Return To Monkey Island is a Nintendo Switch timed console exclusive

Return To Monkey Island screenshot — Return To Monkey Island – Guybrush Threepwood (pic: Devolver Digital)

If you were hoping to play the new Monkey Island game on PlayStation and Xbox you’re going to have to wait till at least next year.

Thanks to leaks and common sense it was fairly easy to predict most of the big name games in the Nintendo Direct Mini on Tuesday afternoon, but one surprise was the debut of a new trailer for Return To Monkey Island… and the fact that it is a timed exclusive for the Switch.

Monkey Island has no existing connection with Nintendo hardware but for whatever reason, possibly because indie games tend to sell best on Switch, it will initially be released only on Nintendo’s console and the PC.

It’s due out this year but there’s still no indication of exactly when, but this almost certainly means there’ll be no PlayStation or Xbox versions this year. Indeed, these sort of exclusivity deals often last for a full 12 months.

Despite its relatively imminent release not a lot is known about Return To Monkey Island, other than it will pick up from the end of 1991’s Monkey Island 2, which seemed to imply the first two games were happening purely in the imagination of two brothers.

The subsequent sequels ignored all that but because original series creator Ron Gilbert is returning to the franchise for the first time since then he’s going to try and resolve things his way.

Widely regarded as some of the finest, and funniest, point ‘n’ click adventure games ever made, the first three Monkey Island games are amongst LucasArts’ finest work, although this time round Devolver Digital will be publishing the new game.

The new trailer features a number of classic characters, including the Ghost Pirate LeChuck, Elaine Marley, Murray the human skull, and Wally.

Some fans have criticised the art style for not really following the look of any of the originals, but Gilbert has defended it simply by saying that it’s what he wanted to do.

You can’t really argue with that, even if hero Guybrush Threepwood does look particularly odd.