October marked the 30th anniversary of the genre-defining The Secret of Monkey Island. This LucasArts game tells the story of wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he solves puzzles and insult-sword fights his way into the profession. The irreverent tone and sometimes inscrutable solutions to puzzles have solidified The Secret of Monkey Island's place on many lists of the greatest video games of all time. While the day itself might have passed, here are three ways to celebrate the anniversary of this beloved game.
Monkey Island Source Code
For fans interested in learning more about the history of The Secret of Monkey Island and the tools used in development, the Video Game History Foundation is the place to turn. As part of their Video Game Source Project, the foundation is working to preserve and restore source code from old games and to normalize its use as an educational tool. The kick-off event for this project was a live chat with The Secret of Monkey Island developer Ron Gilbert, including live SCUMM coding demonstrations.
Fans of the game can get a taste of this in The Secret of Monkey Island episode of the foundation's podcast Video Game History Hour as well. Frank Cifaldi and Kelsey Lewin, co-directors of the foundation, use their podcast to talk to experts about the history of video games. For their episode on The Secret of Monkey Island, Cifaldi and Lewin talk with YouTube gamer Pete Armour about his documentary on the making of the game.
The Making of Monkey Island Documentary
Another way to celebrate the game is by diving into the history of its development through Armour's documentary The Making of Monkey Island. Armour runs the YouTube channel onaretrotip, and his exploration of the game's history fits in with his other series spotlighting retro games and their developers. Peppered with relevant visuals and linked together into a compelling narrative, Armour uses interviews with the people involved with the game to tell the story of its creation.
Viewers are treated to detailed stories of the game's images, including the origin of usable dithering in game graphics. But they also get to hear from the developers involved in the process, and even about how some of the game's famous sword-fighting insults were developed. Armour has since released some of the full interviews included in his documentary, providing one of the most complete accounts of the history of The Secret of Monkey Island.
Monkey Island Play-Through
To capture the magic of the game itself, there's no better way than to see it in action with Mostly Walking. The weekly Twitch show is hosted by three graduates of the University of Southern California's MFA program in interactive media, who currently work as a professional Twitch streamer and commentator, a professor and research associate at USC, and a game developer, giving them three different informed perspectives on game design. The play-through is still funny, though, mixing critique on design and comparison with other retro-games with dramatic readings and bad puns.
Players can, of course, also celebrate by playing through the game on their own, either with a copy of the original or the 2009 special edition, which includes updated graphics and audio. Either version features the first-rate script that helped set The Secret of Monkey Island apart in the first place, and will still ask players to use a rubber chicken pulley to solve some puzzles. Whether the focus is on the game's code, its development or how it plays in the modern day, these methods of celebrating The Secret of Monkey Island are sure to heighten the experience.