Return To Monkey Island Could Be The Last In The Series

Half-Life, Knights of the Old Republic, and Banjo-Kazooie - there are some gaming franchises that ended too soon. While we continue to be bombarded with Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed games on an almost yearly basis, let's spare a thought for those lost legends that shuffled off before their time.

Then again, we've had rare cases like BioShock and Monkey Island that have risen from the depths after years of uncertainty. We're back manning the main sail, as Devolver Digital releases the long-awaited sixth game under the Monkey Island name - and you thought the gap between Escape from Monkey Island and Tales From Monkey Island was bad.

Serving as a sequel to 1991's LeChuck's Revenge, Guybrush Threepwood is back to take on the zombified LeChuck, with the game finally promising to explain THAT bizarre Disneyland ending. If you're expecting another cliffhanger though... don't. It sounds like Return to Monkey Island really is the end of the road. 

Is Return To Monkey Island The Last In The Series?

Even though we're sure to learn more about what makes the villainous LeChuck tick, those potential family connections, and why Stan S. Stanman has been thrown in jail for "marketing-related crimes," this sounds like it will very much be the final chapter in a true trilogy of Monkey Island games. 

As spotted by Eurogamer, the updated Return to Monkey Island site has a tragic tease that it'll round off the story Ron Gilbert started back in 1990. Beneath the game's synopsis, there's a mention of "the exciting conclusion to the Monkey Island series." It hypes the return of Gilbert and co-writer/designer Dave Grossman alongside various talents that have worked on the previous games, meaning there's definitely a sense of finality to things. 

Return to Monkey Island has been a long time coming, so it makes sense that Gilbert wants to wrap things up. The series overlord famously parted ways after LeChuck's Revenge and later returned when Tales fell under Telltale. The rights fell into murky waters when Disney purchased LucasArts, meaning some of us never thought we'd see a true return of Monkey Island. Thankfully, 2022 continues to surprise us. 

Return To Monkey Island Release Date?

After appearing as an April Fool's joke that was no joke at all, Return to Monkey Island is setting sail for release later this year. The franchise was once confined to PC, but now, it's getting a console-first release via Nintendo Switch. Looking at Return's adorable aesthetic, it fits perfectly with the Switch's family friendly appeal. 

If this really is the last time Guy and LeChuck will be crossing swords, we say make the most of Return to Monkey Island. Even if it feels like Monkey Island is finally going to hit the mainstream with a Switch release, 32 years of fan service is more than the average franchise gets. Here's hoping we go out with a bang if Return is the last hurrah. Either way, it's a pirate's life for us.