Here, finally, is the next #26Characters post. When I started this project, one of the names on the list of characters pretty early on was that of Guybrush Threepwood, star of the Monkey Island series of games from LucasArts.
The Secret of Monkey Island had a profound effect on me as a child. It was the first video game I had played that wasn’t a side-scrolling ‘shoot/punch/jump on many things to kill them’ game. The fact that it relied on dialogue, humour and bizarre logic puzzles to win (rather than lightning-quick reflexes & dexterity, which I lack to this day) was initially a shock. Soon, however, I wished that all games at least had an option for Insult Sword-fighting or the clever use of a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle. I’ve sort of got my wish, as most games these days a lot of dialogue & at least some attempts at logic puzzles, though married with the ‘shoot/punch/jump on many things to kill them’ mechanics. I love these games, but a part of me wishes there were more pure adventure games out there.
I’ve gone with the Guybrush from Monkey Island 2 for this sketch: while the first game is still my favourite, I do love the character design of this one the most.
