Line #39 VideoGame/ReturnToMonkeyIsland


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ddc34c4f_5e31_4f9c_9a38_3a34071c5d54.jpeg]]
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3	->''"Pirating is in my blood, like adrenaline or stale grog. I've been in enough scraps to fill a dozen scrapbooks. I've got stories about ships, fights, love, treasure, betrayal, and root beer. But how about one that has all of the above? My name is Guybrush Threepwood, and this is a story about the time I finally found the Secret of Monkey Island."''
4	-->-- Gameplay reveal trailer
5
6	''Return to Monkey Island'' is the sixth game in the ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' saga, announced on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1st, 2022]] by series creator Creator/RonGilbert, marking his return to the helm three decades after his last game at Creator/LucasArts.
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8	Many years after his last battle with the zombie pirate [=LeChuck=], Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate[[TradeSnark ™]], is in a bit of a slump: his true love, Elaine Marley, has been focused on running an organization to combat scurvy cases in pirates, and the fact that he never found out what the Secret of Monkey Island really was has been eating away at him for some time now. However, he's broken out of it when rumors start floating that [=LeChuck=] has found the Secret's location and is going after it! Not wanting to get beaten to the punch and looking to relive the glory days, Guybrush sets off for Mêlée Island to get his own expedition going -- but things have changed a ''lot'' in his years-long absence. Hip, young pirates led by Captain Madison have taken over as pirate leaders, Mêlée Island, now under the governorship of former Sword Master Carla, has taken a turn for the dire due to the government owing Madison immense amounts of interest, Black Magic has overtaken voodoo as the mystic art of choice, causing the Voodoo Lady's business to suffer, and Stan, everyone's favorite businessman, has been arrested for vague "marketing-related crimes". Guybrush must now navigate a world both familiar and not in an effort to definitively answer the question that's hung over the whole series since its inception: What ''IS'' the Secret of Monkey Island, anyway?
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10	The game is co-developed with series co-creator Dave Grossman through Gilbert’s studio Terrible Toybox, and published by Creator/DevolverDigital in conjunction with Lucasfilm Games. While ''technically'' a sequel to [[SequelGap 2009's]] ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'', ''Return'' instead primarily picks up the reins from where Gilbert's last entry in the series, ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', left off, while still maintaining some continuity with the sequels that came after it. The game was released on September 19, 2022 for PC and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
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12	Trailers: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sahskKAxSCY Announcement,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3mxq44HhnU Gameplay Reveal,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4jpApzKv-c Title Screen for Part I,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMmnhVsnq-M In-Game]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0-NBm2ENrQ Videos]].
13	----
14	!!This game provides examples of:
15	* AbortedArc: Despite technically being a sequel to ''Tales of Monkey Island'', it doesn't follow up on that game's implications at the end that the Voodoo Lady was EvilAllAlong and [[TheManBehindTheMan the mastermind behind [=LeChuck=]]].
16	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: [=LeChuck=]'s ship is named "[=LeShip=]". Guybrush begrudgingly admits that it is actually kind of clever.
17	* AllInTheManual: While [[spoiler:Guybrush's son]] is never mentioned by name by any character, we see on the script and credits that his name is [[spoiler:Boybrush]].
18	* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Since Guybrush is telling the story to his son who likes "silly endings," or "weird endings," it's left up to the player exactly how much of the ending is fictional. The presence of both his son and Elaine does hint at ''part'' of it being real, though even ''that'' might be in doubt, especially since there are both MultipleEndings and multiple {{Stinger}}s depending on your choices at the end of the game, obfuscating the truth even further.]]
19	** [[spoiler:This also applies to the ''rest of the series'', much less ''Return'' itself. Was Guybrush really just an over-imaginative theme park visitor (and/or flooring inspector)? Is the world of ''Monkey Island'' actually real? Or does the truth lie somewhere in-between? [[MultipleEndings Both endings]], the various [[TheStinger epilogue scenes]], and other context clues all imply one of these is true to varying extents, but none of the endings and epilogues can be truly considered "definitive". Perhaps, as Guybrush tells his son in one of the possible dialogue choices at the end of the game:]]
20	--->[[spoiler:'''Guybrush:''' There isn't any one answer to what the Secret is. It's not like a rock or a banana, it's like a story. It changes with time and the person telling it. Everyone you ask will have a different idea.]]
21	* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:As Guybrush finishes telling his story to his son, Elaine tells him she found the map to the treasure of Mire Island. Guybrush resolves to go with her find it.]]
22	* AntePiece: When trying to dive to the bottom of the seafloor, Guybrush halts at the halfway mark saying he can't climb further because he'd need to climb back up to breathe. There is a blowfish nearby that inflates itself and exhales. There is a good chance the player has seen a blowfish earlier in the chapter and there's someone interacting with it showcasing exactly what needs to be done.
23	* AntiClimax:
24	** Repeatedly, in regards to many long term mystery of the franchise, with Guybrush [[LampshadeHanging remarking]] how such reveals are disappointing.
25	** Chuckie's AsideGlance complete with ominous lighting and RedEyesTakeWarning in ''Revenge'' [[spoiler:was just him playing pretend and not actually real]].
26	** After Guybrush points out he has never actually learned the name of the Voodoo Lady, and calling her such just seems to be a Running Gag between the two of them, and asks when she will finally get around to tell him what it is, she immediately answers nonchalantly and upfront that it is [[spoiler:Corina]].
27	** The Secret of Monkey Island turns out to be [[spoiler:an ironic novelty t-shirt. Even the final puzzle to get it is incredibly easy, with the key being next to the treasure chest and barely hidden]].
28	* BabiesEverAfter: Turns out that [[spoiler:the young Guybrush we saw at the end ''Monkey Island 2'' was actually Boybrush, Guybrush's son with Elaine]].
