Monkey Island

From Monkey Island wiki

Monkey Island as seen in Escape from Monkey Island

For information on the game series see Monkey Island (series).

Monkey Island is the titular island from the Monkey Island game series. The island makes appearances in one form or another in the first four games, three of which feature actual gameplay on the island. Tales of Monkey Island marks the first time the island is not actually featured in a game. It is described as a nigh unreachable island paradise and has twice been the base of operations for LeChuck's nefarious plans. Between the second and third games it was also the location of the highly popular Big Whoop amusement park. Despite its name, a significant population of monkeys is only seen on the island for a temporary interval during the events of Escape from Monkey Island.

1 Geography
2 Appearances by Game
3 Trivia
4 Residents
5 Appearances

Geography

The island has three distinct wings as well as a heavily forested area to its south.

Located at the west end of the island is the volcano which is dormant in the first three games but becomes active prior to the events of the fourth. It is the location of Herman Toothrot's "fort" until he is forced to move away. The eruption also separates the island in half by a stream of lava. This is somewhat contradictory of the previous games where the island was split by a mountain-line, mysteriously absent in the fourth game. In the fourth game Allegro Rasputin (a ghost priest) has built The First Church of LeChuck on the volcano.

Located at the east end of the island is a clearing around the famous Giant Monkey Head.

The north end of the island is be home to the Cannibals of Monkey Island until the Big Whoop amusement park forces them to relocate to Blood Island. In the fourth game the village has been take over by monkeys for the 'great summoning', which foreshadows the epic battle near the end of the game.

Appearances by Game

The Secret of Monkey Island

Monkey Island as seen in The Secret of Monkey Island

The island is the primary location for the third part of the game where Guybrush must make his way to LeChuck's lair located beneath the island, through the Caverns of Meat underneath the Giant Monkey Head. In this game the island is split by a mountain-line and the player can only reach the north end of the island once he retrieves the oars for the rowboat on the southernmost beach. There are notes scattered about the island's numerous beaches, mostly complaints from the Cannibals and Herman toward each other and LeChuck. The only other known inhabitant of the island is a helpful grey monkey.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

While Monkey Island doesn't figure heavily into the actual game, at the ending Guybrush appears as a kid, alongside his parents and his brother Chuckie. He comes out of a ride with his brother and together they all walk off screen as Chuckie gives the camera an evil stare and his eyes glow. It is said in the third and fourth games that Dinky Island and Monkey Island are connected by a series of underground tunnels (where the confrontation between Guybrush and LeChuck takes place). However, Dinky Island is also seen to be off the coast of Lucre Island (see Dinky Island).

It is assumed, though never directly stated, that the amusement park at the end of the game is Big Whoop Amusement Park that dominates Monkey Island in the next game. This is evidenced by similar landmarks that can be seen in the background of the park in the third game; the back of the Wiener sign at the very end of MI2 (the sausage with a top hat), for example, can be seen when in the background on the third game when Guybrush is a kid again; the 'Shows' and 'Rides' signs are also there. This interpretation is somewhat controversial due to the understanding of some persons that the ending indicates that Guybrush's adventures were merely the imaginings of a child (while the third game's manual contradicts this by saying Guybrush was simply being hexed by LeChuck).

The Curse of Monkey Island

Monkey Island is seen in the opening cinematics. The camera pans in on the island and then veers right into the ocean where we eventually see Guybrush floating in a bumper car writing in a journal. The Island also features in various other cut-scenes throughout the game when showing what LeChuck's up to.

Parts 5 and 6 of the third game take place in the amusement park.

"The Kiss of the Spider Monkey" - This part begins with a long dialogue between Guybrush and LeChuck which was intended to answer many unanswered questions left by the previous installments of the series. The player may go through all the dialogue options or simply annoy LeChuck by not listening; either way Guybrush will eventually irritate LeChuck enough for the demon pirate to turn Guybrush into a child, and he must break the spell in order to ride the Rollercoaster of Death.

"Guybrush Kicks Butt Once Again" - On the ride Guybrush must defeat LeChuck once more.

There is no free exploration of the island as in the first and fourth games.

Escape from Monkey Island

Guybrush winds up on Monkey Island once again in the game's third act, where he must return Herman's memory, defeat Jojo Jr. in Monkey Kombat, and find a way off the island. The island can now be explored freely but the player can only reach its northern half by solving a puzzle involving the molten lava ride.

Trivia

In The Secret of Monkey Island a pair of vultures will circle Guybrush and if the player stays still for long enough, they will appear as perpetually circling dots on the map-screen around Guybrush.