Escape from Monkey Island™

The fullscreen mode from this game would not let me tab out of it or do anything else on my computer while it's open. Controls are terrible, they removed mouse support and it's clearly designed for consoles but controller support hardly works. After spending hours on configuring it, the experience of moving and interacting was taking me out of the game all the time. I'll stick to a gameplay for this one.

It has some fantastic humor, charm, and story - but also really needs to have a refresh for modern hardware. Puzzles can be quite challenging, even compared to other Monkey Island games. The earlier 3D games haven't aged as well as 2D art (Curse of Monkey Island aged better in this regard). Would love to see a remake similar to Grim Fandango; where even just the characters and models get updated, with improved controls, quality of life improvements (including hint system). Remember to save often, as can crash too!

It has its problems but overall still a great game, the puzzles are good for the most part but a few are frustrating. The story is well done and is more developed compared to the previous games although the cutscene graphics are rough.

It does have it's flaws, mostly towards the end, but it's still Monkey Island magic.

Like many, I considered EMI one of the weaker Monkey Island games, but replaying it now for the first time in a while, there's a lot about it I really enjoy and I wish I had replayed it sooner. Once you get past the early 3D style, what is left is still a great game with interesting puzzles. Monkey Kombat is definitely a little tedious, but I think busting out the traditional insult fighting would have felt worn out. There's nothing I can say about the game that hasn't already been said - but I wanted to comment on was compatibility in 2026. On Windows 11, it did work, but Steam Overlay did not, and therefore neither did the Steam Controller (at least - you couldn't configure the controls, nor did it work in Joystick mode). I also tried the Open Source EMI Launcher project to no avail. Fine for KBM mind you. What impressed me was that it worked flawlessly on Steam Deck and I quickly created an improved Steam Controller layout that made playing a delight.

This one is a mixed bag but still an enjoyable entry in the series, overall. The shift to 3D and new controls doesn’t always work, and it loses some of the charm and simplicity of earlier games. Still, the humor and characters are strong enough to make it a worthwhile experience.