the bottom of the episodes, and Lair of the Leviathan is at the top. It has gotten to the point that I have no idea how they will top this one – but knowing Telltale Games, I’m sure they will try! And with the wonderful cast of characters and the variety of settings and ongoing plot elements, it will be a wonderful ride seeing how the next episode turns out. And as I said before – If you haven’t already, grab the season pass and get ye to piratin’!

Pros:
+ Classic adventure game style
+ Applies everything TellTale has learned
+ Great jokes
+ Challenging puzzles, but not too hard
+ Great story and characters

Cons:
– Having to wait for the next part to arrive!

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on PC, also available on Wii via WiiWare
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: 9/29/09
Genre: Adventure
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Players: 1
Source: Review code provided by publisher

Arrgh! Here we are again, matey … back for another episode of Tales of Monkey Island! While I can’t tell you where things stand at the beginning of the tale without potentially spoiling the first episode for those who haven’t played yet, suffice it to say that you can expect the events that were set in motion at the start of the first episode will be in play for the entire season!

And what were those things? Everything will be familiar to anyone who knows even remotely of the series: Le Chuck, the villain, has kidnapped Elaine … again! It is up to you as Guybrush Threepwood, semi-competent pirate, to figure out how to rescue her. Of course, actually managing to do that is seldom as simple as it seems.

Once again we are launched into an opening scene filled with in-jokes, asides, clever witticisms and laugh out loud moments. And like before, it never stops throughout the entire episode. The writing and characterizations are top-notch, the jokes are spot-on, and there is plenty of good fun throughout.

After settling the cliffhanger from last time (where Threepwood is pinned to the wheel by a sword), the main game gets started. The setting this time is Spinner Cay, a village of merfolk. Guybrush also explores surrounding islands. This works well at providing a greater variety than in the previous Telltale games, and a non-centralized setting was a goal of the developers. It works very nicely at keeping the plot and challenges in motion.

I was once again astounded by the level of polish and attention to detail. The voice acting is again extremely well done, with every character building upon the personalities and characterizations introduced in the first episode. Telltale continues to grow their abilities to create engaging adventures with their toolset that encompass a wide array of situations and environments.

Since this is an adventure game, it is loaded from end to end with puzzles. While the first episode had some tasks that some gamers considered convoluted and obscure, all of the tasks this time around are fairly straightforward, and while the solutions are just as zany, the game provides a better integrated hint system in nearby characters and the environment.

My only negative comment is that while no one expects these episodes to provide an epic experience, this one actually *feels* short. It seemed to be over just as I was really excited for it to continue, and that is also part of the charm – you get another cliffhanger ending that makes you anticipate the arrival of the next chapter.

Since playing the first episode I’ve replayed some of the PC and iPhone ports of the original Monkey Island game and am just thrilled at how Telltale has taken that classic game and reinvented it in a way that brings out things from the original while making it modern and thoroughly their own. The value proposition for this game is easy, as each entry costs less than a movie ticket and delivers more laughs than most comedies while also providing some brain-teasing puzzles. If you haven’t already, grab the season pass and get ye to piratin’!

Pros:
+ Classic adventure game style
+ Applies everything TellTale has learned
+ Great jokes
+ Challenging puzzles, but not too hard
+ Great story and characters

Cons:
– Feels a bit too short

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on PC, also available for Wii via WiiWare
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: 8/20/09
Genre: Adventure
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Players: 1