Adventure · September 19, 2022

Return to Monkey Island (2022)

trophy39 achievementslocal_offer-70% current discountgroup1M–10M ownersrecommend8.2k recommendations
Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’. Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory. Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling Bringing classic point and click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze. Embark on Archipelago Adventures Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrr Muda to make allies and enemies alike. Created by a Legendary Crew The new chapter in the Monkey Island series marks the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by game co-writer Dave Grossman, art director Rex Crowle (Knights & Bikes, Tearaway) and composers Peter McConnell, Michael Land, and Clint Bajakian (Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge).

Adventure releases from 2022

91 Adventure titles launched in 2022 — top 6 by review volume.

Peer Adventure titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Point & Click · 217
  • Adventure · 192
  • Comedy · 146
  • Puzzle · 128
  • Funny · 120
  • Singleplayer · 116
  • Story Rich · 113
  • 2D · 111
  • Hand-drawn · 108
  • Pirates · 98
  • Nostalgia · 91
  • Cartoon · 84
  • Drama · 77
  • Choices Matter · 76
  • Colorful · 72

Position in Adventure

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume8.5k Steam reviewsTop 27% in Adventure
Positive rating92% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 45%
Metacritic87/100Genre average 77 — top 11% of Adventure titles
Engagement hours11 h averageTop 33% for session depth among Adventure

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (10)

  • English volume_up
  • French
  • Italian
  • German volume_up
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Japanese
  • Russian
  • Portuguese - Brazil
  • Korean
  • Simplified Chinese volume_up

Full audio (3)

  • English
  • German
  • Simplified Chinese

Reception Metrics

Steam community

92%Very Positive · 8.5k reviews

7.8k positive · 681 negative

Metacritic

87/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Curator recommendations

8.2k

Press Quotes

“An adventure gamer's delight.” 9/10 – IGN “Everything I wanted and more.” 9/10 – The Gamer “A nostalgic, swashbuckling adventure you won’t want to miss.” 9/10 – GamesRadar

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

11h

short (5–15 hours)

Median

10h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

0h

Current engagement

Achievements

39

Steam unlocks available

Release & Availability

Release dateSep 19, 2022
DeveloperTerrible Toybox
PublisherDevolver Digital
Base price$7.49 -70%
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support

Features & Capabilities

Community

  • Steam Achievements
  • Steam Cloud

Input & Comfort

  • Full controller support

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Return to Monkey Island