29	* BaitAndSwitch: The first playable section seems to continue from the ending of ''Monkey Island II'' with young Guybrush, called Boybrush, and "Chuckie" in an amusement park. But after a few puzzles and some exploration, they eventually run into [[spoiler:adult Guybrush, making it clear Boybrush is his son]].
30	* BeigeProse: How Guybrush's fish story starts out. It gets better.
31	* BigBadEnsemble: Besides [=LeChuck=], the new Pirate Leaders led by Captain Madison end up as new characters opposing Guybrush and seeking the Secrets for themselves. [[spoiler:While they do team up later on, they end up taking each other out due to their obsession with the Secret]].
32	* BigThinShortTrio: The New Pirate Leaders, with Captain Madison being the tall and thin leader, Trent being the stout and more hands-on one, and the short Lila being their magician.
33	* BlahBlahBlah: Various characters start saying "blah blah blah" when ranting, making it clear that what they're saying is unimportant and that whatever they're blathering about has their full attention, which the player can abuse. Examples include [=LeChuck's=] daily yelling session and [[spoiler:Boybrush's fake parents.]]
34	* BlamedForBeingRailroaded: Elaine calls Guybrush out on a dozen bad things he did during the game, but [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption there is only one way to solve the puzzles]] apart from minor, inconsequential details.
35	* BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce: The demon pepper, which is apparently a cocktail of every ultra-hot pepper known to man. It's out of stock for most of the early game, and you much later need some to [[spoiler:cheat in an EatingContest]]. Then there's the Scorched Alaska, which is a dessert from literal Hell with a recipe that involves meringue, dandruff, and ''actual red-hot embers''.
36	* BondVillainStupidity: Lampshaded by [=LeChuck=]
37	-->'''[=LeChuck=]:''' GUYBRUSH! I SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU THE 58 TIMES I HAD THE CHANCE!
38	* {{Bookends}}: On a downright meta-level. The final puzzle of the game is [[spoiler:the very first puzzle you had to do in the original version of ''TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'': the code wheel to get around the disc protection]].
39	* BrickJoke:
40	** Early in the game Guybrush gets a map to a mop tree on Mêlée (it's exactly what it sounds like) which he destroys (the tree, not the map). [[spoiler:Later in the game you can swap it for [=LeChuck=]'s map of the secret of Monkey Island. Cue a later cutscene where [=LeChuck=] has been using the map... and somehow wound up finding an identical Mop tree on Monkey Island]].
41	** One that comes all the way back from ''Secret''. [[spoiler:When Trent pushes Guybrush off the plateau on Monkey Island, he crash lands on a stump. It is heavily implied that said stump is all that is left of the rubber tree that would bounce him back onto the plateau if the player had him walk too close to the edge back then.]]
42	** Incredibly enough, [[spoiler:the Secret of Monkey Island turns out to be one: a novelty t-shirt, exactly what you got for completing the Trials of Swordmastery and Treasure Hunter-y in ''Secret of Monkey Island'']]. Also counts as RuleOfThree.
43	** One of the very last lines of the game references one of the very first lines of the first game. In ''Secret'', the lookout on Mêlée expresses incredulity that Guybrush wants to be a pirate, saying he looks more like a flooring inspector. [[spoiler: In the final amusement park scene in ''Return'', Guybrush remarks that it's probably time to leave the park and go back to his life as a flooring inspector.]] This profession also gets referenced in ''Curse'' with Guybrush claiming to be one to fend off the advances of a ghost attracted to pirates.
44	* BroadStrokes: While the events of ''VideoGame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'' are mentioned in the scrapbook and in some of the dialogue, some details have been ignored. Escape had revealed that [[spoiler:Herman Toothrot was actually Elaine's grandfather, H.T. Marley,]] but none of the characters acknowledge this in ''Return''.
45	** The giant monkey head on Monkey Island was apparently destroyed when [[spoiler:the [[HumongousMecha giant monkey robot]] underneath it was released,]] but here it appears the same way it did in the first game.
46	** Neither [=LeChuck=] or Guybrush try to rhyme their insults, despite them being on a ship and it being established in ''Curse'' that comebacks are required to rhyme with their matching insults whilst at sea. Though in the same scenes, [=LeChuck=] also breaks other established rules for this and attributes it to keeping up with newer trends.
47	** [[spoiler:The FramingDevice puts everything regarding the Carnival of the Damned from ''Curse'' into question, since its mere existence was intended to provide an in-universe justification for ''Monkey Island 2'''s ending, which ''Return'' provides an entirely different explanation for. Given that ''Return'' heavily implies that each game is a story told by Guybrush to his son, who tends to wildly change story elements as he sees fit, it's entirely possible that the events of ''Curse'' (and possibly any or ''all'' of the other games up to this point) as we saw them were another of Boybrush's wild reinterpretations.]]
48	** In ''Tales'', there were hints of the Voodoo Lady being EvilAllAlong, as well as [=LeChuck=] having been thoroughly destroyed, with only his voodoo essence left. In this game, the Voodoo Lady is back in her role as enigmatic helper [[spoiler:though she does hide the fact that she possesses the Secret, saying that she was sworn to secrecy]], and [=LeChuck=] is back to his zombie form without explanation.
49	* TheBusCameBack: We see many long absent characters back on Mêlée Island, including:
50	** Carla the Sword Master, now the new governor of the island.
51	** Otis, last seen in ''Escape'', and once more jailed.
52	** Wally, now with a new set of monocles, also returns to his old job as cartographer, having been last seen tied-up along the roller-coaster at [=LeChuck=]'s Carnival of the Damned in ''Curse''.
53	** The weepy Cook from the Scumm Bar returns, still doing his job. He owns the bar.
