Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood (WiiWare) Review
With this being the fourth episode of Tales of Monkey Island series, you know what to expect by now, so there’s no need for me to go over what the game is about and what to expect. As the series is coming to an end, this second last episode tries to fit a fair bit in, and while you return to Flotsam Island, there are still plenty of new things to check out despite the familiar location.
The last episode finished with Morgan le Flay betraying Guybrush and making good on the bounty on his head set by the Marquis de Singe. Things don’t go well when Morgan and Guybrush arrive back on Flotsam as Guybrush is voodoo-summoned to appear in a pirate court. Yeah, who would have thought that there were any rules with pirates? But indeed there are and they take it deathly seriously. Guybrush has been set up on a number of charges, a few of which are pretty serious but the rest are just trumped up. While the entire game isn’t about getting Guybrush off these charges, it does take the first half, or Act 1, of the game to do so. Act 2 of the game is stopping De Singe from fulfilling his crazy plans.
Being a court setting, you get to go a little Phoenix Wright and use the witnesses and evidence in your trial. You can even confer with your lawyer who just happens to be Guybrush. Since Guybrush is his own lawyer, he can use this to get out of prison to do some reconnaissance around the island, in order to obtain evidence and help himself. No one seems to mind that he is let out and walking around but, then again, these pox-infected pirates are pretty dumb.
While the last episode had the ever-popular Murray returning, this episode brings back everyone’s favourite fast-talking salesman, Stan. Be assured, too, that he is as dodgy as ever and his fixed-patterned jacket not only makes a return, but you’ll need it (well, a part of it) for a puzzle. While Stan is always on the receiving end of Guybrush’s wild antics in previous games, he can put that aside as long as he is making some money or putting him to his death.
This episode is great for character moments—of course, Guybrush takes centre stage as he is on trial but characters like Morgan LeFlay get further fleshed out as she grips with the fact that she has stabbed her childhood hero in the back. While business is business for a pirate hunter, she still has to deal with guilt and it shows.
The length of this episode is again about the same as the previous games, four or five hours. This mileage will depend on how good you are at adventure games and whether or not you get stuck on one of the many puzzles. Some are seemingly so bizzare that you may need help from a play guide to get through them as they’re really not explained as well as they could be. The episode’s humour is a pretty steady throught out, most of it comes from Stan but there are a few choice lines from the secondary characters.
As this is the second last episode in the series, you need some inspiration going into what should be a pretty epic last episode. Luckily The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood does just that, no spoilers here, but the title pretty much lives up to its name. Telltale have brought us a great series so far, and this latest episode is just as good as the rest—we’re sure the last one will be too.
