Return to Monkey Island: The most beautiful graphics? you have chosen!

Since the announcement of Return to Monkey Island, the new graphic style has been the subject of heated debate. Already on the first screenshots, the new design met with divided opinions. Some people really like the new 2D graphics style, which differs so significantly from its predecessors. Others, on the other hand, criticize the new look as edgy, lacking in detail, and loveless. Since the first gameplay trailer, the tone has become even more intensified and the critical voices have not gone unnoticed by the developers. I even felt that project manager Ron Gilbert was forced to switch off the comment section on his blog because some of the criticism of the graphics was very hurtful and personal. The Guybrush creator is disappointed by the toxic fans, he doesn’t want to share any more content from the game on his page until the release.

While many are still discussing the look of the new game, we wanted to know from you in a survey: Which Monkey Island has the most beautiful graphic style for you? Which pirate adventure best portrays the hero Guybrush Threepwood? And: Will you definitely buy Return to Monkey Island or has the new graphic style put you off?

Almost 6,000 people have taken our poll so far and shared their comments. We’re also keeping the poll open, so if you still want to vote, you can do so here. However, we are already presenting the preliminary result to you. Here are your answers.

Guybrush through the ages

Source: PC games

Question 1: Which Guybrush look do you like the most?

Here we wanted to know from you in which game you liked the series hero best. This question is of course representative of the overall graphic style of the game. Guybrush’s design in particular has changed a lot over the years.

The Curse of Monkey Island emerges as the clear winner: the 1997 Guybrush is your favorite. (Click image for larger view)

Source: PC Games

In our survey, there is a crystal-clear winner here: 41 percent of you like the elaborate cartoon design of The Curse of Monkey Island (1997) best. Ironically, the third part of the series was criticized at the time by some fans who were initially bothered by the colorful 2D comic graphics – after all, the style differed significantly from the two pixelated VGA predecessors. Especially Guybrush’s new design with his lanky build was very unusual at first.

Over the years, however, more and more recreational pirates learned to appreciate the game. Even if Ron Gilbert was not involved in the project, Curse of Monkey Island was able to score with a detailed design, great music, great speakers, high density of gags and clever puzzles. In some respects it remains undefeated even to this day. Tip: If you missed the classic, we have a review with a large retro video for you here.

On the next page: Which Monkey Island do you think has the most beautiful Guybrush Threepwood? We discuss the further rankings and present your answers to the second question: Will you buy Return to Monkey Island for the release or do you still have concerns? Continue on page 2.