1 00:00:07,210 --> 00:00:09,880 What makes a game a classic? 2 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,840 Is it the number of copies sold, or the review scores it receives? 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:19,650 Maybe it's something not quantifiable - something special, 4 00:00:19,650 --> 00:00:22,349 something magic. 5 00:00:22,349 --> 00:00:25,950 Whatever it is, I think The Secret of Monkey Island qualifies. 6 00:00:25,950 --> 00:00:31,320 It's a definitive point and click adventure game and it remains a touchstone of video 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:32,820 game culture. 8 00:00:32,820 --> 00:00:33,820 So, 9 00:00:33,820 --> 00:00:37,739 How did this new breed of graphic adventure develop? 10 00:00:37,739 --> 00:00:41,210 What made LucasArts' adventure games so memorable? 11 00:00:41,210 --> 00:00:48,280 and what is 'the secret' of Monkey Island? 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:56,360 Early video games are not often noted for their storytelling. 13 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:02,090 Arcade action of the early 80s rested on paper-thin premise: shooting aliens, eating dots and 14 00:01:02,090 --> 00:01:04,610 scoring points. 15 00:01:04,610 --> 00:01:10,520 Those games that did focus on narrative were far less glamorous - the humble text adventure 16 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,149 has never sold itself through screenshots. 17 00:01:13,149 --> 00:01:19,710 Still, they have been around for a while - The genre started on mainframe machines like the 18 00:01:19,710 --> 00:01:26,399 PDP-10, with Colossal Cave Adventure in 1976. 19 00:01:26,399 --> 00:01:35,140 In turn, this inspired a group from MIT to create Zork in 1977, found Infocom in 1979, 20 00:01:35,140 --> 00:01:39,369 and release games commercially for the emerging 8-bit home market. 21 00:01:39,369 --> 00:01:45,320 Zork went on to sell over a million copies across all platforms, and Infocom became a 22 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:49,939 prolific publisher of adventure games. 23 00:01:49,939 --> 00:01:56,600 However for all their narrative richness, text adventures are not without flaw. 24 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:02,990 They required patience and a certain knowledge of how to play: The text parsers were notoriously 25 00:02:02,990 --> 00:02:09,420 fussy, requiring just the right verb-noun wording to perform a desired action. 26 00:02:09,420 --> 00:02:14,920 As computers became more powerful, and games even more graphics-focused, text adventures 27 00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:18,470 started to suffer from a poor reputation: 28 00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:25,120 They needed to evolve, else risk extinction. 29 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:30,480 The first logical improvement was the addition of graphics - with key locations illustrated 30 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,690 to better set the scene. 31 00:02:32,690 --> 00:02:37,830 A welcome addition, but not a fundamental shift. 32 00:02:37,830 --> 00:02:43,290 Some attempted to address gameplay frustrations - improvements to text parsing, such as using 33 00:02:43,290 --> 00:02:48,640 a larger vocabulary and attempting to understand natural language. 34 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:55,810 One of the key innovators of the adventure genre was On-Line Systems - later known as 35 00:02:55,810 --> 00:02:56,810 Sierra On-Line. 36 00:02:56,810 --> 00:03:05,230 Founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams, their first game - Mystery House - is regarded 37 00:03:05,230 --> 00:03:09,670 as the first true graphical adventure game. 38 00:03:09,670 --> 00:03:14,600 It plays in much the same way as a text adventure - you still have to type everything - but 39 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,900 there's a greater emphasis on the graphics, particularly when it comes to interactive 40 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:20,890 elements. 41 00:03:20,890 --> 00:03:26,700 Every scene is rendered: Doors and cupboards open at your command, and LOOKing sometimes 42 00:03:26,700 --> 00:03:30,590 brings closer details into view. 43 00:03:30,590 --> 00:03:36,480 It was an innovative approach, and an evolutionary step towards the modern graphic adventure. 44 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:44,680 However, the series that really cemented Sierra's reputation was King's Quest. 45 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:50,790 Some called it an 'animated text adventure' - which is a pretty good description. 46 00:03:50,790 --> 00:03:55,971 Set in the fairytale kingdom of Daventry, and illustrated in 16-colour graphics, you 47 00:03:55,971 --> 00:04:01,430 take control of Sir Graham - direct control, in fact. 48 00:04:01,430 --> 00:04:07,840 To travel between locations, you no longer type NORTH, SOUTH, WEST or EAST - instead 49 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,980 you walk to the edge of the screen - or through a door, or up a ladder. 50 00:04:12,980 --> 00:04:19,410 The scenery was no longer just decoration - it was an interactive part of the world. 51 00:04:19,410 --> 00:04:27,039 By contemporary standards the game looks primitive - but in the age of text adventures, there 52 00:04:27,039 --> 00:04:31,289 was nothing else that came close. 53 00:04:31,289 --> 00:04:35,810 Sierra were crowned kings of the adventure genre - and they certainly weren't shy of 54 00:04:35,810 --> 00:04:40,319 sequels, with the success of the King's Quest formula put to good use over the next few 55 00:04:40,319 --> 00:04:43,069 years. 56 00:04:43,069 --> 00:04:48,389 Space Quest followed in 1986, and Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry the following year 57 00:04:48,389 --> 00:04:52,950 - thematic shifts of the fantasy formula. 58 00:04:52,950 --> 00:04:59,199 However, the games were not without flaw, with residual influence from earlier text 59 00:04:59,199 --> 00:05:06,849 adventures: interaction was still text-driven, some puzzles were obtuse - and it wasn't always 60 00:05:06,849 --> 00:05:09,590 clear what had to be done next. 61 00:05:09,590 --> 00:05:17,380 Perhaps most notably - it was very easy to die. 62 00:05:17,380 --> 00:05:21,750 Sometimes it's justified - I mean, what good is drama without danger? 63 00:05:21,750 --> 00:05:30,180 But when even the most benign-looking thing can end your game abruptly, it can be frustrating. 64 00:05:30,180 --> 00:05:36,370 It verges on bad game design, harming both exploration and experimentation - two very 65 00:05:36,370 --> 00:05:41,669 important factors in building an interactive world. 66 00:05:41,669 --> 00:05:47,600 Sierra's games had a sizeable fanbase - but they had their fair share of critics, too. 67 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:53,909 The poor reputation of adventure games lingered like a bad odour. 68 00:05:53,909 --> 00:06:06,590 Worst of all, Sierra had a new rival - one with particularly deep pockets. 69 00:06:06,590 --> 00:06:09,650 Star Wars was kind of a big deal. 70 00:06:09,650 --> 00:06:16,449 The original trilogy was profoundly successful, and Lucasfilm were in an enviable position. 71 00:06:16,449 --> 00:06:21,550 They had the budgets necessary to attract the best talent and to keep ahead of the technological 72 00:06:21,550 --> 00:06:23,460 curve. 73 00:06:23,460 --> 00:06:29,960 It was clear that CGI would become an increasingly major part of film - but for the time being, 74 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,960 it was too primitive. 75 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:42,840 So to prepare themselves for the future, Lucasfilm set up a games division. 76 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:48,180 In order to enter the market, they struck a deal with Atari in 1982. 77 00:06:48,180 --> 00:06:52,600 This was before the crash, back when Atari were very much in charge of the video gaming 78 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:57,350 market - and things were more optimistic. 79 00:06:57,350 --> 00:07:03,620 The LucasFilm-Atari deal managed to weather the industry turmoil - and by 1984, the first 80 00:07:03,620 --> 00:07:11,279 games were ready for release - two titles: Ballblazer; and Rescue on Fractalus! 81 00:07:11,279 --> 00:07:17,979 Ballblazer was a futuristic sports game - football with hovercars, basically: released first 82 00:07:17,979 --> 00:07:21,009 for the Atari 8-bit systems. 83 00:07:21,009 --> 00:07:26,849 For the hardware, it was a very good-looking game: twin-viewport 3D graphics that updated 84 00:07:26,849 --> 00:07:34,090 at 20 frames per second - even with rudimentary antialiasing. 85 00:07:34,090 --> 00:07:35,090 Rescue on Fractalus! 86 00:07:35,090 --> 00:07:40,379 was similarly impressive, with graphics and scope that tested the limits of 8-bit home 87 00:07:40,379 --> 00:07:42,400 computers. 88 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:47,760 Your ship launches from space and descends into a 3D fractal landscape - you must carefully 89 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:52,410 navigate through valleys in search of downed pilots. 90 00:07:52,410 --> 00:07:56,969 Once located on the scanners, landing nearby will make the pilot run towards your ship 91 00:07:56,969 --> 00:08:03,580 and knock on your airlock for entry - let them in to rescue them, but take care - later 92 00:08:03,580 --> 00:08:07,960 levels feature aliens posing as stricken pilots. 93 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:16,219 A second wave of games followed shortly after, repurposing the fractal landscape technology: 94 00:08:16,219 --> 00:08:23,309 Koronis Rift, in which you drive a rover tank in search of hulks to loot for upgrades; 95 00:08:23,309 --> 00:08:29,310 and The Eidolon, a steampunk adventure that has you exploring caves in search of the guardian 96 00:08:29,310 --> 00:08:31,900 dragon. 97 00:08:31,900 --> 00:08:36,839 These early offerings from LucasFilm fit the sci-fi expectations for the studio that gave 98 00:08:36,839 --> 00:08:44,110 us Star Wars - but any tie-ins to the film universe were strictly forbidden. 99 00:08:44,110 --> 00:08:50,390 Video games were uncertain ground - and experiences like the Star Wars Holiday Special led to 100 00:08:50,390 --> 00:08:54,810 very tight franchise control. 101 00:08:54,810 --> 00:08:59,721 So these first games were just a prelude: A chance to do something interesting, prove 102 00:08:59,721 --> 00:09:06,670 themselves in the market - and to push the boundaries of what was possible on early 8-bit 103 00:09:06,670 --> 00:09:08,930 machines. 104 00:09:08,930 --> 00:09:16,530 So fractal landscapes were cool - but, having found their feet, it was time for a new adventure. 105 00:09:16,530 --> 00:09:22,560 And for the first time ever, LucasFilm Games were to produce a movie tie-in game. 106 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:28,540 It wasn't Star Wars - but Jim Henson's Labyrinth. 