Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 83
  3. Negative: 8 out of 83

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  1. NathanM
    Aug 19, 2009
    6
    In general the humor and the attitude is all there...in general... This is to say it "feels" like playing a classic Monkey Island Adventure...however the original complexity and difficulty is not present. The sheer number of scenes or locals with which Guybrush must interact simultaneously to solve the puzzles is simply not present. Another lacking feature that no one has mentioned to my In general the humor and the attitude is all there...in general... This is to say it "feels" like playing a classic Monkey Island Adventure...however the original complexity and difficulty is not present. The sheer number of scenes or locals with which Guybrush must interact simultaneously to solve the puzzles is simply not present. Another lacking feature that no one has mentioned to my knowledge. Where did the "Pick Up" "Open" "Close" "Talk To" "Look At" "Use" "Push" "Pull" go? These options added a great level of depth to the previous games, if even in the form of red herrings, which is lost here. In essence to make a strange comparison... I feel that if we might call the original Monkey Islands "Pokemon" then this latest is more like "Pokemon Snap!" Understand that I am not comparing Monkey Island to Pokemon in content. I am comparing Pokemon to Pokemon Snap in order to more clearly quantify the differential in the level of "gaming depth" between the classic Monkey Islands and this latest release. Same theme, same attitude, but shallower.… Expand
  2. sLm
    Feb 11, 2014
    5
    Lots of Spanish references, and not a single game translation of the game in Spanish. Dumbasses... And by the way, the "j" in "Esponja" is not pronounced /dʒ/, but /h/...
    -.-'''
  3. FediS.
    Jul 12, 2009
    5
    This game is painfully mediocre.. All that is good about it comes from the ideas/music/story of the 4 previous games (Yes MI4 included,since it's very good). The new island's design and all the supporting characters are so dull,badly designed and unoriginal that it justs destroys it, even if it has some good puzzles , probably the best Telltale has yet to offer.
  4. SD
    Oct 10, 2009
    6
    I
  5. Snake
    Nov 10, 2009
    7
    On the plus side, it's more fun to play than the old 2D games. There are some good puzzle--I only needed help twice. But the game is held back from greatness by a few factors. One being the bugginess. I've had multiple crashes at startup, ingame, when exiting, and it even had the audacity to BSOD me at the end of the credits. Secondly, the new control system is difficult to use On the plus side, it's more fun to play than the old 2D games. There are some good puzzle--I only needed help twice. But the game is held back from greatness by a few factors. One being the bugginess. I've had multiple crashes at startup, ingame, when exiting, and it even had the audacity to BSOD me at the end of the credits. Secondly, the new control system is difficult to use compared to simply clicking where you want to go; gamepad support is wonky, also. Finally, the voice acting and dialogue is pretty dull at times. Maybe the newer episodes will fare better, though.… Expand
  6. DanielJ
    Jul 18, 2009
    7
    Worth an 8 for putting me on thought of replaying the others and reacquainting myself with one of the most memorable characters in the history of video game entertainment. However it deserves a meagre 7 because of the dry and poor script, the shabby construction and for using the same damn engine that couldn
  7. Totemic
    Oct 23, 2019
    7
    A solid start to the series. Although graphics can be a bit generic at times, with repetitive character models, the setting looks really nice nonetheless. The new characters established in this chapter all have funny lines and the dialogue is great overall.
    The story is set up pretty well, and it only gets better from here!

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PC Game of 2009
94
#94 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
59
#59 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. VideoGamer
    60
    It's not as engaging or memorable as we remember the originals to be, and the puzzles won't blow anyone away, but it's still hugely exciting to play a brand new Monkey Island game, such is the enduring popularity of the early 90s classics.
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  2. DarkZero
    90
    The difficulty of the problem-solving you're tasked with is perfectly pitched, and if you do get stuck, the very subtle hint system may be all you need to help you along. You never feel overwhelmed and the gameplay doesn't become tedious or as frustrating as it can in other adventure games.
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  3. PALGN
    80
    Monkey Island is back. This first episode is a strong start, with Guybrush at his best, an amusing script and a barrel of grog to boot.
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