Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay Review

A month after launching a reboot to the Monkey Island series, Telltale Games released the second chapter in their episodic undertaking – Tales of Monkey Island: Siege of Spinner Cay. It’s not as interesting or funny as the first chapter, but it continues the story in a fashion that promises to make you desire future episodes.

The story picks up right where the first episode left off. Guybrush is piloting the Screaming Narwhal when Morgan LeFlay boards his ship and promises to take him back to Marquis De Singe. Instead, she only gets his pox-infected hand, but Guybrush manages an escape. Most of the story has you visiting the Jerkbait Islands, home to a mermaid race where a dispute with a pirate over artifacts that can lead to the location of La Esponge Grande.

It just so happens that Guybrush is also looking for La Esponge to get rid of the pox that he unleashed when fighting LeChuck in the first episode. It seems to me that this episode is both shorter and easier to figure out than the first episode. The same premise of solving puzzles and talking to characters is still in place. I guess I found the characters on Flotsam Island to be more intriguing than the mermaid race.

Overall, if you liked the first episode, Siege of Spinner Cay is a continuation of the same story. While I did not find the characters to be as interesting or the puzzles to be nearly as innovative, it is the next logical purchase for those wanting to experience the entire franchise. This is a series that is best played through progression. Skipping chapters will leave out key plot elements. For that reason, I suggest picking this up, if only to stay on top of what’s going on.