107 00:09:28,540 --> 00:09:33,820 The game starts off as a text adventure, albeit with a novel 'word wheel' system that exposes 108 00:09:33,820 --> 00:09:36,950 acceptable verbs and nouns. 109 00:09:36,950 --> 00:09:45,740 A trip to the movies - buy a ticket, sit down: and then the graphics begin. 110 00:09:45,740 --> 00:09:50,120 Your character is determined by questions asked at the start of the game - name, sex 111 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:54,250 and favourite colour (which decides what you wear). 112 00:09:54,250 --> 00:09:59,140 Control is direct via the joystick - and, along with the scrolling - is surprisingly 113 00:09:59,140 --> 00:10:01,220 smooth. 114 00:10:01,220 --> 00:10:07,850 A fusion of both adventure and arcade gameplay - a not entirely successful one, but certainly 115 00:10:07,850 --> 00:10:13,680 more interesting than your typical movie tie-in of the era: and as LucasFilm's first adventure 116 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:17,150 game, a sign of what was to come. 117 00:10:17,150 --> 00:10:26,060 By the mid-80s, the hardware market was changing: the Atari 8-bit machines were fading in relevancy, 118 00:10:26,060 --> 00:10:32,460 with the Commodore 64 dominant - and a new wave of 16-bit machines were waiting in the 119 00:10:32,460 --> 00:10:34,790 wings. 120 00:10:34,790 --> 00:10:41,090 The internet loomed on the horizon, prompting LucasFilm to dabble with MMORPGs: the surprisingly 121 00:10:41,090 --> 00:10:48,260 innovative Habitat - which was probably too far ahead of its time to ever be a success. 122 00:10:48,260 --> 00:10:53,510 Still, LucasFilm weren't shy of hiring technical talent to face these new challenges - and 123 00:10:53,510 --> 00:10:59,530 one such hire was Ron Gilbert, brought on to port Koronis Rift and The Eidolon to the 124 00:10:59,530 --> 00:11:02,830 Commodore 64. 125 00:11:02,830 --> 00:11:11,170 After that, he was left at a loose end - and invited to 'come up with a hit'. 126 00:11:11,170 --> 00:11:15,290 His first proposal: 'I Was a Teenage Lobot'. 127 00:11:15,290 --> 00:11:19,730 A Science Fiction Role Playing Strategy Adventure Game. 128 00:11:19,730 --> 00:11:25,010 An ambitious idea: with randomly-generated faces; an interactive world featuring puzzles 129 00:11:25,010 --> 00:11:31,370 with multiple solutions; and a certain B-movie charm. 130 00:11:31,370 --> 00:11:32,910 It was never made. 131 00:11:32,910 --> 00:11:38,410 However, its technical considerations (and style of humour) would certainly influence 132 00:11:38,410 --> 00:11:44,120 Gilbert's next game. 133 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:51,420 Maniac Mansion first came out for the Commodore 64 in 1987 - a schlocky sci-fi romp set in 134 00:11:51,420 --> 00:11:55,580 a sprawling mansion, populated with a zany cast. 135 00:11:55,580 --> 00:12:00,260 The game features seven playable characters, of which you assemble a team of three. 136 00:12:00,260 --> 00:12:06,571 Each of the 'kids' has a different skill set, and depending on who you choose, only certain 137 00:12:06,571 --> 00:12:08,830 endings will be possible. 138 00:12:08,830 --> 00:12:13,680 Each character is controlled independently, and you can switch between them freely - some 139 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:19,090 puzzles require two or more characters to co-operate in real time. 140 00:12:19,090 --> 00:12:24,730 It was a surprisingly complex game, but its humour made experimentation fun - through 141 00:12:24,730 --> 00:12:31,460 exploring and solving puzzles, the mansion would slowly reveal its secrets. 142 00:12:31,460 --> 00:12:36,550 It's not perfect - there's a lot of backtracking, obtuse puzzles and the occasional dead-end 143 00:12:36,550 --> 00:12:44,190 - but it was a bona-fide adventure with no instructions to type! 144 00:12:44,190 --> 00:12:49,360 It was built with a scripting language, called the Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion 145 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:54,070 - or SCUMM, if you prefer. 146 00:12:54,070 --> 00:12:59,360 It was a way to abstract the technical aspect of game development: distilling the boring 147 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:05,560 minutia, like pathfinding for moving characters on screen into simpler stage directions. 148 00:13:05,560 --> 00:13:10,820 Essentially, the game could be written like an interactive film script - allowing the 149 00:13:10,820 --> 00:13:17,850 designers to focus on the puzzles and story. 150 00:13:17,850 --> 00:13:24,130 Maniac Mansion had good reviews, and sold well enough: it wasn't a record breaker, instead 151 00:13:24,130 --> 00:13:30,500 a slow burner - shifting copies years after its release on a variety of platforms, even 152 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:35,070 spawning a television series. 153 00:13:35,070 --> 00:13:39,720 Most importantly, though - it demonstrated the commercial viability of a new type of 154 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:44,590 adventure game, and the potential of SCUMM. 155 00:13:44,590 --> 00:13:50,170 Without this proof, LucasFilm might not have persevered. 156 00:13:50,170 --> 00:13:57,060 But persevere they did, with a second SCUMM game, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, 157 00:13:57,060 --> 00:14:00,010 following in 1988. 158 00:14:00,010 --> 00:14:04,770 Set in a world of tabloid conspiracies, it was a less claustrophobic adventure that saw 159 00:14:04,770 --> 00:14:09,750 you jetting all over the globe to unravel an alien plot. 160 00:14:09,750 --> 00:14:14,850 It's all told in a humorous manner, and - in what would become a LucasFilm tradition - there's 161 00:14:14,850 --> 00:14:19,280 host of in-jokes and references to previous games. 162 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:25,370 Self-indulgent, perhaps - but also rewarding for the burgeoning fanbase of LucasFilm adventure 163 00:14:25,370 --> 00:14:28,240 games. 164 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:33,790 Reusing SCUMM meant that any Maniac Mansion specific hacks had to be ironed out, which 165 00:14:33,790 --> 00:14:38,710 was a good thing - a necessary refinement for future use. 166 00:14:38,710 --> 00:14:46,090 By now, the likes of the Commodore 64 were starting to look long in the tooth. 167 00:14:46,090 --> 00:14:51,560 As 16-bit machines became more afforable, stark colours gave way to far more nuanced 168 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:57,710 shades, and blips and beeps were replaced by digitised sound. 169 00:14:57,710 --> 00:15:03,850 RAM now ranged in the hundreds of kilobytes, and (relatively) fast-loading floppy disks 170 00:15:03,850 --> 00:15:07,450 were now the norm. 171 00:15:07,450 --> 00:15:12,990 The Apple Macintosh, first released in 1984, came with a mouse as standard - and probably 172 00:15:12,990 --> 00:15:18,300 did more than most to introduce the control method for the general population. 173 00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:22,250 It's on this platform where we find the first games that could be considered a 'point and 174 00:15:22,250 --> 00:15:27,540 click': such as Enchanted Scepters, and Déjà Vu. 175 00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:34,160 Soon the Amiga, the Atari ST, and IBM PC would all be sold with mice - but the potential 176 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:41,310 of these 16-bit machines brought more change than a mere peripheral. 177 00:15:41,310 --> 00:15:47,820 'Cinematicism' was the buzzword of the era: video games were the future, and the future 178 00:15:47,820 --> 00:15:50,400 of video games was interactive movies. 179 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:55,420 A wave of games whose principal goal was to impress. 180 00:15:55,420 --> 00:16:00,840 Some of them were successful - a huge step up from earlier 8-bit titles, in what might 181 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,980 be the biggest generational leap we'll ever see. 182 00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:11,240 Of course, all these fancy graphics came at a cost: long load times and often poor gameplay 183 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:18,030 - but that didn't stop games like Defender of The Crown in 1986 heralding the new generation. 184 00:16:18,030 --> 00:16:26,580 They say that graphics don't matter - but they've sold a few systems in their time. 185 00:16:26,580 --> 00:16:36,060 By now, the Star Wars money had started to dry up - and so the culture at LucasFilm changed. 186 00:16:36,060 --> 00:16:42,510 After some disappointments at the box office (and a costly divorce settlement), cash flow 187 00:16:42,510 --> 00:16:44,330 was a much greater concern. 188 00:16:44,330 --> 00:16:49,240 So, within the games division any more fanciful ideas were put on hold for the forthcoming 189 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:53,260 release of the third Indiana Jones film. 190 00:16:53,260 --> 00:16:58,610 The timescale was tight - just six months. 191 00:16:58,610 --> 00:17:03,970 SCUMM was shaping up to be a versatile platform for adventure games, and given the deadline 192 00:17:03,970 --> 00:17:07,780 - it was the only viable choice. 193 00:17:07,780 --> 00:17:12,149 With the shooting script providing the story, the game came together quickly - although 194 00:17:12,149 --> 00:17:18,689 it missed the movie's release, it came out while it was still playing in theatres. 195 00:17:18,689 --> 00:17:23,449 Despite the rush, the game still boasts some innovation: it's the first SCUMM title to 196 00:17:23,449 --> 00:17:30,720 feature dialogue choices, and the first one in which you can 'Look' at environmental objects. 197 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:36,070 The (mostly optional) action sequences demonstrate the engine's flexibility, too - you can dodge 198 00:17:36,070 --> 00:17:43,039 puzzles by resorting to fisticuffs, or (attempt to) fly a biplane. 199 00:17:43,039 --> 00:17:48,559 It sold over a quarter of a million copies, and became the best selling LucasFilm game 200 00:17:48,559 --> 00:17:56,220 to date: presumably carried by the license, and their reputation for quality. 201 00:17:56,220 --> 00:18:01,500 Reviews were generally positive, but not as glowing as you might expect: the poor reputation 202 00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:08,740 of adventure games still lingered, seen as a beardier pursuit. 203 00:18:08,740 --> 00:18:13,929 In any case, the Indy license was out of the way - and the teams at LucasFilm Games were 204 00:18:13,929 --> 00:18:17,590 once again free to embark on more creative projects. 205 00:18:17,590 --> 00:18:23,309 In 1989, two teams assembled. 206 00:18:23,309 --> 00:18:28,950 Brian Moriarty led the fantasy-themed Loom - a magical world that dispelled the usual 207 00:18:28,950 --> 00:18:34,409 selection of verbs in favour of musical notes: you interact with the world by casting short 208 00:18:34,409 --> 00:18:38,659 musical drafts. 