The rumors of adventure gaming’s death have been greatly exaggerated and if all goes well, the genre may get a big boast later this year from a very unlikely hero – at least if co-producers Mike Stemmle and partner Sean Clark get their way.  The dynamic duo at LucasArts is hard at work on Escape from Monkey Island, the latest title in the Monkey Island series.  This time players can expect quite a bit more from the legendary almost-hero and wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood. 

The latest title in this series will transition the action-packed world of this inept buccaneer from 2D to 3D by utilizing an improved and modified version of the Grim Fandango engine, but not at the sake of sacrificing the almost beloved cartoonish settings.  Nor will this newest adventure suddenly transform into the latest first-person adventure either, so long time fans of the series can relax – this is the same Monkey Island we’ve come to know and love, but with a much-needed overhaul.  (At least that is what everyone at LucasArts keeps telling us!)

The story picks up after the end of 1997’s Curse of Monkey Island.  You may remember that Guybrush married his one true love, Governor Elaine Marley, and now that the honeymoon is over – it must have been a LONG honeymoon – they return to Melee Island.  The happy pair comes home to find that they’ve been gone so long that the Governor is declared dead and her mansion is scheduled for demolition.  While Elaine deals with her reelection campaign, and probably has to explain why she’s been gone so long to the media, Guybrush sets off on a legal errand to save the mansion.   While not the rogue of a literary character like Barry Lyndon, Guybrush has certainly come a long way – he now gets to do Elaine’s errands! Isn't married life great?

GameSlice: This series has a lot of history to it, so what are some of the things that gamers who didn’t play the previous titles need to know when going into this new title?

Sean Clark: We’ve tried to make this game accessible to gamers who are diving into the Monkey Island pool for the first time.  All you need to know is spelled out in our gorgeous, opening cut-scene.