54	** Surprisingly, Cobb is still at the SCUMM bar on Mêlée Island wearing a pin advertising ''VideoGame/{{Loom}}''. He's now grown bitter about people asking about it (he can't take off the pin), and there's an achievement for browbeating him into giving the advertisement speech.
55	** We find out that the original Pirate leaders, who have been replaced by Madison and her team, [[spoiler:left piracy to open a fishing shop]].
56	** Bob the ghost pirate from ''Secret'' is back as part of [=LeChuck=]'s crew (now on permanent yardarm hanger duty).
57	* CallBack: The stuffed animal at the governor's mansion is a poodle. The dogs outside of the mansion in Secret of were Pirahña Poodles.
58	* CapitalLettersAreMagic: Nobody knows what The Secret (of Monkey Island) is, but everyone has heard of it. When mentioned, the subtitles always capitalize it as "The Secret" (with a capital "The", even in the middle of a sentence).
59	* CentralTheme: Fittingly for a game based around finding out the true Secret Of Monkey Island, the game's central theme is whether knowing is better than wanting and if the pursuit of a goal is worth what you have to step over to get there.
60	** As the story goes on, Guybrush is willing to resort to more and more extreme methods and the destruction his antics cause isn't glossed over for once. [[spoiler:What lesson Guybrush takes from all this is up to player choice and interpretation of the MindScrew ending.]]
61	** The villains slowly destroy each other through in fighting and squabbles [[spoiler: and are reduced to a literal carnival sideshow.]]
62	* ChekhovsGunman: Widey Bones is first introduced as a senile old lady who rambles nonsense from her window. She turns out to be a lot more relevant than first appears, several chapters later.
63	* ContinuityNod: While it picks up after the ending of the second game, the game actually takes place a decade after ''Tales of Monkey Island'', with many references to each game popping up, especially with the scrapbook on the menu screen giving a summary of the events of each game. In particular, you can mention the time Guybrush was eaten by a giant manatee in episode 3 of ''Tales''.
64	** Melee Island has changed quite a bit since ye olde ''Secret'' days. On the overworld map, if you run into a location where there used to be a landmark but isn't anymore (like the old circus site, or Meathook's now-inaccessible island due to [[NoodleIncident a global shortage of rubber chickens with a pulley in the middle]]), Guybrush will throw a few comments about it.
65	** [=LeChuck=]'s crew is composed of ghosts, zombies, a human, and a fire-headed demon, referencing many of [=LeChuck=]'s various forms throughout the saga (minus giant LivingStatue or pirate god).
66	** The inspirational pamphlet on [=LeChuck=]'s ship is said to be condensed from the book "The [=LeChuck=] Way." In ''The Curse Of Monkey Island'', Guybrush gets a leaflet on how to be a pirate called "Piracy, the [=LeChuck=] Way."
67	** When Guybrush touches the thorns on Terror Island he yells "Pappapishu!" Which in ''Curse'' is explained to be a word used by the natives of Plunder Island meaning "Youch!"
68	** When Guybrush meets Carla (the new governor of Melee Island), he can compliment her on how far she's come from the cushy government job he helped her get in ''Escape from Monkey Island''.
69	** Stan mentions his time as a lawyer, which comes from episode 4 of ''Tales''.
70	** Parts of the Fish Tales Guybrush can tell as part of the chum initiation reference being eaten by a Manatee and betrayed by Morgan [=LeFlay=] in episode 3 of ''Tales''.
71	* CoolKey: The titular Secret is secured in a large case with five locks, with a corresponding set of five golden keys that Guybrush has to go and find.
72	* CordonBleughChef: Chef Putra -- the "chef" part is important to her -- is a zombie, so brains are one of her specialties, and the unwashed filth on the dishes are part of the flavor, even used as a marinade. She can whip up food that isn't rotten just as well, however, like a fluffy demonic meringue for a Scorched Alaska.
73	* CreatorCameo: [[spoiler:In the ending, there's a plaque mentioning one R. Gilbert as the man who founded the amusement park, [[VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland in 1989]].]]
74	* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: In the dark cave on Terror Island, [[spoiler:there is no way to get the Golden Key from Herman without force. The more reasonable dialog options will never work, no matter how many times you try them. The only option that works is the forceful choice, which results in Guybrush assaulting Herman and destroying their only light source in the process.]] To make matters even worse, [[spoiler:you can't take Herman with you when using the magic XYZZY sign to escape the cave.]]
75	* CuttingOffTheBranches: While the game follows in the footsteps of ''Escape'' by confirming that Guybrush accidentally sinking the ''Sea Monkey'' canonically took place in the first game, it also seemingly confirms that Guybrush did in fact not destroy Bob with the voodoo root beer, which was another optional thing you could do in that game.
76	* CuttingTheKnot: There are many possible solutions to the customs checklist puzzle, a maze of circular logic and entries which contradict or modify previous listings... or you can simply check the box at the very bottom and sign your name, indicating everything else is correct to your knowledge. Judge Plank checks the one other required checkbox for you (the one which says you are carrying limes, which you've already shown him) and lets you through.
77	* DevelopersForesight: If you give a character an item they want before they've asked for it, they will usually comment on it. For example, if you [[spoiler:give the cookbook to the SCUMM Bar cook, he'll wonder aloud how you knew he needed it.]]
78	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: [=LeChuck=]'s classic leitmotif is composed in-universe by Flair, and even serves as part of the solution for a puzzle.
79	* DidYouDie: Similar to a gag in ''Monkey Island II'', if you try to drown Guybrush by staying underwater for eight minutes, the game will cut back to him telling the story to his son, who calls him out on it. But if you try again two more times, the game will cut back to the now empty bench they were sitting on and tell you that Guybrush died for real, leaving behind his wife and no children, before returning to the main menu. And then [[AchievementMockery you get an achievement]].