209 00:18:38,659 --> 00:18:45,419 Another team, led by Ron Gilbert and accompanied by new hires Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer, 210 00:18:45,419 --> 00:18:56,980 began work on what would become The Secret of Monkey Island. 211 00:18:56,980 --> 00:18:59,580 Ron Gilbert was quite critical of adventure games. 212 00:18:59,580 --> 00:19:04,850 In his 1989 article, 'Why Adventure Games Suck', he laid out a few design principles 213 00:19:04,850 --> 00:19:08,509 to help avoid the more frustrating aspects of adventures. 214 00:19:08,509 --> 00:19:13,620 His criticism wasn't limited to the gameplay, either - he was no fan of the traditional 215 00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:17,730 setting of such games. 216 00:19:17,730 --> 00:19:23,149 Fantasy had been done to death - Dungeons and Dragons was probably to blame, but the 217 00:19:23,149 --> 00:19:28,040 last thing Gilbert wanted to make was a Tolkien-fuelled trudge through an elf-filled forest. 218 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:34,980 It's odd, because Adventure films were far more diverse: featuring all sorts of swashbuckling 219 00:19:34,980 --> 00:19:40,149 action - typified by the roles of Errol Flynn. 220 00:19:40,149 --> 00:19:45,509 The piratical exploits in films like Captain Blood were fused with more contemporary elements, 221 00:19:45,509 --> 00:19:51,470 such as Disney's Pirates of the Carribean ride, The Princess Bride - and Tim Power's 222 00:19:51,470 --> 00:19:55,620 'On Stranger Tides'. 223 00:19:55,620 --> 00:20:03,330 From these, a concept crystallised: a pirate adventure, initially called 'Mutiny on Monkey 224 00:20:03,330 --> 00:20:08,049 Island'. 225 00:20:08,049 --> 00:20:13,539 The design would evolve some way from this initial proposal - Governor Marley was intended 226 00:20:13,539 --> 00:20:19,279 to be the bad guy, before eventually becoming a love interest - and the planned ship combat 227 00:20:19,279 --> 00:20:22,210 would also be replaced with swordfighting. 228 00:20:22,210 --> 00:20:27,990 Originally, the protagonist was a pirate fallen from grace, seeking redemption - with the 229 00:20:27,990 --> 00:20:30,720 provisional name 'Smear West'. 230 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:37,529 Instead, our beloved hero would become a naive fop at the tender age of 20: frilly shirts 231 00:20:37,529 --> 00:20:40,929 and fancy pants, fresh to the Caribbean. 232 00:20:40,929 --> 00:20:45,010 But what of the name? 233 00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:51,840 Something equal parts pretentious and ridiculous: the surname 'Threepwood' loaned from a P.G. 234 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,940 Wodehouse character. 235 00:20:53,940 --> 00:20:59,799 The first name was trickier: for a while, they just called him 'guy' - and the story 236 00:20:59,799 --> 00:21:05,320 goes that their art package - Deluxe Paint II - saved his sprites with a .brush extension 237 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:10,259 - leading to a file named guy.brush. 238 00:21:10,259 --> 00:21:11,529 And so it was. 239 00:21:11,529 --> 00:21:18,040 Guybrush Threepwood, mighty pirate! 240 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:24,559 As the concept solidified, and a scope and budget were defined, production could begin. 241 00:21:24,559 --> 00:21:29,769 SCUMM continued to evolve with each new game - and Monkey Island added some neat new features, 242 00:21:29,769 --> 00:21:35,720 including the ability to dynamically scale characters as they traverse paths. 243 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:41,070 Both Loom and Indy before did have limited character scaling - but the size transition 244 00:21:41,070 --> 00:21:43,710 was masked by foreground objects. 245 00:21:43,710 --> 00:21:49,240 Now, Guybrush could disappear into the distance in a much more convincing manner. 246 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:54,970 Perhaps more important were the improvements to the interface - the 'what is' verb was 247 00:21:54,970 --> 00:22:00,049 removed, as now you could simply mouse over interactive objects to reveal them - far more 248 00:22:00,049 --> 00:22:02,490 intuitive. 249 00:22:02,490 --> 00:22:07,539 The dialogue trees first seen in Indy were expanded, too - and with a wealth of funny 250 00:22:07,539 --> 00:22:13,919 conversations talking to characters would become its own reward. 251 00:22:13,919 --> 00:22:18,249 The writing was the backbone of the game's atmosphere, but it was the audiovisual aspects 252 00:22:18,249 --> 00:22:21,590 that really brought everything together. 253 00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:25,809 It was a transitional time for PC graphics, and Monkey Island would eventually support 254 00:22:25,809 --> 00:22:31,549 a wide range of video modes - from monochrome monitors to 256-colour VGA displays. 255 00:22:31,549 --> 00:22:40,830 The IBM-compatible EGA release had graphics limited to a fixed 16-colour palette, but 256 00:22:40,830 --> 00:22:46,020 the judicious use of dithering gave the illusion of more colours - particularly when viewed 257 00:22:46,020 --> 00:22:49,679 on a CRT display. 258 00:22:49,679 --> 00:22:55,639 The later Amiga and VGA releases saw improvements to the character and background art - with 259 00:22:55,639 --> 00:22:59,490 32 and 256 colour graphics respectively. 260 00:22:59,490 --> 00:23:06,289 In these, gradients became smoother, colours more natural - and the previously hand-drawn 261 00:23:06,289 --> 00:23:12,740 character portraits were replaced with direct scans of artwork. 262 00:23:12,740 --> 00:23:20,529 The game's audio would cover a similarly wide technical gamut, too - with support for simple 263 00:23:20,529 --> 00:23:31,400 blips and beeps courtesy of the PC speaker, to a new wave of digital soundcards and fully-fledged 264 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:46,510 MIDI synthesisers such as the Roland MT-32. 265 00:23:46,510 --> 00:23:50,610 Audio has never been the strongest suit of the adventure genre. 266 00:23:50,610 --> 00:23:56,499 Previous LucasFilm games were often criticised for their sound - or lack of it. 267 00:23:56,499 --> 00:23:59,410 So this time, they pulled out all the stops. 268 00:23:59,410 --> 00:24:02,240 A soundtrack from recent Harvard graduate, Michael Land. 269 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:09,190 A suite of calypso-infused sound dripping with Caribbean flavour: apt and expressive 270 00:24:09,190 --> 00:24:13,600 despite the various hardware limitations. 271 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,639 It was brilliant; memorable; and still resonant today. 272 00:24:16,639 --> 00:24:30,350 The game starts slowly: a few tentative notes 273 00:24:30,350 --> 00:24:34,519 over chord as the LucasFilm logo rolls by. 274 00:24:34,519 --> 00:24:47,509 In the middle of the Caribbean: an island named Mêlée. 275 00:24:47,509 --> 00:24:53,059 The theme kicks in and credits display: this is the introduction, and it's carefully designed 276 00:24:53,059 --> 00:24:58,489 to draw you into its world. 277 00:24:58,489 --> 00:25:03,799 The first line of dialogue manages to introduce the protagonist, their name - and their prime 278 00:25:03,799 --> 00:25:04,799 motivation. 279 00:25:04,799 --> 00:25:05,799 'Hi! 280 00:25:05,799 --> 00:25:10,789 My name's Guybrush Threepwood, and I want to be a pirate!' 281 00:25:10,789 --> 00:25:16,929 Ostensibly, Guybrush is addressing the lookout - but it's really the player he's talking 282 00:25:16,929 --> 00:25:17,929 to. 283 00:25:17,929 --> 00:25:23,691 In fact, the first few scenes of the game are a secret tutorial: the conversation with 284 00:25:23,691 --> 00:25:26,500 the lookout introduces dialogue options, and tells you exactly what to do next in no uncertain 285 00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,850 terms. 286 00:25:29,850 --> 00:25:36,450 The next scene teaches basic movement: click anywhere, and Guybrush will 'walk to' it. 287 00:25:36,450 --> 00:25:41,330 Follow the path, and you arrive at the SCUMM bar - the place where you're supposed to be. 288 00:25:41,330 --> 00:25:43,240 A door! 289 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:49,080 Hopefully by now the player will have spotted the verbs at the bottom of the screen - and 290 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,999 have the initiative to click 'Open', then on the door itself. 291 00:25:52,999 --> 00:25:58,159 If all else fails, the manual walks players through the process. 292 00:25:58,159 --> 00:26:08,649 Once you're inside, there's a panoply of people to talk to: some helpful, others... 293 00:26:08,649 --> 00:26:10,919 less so. 294 00:26:10,919 --> 00:26:15,639 It's a smorgasbord of potential interaction, and with the player fully briefed on how to 295 00:26:15,639 --> 00:26:22,590 play, and what to do - the island is yours to explore (At least, after a cutscene introduces 296 00:26:22,590 --> 00:26:27,239 the bad guy - the ghost pirate, LeChuck). 297 00:26:27,239 --> 00:26:30,510 It's a very gentle introduction - almost insultingly so. 298 00:26:30,510 --> 00:26:35,390 But the ignorance of players knows no limit, and if you want to appeal to an audience that 299 00:26:35,390 --> 00:26:42,369 has never played an adventure game before, you have to start somewhere. 300 00:26:42,369 --> 00:26:46,390 As the game picks up pace, the puzzles get more devious, and the player might even get 301 00:26:46,390 --> 00:26:53,429 stuck - but the game is never particularly difficult, and certainly never unfair. 302 00:26:53,429 --> 00:26:59,049 It is (quite famously) nearly impossible to die. 303 00:26:59,049 --> 00:27:04,519 This essentially gives the player free license to say whatever they want: use items however 304 00:27:04,519 --> 00:27:10,489 they please; and threaten even the bloodthirstiest pirate. 305 00:27:10,489 --> 00:27:14,190 It's unrealistic - but players wouldn't have half the fun experimenting with dialogue or 306 00:27:14,190 --> 00:27:18,600 puzzles if the world were more hostile. 307 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:24,039 There's a joke at a competitors' expense later in the game: wander too close to a cliff edge 308 00:27:24,039 --> 00:27:31,230 and you'll plummet to your doom, with a Sierra-style dialogue that prompts a reload. 309 00:27:31,230 --> 00:27:36,309 Seconds later, Guybrush bounces back on the screen to simply say: 310 00:27:36,309 --> 00:27:39,739 'Rubber Tree'. 311 00:27:39,739 --> 00:27:45,210 There is, truth be told, only one way to die in Monkey Island: and it's not something you 312 00:27:45,210 --> 00:27:47,159 could do accidentally. 313 00:27:47,159 --> 00:27:52,029 Frequent references are made to Guybrush's ability to hold his breath for ten minutes 314 00:27:52,029 --> 00:27:58,580 - and in one particular sequence, you find yourself underwater. 