# Ron declares he is working on a new Monkey Island **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [April 3, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993 "2022-04-03T20:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![LowLevel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/lowlevel/32/48_2.png) [@LowLevel](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/LowLevel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/343 "2022-04-17T16:32:34Z")
That comparison is a way to reinforce my impression that it’s either super-stylized Picassian art or EGA-constrained pixel art, with nothing between the extremes. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/344 "2022-04-17T16:40:16Z")
Someone should definitely draw the inbetweens 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LowLevel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/lowlevel/32/48_2.png) [@LowLevel](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/LowLevel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/345 "2022-04-17T16:43:35Z")
Yes, and make it a game! ---
**Author:** ![St\_Eddie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/st_eddie/32/13650_2.png) [@St\_Eddie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/St_Eddie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/346 "2022-04-17T18:17:03Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > Someone should definitely draw the inbetweens 🙂 Somebody on Reddit had a crack at pixelating the art from the game and it’s pretty much what my ideal version of the art style being used in the game would have been… ![](https://i.imgur.com/CguPVGR.jpg) Or how about this for a hypothetical art style… ![](https://i.imgur.com/lWPjRiP.jpg) That would have captured the darker atmosphere of the first game rather well, I feel (whilst still being its own unique style and evolution). ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/347 "2022-04-17T18:33:52Z")
I’d rather see the brush strokes, not the pixels… A quick sketch of what I mean: ![immagine](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/1/189358b4ac9c1c8edd3cfbe063bb1e2bceef98d4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/348 "2022-04-17T18:35:51Z")
![immagine](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/2/2d4cee4447a3cfa6dfca365f9778b3597b02ef36.jpeg) This is great but too expensive to make a game like that… ---
**Author:** ![Festarossa](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/festarossa/32/15_2.png) [@Festarossa](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Festarossa)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/349 "2022-04-17T18:36:27Z")
> [@St\_Eddie](#): > > Or how about this for a hypothetical art style… > > ![](https://i.imgur.com/lWPjRiP.jpg) > > That would have captured the darker atmosphere of the first game rather well, I feel (whilst still being its own unique style). Ooh, I would have loved this style. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Eddie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/st_eddie/32/13650_2.png) [@St\_Eddie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/St_Eddie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/350 "2022-04-17T18:44:56Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > This is great but too expensive to make a game like that… I’m not sure that I agree. Would this painting have taken any longer for the artist to create than it took, say, Bill Tiller to create his backgrounds for _The Curse of Monkey Island_? A lot of the brush strokes in the painting are broad strokes (the clouds and the background areas), with most of the detail being saved for the point of focus in the foreground (the Scumm Bar). Furthermore, look at the backgrounds created for indie adventure games such as _Deponia_. It’s not unfeasible to use an art style such as this for a smaller game. Besides, this was a piece of fan art and art is only as expensive as the artist making it charges. I see no reason why a style such as this couldn’t have been theoretically used in _Return to Monkey Island_. I don’t think the art style ultimately decided upon in the game by Ron Gilbert is one of budgetary concerns, but rather an artistic decision. ---
**Author:** ![LowLevel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/lowlevel/32/48_2.png) [@LowLevel](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/LowLevel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/351 "2022-04-17T18:45:19Z")
> [@St\_Eddie](#): > > Or how about this for a hypothetical art style… > > ![](https://i.imgur.com/lWPjRiP.jpg) This image was my desktop wallpaper, some time ago, and I have always liked its gloomy atmosphere. It’s one of those images that make you wonder which pirates are inside the bar, which ghost stories they are telling, how drunk they are, which music they’re playing, and so on… > [@seguso](#): > > This is great but too expensive to make a game like that… … except for Disney. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Paul](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/paul/32/15080_2.png) [@Paul](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Paul)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/352 "2022-04-17T19:19:11Z")
> [@seguso](#): > > ![immagine](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/2/2d4cee4447a3cfa6dfca365f9778b3597b02ef36.jpeg) > > This is great but too expensive to make a game like that… To me this is kind of TOO real, like a really serious crime/drama game… while Monkey Island is a very, very funny game with lots of visual jokes… I think you need to have some level of cartoony-ness, otherwise characters like Stan and his whole “Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels” shop and the Grog machine, etc. aren’t going to be as fun… same with stuff like the Hook island signs [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmR2NNoXgAAfHf6.png) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmR2NNoXgAAfHf6.png) ---
**Author:** ![Ema](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/ema/32/14101_2.png) [@Ema](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Ema)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/353 "2022-04-17T19:27:18Z")
You have certainly a point, but various rooms in MI1 and some in MI2 are quite gloomy, too. You can apply the same style also to colorful frames like the ones in Booty Island, I think the dark mood of certain rooms isn’t specifically due to the art style ---
