Tales of Monkey Island 3: The Lair of the Leviathan

By Mike Koss | October 21, 2009

Since its inception, the Monkey Island series garnered cult classic status through its pop culture poking, satire of adventure games, and written-while-intoxicated-on-grog storylines. Mixed into this are secrets, curses, pirates, ghosts, and a dash of Caribbean voodoo. And for a garnish, a sprinkling of humor is added that is just a shade below PG-13. This time Telltale Games is the head chef and has managed to brew up a delicious concoction.

As a continuation to their episodic expedition, this third entry by Telltale truly feels like a refinement of their previously devised recipe. While it does feel like a high-class presentation, it carries with it the same stigma as those entrees: sophisticated, yet short. The 3D, cartoon-like visuals were virtually flawless until the ending sequences; and, the voice acting finally matched their on-screen counterparts. The previous two outings did have short-comings in both those areas with graphical glitches, hissy audio for the vocal tracks, and some character voices that were like rubbing a cheese grater on one’s face.

Continuing the plot set forth, we now find our heroes trapped in the belly of a large sea-faring beast while trying to track down the La Esponja Grande. As this episode’s story plays out, it seems that Telltale had some of the original essence found in the earlier Monkey Island titles stashed away in their cupboard, and stirred in a few droplets to truly capture that original Monkey Island taste. Complete with throwbacks to the previous games in the series; the same running gags; and, even a ‘fight’ sequence that requires you to learn ‘moves’ from other characters; Lair of the Leviathan captures the Monkey Island magic.

Unfortunately, as fabulous as the meal may be, the feeling of brevity leaves the player yearning for more. Maybe the puzzles are easier. Maybe the player has accustomed to the odd-ball thinking for the solutions. Maybe it’s the revisiting of a trite adventure game lengthening puzzle. Maybe it’s the smaller playing world. Whatever the reason, the play time felt more like a large appetizer than a full dish. While it may have been shorter, the quality of the time is much preferred over a long, bland and repetitious.

At the end of the day, Telltale can wipe the sweat from their brow, toss the towel on their shoulder, and know that their hard work has pleased the players. Now that their secret recipe has been carefully tweaked, here’s hoping that at the next visit, the same dish is served in a slightly larger portion.

Check out Tales of Monkey Island Episode 3: The Lair of the Leviathan and other PC reviews at Test Freaks.