315 00:27:58,580 --> 00:28:03,619 With a variety of sharp implements just out of reach, your escape is a race against time. 316 00:28:03,619 --> 00:28:11,140 The solution is deceptively simple, but if for whatever reason you fail to find it - after 317 00:28:11,140 --> 00:28:16,269 the promised time elapses, Guybrush will eventually drown. 318 00:28:16,269 --> 00:28:22,080 The death is genuine, and you will need to reload a save - but even so, the game has 319 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,090 one last joke. 320 00:28:25,090 --> 00:28:29,129 The usual verbs at the bottom of the screen are replaced with ones more fitting for a 321 00:28:29,129 --> 00:28:33,159 corpse: Float; Bob; Decompose; Order hint book. 322 00:28:33,159 --> 00:28:44,320 It's almost worth the ten-minute wait. 323 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:49,239 Games are remembered for all sorts of different reasons - but it's rare that the copy protection 324 00:28:49,239 --> 00:28:51,179 evokes fond memories. 325 00:28:51,179 --> 00:28:57,789 Codewheels were nothing new - the DRM of its day - and most games took some measures to 326 00:28:57,789 --> 00:29:02,740 protect themselves from software piracy, but something about the the mix-n-match heads 327 00:29:02,740 --> 00:29:08,690 on the Dial-A-Pirate was charming. 328 00:29:08,690 --> 00:29:13,700 Monkey Island's humour permeates every aspect of the game - the story, the dialogue, the 329 00:29:13,700 --> 00:29:16,360 setting and characters. 330 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:20,590 Even your inventory has a touch of absurdity - what possible use could a rubber chicken 331 00:29:20,590 --> 00:29:23,159 with a pulley in the middle have? 332 00:29:23,159 --> 00:29:29,070 Comedy is a very difficult thing to get right and it would be easy to overdo things - but 333 00:29:29,070 --> 00:29:35,639 there's a balance of the zanier elements with a deadpan irony. 334 00:29:35,639 --> 00:29:41,869 Guybrush himself is an odd mix - on some fronts he's hopelessly naive: wet behind the ears, 335 00:29:41,869 --> 00:29:45,679 completely inept, and incapable of talking to girls. 336 00:29:45,679 --> 00:29:52,090 On the other hand he has a cynical streak: moments in which lampshades hang - and dialogue 337 00:29:52,090 --> 00:29:57,369 options which reveal that Guybrush knows more than he lets on. 338 00:29:57,369 --> 00:30:01,769 The irony hangs so thick in the air that I'm not convinced there is a fourth wall - and 339 00:30:01,769 --> 00:30:09,230 it feels like most of the game's cast are in on the joke, too. 340 00:30:09,230 --> 00:30:14,759 One of my favourite wall-breaking examples has to be the infamous 'stump joke' - looking 341 00:30:14,759 --> 00:30:19,389 at a particularly nondescript stump deep in the forest prompts Guybrush to describe an 342 00:30:19,389 --> 00:30:22,890 elaborate system of catacombs that lie beyond a hole. 343 00:30:22,890 --> 00:30:32,070 A sequence of increasingly improbable disk change requests follow - Disk 22, Disk 36, 344 00:30:32,070 --> 00:30:33,620 Disk 114! 345 00:30:33,620 --> 00:30:39,460 Requests impossible to fulfil, as most versions only had a few disks. 346 00:30:39,460 --> 00:30:46,639 Realising the impossible, Guybrush exclaims, 'I'll just have to skip that part of the game'. 347 00:30:46,639 --> 00:30:50,459 Some players were left confused, prompting telephone calls to LucasFilm's support line 348 00:30:50,459 --> 00:31:00,230 - and the eventual removal of the joke in later CD-ROM versions. 349 00:31:00,230 --> 00:31:05,190 Sequences like this are memorable - and there's no shortage of of them: from an elaborate 350 00:31:05,190 --> 00:31:10,359 action sequence that takes place almost entirely off-screen; to accidentally stranding yourself 351 00:31:10,359 --> 00:31:16,480 on Monkey Island; to simply touching a parrot - the game really is full of such wonderful 352 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,289 moments. 353 00:31:19,289 --> 00:31:23,840 Perhaps one of the most definitive parts of the game is the Insult Swordfighting. 354 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:30,080 In the first act you're tasked with three trials to prove your piratehood - and in one 355 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:35,039 you need to brush up on your swordplay in order to defeat the so-called SwordMaster. 356 00:31:35,039 --> 00:31:40,940 It turns out that the blade is least important thing to hone: rather than trading deadly 357 00:31:40,940 --> 00:31:49,239 blows, you draw from an arsenal of caustic barbs: insults, and retorts. 358 00:31:49,239 --> 00:31:53,559 After your initial training, it's a case of learning new insults to extend your repertoire 359 00:31:53,559 --> 00:32:00,649 - once you have a good complement of comebacks, you can start to win these battles of wits. 360 00:32:00,649 --> 00:32:06,159 The insults themselves were written by Orson Scott Card (of Ender's Game fame) with two 361 00:32:06,159 --> 00:32:08,370 parts: insult and response. 362 00:32:08,370 --> 00:32:12,889 So, an opening like 'You fight like a Dairy Farmer.' 363 00:32:12,889 --> 00:32:14,809 might be met with 'How appropriate. 364 00:32:14,809 --> 00:32:18,159 You fight like a cow'. 365 00:32:18,159 --> 00:32:22,329 Upon challenging the SwordMaster, you realise that she has a whole deck of alternate insults 366 00:32:22,329 --> 00:32:26,720 - insults unfamiliar to the rest of the island. 367 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:32,950 Cleverly, though - this set of insults meshed elegantly with the standard retorts, so with 368 00:32:32,950 --> 00:32:43,130 a quiver of comebacks, and a bit of creativity - even the SwordMaster could be bested. 369 00:32:43,130 --> 00:32:45,869 Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. 370 00:32:45,869 --> 00:32:51,200 The trials are just the first hurdle, and serve to introduce the main story arc: just 371 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:55,980 as you ascend into piratehood, the ghost pirate LeChuck kidnaps Guybrush's love interest, 372 00:32:55,980 --> 00:32:59,600 Elaine Marley, taking her to his lair. 373 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:05,609 And so with motivation clear, the plucky Guybrush must acquire a ship, hire a crew and make 374 00:33:05,609 --> 00:33:08,769 the impossible voyage to Monkey Island(TM). 375 00:33:08,769 --> 00:33:15,340 Along the way he'll make new friends: explore a brightly lit paradise - and descend into 376 00:33:15,340 --> 00:33:25,820 hell; ultimately discovering how to defeat LeChuck before the final confrontation. 377 00:33:25,820 --> 00:33:31,529 The ending sees a return to the start, as all good stories do - except this time Guybrush 378 00:33:31,529 --> 00:33:36,850 is more experienced, savvier - and packing a magic root potion. 379 00:33:36,850 --> 00:33:43,620 The fourth act, 'Guybrush Kicks Butt', marks the end of the real puzzles - instead, it's 380 00:33:43,620 --> 00:33:49,720 just a matter of tying off some loose ends and sailing to a satisfying conclusion. 381 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:58,580 The music plays, fireworks light the sky: $59.95 (plus tax) well spent. 382 00:33:58,580 --> 00:34:05,029 Every facet of Monkey Island glimmers - the sound, graphics, setting, writing, humour 383 00:34:05,029 --> 00:34:08,139 - everything comes together into a fantastic whole. 384 00:34:08,139 --> 00:34:15,130 What's most impressive is how quickly it was done - just 15 months after Indy 3, and with 385 00:34:15,130 --> 00:34:18,440 a small team. 386 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:26,050 The game first released for EGA PCs on the 15th of October, 1990 - the 256-colour VGA 387 00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:30,179 version followed in December, just in time for Christmas. 388 00:34:30,179 --> 00:34:34,619 Commodore Amiga and Atari ST users had to wait a little longer, with their ports following 389 00:34:34,619 --> 00:34:38,349 in early 1991. 390 00:34:38,349 --> 00:34:42,829 Reviews were universally positive, with the average score confidently above that vital 391 00:34:42,829 --> 00:34:45,149 90 percent threshold. 392 00:34:45,149 --> 00:34:50,320 Comparisons to earlier LucasFilm adventures were inevitable - but generally Monkey Island 393 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,609 was regarded as better in every way. 394 00:34:53,609 --> 00:34:59,710 Lauded as 'hilarious' with 'excellent writing', the setting was welcomed - as was the art 395 00:34:59,710 --> 00:35:08,260 and animation, the soundtrack and the well-polished gameplay: it was both 'fun and easy to play'. 396 00:35:08,260 --> 00:35:13,450 Negative points were minor: too much disk swapping for those playing from floppies - and 397 00:35:13,450 --> 00:35:17,150 maybe a little too easy for seasoned adventurers. 398 00:35:17,150 --> 00:35:23,000 Overall, it was universally recommended: 'This is what graphic adventures should always have 399 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:24,900 been like'. 400 00:35:24,900 --> 00:35:33,089 But of course, 'normal' people don't buy adventure games. 401 00:35:33,089 --> 00:35:36,910 Initial sales were slow - even slower than Loom. 402 00:35:36,910 --> 00:35:43,319 It hit the top 10, then drifted down the charts for months afterwards - it was another slow 403 00:35:43,319 --> 00:35:44,440 burner. 404 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:50,910 Someone at LucasFilm must have seen potential, however - after all, it was a game to be proud 405 00:35:50,910 --> 00:35:53,880 of against a fertile backdrop. 406 00:35:53,880 --> 00:36:04,840 Buoyed by the positive critical reception, a sequel was greenlit. 407 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:10,000 Shortly after Monkey Island's release, LucasFilm underwent some reorganisation: the games division 408 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:15,000 were bundled with Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound into the newly-formed 409 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,370 'LucasArts'. 410 00:36:18,370 --> 00:36:22,450 Monkey Island's sequel would be the first game to bear this new name - along with a 411 00:36:22,450 --> 00:36:26,570 new logo, known as the 'Gold Guy'. 412 00:36:26,570 --> 00:36:31,000 No matter the name, LucasArts were poised to enter a golden age of point 'n click adventure 413 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:37,049 games over the next few years, while their rivals were past their peak: 414 00:36:37,049 --> 00:36:42,819 Infocom were effectively dead after being acquired and subsequently shut down by Activision; 415 00:36:42,819 --> 00:36:47,990 And Sierra, while still dominating the PC market in terms of sales, were putting out 416 00:36:47,990 --> 00:36:52,349 games of very variable quality. 417 00:36:52,349 --> 00:36:56,789 Sierra had grown incredibly quickly on the success of their earlier games, and the company 418 00:36:56,789 --> 00:37:04,740 culture shifted away from the humbler adventures pioneered by Ken & Roberta Williams. 