80	* DisgustingPublicToilet: The Scurvy Dog shack's toilet is even less sanitary than the shack itself.
81	* EasilyForgiven: Elaine learns about all the problems Guybrush created in his quest for the Secret, from destroying an endangered keystone species to overthrowing an entire government. Despite all this, her WhatTheHellHero moment is surprisingly muted, with her mainly using all Guybrush's crimes as evidence that continuing to seek the Secret may not be good for him.
82	** A JustifiedTrope at this point in the series. After knowing Guybrush for six games, and being married to him for three, Elaine surely knows all about his tendency to cause massive catastrophes in order to remove minor inconveniences. If she hasn't divorced him by now, she must be at peace with it.
83	* EntertaininglyWrong: The Museum of Pirate Lore is filled to the brim with pirate artifacts... but where the curator claims them to be historical pieces from all over the Caribbean, Guybrush immediately recognizes them as [[ContinuityNod leftovers from his own past shenanigans]]. He is really miffed that an exhibit that is for all intents and purposes dedicated to him [[DudeWheresMyRespect doesn't mention his name a single time]], and the curator won't listen to him because Guybrush's claims contradict the research done (by an unpaid intern) and "eyewitnesses often have faulty memory".
84	* EqualOpportunityEvil: [=LeChuck=] is literally called an Equal opportunity employer, and his crew includes ghosts, zombies, a human, and a fire-headed demon.
85	* FeelingTheirAge: ''Return'' takes place about a decade after ''Tales'', and Guybrush notes he's getting older. As such, he can only hold his breath underwater for 8 minutes now, down from the 10 he'd been able to pull off ever since ''Secret''.
86	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the first act, one of the pirates at the SCUMM bar says the secret of Monkey Island will turn out to be a T-Shirt or something else mundane. [[spoiler: She's right about it being a T-Shirt]]
87	* FramingDevice: [[spoiler:Guybrush is telling a story to his son at the Big Whoop amusement park, following directly from the ending of ''Monkey Island 2''.]]
88	* GenreThrowback: Conceived as a classic adventure game while avoiding the {{Retraux}} style of ''VideoGame/ThimbleweedPark'', using a new, modern one instead.
89	* GottaCatchThemAll: The game has one with the optional Trivia Card collection which Guybrush can complete over the course of the game. Of course, if you want all the achievements associated with them, you both have to collect the cards and give the correct answers to their questions, too. These cards carry over between playthroughs.
90	* GrossUpCloseUp: There are a few of these throughout the game. Notably, the intro section does this several times to capture the essence of two boys playing unsupervised in a theme park.
91	* GuideDangIt: Even though the game's puzzles all have their solutions in the ingame hint book, some of the game's secret achievements are super specific. Contender for the worst is Free Wally, where you have to get a lock's serial number for an optional puzzle in the final act ''in the second or third act''. AND the lock you have to check does ''not'' show up as an item you can interact with when holding down the "Show all items" button (TAB on PC). There is ''nothing'' that indicates this is a possibility.
92	* HatesEveryoneEqually: [=LeChuck=] advertises himself as an equal opportunity employer which translates to everybody getting keelhauled and disparaged.
93	* HeroicComedicSociopath: Guybrush has flirted with this status from the moment he first ruined one of Stan's businesses, but this game pushes it into overdrive. In one act alone, he [[spoiler:steals Herman's property and leaves him trapped in a cave, steals an irreplaceable poster from his own wife, threatens Stan with 10 years in a gulag, burgles priceless items from a small local museum, and '''topples an entire government'' because he needed a piece of its crown.]] Remember that every bit of this, and more, is all because Guybrush wants to relive his glory days. It's all PlayedForLaughs, of course.
94	** Interestingly, each item on that list actually comes with context that softens the sociopathy. [[spoiler:Guybrush couldn't actually have done anything for Herman because of how he arrived in the cave; he uses the poster for its intended purpose of raising awareness about how limes fight scurvy; Stan actually did commit all the malfeasance Guybrush accuses him of; the museum got everything wrong about its own exhibits; and the Queen of Brrr Muda, by her own admission, spent most of her time fending off challenges to her crown anyway.]] Of course, none of these things had anything to do with Guybrush's motivations, but they're still worth noting.
95	* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: Locke Smith the locksmith. As she tells you herself, yes, her parents were also locksmiths, and yes, they really did name her that on purpose.
96	* IllTakeTwoBeersToo: After getting two Scurvydogs, [[spoiler:Boybrush]] asks Chuckie what he'll have. (He's joking, though.)
97	* INeedToGoIronMyDog: Dee dodges Guybrush's story by saying she needs to walk her tarantula.
98	* {{Irony}}: Iron Rose is the most loyal member of [=LeChuck's=] crew, acting as his [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[spoiler: She's also the only one to seemingly be KilledOffscreen by [=LeChuck=]]]
99	* KickTheDog: Like most Creator/LucasArts characters, Guybrush has always performed morally dubious acts throughout the franchise, usually because CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption, but as he grows more obsessed with the Treasure, for the first time one of these acts is ''not'' PlayedForLaughs. [[spoiler:Specifically, he physically assaults Herman Toothrot, stealing his Golden Key and leaving him alone in a dark cave. Thankfully Elaine ends up rescuing him.]]
100	* LatinIsMagic: Dark magic involves a whole lot of Latin incantations. They're actually recitations of [[https://www.lipsum.com/ Lorem Ipsum]].
101	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Guybrush often refers to his past adventures by the names the fans use for the games.
102	** Upon finding the wreck of the Sea Monkey, Guybrush will note it's "his ship from ''Monkey Island 1''".
