The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
The Secret of Monkey Island is a 1990 point-and-click video game made by Lucasfilm Games and JVC Musical Industries.
Guybrush Threepwood arrives on Melee Island with one ambition: to become a mighty pirate. The local pirates set him three trials, which is where the trouble starts. The Secret of Monkey Island is the game that defined LucasArts comedy, a point-and-click adventure run on dialogue trees, absurd inventory puzzles, and a sword-fighting system settled by insults rather than skill. It introduced Guybrush, the governor Elaine, and the ghost pirate LeChuck, and it built the studio's rule that you can wander freely without dying or getting stuck. Warm, quotable, and still funny decades on.
Quick answers
What is The Secret of Monkey Island about?
Guybrush Threepwood arrives on Melee Island with one ambition: to become a mighty pirate. The local pirates set him three trials, which is where the trouble starts. The Secret of Monkey Island is the game that defined LucasArts comedy, a point-and-click adventure run on dialogue trees, absurd inventory puzzles, and a sword-fighting system settled by insults rather than skill. It introduced Guybrush, the governor Elaine, and the ghost pirate LeChuck, and it built the studio's rule that you can wander freely without dying or getting stuck. Warm, quotable, and still funny decades on.
When was The Secret of Monkey Island released?
The Secret of Monkey Island was released on 1 October 1990.
Who made The Secret of Monkey Island?
The Secret of Monkey Island was made by Lucasfilm Games and JVC Musical Industries.
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Explore The Secret of Monkey Island guides
The Secret of Monkey Island in our writing
- Companion guide: LucasArts: The SCUMM Adventures & the Star Wars Empire
- Companion guide: Musketeers & Swashbucklers
- Companion guide: Pirates
A few thoughts on The Secret of Monkey Island
The comedy-adventure pirate mood travels well to film. Muppet Treasure Island matches its wink-at-the-genre humor and love of a good sea shanty, while Treasure Island offers the sincere version of the buried-gold quest the game gleefully spoofs. Cutlasses and punchlines.
Swashbuckling pirate stories to enjoy
The Secret of Monkey Island sets Guybrush loose on Melee Island with one goal: become a mighty pirate. For more buccaneer spirit, Blackie the Pirate delivers classic swashbuckling, Pirates of the Great Salt Lake plays it for laughs, Sol Bianca sails a pirate crew through space, and Black Flag hands you a real ship to command.
Classic adventure games that started it all
Monkey Island defined LucasArts comedy: dialogue trees, absurd inventory puzzles, insult sword-fighting, plus the rule that you can never truly die. The King's Quest Companion documents the rival adventure line of the same age, while Life Is Strange, Telltale's Walking Dead, Detroit, and the wordless Inside carry the story-first, puzzle-led format into the modern era.
Moody, story-rich games to play slowly
Under the jokes, Monkey Island is really about atmosphere and place, a world you want to linger in. These trade comedy for mood but share that pull: the wordless dread of Limbo, Ori's painted melancholy, the vast lonely quiet of Shadow of the Colossus, and the heavy hush of The Last of Us. Games to savor, not rush.