419 00:37:04,740 --> 00:37:09,480 LucasArts always managed to stay small, and I think that's part of the reason their games 420 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:12,900 have a persistent charm. 421 00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:20,050 So, while The Secret of Monkey Island was still in the charts, work began on 'Monkey 422 00:37:20,050 --> 00:37:24,890 Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge'. 423 00:37:24,890 --> 00:37:29,560 Unlike the first game, the sequel would be first and foremost designed with VGA graphics 424 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:36,299 in mind - with a full palette of 256 colours from the outset! 425 00:37:36,299 --> 00:37:40,589 This meant that the digitally drawn backdrops could now be scanned straight from original 426 00:37:40,589 --> 00:37:46,359 artwork, illustrated with marker pens - as this was quicker, easier - and responsible 427 00:37:46,359 --> 00:37:55,100 for the wonderful hand-drawn aesthetic. 428 00:37:55,100 --> 00:38:00,309 The music system within SCUMM had a major overhaul, too - previously, it was difficult 429 00:38:00,309 --> 00:38:08,170 to synchronise game events with musical cues, and so composer Michael Land (and Peter McConnell) 430 00:38:08,170 --> 00:38:12,400 devised a system called iMUSE. 431 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:17,470 It stands for Interactive Music Streaming Engine, and it allowed for a far more reactive 432 00:38:17,470 --> 00:38:21,650 system that could seamlessly segue between different pieces. 433 00:38:21,650 --> 00:38:28,710 For instance, in the starting settlement of Woodtick it's demonstrated very well - there 434 00:38:28,710 --> 00:38:33,369 are a variety of sub-themes for each of the locations which blend together perfectly as 435 00:38:33,369 --> 00:38:39,299 you move around. 436 00:38:39,299 --> 00:38:44,630 It's done so well, it's almost invisible - you might think it's a single piece of music, 437 00:38:44,630 --> 00:38:58,130 but it's multiple, perfectly stitched and tailored to your progress. 438 00:38:58,130 --> 00:39:02,670 These audiovisual enhancements did rather increase the size of the game - the Amiga 439 00:39:02,670 --> 00:39:07,349 version came on 11 disks, which made for a slightly miserable experience for those without 440 00:39:07,349 --> 00:39:09,069 hard drives. 441 00:39:09,069 --> 00:39:11,849 A small price to pay, though. 442 00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:17,630 It was bigger, better and more pirate-y than ever. 443 00:39:17,630 --> 00:39:24,200 It's rare than a sequel surpasses the original, but in Monkey Island 2's case it was a triumph. 444 00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:30,090 All of the experience, all of the iterative improvements to the underlying technology 445 00:39:30,090 --> 00:39:36,200 - everything came together to make a truly excellent game. 446 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:42,730 Rave reviews praised it at every turn: 'an improvement on the first in every way', 'flawless 447 00:39:42,730 --> 00:39:48,700 execution', 'the best adventure ever!'. 448 00:39:48,700 --> 00:39:52,839 Scores hit a rarefied tier. 449 00:39:52,839 --> 00:39:57,770 So, did it sell? 450 00:39:57,770 --> 00:40:00,020 Not really. 451 00:40:00,020 --> 00:40:01,150 Kinda. 452 00:40:01,150 --> 00:40:02,280 Eventually. 453 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:07,309 The tragic thing about LucasArts is that their original games were normally met with lukewarm 454 00:40:07,309 --> 00:40:13,380 commercial success: they weren't going to go bankrupt, but there must have been some 455 00:40:13,380 --> 00:40:18,340 envious eyes cast in the direction of Sierra. 456 00:40:18,340 --> 00:40:26,500 Shortly after Monkey Island 2 had shipped, Ron Gilbert decided to leave LucasArts - he 457 00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:32,350 felt it was time to start his own company, and so founded Humongous Entertainment. 458 00:40:32,350 --> 00:40:38,100 Here, he would go on to make adventure games for a younger market: including the Freddi 459 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:41,110 Fish and Pajama Sam series. 460 00:40:41,110 --> 00:40:46,089 Children's games aren't particularly glamorous, but Humongous would enjoy quite some success 461 00:40:46,089 --> 00:40:51,520 - their catalogue collectively selling 15 million copies, which is far more than Monkey 462 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:54,640 Island ever sold. 463 00:40:54,640 --> 00:41:01,070 However, with the creator of both Monkey Island and SCUMM divorced from the game's rights: 464 00:41:01,070 --> 00:41:06,810 Monkey 2's enigmatic ending would be left unresolved, and we might never discover the 465 00:41:06,810 --> 00:41:14,340 true Secret of Monkey Island. 466 00:41:14,340 --> 00:41:19,049 This wasn't the end for LucasArts, however - in fact, quite a few classic adventures 467 00:41:19,049 --> 00:41:23,059 followed in Monkey Island's wake. 468 00:41:23,059 --> 00:41:28,390 Indiana Jones saw a revisit in the Fate of Atlantis: designed by LucasArts veteran Noah 469 00:41:28,390 --> 00:41:32,300 Falstein and screenwriter Hal Barwood. 470 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:36,960 Lavishly illustrated and with a full talkie CD-ROM version, it was a definite upgrade 471 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:42,349 when compared to The Last Crusade - and without an associated movie, free of any deadline 472 00:41:42,349 --> 00:41:44,740 or script constraints. 473 00:41:44,740 --> 00:41:52,900 Sam and Max Hit the Road was the brainchild of Steve Purcell, based on his comic book 474 00:41:52,900 --> 00:41:58,549 characters: A dog and rabbity-thing duo who together tackle crime. 475 00:41:58,549 --> 00:42:03,240 It's a colourful tour of Americana with a zany streak a mile wide, a very good fit for 476 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:05,789 the LucasArts mould. 477 00:42:05,789 --> 00:42:09,569 The verb-heavy interface of previous games was streamlined to grant more space for the 478 00:42:09,569 --> 00:42:15,660 graphics - replaced with icons as part of the inventory screen. 479 00:42:15,660 --> 00:42:21,089 These simplifications worked well enough for most interactions - less so for dialogue - but 480 00:42:21,089 --> 00:42:27,240 later games would continue to tweak the interface, without the full bank of verbs. 481 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:33,900 Meanwhile, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman both remained at LucasArts, and together they led 482 00:42:33,900 --> 00:42:37,430 a sequel to Maniac Mansion. 483 00:42:37,430 --> 00:42:42,260 Day of The Tentacle was very different to its predecessor - there were a few familiar 484 00:42:42,260 --> 00:42:47,770 faces, and the multi-character gameplay remained (albeit with a time-travel twist) - but much 485 00:42:47,770 --> 00:42:56,049 had changed since 1987: SCUMM had matured, as had player expectation. 486 00:42:56,049 --> 00:43:00,760 The graphics were nicer, the animation better, and the music too - the whole scale of production 487 00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:09,390 shifted ever upwards as VGA-capable, soundblaster-equipped PCs became the standard. 488 00:43:09,390 --> 00:43:15,600 Earlier 16-bit machines like the Atari ST and Amiga were left behind, and thanks to 489 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:21,599 CD-ROM, the constraints of the floppy disk were a thing of the past. 490 00:43:21,599 --> 00:43:26,630 As great as this was for the adventure genre, the colossal space that CDs afforded came 491 00:43:26,630 --> 00:43:28,800 at a cost of ballooning budgets. 492 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:39,390 An ever-increasing payload of artwork, CD-quality music and now, voice actors! 493 00:43:39,390 --> 00:43:43,590 After Day of the Tentacle was complete, Dave Grossman left LucasArts to pursue a freelance 494 00:43:43,590 --> 00:43:48,770 career - where he would spend some time working with Ron Gilbert at Humongous. 495 00:43:48,770 --> 00:43:55,829 Now, of the three designers that worked on Monkey Island, only Tim Schafer remained. 496 00:43:55,829 --> 00:44:02,190 The golden era of LucasArts adventures started with Monkey Island and endured for a few years 497 00:44:02,190 --> 00:44:07,700 afterwards - but they didn't have a monopoly on this style of game. 498 00:44:07,700 --> 00:44:12,170 Plenty of other developers took notes, and shaped their adventures to mirror those pioneered 499 00:44:12,170 --> 00:44:13,839 by LucasArts. 500 00:44:13,839 --> 00:44:19,770 In the the space of just a year or two after Monkey Island's release, there's a clear shift 501 00:44:19,770 --> 00:44:24,760 away from the Sierra-style approach to a newer paradigm: 502 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:29,670 For instance, the point-and-click interface, the indirect character control, and the approach 503 00:44:29,670 --> 00:44:35,440 to verbs and dialogue were all codified as a standard: 504 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:40,299 The cinematic influences that shaped SCUMM are apparent, too - both through use of cutscenes 505 00:44:40,299 --> 00:44:45,359 (as established in Maniac Mansion) and the composition of scenery, such as the use of 506 00:44:45,359 --> 00:44:50,730 foreground elements to give a sense of greater three-dimensional depth. 507 00:44:50,730 --> 00:44:55,800 This was often coupled with a slightly warped perspective - Escher-esque locations that 508 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:01,250 don't entirely work geometrically, but fit a 2D plane for the purposes of point-and-click. 509 00:45:01,250 --> 00:45:07,819 And of course, the principal hallmark: an absence of death - or puzzle dead-ends at 510 00:45:07,819 --> 00:45:14,220 least - was generally expected. 511 00:45:14,220 --> 00:45:18,279 Most graphic adventures stuck to this sort of formula, but there were some that bucked 512 00:45:18,279 --> 00:45:22,500 the trend, mostly in response to new technology. 513 00:45:22,500 --> 00:45:28,470 By now, CD-ROM drives had become an essential multimedia accessory for every new PC, and 514 00:45:28,470 --> 00:45:33,980 while most games would eventually take advantage of this space, some really embraced it - and 515 00:45:33,980 --> 00:45:38,660 made copious use of full motion video. 516 00:45:38,660 --> 00:45:44,440 The 7th Guest was one such game, a creepy puzzle adventure - and one of the first games 517 00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:46,970 released exclusively on CD. 518 00:45:46,970 --> 00:45:55,380 For the time, it was an audiovisual treat - extravagant 3D animation, video clips and 519 00:45:55,380 --> 00:45:56,380 music. 520 00:45:56,380 --> 00:46:02,500 Of course, this meant that the gameplay itself took a back seat, so it wasn't a particularly 521 00:46:02,500 --> 00:46:11,539 good game, but it did demonstrate the potential of this new technology very well indeed. 