103	** Guybrush notes that his son and Chuckie had been re-enacting "''Monkey Island 2''".
104	* LethalChef:
105	** The Scumm Bar cook's kitchen is still littered with hunks of meat, conspicuous stains, and other, less identifiable things. He reacts in terror at the idea of the health inspector coming by, and keeps a forged inspection certificate on the wall, shored up with gold star stickers. The bubbling pot of soup on the stove smells just like Guybrush remembers from ''Secret'', and might well be the same exact stew. He goes into a flurry of activity trying to make [[UnsatisfiableCustomer the nightmare customer]] every dish in the cookbook you find for him, but the Bar burns down before you get to find out how he did.
106	** [=LeChuck's=] cook Putra is no slouch either, with Guybrush listing the whole kitchen as a sanitary violation, but given she's a zombie and there's only one (two with Guybrush) living person on board, she doesn't have to worry about killing people with what she cooks.
107	* LoopholeAbuse: In typical Monkey Island fashion, Guybrush is able to make use of loopholes in his quest. [[spoiler:In particular, because [=LeChuck=] never explicitly fired him after his cover as Swabbie was blown, Guybrush is able to get past the no-boarding enchantment on [=LeShip=] with ease as he's still technically crew.]]
108	* MacGuffin: One of the most famous [=MacGuffin=]s of them all, the fabled Secret of Monkey Island, and Guybrush finally deciding to discover what it is, forms the impetus for the plot. In true [=MacGuffin=] manner, what the secret is doesn't even matter. [[spoiler:Something Guybrush's son catches on, realizing his dad made up the ending. Guybrush is offered various choices to tell his son what the treasure really was: "A pile of gold jewels" (implied to be an answer he picks because that'd please his son), "The friends we made along the way" (trying to teach his son about the nature of storytelling), that Elaine was right about it not been worth knowing or "It's how it really happened". The final option however lampshades the trope: "there's no answer" (That ultimately it doesn't matter what the secret is because it's how each person reacts to it that matters).]]
109	* MakeAnExampleOfThem: PlayedForLaughs with Bob, where it's his job to be tied and hung from the yardarm to demonstrate what happens to those who fail [=LeChuck=]. Besides being very bored, he doesn't mind and actually gets offended when he suspects Guybrush asking to cover his shift is secretly a ploy to steal his job.
110	* MemeAcknowledgment: The shipwreck at Monkey Island has a crab scuttling about on its hull. Periodically it will do a crab dance, like the famous celebratory video.
111	* MindScrewdriver: Played straight in the opening but played with later.
112	** In the opening [[spoiler:the end of Monkey Island 2 turns out to be be the result of Boybrush and his friend Chucky doing their own spin on whatever actually happened in that tale, with his father Guybrush telling him you can't just change endings like that.]]
113	** Later on [[spoiler: you get to choose how to interpret Guybrush's intentionally silly ending. Was that adventure really all a theme park ride? A metaphor for how disappointing the real secret was? Or was he making the mother of all dad jokes by copying his son's storytelling style to show him why stories need a satisfying ending?]]
114	* MultipleEndings: There are two potential main endings once you solve the final puzzle of the game:
115	** The first has [[spoiler:Guybrush realize he was in a theme park run by Stan all along, with Elaine waiting for him. After shutting down all the rides and optionally take the Secret for himself, he leaves for home. The story cuts back to the frame device, his son Boybrush incredulous and asking for confirmation of what really happened before Elaine returns and suggests them to go and watch the Galleons, while mentioning Guybrush she has found a new treasure map. Guybrush decides to stay a little longer on the bench and silently contemplates before cutting to the credits]].
116	** The second has [[spoiler:Guybrush using Stan's key to open the doors he entered from and escape back to Monkey Island and, as written by the button prompt, "deny what he thinks he saw and return to the world he knows". The story cuts with no return to the FramingDevice, directly to the credits]].
117	* MundaneMadeAwesome: The game gives lightsaber-smithing levels of reverence to the process of crafting a ''mop''.
118	* MythologyGag: On Terror Island, you can come across a long-abandoned camp, with the skeletons of the three pirates who set it up spread around the area. Guybrush is weirded out that he feels like he's seen them before, but can't figure out where. They're actually the three unnamed pirates from the cover of ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', who are pretty notorious for [[CoversAlwaysLie never appearing in the game at all despite being depicted alongside Guybrush and Elaine]].
119	* NeverFoundTheBody: What happened to Captains Madison and Trent is never shown onscreen, and all we see of Madison is her is a DeadHatShot.
120	* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Poor Bob's main job is being [[MakeAnExampleOfThem used as an example]] by [=LeChuck=] to show what happens to crew members that displease him, namely he has been made to hang upside down from the yardarm. One of the goodbyes Guybrush can say to him is "Hang in there, Bob."
121	-->'''Bob:''' Still not funny.
122	* NinjaRun: Lila, being Asian coded with her robes and skin tone, does one going after [=LeChuck=] in the final chapter.
123	* NoEnding: While the game certainly has an ending, if you finish the story with Boybrush, Elaine mentions [[spoiler: finding a new treasure map]], and Guybrush agrees to go looking for it with her. The camera then lingers on Guybrush, without sound, as he sits on the bench. After about a minute, it cuts and the credits roll.
124	* NoYouHangUpFirst: Guybrush and Elaine's first meeting can end with them repeatedly telling each other "you say goodbye first." If Guybrush says it enough times, Elaine will say goodbye first.
125	* NonStandardGameOver: Letting the oxygen timer run out [[RuleOfThree three times]], the first two times [[FramingDevice Boybrush]] will ask you to tell the truth. The third time the screen pans to an empty bench and gives us an InMemoriam message about Guybrush dying and leaving Elaine behind, childless.
