August 20th, 2009 -- Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay continues Guybrush Threepwood's hilairious piratey adventures as he tries to re-unite with his wife Elaine, find Esponge LaGrande, and rid himself of the voodoo pox -- but first, he'll need a hand.
When we last left our hero, Guybrush Threepwood, he had escaped Flotsam Island to find...wait, did you play the brilliant first chapter of Tales of Monkey Island -- the Launch of the Screaming Narwhal?
If you didn't, then be advised that thar be minor spoilers ahead, matey (although only ones that you learn in about the first ten minutes of playing). You've been forewarned.
Anyway, having freed himself from the Marquis De Singe and Flotsam Island, Guybrush Threepwood sails off to reclaim his wife...only to find that the villainous Pirate LeChuck has been cured of his voodoo curse, and seems to have become much less villainous. Guybrush will even have to actually work with LeChuck to help him overcome various challenges in this chapter.
And the Marquis hasn't finished with Threepwood -- he's sent a bounty hunter extraordinaire Morgan Le Flay to fetch Threepwood and his Voodo pox-infected hand -- a task she only partially succeeds in the early part of the game.
Threepwood reaches the JerkBait Islands and Spinner Cay, home to the flirty and awkwardly androgynous merfolk called the Vacaylians. A group of pesky, Pox-plagued pirates are threatening the peaceful Vacaylians, demanding sacred artifacts from them -- the same Artifacts that Guybrush needs to find Esponge La Grande.
Without revealing too many more plot points, let's make this simple. The first chapter was an excellent game that got everything a good adventure game needs to get right -- casual, punishment-free gameplay, great voice acting and writing, a brilliant sense of humor, and a story that you care about, no matter how ridiculous. I loved every minute of Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, and The Siege of Spinner Cay continues the story with brilliant charm, clever puzzles, and humor that ranges from amusing to hysterical.
Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay delivers everything adventure gamers love about the Monkey Island series: the fun, the puns, and the antics of the bumbling Threepwood continue to amuse and provide plenty of laughs. The puzzles, generally speaking, provide the perfect mix of challenge, silliness, and creativity.
If you're an adventure game fan at all, you owe it to yourself to pick up Tales of Monkey Island. (If you've missed out on the first chapter, by all means get it and play it first -- otherwise playing Siege of Spinner Cay is like starting a book but skipping the first chapter.)
More casual game reviews
- Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal
- Wallace and Gromit's The Last Resort
- Wallace and Gromit's Fright of the Bumblebees
- Cogs
- The Magic Toychest
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