522 00:46:11,539 --> 00:46:14,970 Another adventure from this multimedia era was Myst. 523 00:46:14,970 --> 00:46:20,910 A scenic romp through a prerendered 3D world with some particularly devilish puzzles - and 524 00:46:20,910 --> 00:46:24,859 told, for the most part, without language. 525 00:46:24,859 --> 00:46:29,210 With no time limit, or failure state it seems to take heed of Monkey Island's lessons in 526 00:46:29,210 --> 00:46:34,650 adventure design - but its approach is almost entirely different, relying on cold logic 527 00:46:34,650 --> 00:46:38,109 rather than humour. 528 00:46:38,109 --> 00:46:44,230 It was a great game, but also one on the right format, at the right time - anyone buying 529 00:46:44,230 --> 00:46:49,420 a new CD-ROM drive was surely in need of something to test it with. 530 00:46:49,420 --> 00:46:56,450 It managed to sell 6 million copies - a colossal amount, and it became the best selling PC 531 00:46:56,450 --> 00:47:03,299 game ever, at least until The Sims came out. 532 00:47:03,299 --> 00:47:10,400 In a few short years, the PC market had changed dramatically - driven by a multimedia revolution, 533 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:15,020 the release of Windows 95, and games like Doom. 534 00:47:15,020 --> 00:47:19,980 It was a great time to be a PC gamer, but these changes would prove challenging for 535 00:47:19,980 --> 00:47:22,549 the adventure market. 536 00:47:22,549 --> 00:47:33,789 By 1995, after a year's absence of adventures, LucasArts were ready to release Tim Schafer's 537 00:47:33,789 --> 00:47:37,050 first solo-led game. 538 00:47:37,050 --> 00:47:42,150 Full Throttle was a rock-and-roll tale of biker gangs in a dystopian near-future - the 539 00:47:42,150 --> 00:47:47,190 fate of the last motorcycle manufacturer in the balance. 540 00:47:47,190 --> 00:47:51,470 Its animation was done at a much larger scale than previous games, with frequent use of 541 00:47:51,470 --> 00:47:53,930 close-ups and cinematic camera angles. 542 00:47:53,930 --> 00:48:00,340 It confidently filled a CD-ROM, with full voice, a licensed CD audio soundtrack provided 543 00:48:00,340 --> 00:48:06,190 by The Gone Jackals, and plenty of FMV cutscenes. 544 00:48:06,190 --> 00:48:12,130 With a budget ten times the size of The Secret of Monkey Island, it was expensive - but ultimately 545 00:48:12,130 --> 00:48:16,700 worth it: Full Throttle sold over a million copies. 546 00:48:16,700 --> 00:48:24,980 The same year, we finally saw the release of a much-vaunted Spielberg collaboration, 547 00:48:24,980 --> 00:48:31,109 'The Dig' - a game that had been in development since 1989. 548 00:48:31,109 --> 00:48:36,220 An ambitious stab at some serious science fiction that starts off akin to Armageddon 549 00:48:36,220 --> 00:48:40,070 but soon whisks the player off to a fantastic alien world. 550 00:48:40,070 --> 00:48:46,890 It had a different feel to most LucasArts adventures - the fun, or 'zany' element was 551 00:48:46,890 --> 00:48:55,130 missing, and while there was still occasional humour, the overall tone was overtly adult. 552 00:48:55,130 --> 00:48:59,720 The orchestral score probably helped set the mood - and it was refreshing, selling pretty 553 00:48:59,720 --> 00:49:04,270 well - but many didn't quite know what to make of it. 554 00:49:04,270 --> 00:49:11,170 One major criticism was the low-resolution graphics - 320x200 had been the standard game 555 00:49:11,170 --> 00:49:18,400 resolution for a while, but as PC hardware improved there was a graduation towards 640x480 556 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:22,980 (and beyond). 557 00:49:22,980 --> 00:49:28,500 In 1997, the third Monkey Island game would benefit from this bump in detail: The Curse 558 00:49:28,500 --> 00:49:30,339 of Monkey Island. 559 00:49:30,339 --> 00:49:35,880 Obviously things look a little different with quadruple the pixels - an entirely new comic-book 560 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:42,549 appearance for Guybrush, along with voice acting provided by Dominic Armato. 561 00:49:42,549 --> 00:49:46,829 Considering the absence of the original creator and designers of Monkey Island, it was always 562 00:49:46,829 --> 00:49:52,290 going to be difficult to make a game that matched expectations. 563 00:49:52,290 --> 00:49:58,549 Despite this, it's hard to dislike - while detached from the originals in terms of style, 564 00:49:58,549 --> 00:50:01,510 it still has the wit and charm. 565 00:50:01,510 --> 00:50:07,500 For latecomers to the series it was an introduction to the world of Monkey Island, but it also 566 00:50:07,500 --> 00:50:13,069 marked the last ever 2D SCUMM adventure from LucasArts. 567 00:50:13,069 --> 00:50:18,420 Towards the end of the decade came an increasing demand for 3D games - and the rising ubiquity 568 00:50:18,420 --> 00:50:22,190 of graphics cards with 3D acceleration. 569 00:50:22,190 --> 00:50:28,519 Unfortunately, SCUMM wasn't designed for 3D games - nor would it make the transition. 570 00:50:28,519 --> 00:50:36,440 Instead, a new engine for a new game. 571 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:42,829 Grim Fandango was the first LucasArts adventure to make that difficult transition to 3D. 572 00:50:42,829 --> 00:50:48,050 A tragic journey through the Land of the Dead heavy with film noir influence, a colourful 573 00:50:48,050 --> 00:50:51,140 cast of calaca led by Manny Calavera. 574 00:50:51,140 --> 00:50:58,809 It ran on something called the Grim Engine, or GrimE - based the existing Sith engine 575 00:50:58,809 --> 00:51:02,130 which powered Dark Forces II. 576 00:51:02,130 --> 00:51:06,990 The characters are rendered as 3D objects on top of a static background - the polygon 577 00:51:06,990 --> 00:51:12,089 pushing ability of PCs at the time wasn't quite up to such ornate scenes. 578 00:51:12,089 --> 00:51:18,539 So the camera angles are fixed, and you navigate with tank-like controls - in a bold step for 579 00:51:18,539 --> 00:51:25,050 the point and click genre, the mouse took a back seat. 580 00:51:25,050 --> 00:51:30,240 It wasn't ideal, but this was perhaps the only blemish on a brilliant game - a unique 581 00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:37,010 setting with a cool aesthetic backed with a truly heartfelt story. 582 00:51:37,010 --> 00:51:44,690 One last hurrah for the adventure genre - but it was clear the end was close. 583 00:51:44,690 --> 00:51:52,080 LucasArts gave us one final adventure game, and I suppose it's fitting that it was a return 584 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:59,799 to Monkey Island, as it was the original that started our brief obsession. 585 00:51:59,799 --> 00:52:04,440 Using the same engine as Grim Fandango, it took us back to Mêlée Island, although things 586 00:52:04,440 --> 00:52:07,349 look much different in 3D. 587 00:52:07,349 --> 00:52:12,300 The music and voice acting were on point, and the game bristles with references to previous 588 00:52:12,300 --> 00:52:21,250 games - and yet Escape is by far the least favoured of the Monkey Island series. 589 00:52:21,250 --> 00:52:26,190 Despite the awkward controls and difficult transition to 3D it was a perfectly good adventure, 590 00:52:26,190 --> 00:52:35,799 I suppose, but it felt counterfeit - long divorced from its origin. 591 00:52:35,799 --> 00:52:42,559 LucasArts planned a sequel to both Full Throttle and Sam & Max, but these were cancelled mid-development. 592 00:52:42,559 --> 00:52:48,089 A statement put out by LucasArts euphemistically described their doom: 593 00:52:48,089 --> 00:52:54,520 "After careful evaluation of current market place realities and underlying economic considerations, 594 00:52:54,520 --> 00:52:59,569 we've decided that this was not the appropriate time to launch a graphic adventure on the 595 00:52:59,569 --> 00:53:06,130 PC." 596 00:53:06,130 --> 00:53:09,440 Adventure games were dead. 597 00:53:09,440 --> 00:53:16,940 It's not that PC gaming wasn't growing - it's that the consoles were growing faster. 598 00:53:16,940 --> 00:53:23,450 Adventure games had failed to make the transition, and PC gamers were increasingly drawn to fast-paced 599 00:53:23,450 --> 00:53:27,180 3D-accelerated action. 600 00:53:27,180 --> 00:53:33,280 The adventure market withered while the budgets bloated: and it was a shame to admit, but 601 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:39,069 they had long passed the point of profitability. 602 00:53:39,069 --> 00:53:43,200 And so, LucasArts's adventure era had come to an end. 603 00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:48,700 As the death knell tolled, the prequels began. 604 00:53:48,700 --> 00:53:57,490 All that remained was Star Wars. 605 00:53:57,490 --> 00:54:02,099 With an evaporation of financial viability, graphic adventures were certainly thin on 606 00:54:02,099 --> 00:54:06,329 the ground - but not yet extinct. 607 00:54:06,329 --> 00:54:11,410 Most such games from this era hail from European developers - a market traditionally rooted 608 00:54:11,410 --> 00:54:18,240 in computers over consoles, and one less susceptible to American market factors. 609 00:54:18,240 --> 00:54:22,190 Monkey Island's influence is particularly clear in games like Gilbert Goodmate and the 610 00:54:22,190 --> 00:54:27,940 Mushroom of Phungoria: a Swedish love letter to LucasArts, and an attempt to capture the 611 00:54:27,940 --> 00:54:32,680 magic of the mid-90s. 612 00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:37,420 A few others around this time kept up the genre's faint pulse: 613 00:54:37,420 --> 00:54:43,760 French developer/publisher Microids released Syberia in 2002; 614 00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:47,609 Revolution Software - the English studio behind Lure of the Temptress and Beneath a Steel 615 00:54:47,609 --> 00:54:53,760 Sky - released the third in the Broken Sword series in 2003. 616 00:54:53,760 --> 00:54:59,980 And we also saw the first stirrings of a resurgent indie game scene: Samorost was an atmospheric 617 00:54:59,980 --> 00:55:04,789 point & click puzzle game made in Flash and distributed via the web. 618 00:55:04,789 --> 00:55:11,609 It wasn't the most vibrant time for adventure games - but they were still going. 619 00:55:11,609 --> 00:55:16,010 And with ever year that passed, more and more people would discover games from LucasArts' 620 00:55:16,010 --> 00:55:20,920 back catalogue - and their popularity would snowball. 621 00:55:20,920 --> 00:55:28,710 In 2009, the original Secret of Monkey Island was remastered: a special edition with all 622 00:55:28,710 --> 00:55:33,519 new hand-drawn graphics, voice acting and rerecorded music. 