The Legend of Monkey Island: How Sea of Thieves Is Translating Monkey Island’s Story, Gameplay, and Extra – an Unique Interview

When it appeared in final month’s Xbox Video games Showcase, we spoke with inventive director Mike Chapman about how The Legend of Monkey Island got here to be and what it was getting down to do. However was that sufficient? In fact not – there’s a lot extra to speak about on this landmark crossover between Sea of Thieves and the Monkey Island collection.

With that in thoughts, right here’s a complete new interview, digging deeper into the three-part enlargement’s storyline, the way it makes use of Monkey Island as an inspiration for a complete new gameplay expertise inside Sea of Thieves, and, sure, whether or not there might be Insult Sword Combating.

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You already advised us that this might draw inspiration from current tales from the Monkey Island universe, and the way it takes some queues from The Curse of Monkey Island – however what are you able to inform us concerning the tales we’ll truly be enjoying?

We needed to method a ‘what if?’ query – “What if characters from Monkey Island found the Sea of Thieves world?” – it felt like what the 2 had in frequent was one thing that’s on the very coronary heart of Monkey Island;  Guybrush begins his journey as a pirate wannabe and, after all, in Sea of Thieves, you play as your self – you create your pirate and also you go on a journey to turn into a Pirate Legend. So, within the Sea of Thieves, Guybrush could be the legend he’s all the time needed to be. So, what if that was on the coronary heart of our story? What if the Sea of Thieves might give Guybrush all the pieces he ever needed?

And as a part of our storytelling, it’s additionally the Achilles heel of Guybrush. We construct that into our story –LeChuck has come to the Sea of Thieves, and he’s used its distinctive magic to create this fantasy for Guybrush the place he is the legend he’s all the time needed to be and, via that energy, he’s quarantined him off within the Sea of the Damned. However in traditional Sea of Thieves model, you get to go knock some sense into Guybrush.

This is a chance for gamers to unravel a thriller of Guybrush’s destiny and the way LeChuck is utilizing the magic of the Sea of Thieves to imprison him. We take gamers to iconic areas like Mêlée Island, seeing the island in its entirety but additionally go to the fabled Monkey Island itself.

It’s one factor to recreate these areas inside your recreation, however the tone of Monkey Island is so distinct – how did you make it really feel proper in such a brand new context?

That was such a important half. Simply think about the period of time you spend interacting with characters in these unique video games. Nailing that was so necessary – it was necessary to us to create area for the place these characters might have these key moments, actually making an attempt to offer each a second to shine.

“What if the Sea of Thieves might give Guybrush all the pieces he ever needed?”

Critically, it’s not simply that includes characters for the sake of it – if a personality goes to look in our Tales, they should have a spot as a part of the story. So although we largely take inspiration from the primary two Monkey Island video games, a key exception and instance of that concept is the character of Murray. It felt like the thought of a speaking cranium, we’ve type of performed that in Sea of Thieves earlier than, so we knew we needed to have Murray in there. I spent a variety of time interested by what the appropriate set piece for Murray is, and he has an incredible alternative to shine within the very first Story, the place you get to work together with him immediately. The type of the gameplay that you simply undergo with Murray is simply a variety of enjoyable.

As you’ve stated, the variations of Monkey Island and Mêlée Island we’ll be exploring are fantasies created by LeChuck, however are they trustworthy to how gamers bear in mind them?

I’m certain it’s come throughout, however the quantity of focus we’ve put into making these iconic areas really feel trustworthy was big. What we all the time did as a part of our course of was to – whenever you stroll to a location in 3D – all the time try to place the digicam in precisely the identical place because it was within the unique point-and-click video games, inviting gamers to try this one-to-one comparability.

Gamers could discover that in sure key areas, for those who place your digicam the place it was within the unique video games, there are these hidden positions the place you may hear a reminiscence of Guybrush or Elaine narrating what occurred at that second within the unique story. There’s an optionally available goal to go discover all these hidden recollections positions across the islands. If gamers discover all these hidden reminiscence spots, they’ll get Monkey Island-themed photos they’ll dangle on their ship as a reward.

You pulled an analogous trick whenever you created an explorable model of the unique Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in A Pirate’s Life – however this looks as if a far larger model of that. How did that examine?

That inventive problem of taking the Isla Tesoro city that you simply see on the Pirates of Caribbean attraction – and making an attempt to ship that fantasy of ‘What for those who received out of the little boats that you simply journey and explored?’ – was clearly a thrill in and of itself due to how iconic that location is. However even that was in 3D – the entire method you’ve interacted with Monkey Island earlier than is usually on a 2D airplane, and also you’re pointing and clicking. How can we reimagine that as a first-person expertise?

“We needed to strike a stability of feeling trustworthy to the texture of Monkey Island, however nonetheless be respectful of the truth that it is a first-person expertise.”