126	* NoodleIncident: Carla accuses Guybrush of losing a book she lent him. He doesn't remember the incident at all, so no details are forthcoming.
127	* NostalgiaLevel: Acts 1 and 3, in that the former takes place on Mêlée Island and the latter takes place on Monkey Island, both of which allows Guybrush to revisit iconic locations from ''Secret''.
128	* OhNoNotAgain: Guybrush's reaction when [[spoiler:the hidden tunnel under Monkey Island [[VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge leads him directly to the back-alley on Melee.]]]]
129	* OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: Guybrush is [[FeelingTheirAge feeling his age catching up to him]], and he must several times admit, much to his chagrin, that he might be a bit behind the times. Meanwhile, Captain Madison and her two flunkies, Trent and Lila, represent a younger, darker generation of pirates, [[spoiler:and they turn out be on the hunt for The Secret themselves becoming the other half of the story's BigBadEnsemble next to [=LeChuck=]]].
130	* OverlyLongGag:
131	** Dee's lecture on anchors in the prologue.
132	** The Voodoo Lady giving Guybrush a long legal disclaimer before he can buy a knife from her.
133	* OwMyBodyPart: When Trent pushes Guybrush from the plateau, he has a brutal landing on a stump[[note]]implied to be the last remains of the same rubber tree that would bounce him back to the plateau in ''Secret''[[/note]]. One of the possible dialogue choices, once the injured Guybrush regains the ability to speak in something that isn't incoherent gurgling and moaning in pain, is "I think I hurt my pancreas."
134	-->'''[[spoiler:Elaine]]:''' Do you even know where your pancreas is?\
135	'''Guybrush:''' I don't know... Judging from how I'm feeling: ''everywhere''.
136	* PanderingToTheBase: {{Invoked}} and lampshaded with the "Fan Service" achievement, which you get by finding Cobb in the [=SCUMM=] Bar and pestering him until he gives a repeat of his ''VideoGame/{{Loom}}'' spiel from the original game.
137	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Flambe is never seen working and does little except sleep, eat, and read.
138	* PreviouslyOn: A new feature that, when enabled, allows Guybrush to recap his adventures upon loading a saved game.
139	* PurpleProse:
140	** "At the End of the Plank", the romantic novel that everyone and their mom is reading.
141	** Guybrush's fish story becomes this as he improves it.
142	* ReassignedToAntarctica: The judge of Brr Muda, the freezing northern island, was sent there after beating his superior in a card game.
143	* RecycledScript: The main plot borrows a lot of beats from ''Monkey Island 2: [=LeChuck's=] Revenge'' and ''Escape from Monkey Island''.
144	** From [=MI2=]: The game is told as an in-universe story and involves Guybrush and [=LeChuck=] on the hunt for an mysterious treasure. [[spoiler:Said treasure leads to an ambiguous carnival themed ending.]]
145	** From [=EfMI=]: Guybrush returns to Mêlée Island only to find it's once again on hard times thanks to a hostile takeover, this time from Madison and the new Pirate Leaders trapping the Island in debt. [[spoiler:And the SCUMM bar is once again torn down by the events of the game]].
146	* RedHerring: "At the End of the Plank". You'll find copies of the very conspicuous purple-and-gold-covered romantic story all over the place, in the hands of various major NPC. You'll probably expect it to be part of a puzzle at some point. It is ''never'' relevant to anything. All you get is an achievement for checking every copy in the game. Special mention to the copy in Carla's library, which despite being the only uniquely colored book on the shelf that you can borrow at any time, serves entirely to distract you away from the two other books that actually get used in puzzles.
147	* SelfDeprecation:
148	** The opening pokes fun at the series penchant for the endings not standing up to the rest of the game with [[spoiler:Boybrush telling his dad Guybrush that he makes up weird endings for his version of his dad's stories because his always feel kind of unfinished.]]
149	** [[spoiler:Guybrush repurposes Murray as a figurehead for his jury-rigged ship. When he and Elaine make landfall back at Mêlée Island, Guybrush tells Murray to keep watch over the ship and warns him not to get "any funny ideas." Murray replies: "[[BreakingTheFourthWall No problem, I'll just pretend I'm one of the writers.]]"]]
150	* ShaggyDogStory:
151	** [[spoiler:Really, all of chapter 1 to 3. Guybrush goes through hurdle after hurdle, sneaks on [=LeChuck=]'s ship, goes to Monkey Island, teams up with his own enemies to decipher the map to the Secret, that turns out to be hidden... on Melee Island, inside the locked chest in the voodoo shop. When getting back to Melee, Guybrush isn't exactly happy that both the Voodoo Lady and Wally let him go on his wild chase despite both of them already knowing it was pointless.]]
152	** Throughout Chapter 4, Elaine is confronted (and experiences) the results of Guybrush's adventuring throughout the game. Wildlife ruined, months of her own work undone, untold damages to society. She talks to him about it but doesn't even sound angry and this leads nowhere.
153	* SheIsTheKing: Gender-inverted. Brrr Muda is specifically said to be ruled over by a queen, and Guybrush challenges the current one to get her crown. When he wins, he is declared the new queen of Brrr Muda.
154	* ShoutOut:
155	** To disguise himself, Guybrush needs to find the eyepatch of Jon Laney, "the pirate of a thousand faces." This is a reference to actor Creator/LonChaney, who was renowned as "the man of a thousand faces."
156	** If Guybrush asks about the coffin and oar in the museum, he will be told that it was used by a certain [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest well-known captain in a daring escape from a Turkish prison.]]