623 00:55:33,519 --> 00:55:39,130 I was never completely sold on the new look, but the ability to seamlessly switch between 624 00:55:39,130 --> 00:55:44,599 'classic' graphics was a neat touch - and support for newer platforms like the Xbox 625 00:55:44,599 --> 00:55:51,720 360, PS3 and iPad meant more people could play the game for the first time. 626 00:55:51,720 --> 00:55:56,589 Monkey Island 2 had a similar treatment in 2010, completing the classic pair. 627 00:55:56,589 --> 00:56:01,720 These special editions weren't likely to trigger another golden era - the industry had long 628 00:56:01,720 --> 00:56:06,760 moved on from point and click games - but they do help to keep the games relevant, certainly 629 00:56:06,760 --> 00:56:12,119 for those not familiar with ScummVM. 630 00:56:12,119 --> 00:56:16,779 So while pure point n' click adventure games are a rare sight, they still made an impression 631 00:56:16,779 --> 00:56:24,589 on other genres - with adventure elements fused into hybrids such as the 'Action Adventure'. 632 00:56:24,589 --> 00:56:29,280 These games were far more suited to console controls, and gave players the faster-paced 633 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:35,630 action and 3D graphics they craved - but certain aspects attempted to emulate the appeal of 634 00:56:35,630 --> 00:56:38,200 narrative-led games: 635 00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:43,569 Cutscenes, first implemented (and named as such) by Maniac Mansion, were now an essential 636 00:56:43,569 --> 00:56:47,369 part of game storytelling; 637 00:56:47,369 --> 00:56:52,670 Voice-acted dialogue was now an important tool for conveying information to the player 638 00:56:52,670 --> 00:56:58,490 - and in many ways, Monkey Island had demonstrated that games could be funny; 639 00:56:58,490 --> 00:57:03,400 The concept of an inventory was now well-established, and you could also expect some lightweight 640 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:09,820 puzzles to turn up in even the most action-focused game. 641 00:57:09,820 --> 00:57:14,750 This sort of hybridization remains common in mainstream games - with mechanics like 642 00:57:14,750 --> 00:57:21,119 crafting, levelling, skill points, driving, flying, shooting fused together into a novel 643 00:57:21,119 --> 00:57:25,069 gestalt genre. 644 00:57:25,069 --> 00:57:30,431 This was the way the wind was blowing after the age of the point & click - and Tim Schafer 645 00:57:30,431 --> 00:57:32,170 knew it. 646 00:57:32,170 --> 00:57:39,210 He had both Full Throttle and Grim Fandango under his belt - two of the finest graphic 647 00:57:39,210 --> 00:57:41,690 adventures ever made. 648 00:57:41,690 --> 00:57:45,520 His time at LucasArts had ended, but he wasn't about to quit now. 649 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:51,859 In June 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, he founded his own company - Double 650 00:57:51,859 --> 00:57:56,069 Fine Productions. 651 00:57:56,069 --> 00:58:01,619 Their first game would be Psychonauts - a 3D platform adventure set in a weird world 652 00:58:01,619 --> 00:58:04,260 of psychic powers. 653 00:58:04,260 --> 00:58:08,309 Its development was particularly troubled - it was originally supposed to be published 654 00:58:08,309 --> 00:58:17,579 by Microsoft, but in 2004 the deal fell through and the game was picked up by Majesco instead. 655 00:58:17,579 --> 00:58:23,390 Despite critical success, Psychonauts was a commercial failure: taking four and a half 656 00:58:23,390 --> 00:58:28,430 years to make with a budget of eleven and a half million dollars - selling fewer than 657 00:58:28,430 --> 00:58:33,319 100,000 copies in the US by the end of 2005. 658 00:58:33,319 --> 00:58:35,140 The numbers didn't add up. 659 00:58:35,140 --> 00:58:40,630 Majesco pulled out of big budget video games, and Double Fine were lumbered with a reputation 660 00:58:40,630 --> 00:58:47,150 for being 'Expensive and late'. 661 00:58:47,150 --> 00:58:53,030 Vivendi took a chance on Double Fine for their next game, however - a rock and roll action/adventure 662 00:58:53,030 --> 00:58:55,630 titled Brutal Legend. 663 00:58:55,630 --> 00:58:59,660 Predictably, development was troubled. 664 00:58:59,660 --> 00:59:04,550 Activision purchased Vivendi Games in 2008 and Brutal Legend was lost somewhere in the 665 00:59:04,550 --> 00:59:10,089 transition - while in limbo, Double Fine looked for a new publisher. 666 00:59:10,089 --> 00:59:16,430 During this rather uncertain time, they worked on a number of game protoypes - a couple of 667 00:59:16,430 --> 00:59:19,740 which would see later fruition. 668 00:59:19,740 --> 00:59:24,820 Both Costume Quest and Stacking stem from these experimental days - and the smaller 669 00:59:24,820 --> 00:59:30,640 nature of their scope suited Xbox Live Arcade and PSN well, so they nestled neatly amongst 670 00:59:30,640 --> 00:59:32,670 the rise of indie games. 671 00:59:32,670 --> 00:59:42,090 Eventually, EA picked up the rights to Brutal Legend and it was released in 2009 - a positive 672 00:59:42,090 --> 00:59:46,550 critical reception, with underwhelming sales. 673 00:59:46,550 --> 00:59:51,960 Yet another cult classic! 674 00:59:51,960 --> 00:59:56,500 So maybe the traditional publisher model wasn't ideal for Double Fine: but a world without 675 00:59:56,500 --> 01:00:00,960 Tim Schafer games would be a poorer one. 676 01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:04,859 His fans know this, and with the emergence of Kickstarter, crowdfunding seemed like the 677 01:00:04,859 --> 01:00:12,200 logical solution for a studio like Double Fine. 678 01:00:12,200 --> 01:00:17,049 Perhaps that's why the campaign for Broken Age broke records, raising nearly 3 and a 679 01:00:17,049 --> 01:00:18,049 half million dollars. 680 01:00:18,049 --> 01:00:22,119 I suppose fans of the point & click genre haven't had much else to spend their money 681 01:00:22,119 --> 01:00:26,890 on - but it demonstrates the viability of such a model, and opened the door for other 682 01:00:26,890 --> 01:00:33,359 projects to follow suit. 683 01:00:33,359 --> 01:00:37,730 Following Disney's acquisition of LucasFilm and its IP, Double Fine were able to secure 684 01:00:37,730 --> 01:00:41,460 the rights to remaster some of LucasArt's classic adventures. 685 01:00:41,460 --> 01:00:47,920 In 2015, Grim Fandango was given a coat of paint - improved textures and lighting - and 686 01:00:47,920 --> 01:00:50,200 released on modern systems. 687 01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:58,690 The year after, Day of the Tentacle was given similar treatment - and most recently in 2017, 688 01:00:58,690 --> 01:00:59,920 Full Throttle. 689 01:00:59,920 --> 01:01:06,480 So clearly adventure games still had a fanbase - a fact borne out by crowdfunding success, 690 01:01:06,480 --> 01:01:07,890 and Psychonauts 2 on the horizon. 691 01:01:07,890 --> 01:01:11,770 Perhaps they weren't dead after all - just sleeping? 692 01:01:11,770 --> 01:01:18,730 But then, even text adventures never truly died - there remains an interest in interactive 693 01:01:18,730 --> 01:01:19,730 fiction. 694 01:01:19,730 --> 01:01:26,000 Point and click adventures certainly didn't kill them off, they just stole the limelight: 695 01:01:26,000 --> 01:01:30,569 and I think the classic formula will always have its fans - the Deponia games are testament 696 01:01:30,569 --> 01:01:40,500 to that - but if adventure games were to have a resurgence, some innovation was in order. 697 01:01:40,500 --> 01:01:44,930 LucasArts weren't the only publishers worrying about escalating budgets - even success stories 698 01:01:44,930 --> 01:01:48,980 like Valve felt the pinch too. 699 01:01:48,980 --> 01:01:54,930 So around 2004, when the digital marketplace was first becoming a reality, the solution 700 01:01:54,930 --> 01:01:56,670 seemed to be episodic games. 701 01:01:56,670 --> 01:02:02,549 The trouble is, as Valve discovered with the Half Life 2 episodes, is that scaling down 702 01:02:02,549 --> 01:02:09,349 the scope of production doesn't necessarily scale down audience expectation. 703 01:02:09,349 --> 01:02:16,240 In fact, episodic gaming has largely been a failure, but there is one success story. 704 01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:23,369 In July 2004, a group of ex-LucasArts employees who were working on the cancelled Sam & Max 705 01:02:23,369 --> 01:02:25,519 title formed a new studio: 706 01:02:25,519 --> 01:02:30,630 A studio called Telltale Games. 707 01:02:30,630 --> 01:02:34,380 Their first game was just a test - Telltale Texas Hold 'Em. 708 01:02:34,380 --> 01:02:38,890 Proof of concept for their new engine - and the viability of digital distribution. 709 01:02:38,890 --> 01:02:45,950 In 2005, they were joined by Dave Grossman - just in time for their first adventure. 710 01:02:45,950 --> 01:02:51,560 Based on the Jeff Smith comic, Bone: Out From Boneville isn't Telltale's finest work - but 711 01:02:51,560 --> 01:02:53,010 it is a starting point. 712 01:02:53,010 --> 01:02:59,079 From here, they managed to snare the license for Sam and Max: and make a game that filled 713 01:02:59,079 --> 01:03:03,400 the void left by the one LucasArts cancelled. 714 01:03:03,400 --> 01:03:08,200 It was released episodically, with the first appearing in late 2006 and the series stretching 715 01:03:08,200 --> 01:03:11,210 to mid-2007 716 01:03:11,210 --> 01:03:12,210 It was pretty good. 717 01:03:12,210 --> 01:03:17,600 Not spectacular, but they had done something special: they had found a way to make adventure 718 01:03:17,600 --> 01:03:25,740 games viable again - and they had brought back a much-loved LucasArts franchise. 719 01:03:25,740 --> 01:03:32,309 A second season followed, as well as adventures featuring Strongbad, Wallace and Gromit - and 720 01:03:32,309 --> 01:03:36,470 Monkey Island. 721 01:03:36,470 --> 01:03:41,680 Tales of Monkey Island was a 5-part return to the franchise in 2009 - a 3D adventure, 722 01:03:41,680 --> 01:03:45,390 as with Escape - but much more comfortable to play. 723 01:03:45,390 --> 01:03:50,789 As a Monkey Island fan, it was an oasis in the desert - most had long given up hope of 724 01:03:50,789 --> 01:03:53,980 Guybrushes' glorious return. 725 01:03:53,980 --> 01:03:59,380 So while it doesn't necessarily compare to the originals it was something at least - more 726 01:03:59,380 --> 01:04:02,759 Monkey Island can't be a bad thing, right? 727 01:04:02,759 --> 01:04:07,630 However, I think it's fair to say Telltale really came into their own by exploiting more 728 01:04:07,630 --> 01:04:13,530 contemporary licenses - The Walking Dead, released from 2012 onwards, is their most 729 01:04:13,530 --> 01:04:16,720 successful series - selling multiple millions of episodes. 730 01:04:16,720 --> 01:04:24,950 In the wake of that success, a slew of other licensed series followed: The Wolf Among Us, 731 01:04:24,950 --> 01:04:28,920 Game of Thrones, Batman - even Minecraft. 732 01:04:28,920 --> 01:04:34,769 There have been some signs that Telltale might be running into trouble - reports of 'toxic 733 01:04:34,769 --> 01:04:37,999 management', poor working conditions - and a failure to innovate - 734 01:04:37,999 --> 01:04:44,740 but over the last decade they have demonstrated that episodic content can work - and beyond 735 01:04:44,740 --> 01:04:50,849 that, they've proven that there is still a viable market for narrative-led games. 