After you find the five golden keys to open the closet with the secret of Monkey Island, Return to Monkey island players are once again on the titular island of the series. Part 5 opens with Guybrush and Elaine trekking through the jungle, with Elaine trying to temper the expectations of both her husband and the player with clever and thoughtful dialogue.
Finally, the pair reach the giant monkey head, but are accosted by Flair before they can go inside. Elaine leans back to deal with the pesky pirate, allowing Guybrush to wander further into the depths of Monkey Island. Here he and the player have to solve various challenging puzzles to reach the climax of Return to Monkey Island and finally discover the long-standing secret of the series after more than three decades of waiting.
How to Free Wally in Part 5 of Return to Monkey Island
Soon after going underground, players encounter Wally, who hangs precariously over a lava pit. If players had the foresight to scribble the serial number of the buoys on the deck of LeChuck’s ship in part 2 and then had a key made upon their return to Melee in the previous part, they can use this key to rescue the mapmaker and unlock Free Wally’s achievement. If not, there is no way to release him and they just have to move on.
Not long after passing Wally, players encounter Flambe, who will warn Guybrush that LeChuck is obsessed with the secret and advise him to return. However, the mighty pirate ignores his warning, leading Flambe to notice that he and LeChuck deserve each other before disappearing into a lava trap. Players can then continue right until they are asked to take a plunge. This will lead to a new area and the first of the many puzzles of part 5.
Complete the Organized Pirate Puzzle in Part 5 of Return to Monkey Island
The first puzzle involves Guybrush placing items in the hands of four monkey statues. Players must start by entering the tunnel on the left and placing a cracker in the hand of the monkey with the parrot. There is also a minty stone pebble on the floor in this room that they have to pick up for later. If you go further to the left, players will find another statue that is missing its blade and another pebble left behind a rock.
The next room contains a statue of a monkey staring into the distance. It looks like it should include a telescope, but since players don’t have one in their inventory, they’ll have to use the double monocle from part 1 instead. In the last room, players will find a happy-looking monkey and must place the mug in his hand to complete the puzzle.
Before going down the now-unlocked stairs, players must pick up their four items. Strictly speaking, they only have the Mug and the Knife, but it can’t hurt to grab the cracker and the monocles too. They will also want to note the symbol above the door, as they will need it later. Like many of the other puzzles in Return to Monkey Islandchanges it from playthrough to playthrough so players can’t check online.
How to complete the Observant Pirate puzzle in Return to Monkey Island part 5
After LeChuck hears Guybrush screaming, the evil ghost pirate pulls the lever again, launching another monkey statue challenge. This time, players must note the status of the three monkeys and place the correct number of coins (or pebbles) in their boxes to progress. The Captain needs three coins, the First Swab needs two, and the Cabin Monkey needs one, meaning players need a total of six.
Players can find one pebble in the room at the bottom of the stairs and then go through the tunnel to the right. They’ll want to drop two pebbles into the Captain statue’s chest here, as well as the last coin in Guybrush’s wallet, while also making sure the pebble to the exit on the right. Passing through this exit will take you to the First Swab statue, where players must place their last two remaining pebbles.
The last room contains the Cabin Monkey statue and a single pebble surrounded by mushrooms on the ground in front of it. Placing this pebble in the monkey’s modest chest completes the puzzle, allowing players to venture further into the depths of Monkey Island. Again, players should take note of the symbol above the door leading down there, which should look a bit like a mouth this time around.
How to complete the bloodthirsty pirate puzzle in part 5 of Return to Monkey Island
After once again alerting LeChuck to his presence, Guybrush will face another amazing Monkey Island puzzle. Fortunately, this one is a lot easier than the previous two, although players will need the mug and knife, so if they haven’t picked them up sooner, they’ll have to go back to the first floor to do so. However, assuming they’ve already grabbed them, they can head straight through the tunnel to the right to get started.
Players must use the blade to stab the first monkey statue in the arm, then use the empty grog mug to collect some of the black substance that begins to seep out. In the next room they have to stab the monkey statue in the leg and then proceed to the last room. The statue that once stood here has been destroyed, but players can get around this by emptying the mug into the grid for where the statue once stood. They can then proceed to the last level, noting the four-digit number above the door.
How to solve the stone wheel puzzle in part 5 of Return to Monkey Island
After a short cutscene, LeChuck goes through the door, which resets the stone wheel puzzle he’s been struggling with for the past ten minutes. That’s okay, because players have everything they need to solve it relatively quickly, assuming they’ve noted the markings above the doorways leading down here. As mentioned above, these vary from playthrough to playthrough, so players will need to write down theirs rather than relying on the image above.
Before interacting with the Ferris wheel, players must view the stone slab protruding from the lava in the lower-right corner of the screen. The inscription reads “After 4 extra years at sea, their paws went limp at the knees, 3 step well 2 left, until they fell off the deck and met Davy Jones for some tea.” This reveals that players must change the number on the giant stone wheel four times, the inner wheel twice and the outer wheel three times.
It’s not that simple, though, as players must first reset the wheel using the information they’ve gathered on their way down from the doorways. After doing this, they can follow the instructions above to complete the puzzle, which will allow Guybrush to go through the door behind the wheel and eventually discover the secret of Monkey Island.
How to find the secret of Monkey Island
Just like the one at the end of Monkey Island 2, the door will lead players into an amusement park-style rendition of Melee Island, featuring animatronic figures of some of the series’ main characters. After grabbing the popcorn from the ground in front of them, players have to exit the alley, leading to Stan Guybrush getting a set Keys and tell him to lock up.
Players can then move to the left and the Key from the animatronic locksmith’s hand and use it to open the chest containing the secret. After more than three decades, it has been revealed that the secret of Monkey Island is a cotton T-shirtjust like the treasure of Melee Island in the very first Monkey Island game.
After looking around for a while, players must use Stan’s keys to turn off all the lights, then talk to Elaine when they’re finally ready to leave. There’s then a bit more dialogue with the young Guybrush in the present, after which the credits start rolling and the game comes to a thought-provoking ending. When it’s all over, players can check out the scrapbook from the main menu for a letter from the game’s creators.
Return to Monkey Island is now available on PC and Nintendo Switch.
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