157	** As one would expect from a ''Monkey Island'' game, there's at least one nod to ''Franchise/StarWars'':
158	*** The chef at the SCUMM Bar refers to the mop as [[Film/ANewHope "Not as clumsy or random as a dishrag. An elegant tool for a more civilized cleaning."]] His speech as a whole makes it clear that the entire mop subplot is intended to be a not-so-subtle analogue to a Jedi or Sith's journey to build their own lightsaber. Asking him further about it has him reference the "heart of the blade" speech from the Expanded Universe.
159	*** Wally's spying window bears resemblance to the cockpit window of a TIE Advanced.
160	*** When Cobb says he can't remove his "Ask me about LOOM" button anymore because it's "fused with his body", he goes on to say he's "more button than man, now."
161	*** Later in the game, when you are [[spoiler:at the summit of the plateau of Monkey Island with the pirate leaders, you are asked if you have any last words, to which you can answer: "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine," the same last words Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke during his last duel against Darth Vader.]]
162	** Terror Island includes a puzzle centered on [[VideoGame/ColossalCave navigating a network of 'twisty passages, mostly similar,']] with a sign labeled XYZZY being used to teleport back to the entrance.
163	** Inspecting the anchor in the prologue will cause Dee to go into a [[MotorMouth long-winded, detailed explanation]] on the history of anchors that puts [[spoiler:Boybrush]] [[NapInducingSpeak to sleep]], similarly to how VideoGame/PajamaSam zonked out in response to Otto's moment of "gratuitous educational content" on geysers. Appropriately enough Ron Gilbert founded Creator/HumongousEntertainment who developed the latter, and Dave Grossman was the primary writer on most of the Pajama Sam games.
164	** Guybrush at one point sings the opening lyrics to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride's song, "A Pirate's Life For Me." This is the first Monkey Island game made since Creator/LucasArts and the Monkey Island IP was acquired by Disney, bringing MI and [=PotC=] under the same corporate umbrella, allowing such a clear shout-out to be made.
165	* SickeninglySweethearts: When Elaine makes her first appearance in the story, [[spoiler:Guybrush's son immediately becomes fearful that this is going to be a 'mushy part.' Guybrush agrees to skip over the 'hugs and kisses' but even then, this (and every) interaction Guybrush has with Elaine throughout the game is extraordinarily sweet.]]
166	* StealthPun: The locksmith has a map that she identifies as southern Florida. AKA the Florida '''Keys'''.
167	** Brrrmuda is the shape of a ''triangle''.
168	* StillGotIt: In a letter to the fans from Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman unlocked when the game is finished in the scrapbook, the two posit that this is one of the main themes of the game. Each Monkey Island reflects where its creators were in their lives and career when they made it. And thus "Return" is about Guybrush trying to recapture the glory of his youth, the same way his designers are trying to by making the game.
169	-->''"Guybrush, like us, is older now, and he's had a long and reasonably successful career. But he's mostly associated with something that happened a long time ago, and that feels unfinished to him. The game is a goofy pirate adventure, the same as always, but also it's a story about trying to recapture the past, with all its alleged youthful strength and glory. Guybrush will both succeed and fail at this. He will sort of get what he wants, but it won't be what he expected.''\
170	''I predict the same for us."''
171	* TheStinger: Depending on the ending you choose, [[spoiler:whether or not you got the key to unlock the chest for the Secret of Monkey Island, if you decide to open it]], and the final choice on the dialogue tree, after the end of the credits you'll get one of ''ten'' different epilogue scenes. [[https://mixnmojo.com/features/sitefeatures/The-Many-Epilogues-of-Return-to-Monkey-Island This article]] by fansite The International House of Mojo shows off them all (spoilers, obviously).
172	* StupidEvil: Gullet, the First Swab gets a kick out of making a mess for Guybrush, undercover as a swab, to clean up, to the point [[spoiler:he spills the potion vital for reaching Monkey Island just to make another mess and dearly pays for it when [=LeChuck=] just so happens to be behind him.]]
173	* SurprisinglySuperToughThing: At the end of Act IV, Guybrush Threepwood [[spoiler:completes the quest to find the five Golden Keys to unlock The Secret of Monkey Island... only to find a chest within that chest. He decides he's not going to bother searching for a sixth key. Cue a montage of Guybrush trying everything he can think of to open it, culminating with him trying to chew it open.]]
174	* TakeThat: In the Release Date trailer, as the PreOrderBonus, Stan offers [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion horse armor]] as an inventory item. The trailer ends with a long-winded disclaimer that says that the horse armor is completely pointless.
175	** Hovering over the horse armor in your inventory as the game progresses will give increasingly sarcastic comments on its uselessness, and it's very telling that, besides showing it to Stan and a few other characters who don't care about it, the only thing Guybrush can actually do with the Horse Armor is [[spoiler:throw it in a fire]].
176	** There's a ship at sea that's self-isolating because they've got [[ComicallyMissingThePoint scurvy]]. The pirates on this ship are wearing {{Tinfoil Hat}}s, and they won't accept limes as a potential remedy because the reasoning is [[ConspiracyTheorist scientific]]. After getting a marketing makeover you offer the remedy again and they double-check if there's no science involved. The game was developed during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.
177	* TalksLikeASimile: Makes a fish story good like a big bucket of bait.
178	* ThirdTimesTheCharm: While an optional SideQuest, [[spoiler:this time you can actually rescue Wally from being chained down by [=LeChuck=] and not leave him to an UncertainDoom]].
179	* TokenHuman: Flair Gorey, the only living human on [=LeChuck's=] crew. [[spoiler:Aside from a disguised Guybrush, that is.]]
180	* TooDumbToLive: At one point, [=LeChuck=] promises his crew free grog as there is cause for celebration, and they all throw their respective headgear into the air, or the closest thing. [[spoiler: Guybrush, disguised thanks to a magical eyepatch, throws his disguise into the air as well, revealing himself to the crew and most importantly, his arch-nemesis.]]