736 01:04:50,849 --> 01:04:57,599 So, some have emulated Telltale's episodic approach as a way to amortise the cost and 737 01:04:57,599 --> 01:05:04,359 time of development - the wonderfully artful Kentucky Route Zero commenced in 2013, and 738 01:05:04,359 --> 01:05:06,940 is still ongoing. 739 01:05:06,940 --> 01:05:12,350 Activision rebooted the King's Quest series with a 5-part adventure in 2015, complete 740 01:05:12,350 --> 01:05:16,109 with corny episode names. 741 01:05:16,109 --> 01:05:21,579 Perhaps the most successful is Dontnod's Life Is Strange - a blend of teen drama and time 742 01:05:21,579 --> 01:05:26,560 travel in the picturesque Pacific Northwest - ironically, much more memorable than their 743 01:05:26,560 --> 01:05:32,029 first title. 744 01:05:32,029 --> 01:05:37,490 With the advent of indie games, there has emerged a new style of storytelling, shedding 745 01:05:37,490 --> 01:05:43,009 the vulgarities of so-called 'gameplay' in favour of quiet contemplation and environmental 746 01:05:43,009 --> 01:05:45,410 exploration. 747 01:05:45,410 --> 01:05:51,450 A less kind description would be a 'walking simulator'. 748 01:05:51,450 --> 01:05:57,190 Dear Esther started as a mod in 2008, before being redeveloped for commercial release in 749 01:05:57,190 --> 01:05:58,520 2012. 750 01:05:58,520 --> 01:06:00,020 It has no puzzles. 751 01:06:00,020 --> 01:06:03,180 There is nothing to do but explore an island. 752 01:06:03,180 --> 01:06:06,930 As you do so, fragments of the story reveal themselves. 753 01:06:06,930 --> 01:06:13,491 Paring back the gameplay to an absolute minimum is quite a controversial move, but it does 754 01:06:13,491 --> 01:06:20,690 shift the focus to the narrative, which is certainly different - even refreshing. 755 01:06:20,690 --> 01:06:25,730 Perhaps that's why world-weary critics took to this sort of game so well. 756 01:06:25,730 --> 01:06:31,310 A flurry of them followed: Gone Home; The Stanley Parable; Firewatch. 757 01:06:31,310 --> 01:06:35,200 Games with stories to tell - and I suppose it is a change of pace. 758 01:06:35,200 --> 01:06:43,349 No substitute for action, but there's no harm in an alternative. 759 01:06:43,349 --> 01:06:47,480 After all, the original Monkey Island came out at a time where most preferred the instant 760 01:06:47,480 --> 01:06:50,349 gratification of arcade-style games. 761 01:06:50,349 --> 01:06:56,720 The very idea of going for 10 minutes without shooting something was alien - until the precipitation 762 01:06:56,720 --> 01:06:59,970 of a new acceptance of adventure games. 763 01:06:59,970 --> 01:07:08,190 Ultimately, it's all thanks to Monkey Island, SCUMM, Maniac Mansion - and their creator. 764 01:07:08,190 --> 01:07:15,789 But it's fair to say Ron Gilbert's later career is a little chequered. 765 01:07:15,789 --> 01:07:20,500 Humongous Entertainment found quite some success, as did sister label Cavedog Entertainment 766 01:07:20,500 --> 01:07:23,230 (which produced Total Annihilation). 767 01:07:23,230 --> 01:07:29,559 However, Humongous were purchased in 1996 by GT Interactive, of whom Infogrames took 768 01:07:29,559 --> 01:07:32,819 a controlling interest in 1999. 769 01:07:32,819 --> 01:07:36,630 Their plan for Humongous didn't mesh with Ron's. 770 01:07:36,630 --> 01:07:43,829 He, along with the other co-founder, set up Hulabee Entertainment in 2001 - with the intent 771 01:07:43,829 --> 01:07:48,940 of producing children's games and distributing them digitally: a bold, forward-looking move 772 01:07:48,940 --> 01:07:50,619 for the time. 773 01:07:50,619 --> 01:07:58,200 Sadly, things went sour when the other cofounder was jailed for fraud - and by 2005, Ron was 774 01:07:58,200 --> 01:07:59,490 independent. 775 01:07:59,490 --> 01:08:06,920 He spent some time working with Hothead games - assisting with the episodic Penny Arcade 776 01:08:06,920 --> 01:08:08,920 Adventures. 777 01:08:08,920 --> 01:08:13,460 Following that, he was also key designer on Deathspank, and its sequel - Thongs of Virtue: 778 01:08:13,460 --> 01:08:18,820 an action RPG that's part Diablo, part Monkey Island. 779 01:08:18,820 --> 01:08:24,000 After that in 2010, Ron joined Tim Schafer at Double Fine to work on an idea that dates 780 01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:26,670 to even before Maniac Mansion. 781 01:08:26,670 --> 01:08:31,640 That game was The Cave, released in 2013. 782 01:08:31,640 --> 01:08:37,549 In it, you select a team of 3 characters out of a possible 7, each with unique abilities: 783 01:08:37,549 --> 01:08:44,109 and with them, you negotiate the puzzles and platforms of the aforementioned Cave. 784 01:08:44,109 --> 01:08:48,420 Most recently, along with the co-designer of Maniac Mansion, Gary Winnick, he's been 785 01:08:48,420 --> 01:08:54,490 behind the crowdfunded classic point and click, Thimbleweed Park. 786 01:08:54,490 --> 01:09:00,949 First revealed in late 2014 with a Kickstarter campaign, it met its goal of $375,000 - eventually 787 01:09:00,949 --> 01:09:05,219 raising about $600,000. 788 01:09:05,219 --> 01:09:10,210 The pitch described it as 'like opening a dusty old desk drawer and finding an undiscovered 789 01:09:10,210 --> 01:09:14,799 LucasArts adventure game you’ve never played before.' 790 01:09:14,799 --> 01:09:15,799 It's true. 791 01:09:15,799 --> 01:09:20,489 There are some niceties that weren't possible back in the day - more colours, subtler shading, 792 01:09:20,489 --> 01:09:24,589 smoother movement - but otherwise it's pretty authentic. 793 01:09:24,589 --> 01:09:29,660 Five distinct characters, wonderful background art - and all the humour and cultural references 794 01:09:29,660 --> 01:09:32,400 you'd expect. 795 01:09:32,400 --> 01:09:33,699 As for what Ron will do next? 796 01:09:33,699 --> 01:09:35,029 Who can say. 797 01:09:35,029 --> 01:09:40,150 With the purchase of LucasArts by Disney in 2012, the rights to Monkey Island are held 798 01:09:40,150 --> 01:09:41,580 by the mouse. 799 01:09:41,580 --> 01:09:46,420 Quite what they'll do with them isn't clear - but they already have The Pirates of The 800 01:09:46,420 --> 01:09:50,970 Caribbean on their roster, so I wouldn't expect anything soon. 801 01:09:50,970 --> 01:09:58,400 For now, all that remains... is the big question. 802 01:09:58,400 --> 01:10:03,250 What is the secret of Monkey Island? 803 01:10:03,250 --> 01:10:07,949 Only Ron Gilbert really knows - and he's not telling. 804 01:10:07,949 --> 01:10:12,410 Perhaps because revealing it would be underwhelming after all this time. 805 01:10:12,410 --> 01:10:16,590 Probably because there's hope that one day there'll be the resolution of a true Monkey 806 01:10:16,590 --> 01:10:18,900 Island 3(a). 807 01:10:18,900 --> 01:10:27,360 So the secret is... well, it's a secret - and the best we can do is infer. 808 01:10:27,360 --> 01:10:31,650 You could take the meaning literally - perhaps the secret of monkey island simply refers 809 01:10:31,650 --> 01:10:39,110 to its mysterious location - or the passage to hell that lies beneath - but I don't buy 810 01:10:39,110 --> 01:10:41,540 this: it's too obvious. 811 01:10:41,540 --> 01:10:45,590 The story is too carefully planned, and if there were three games in mind there must 812 01:10:45,590 --> 01:10:48,719 have been a greater reveal intended for the final third. 813 01:10:48,719 --> 01:10:54,520 There are so many loose threads that need tying off - why are there anachronistic elements 814 01:10:54,520 --> 01:10:58,989 scattered throughout the game, such as the grog vending machines? 815 01:10:58,989 --> 01:11:01,750 Is the ending to the second game supposed to be taken literally? 816 01:11:01,750 --> 01:11:05,310 Or did Guybrush just bang his head in the fall and dream everything? 817 01:11:05,310 --> 01:11:08,290 It wouldn't be the first time. 818 01:11:08,290 --> 01:11:11,060 Is the fourth wall breaking relevant? 819 01:11:11,060 --> 01:11:14,330 Do the NPCs know it's just a game? 820 01:11:14,330 --> 01:11:15,429 Does Guybrush know? 821 01:11:15,429 --> 01:11:19,750 Is he only pretending for our sake? 822 01:11:19,750 --> 01:11:23,409 Is everyone, including the player, suspending disbelief? 823 01:11:23,409 --> 01:11:31,409 We're firmly in fan theory territory here - but hear me out. 824 01:11:31,409 --> 01:11:35,840 Guybrush's origin is a bit of a mystery - he just turns up in the Caribbean one day. 825 01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:38,600 How did he get there? 826 01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:40,260 What's his backstory? 827 01:11:40,260 --> 01:11:44,170 Perhaps he's an heir to a wealthy family, and his wish for a pirate adventure is being 828 01:11:44,170 --> 01:11:48,010 indulged - So what if his entire trip was arranged? 829 01:11:48,010 --> 01:11:54,210 What if all the pirates were paid off by some benefactor? 830 01:11:54,210 --> 01:11:59,139 Maybe the whole world of Monkey Island is artificial - a theme park of sorts, populated 831 01:11:59,139 --> 01:12:03,530 by actors, with everyone following the same script. 832 01:12:03,530 --> 01:12:10,070 It mirrors the game's scripted creation using SCUMM - and it would explain why Guybrush 833 01:12:10,070 --> 01:12:12,239 can't die. 834 01:12:12,239 --> 01:12:15,389 It would explain his success despite his ineptitude. 835 01:12:15,389 --> 01:12:20,540 It might even explain the anachronisms - the game might not be set in the golden age of 836 01:12:20,540 --> 01:12:24,280 piracy after all. 837 01:12:24,280 --> 01:12:26,130 It's Don Quixote with pirates. 838 01:12:26,130 --> 01:12:32,150 And whether he knows it or not, Guybrush is tilting at windmills. 839 01:12:32,150 --> 01:12:35,790 But like I said, just a theory. 840 01:12:35,790 --> 01:12:36,790 We don't know. 841 01:12:36,790 --> 01:12:38,860 We can't know. 842 01:12:38,860 --> 01:12:40,231 And it's probably better that way. 843 01:12:40,231 --> 01:12:50,360 What I can say, without reservation, is that The Secret of Monkey Island is an unmitigated 844 01:12:50,360 --> 01:12:51,710 classic. 845 01:12:51,710 --> 01:12:57,050 It dragged the adventure genre out of its grave by being simply too good to ignore, 846 01:12:57,050 --> 01:13:02,160 and kickstarted a golden era that lasted a decade. 847 01:13:02,160 --> 01:13:07,280 It is a massively influential and important work that manages to be engaging even without 848 01:13:07,280 --> 01:13:12,050 action - and amusing without excess. 849 01:13:12,050 --> 01:13:13,700 Its sequel was pretty good, too. 850 01:13:13,700 --> 01:13:16,679 Some might even say better! 851 01:13:16,679 --> 01:13:22,050 Now, nearly thirty years after its release, I think it still holds up - 852 01:13:22,050 --> 01:13:30,050 and in another thirty from now, someone else might say the same. 853 01:13:30,050 --> 01:13:31,260 So, maybe nobody bought it - 854 01:13:31,260 --> 01:13:37,020 but everyone should play it. 855 01:13:37,020 --> 01:13:44,360 Thank you very much for watching, and until next time - farewell.