| The Curse of Monkey Island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | LucasArts |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts |
| Director(s) | Larry Ahern Jonathan Ackley |
| Designer(s) | Larry Ahern Jonathan Ackley |
| Programmer(s) | Jonathan Ackley Aric Wilmunder |
| Artist(s) | Larry Ahern Bill Tiller |
| Writer(s) | Jonathan Ackley Chuck Jordan Chris Purvis Larry Ahern |
| Composer(s) | Michael Land |
| Series | Monkey Island |
| Engine | SCUMM iMUSE |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows OS X |
| Release | Windows OS X
|
| Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Curse of Monkey Island is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1997. A sequel to 1991's Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, it is the third game in the Monkey Island series.
It follows protagonist Guybrush Threepwood as he seeks to lift a curse from his love Elaine Marley, while once again being menaced by undead pirate LeChuck. It was made by a different creative team than the prior games, and took new directions in graphics and gameplay: The art has a cartoon-like cel animation style, and the previous games' verb command and inventory menus are replaced by a pop-up action menu and inventory chest. The Curse of Monkey Island was the twelfth and final LucasArts game to use the SCUMM engine, which was extensively upgraded for the game. It was the first game in the series to be released on CD-ROM, allowing for a full musical score, fully animated cutscenes, and the introduction of voice acting for the characters. Dominic Armato, Alexandra Boyd, and Earl Boen respectively voiced Guybrush, Elaine, and LeChuck, and would reprise these roles in later installments.
The game sold well, particularly in Germany; lead background artist Bill Tiller estimated that it sold half a million units worldwide over the next several years. It was nominated for several gaming awards, and was named the best adventure game of the year by several gaming publications. It was followed in 2000 by Escape from Monkey Island, which again took the series' graphics and gameplay in new directions.
- ^ "Multimedia Software: Monkey Island - Out Today". The Independent. November 14, 1997. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "News for November 11, 1997". Online Gaming Review. November 1997. Archived from the original on February 7, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
"November 11, 1997: [The] Curse of Monkey Island from LucasArts ha[s] been released."