181	* TreesIntoToothpicks: Once Guybrush finds the mop tree, he needs to take a handle out of it. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill He utterly demolishes the tree to do so, and the surrounding ones as well]].
182	* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:After being tossed off a cliff, Guybrush is left visibly broken at the bottom, his limbs twisted from the impact. The moment Murray reveals he's got the map, Guybrush's limbs snap back to normal and he stands up, seemingly healed.]]
183	** It's also not explained how [[spoiler:[=LeChuck=] is back in zombie form, when at the end of ''Tales'', his voodoo essence was trapped in a jar.]]
184	* UnequalRites: The game introduces dark magic, which involves runes and GratuitousLatin spells as opposed to the series trademark voodoo. They're not really portrayed as more powerful than the other, but the New Pirate Leaders's sponsorship of the former has been driving the Voodoo Lady out of a job.
185	* TheUnintelligible: The nigh-entirety of the population of Brrr Muda only speaks in grunts. Guybrush only attempts to talk to them a few times before switching to making his own funny noises.
186	* UnreliableNarrator:
187	** The previous games of the series are recapped through Guybrush's scrapbook. Guybrush does, however, omit and alter a few details of the stories to portray himself in a somewhat more favorable light. The main example is his recap of ''Curse of Monkey Island'', where he claims that it was [=LeChuck=] who turned Elaine into a golden statue. While [=LeChuck=] did have the cursed ring that caused Elaine's transformation in his possession, it was actually Guybrush who stole it and, being unaware of the curse, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently unleashed it upon Elaine by using the ring to propose to her]].
188	** The entire game itself has a framing device of Guybrush recounting his adventure to [[spoiler:his son]] and there are implications he's doing this. Most notably, like in the 2nd game, Guybrush can claim to have died, which he is immediately called out on, since he's clearly alive right now telling the story. At the end, [[spoiler:Elaine notes the story gets weirder each time he tells it]].
189	* UnsatisfiableCustomer: Marlon Marlin, a RichBitch freight magnate, stops by the Scumm Bar, where he mistakes Guybrush for the waiter and insists on being served the dish he had at the governor's mansion a week ago. All he can remember of the meal was that it had "ingredients" in it, but he's not leaving until he gets it. The cook has nightmares about him and [[TheDreaded dreads]] his every visit.
190	* VideoGameCaringPotential: You have optional sidequests that allow you to help people. You get nothing in exchange besides achievements, thus if you do it, you only do it out of kindness of your own heart.
191	** My using Guybrush's coin purse on various characters, Guybrush can pay off his outstanding tabs with them. This isn't required to progress.
192	** Special mention goes to [[spoiler:saving Wally from his imprisonment]] as it requires a lot of foresight to pull off but if you manage it you get an achievement and [[spoiler: give the poor guy a break.]]
193	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: During Act IV and V, Guybrush can end up doing most of the things on [=LeChuck=]'s training pamphlet. They're all pretty bad and highlight Guybrush's sociopathic obsession to find The Secret.
194	* VillainTeamUp: After a prolonged battle, [=LeChuck=] [[spoiler:and the new pirate leaders led by Captain Madison]] find out that they are pretty evenly matched. As a result, they agree to help each other out in their search for The Secret and then split it evenly. As they shake hands on their deal, the camera immediately cuts behind their backs, showing that both of them are doing {{Lying Finger Cross}}es with their free hand.
195	* WasItReallyWorthIt: Elaine directly asks Guybrush after learning of all the chaos he's been causing in his search of the Secret of Monkey Island because at this point she just doesn't know what the Secret could possibly be that would make all of it worth it. Guybrush doesn't quite seem to know either, but he's still going anyway. [[spoiler:In the ending, he has the option to fully agree that it wasn't worth it.]]
196	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
197	** TwistEnding aside; Trent and Madison are implied to have died offscreen, and Lila runs after [=LeChuck=] for a final confrontation. We never see what happens/happened.
198	** Played for laughs with the Voodoo Lady, who inexplicably disappears from the game from chapter 4 onwards despite quite a bit of the action taking place in her shop. One of the optional epilogue scenes reveals she just went on a really long lunch break and missed the entire endgame.
199	* WhatTheHellHero: During Chapter 4, the game repeatedly cuts away to Elaine learning about Guybrush's trail of destruction (the mop tree, assaulting Herman, destroying the Brrr Mudan crown and plunging the kingdom into anarchy, etc), which she eventually calls him out (though not very hard) on as they approach the Giant Monkey Head.
200	* YouFightLikeACow: It's not an in-depth minigame like in previous games, but elements of insult swordfighting come up from time to time. Possibly to highlight Guybrush's experience in the art, ''only'' valid retorts are available for the player to choose from. That said, [[spoiler:when [=LeChuck=] doesn't know a good retort, he just ''punches'' Guybrush, which Guybrush calls him out on. He then gives a retort to one of Guybrush's retorts, which Guybush was not expecting.]]
201	* YouHaveFailedMe:
202	** [=LeChuck=] gets rid of Gullet, his own first swab [[spoiler:after he spills the voodoo potion to reach Monkey Island to taunt a disguised Guybrush]]. While Gullet survives, being a zombie, he ends up struck under the rudder of the ship. In the latter half of the game, [=LeChuck=] also disposes of [[spoiler:his [[TheDragon quartermaster]], Iron Rose, for pointing out that his obsession for the Secret has consumed him and for showing mercy to a prisoner (Wally, in this case)]].
203	** PlayedForLaughs with Bob, who has done nothing wrong (not recently, at least), but his job is to be tied up and hung upside down to show what happens to anyone who fails [=LeChuck=].

Context VideoGame / ReturnToMonkeyIsland