Return to Monkey Island arrives on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Return to Monkey Island, the long-awaited return of Guybrush Threepwood's swashbuckling adventures, will be out on September 19, which just coincidentally (or maybe not) also happens to be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which, yes, is an actual thing.

The trailer, narrated by sketchy sales rep Stan S. Stanman, showcases a number of the game's locations, characters, and snappy dialog, and of course the new art style that's proven unexpectedly controversial: The "personal attack comments" that came in response to the initial reveal led co-creator Ron Gilbert to declare that he was done sharing information on the game. His Monkey Island compadre Dave Grossman stuck with it, though, and Gilbert didn't seem to mind too much.

Personally I like the new look. It's a real change and I can understand why diehard Monkey Island fans might be a little put off by it, but it's well over a decade since the previous Monkey Island game, Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island, and it's not as though the series was previously committed to visual realism. More important is this writing and scripting: If that's sharp and solid, the rest will follow.

Return to Monkey Island preorders are live now, and everyone who lays down their money up front will receive the Horse Armor item for free. Do note that horse armor "has no practical use in game, and in no way will contribute to gameplay, puzzles, or narrative of Return to Monkey Island." It'll look pretty sweet in your inventory, though.

Catch up with our full list of Gamescom announcements from Opening Night Live and check our Gamescom schedule to find out when to watch everything else.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.