How can we provide the sense that these locations really feel lived in, and also you see not solely the items that you simply noticed within the unique video games, however all of the bits that you simply didn’t all the time see? What would my perspective be if I might transfer that digicam that was trying on the 2D scene and transfer it into the nook of the SCUMM Bar? And if we did that, wouldn’t it nonetheless dwell as much as the imaginations of followers over time? Residing as much as the expectations of as many gamers as potential has been a very fascinating inventive problem.

We’ve talked lots concerning the story and the areas, however will the gameplay right here differ from traditional Sea of Thieves, too? Is that this a Sea of Thieves tackle point-and-click?

We had an important alternative with Legend of Monkey Island to actually rethink character interactions. Up to now, we’ve had full-voiced cutscenes, however whenever you discuss to NPCs within the recreation itself you’d simply be studying the textual content on display screen. In Legend of Monkey Island the entire interactions with characters are absolutely voiced, and there’s extra of a backwards and forwards by way of the questions that you simply ask them and what they are saying again, creating participating conversations with the NPCs.

It was additionally necessary to us to lean into the puzzle gameplay typically seen throughout the Monkey Island collection. What’s nice about Sea of Thieves is it’s already fairly a bodily world the place you work together with bodily gadgets in fairly a tangible method. It gave us a possibility to say, ‘Right here’s Merchandise A, and then you definately discover Merchandise B after which you may mix them’, which supplies you a brand new strategy to work together with the world. Utilizing gadgets and information from NPCs means there’s much more concentrate on that bodily puzzle-solving with gadgets on the planet. In fact, there are additionally motion set items the place you’d need them, which means we nonetheless have these type of climactic moments throughout the Tales, however the core construction of the Tales is constructed round actually playful interactions with objects and mechanics on the planet.

The mechanics we’ve created for Legend of Monkey Island will share know-how ahead to the principle sandbox. We’ve overhauled our NPC dialogue system, so we will now have absolutely voiced characters, and there’s now AI pathing for NPC characters, so characters can transfer round on the planet freely working underneath their very own mind. There’s little mechanical parts as properly – like we’ve added zip strains to those Monkey Island Tales, which I’d like to see make their strategy to the shared world.

Monkey Island, significantly the primary recreation, is famously tough with a few of its puzzles. How far in the direction of “Rubber Rooster With a Pulley within the Center” have you ever gone with your personal?

That’s an important query. We needed to strike a stability of feeling trustworthy to the texture of Monkey Island, however nonetheless be respectful of the truth that it is a first-person expertise, the gameplay is extra visceral. Consequently, it’s slightly bit extra quick. So we nonetheless need these psychological leaps that gamers could make to resolve puzzles, after which really feel nice having performed it, however we’ve tried to make these puzzles really feel as relatable as potential.

And since it takes place in Sea of Thieves, the way you relate to the gadgets and what they really feel like they could possibly be used for is acquainted. You’ve additionally received the Tall Story guide, which is clearly a constant level throughout all of the Tall Tales, so we use that to offer gamers extra data. It’s virtually like a touch guide that you simply’re taking with you, which supplies you little pointers.

“Insult Sword Combating – we needed to do it. However I believe it additionally provides a brand new puzzle component to the fight in Sea of Thieves, which works actually properly.”

We additionally do little issues in point-and-click model. There isn’t an interplay in our recreation to ‘Look’ at one thing, however in Monkey Island that was used to offer gamers extra context. In Legend of Monkey Island, whenever you method one thing, generally you’ll see tooltip textual content, not giving you the answer, however establishing an answer.

There’s one mechanic I believe lots of people are going to ask about – is Insult Sword Combating in right here?

That was one of many first questions we requested once we determined you’d be capable to discover the complete Mêlée Island. It felt like one thing as iconic as Insult Sword Combating – we needed to do it. However I believe it additionally provides a brand new puzzle component to the fight in Sea of Thieves, which works actually properly.

So I received actually excited concerning the concept of together with Insult Sword Combating, as a result of it permits you to have these extra visceral moments, as a result of it’s in first-person, you’re preventing your opponent immediately. But it surely’s additionally extra accessible as a result of the majority of the circulation of fight is dealt with via the quips and the retorts, and the way you construct up that information of the insults.

What actually comes via to me is that you simply appear simply as enthusiastic about placing these areas into your recreation as you’re about telling this story. Do you suppose gamers might be spending as a lot time exploring what you’ve constructed as they may occurring this journey?

What actually excites me is that – when you activate the Tales, and when you sail via the Tunnels of the Damned – you’re straight on Mêléeisland. I can’t wait to see our group use the church to stage their mock weddings, or simply spend time collectively, sitting down on the seats within the Scumm bar consuming grog. I believe it’s going to be enjoyable for gamers to only return to and, as a result of they’re these freeform areas, simply spend time there with their pals – even for those who’re not instantly pushing the Story ahead. I believe there’s actual alternative there with the way in which that Sea of Thieves is performed.

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Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island might be launched as three free month-to-month updates, starting on July 20.