**Author:** ![St\_Eddie](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/st_eddie/32/13650_2.png) [@St\_Eddie](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/St_Eddie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/354 "2022-04-17T19:28:19Z")
> [@Paul](#): > > To me this is kind of TOO real, like a really serious crime/drama game… while Monkey Island is a very, very funny game with lots of visual jokes… > > I think you need to have some level of cartoony-ness, otherwise characters like Stan and his whole “Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels” shop and the Grog machine, etc. aren’t going to be as fun… same with stuff like the Hook island signs I see your point but I would argue that the juxtaposition of a more realistically depicted world, along with comic relief and silliness would work rather well. After all, one of Ron Gilbert’s main inspirations for the tone of Monkey Island was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I think that the painting above does a decent job of capturing that same vibe… ![](https://i.imgur.com/JwwCbSG.jpg) It’s also worth noting the sheer number of live action comedic movies. Just look at _Ghostbusters_, for example. Is the comedy in said film in any way lessened by virtue of it using real life actors and locations? I would argue that the grounded setting and aesthetic of _Ghostbusters_ only serves to heighten the juxtaposition of the comedic elements. Equally, would _The Princess Bride_ have been funnier, had it been an animated movie? I very much doubt it. Quite the opposite in fact. Therefore, I remain convinced that a stylistically darker and more realistically proportioned world in a Monkey Island game could work very well indeed. ---
**Author:** ![seguso](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/seguso/32/1232_2.png) [@seguso](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/seguso)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/355 "2022-04-17T19:34:08Z")
![immagine](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/6/61c2c97dbf99ab29e10adacb78052e4f2b1921a9.jpeg) You have just convinced me that RTMI should have been an FMV game. (not sure if that was the purpose 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Paul](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/paul/32/15080_2.png) [@Paul](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Paul)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/356 "2022-04-17T19:34:48Z")
Yeah, it reminds me a lot of live action stuff Sierra did, like Police Quest 4 and Phantasmagoria… Maybe you guys will get your wish in Return to Monkey Island 2 ---
**Author:** ![Ema](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/ema/32/14101_2.png) [@Ema](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Ema)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/357 "2022-04-17T19:36:26Z")
> [@Paul](#): > > To me this is kind of TOO real, like a really serious crime/drama game… while Monkey Island is a very, very funny game with lots of visual jokes… You know, @St_Eddie said it better than me… but I think MI1 is magic because it starts SO gloomy. Dark streets. Dangerous mugs. Evil curses. Creepy prohecies. Then, light-hearted humour that comes as a relief. But, when you are starting to relax, you turn around the corner, and… ![3278EC96-8623-4ED7-A4A7-FE7DF4DFC379](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/2/29d838af054869aa6dba3e88ddf9bf3db76cdc23.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Paul](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/paul/32/15080_2.png) [@Paul](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/Paul)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/358 "2022-04-17T19:47:55Z")
I get that for some people the creepiness/gloomy element is a big thing… For me personally I never felt that it needed to be MORE realistic or creepy, it had the fun creepiness of some cartoons like the Mumm-Ra parts of Thundercats, etc. For me this is good, a nice mix of gloomy/atmospheric, and cartoon - [![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/9/9c13ffb1e998d0f5e57f7d94b4449856ee8c40e3.jpeg) ](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/9/9c13ffb1e998d0f5e57f7d94b4449856ee8c40e3.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![LowLevel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/lowlevel/32/48_2.png) [@LowLevel](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/LowLevel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/359 "2022-04-17T21:26:13Z")
> [@Paul](#): > > I get that for some people the creepiness/gloomy element is a big thing… The gloomy atmosphere in Mêlée Island is for sure something that hooked me since the very beginning of the story. More that “creepy” I would describe it simply as “dangerous”. If you have ever walked at night in some unsafe neighborhood of a city, you’ll understand the kind of sensation that I have always felt in Mêlée . Meeting criminals, adventuring into shady alleys… ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/thimbleweedpark/original/2X/e/eb25d8a17ff68cabd289ee367607d57e98fe0d05.png) ---
**Author:** ![tlammert](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/tlammert/32/22_2.png) [@tlammert](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/tlammert)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/360 "2022-04-17T21:33:21Z")
For me and the child I was when I played MI1 & MI2 it was always a hilarious funny experience. I laughed so much playing them. There was kind of a dark atmosphere when I look at it today, but not for me as a kid. And that’s how I remember them until today. And I have played them a lot since back then. The dark atmosphere was something that packed the funny game into a more adventurous feeling. I was an adventurer because of it. It was never something that made me think of something creepy or evil. That’s why I go with Paul here. The picture is way to realistic and creepy for Monkey island at least for me. And that’s why I think the style they chose will fit perfectly. Considering what Ron and Dave saidin the interview and looking at the trailer, I think it’s true that the animated game will be completely different from what we get looking just at the screenshots. It’s a personal opinion. Like everyone had their own dream MI3a in their head, everyone remembers part 1&2 different. So it would never be possible to please everyone, even if it was pixel art. The complaints would be different but not less. So I kind of understand why they make it completely different. ---
**Author:** ![BigRedButton](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/bigredbutton/32/212_2.png) [@BigRedButton](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/BigRedButton)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/361 "2022-04-17T22:26:54Z")
I have sympathy for any of the art styles praised above. However, I guess the real challenge for developers already begins with finding a style which all relevant artists can master and to make sure that all art works will meet the chosen style - and the costs, of course. ---
**Author:** ![a.ammo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forums.thimbleweedpark.com/a.ammo/32/263_2.png) [@a.ammo](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/u/a.ammo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 11:28pm UTC](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993/362 "2022-04-17T23:28:41Z")
Oh man, I just read that first interview with Ron and Dave and Dave pretty much said the EXACT same things I said about keeping some continuity, dropping others, that canon is more a modern obsession and it doesn’t matter, and then he also talked about myth. Literally everything I said. Just want to say 1. I’m happy to hear we’re on the same wavelength. And 2. I swear I wasn’t just regurgitating what he said 😅 [Previous page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993.md?page=17) [Next page](https://forums.thimbleweedpark.com/t/ron-declares-he-is-working-on-a-new-monkey-island/4993.md?page=19)