Top 20 Games Like Return To Monkey Island

It is not unusual for players to want more whenever they end a good adventurous video game. While the only way to have more of that game is through a DLC or an official update, but playing games of a similar genre or setting can satisfy that itch. In today’s guide, we will discuss the top 20 games like Return to Monkey Island.

Return to Monkey Island is the sixth installment in the point-and-click adventure franchise, developed by Terrible Toybox and published by Developer Digital. Step into the shoes of Guybrush Threepwood once again as he searches for the secret of the Monkey island. Along the way, he will meet both old and new faces, including his arch Nemesis LeChuck.

Here are our picks for the 20 Games like Return to Monkey Island.

20. Tukoni

• Developers: Oksana Blue, Alexey Furman, Alexey Sysoiev
• Publishers: Oksana Blue, Alexey Furman
• Release Date: 19th November 2020
• Platforms: Windows, Android

Tukoni is based on an award-winning book series written by Ukrainian artist Oksana Bula. It’s a classic short point-and-click adventure where you play as Tukoni, and help out various different animals of the wildlife. 

Along the way, you get to craft items, solve captivating puzzles, and explore the calm and peaceful world of Tukoni. To guide you on your adventures, Tukoni carries a book to not only see who to assist next but also all of your accomplishments. The game features hand-drawn backgrounds, soothing scores, and dialogue that is visualized by thought bubbles, making it a complete package.

Tukoni is a short-lived yet extremely wholesome, therapeutic experience, one that can help you relax with its calming setting and narrative rather than fill you with excitement and intrigue.

Pros:

• Tukoni is completely free to play on all platforms, making it extremely accessible to all kinds of players.
• The visual design of Tukoni is very adorable and has a distinct aesthetic that is very appealing to look at.
• The art in Tukoni is fully hand-drawn by Oksana Bula, who was the artist of the original books.
• Tukoni is a very relaxing game that you can play at the end of a tiring day to chill.
• There are guides in Tukoni that can help you out if you get stuck at any point in one of the puzzles.
• Tukoni feels like a very wholesome interactive storybook in a video game format.
• The puzzles in Tukoni are not too difficult and you can casually solve them without having to think much.

Cons:

• Tukoni is an extremely short game and can feel like a bittersweet adventure due to its short length.
• There are a lot of glitches in the mobile version of Tukoni that can make the game almost unplayable.
• Tukoni is set to boot up in the Russian language by default on mobile devices, which can be very frustrating.
• There are way too many loading issues on the mobile version of Tukoni that can waste a lot of your time.
• Many players believe that the story of Tukoni does not get anywhere.

19. Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth

• Developers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Publishers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Release Date: 16 August 2017
• Platforms: Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Amazon Luna, and IOS.

Pillars of the Earth is based on Ken Follet’s best-selling novel of the same name. Set in 12th century England, the game retells the story of a small village located in Kingsbridge, starring Jack, Philip, and Aliena. During a period of war and poverty, the townsfolk decide to construct a cathedral to claim wealth and security for the masses. It is during this event, characters with very different backgrounds come to meet each other.

Jack is a small boy raised by her outlawed mother, Philip is a monk and Aliena is a disgraced noblewoman. Even if the game was just a one-to-one adaptation of the book, it still would’ve been an amazing adventure game, but that isn’t the case here. 

Pillars of the Earth allows you to alter the course of the narrative and influence the fates of its characters by making different decisions along the way. Along with its epic narrative that spans over 30 years, the game features highly detailed hand-painted background sceneries, bringing 12th-century England to life.

Even though it is a point-and-click adventure game focusing on exploration, object interaction, and character movement, the puzzles here are very simple, with some QTE events here and there. Despite that, it isn’t much of a problem, since it is very apparent that these decisions were made to let the main narrative have the spotlight.

Obviously, when a game in delving into themes of war, religion, and politics featuring grounded characters, not having complicated puzzles becomes the least of the player’s concerns. If you want to immerse yourself in a much more grounded adventure with well-realized characters and an atmospheric setting, you should definitely give Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth a try.

Pros:

• Pillars of the Earth features a very interesting and unique 2D art style that gives the game a very distinct aesthetic.
• Pillars of the Earth includes voice acting in both English and German.
• Ken Follett himself appears as a voice actor for one of the characters in Pillars of the Earth.
• The way Pillars of the Earth tells its story is incredibly immersive and keeps you engaged throughout.
• The characters in Pillars of the Earth are written very well.
• Pillars of the Earth does a great job of building an emotional connection between you and its characters.
• The sound design is very good and has some very satisfying sounds that add to the experience.

Cons:

• Some of the decisions in Pillars of the Earth are heavily scripted and do not have much of an impact on the story.
• Some of the plot twists in Pillars of the Earth might be predictable to some players.
• There is a severe lack of an auto-save feature in Pillars of the Earth and the manual save system is not the best.
• Pillars of the Earth has several glitches related to graphics and some text bugs.
• There is not much gameplay in Pillars of the Earth and the majority of it is spent on interacting with the environment.

18. Excavation of Hob’s Barrow

• Developers: Cloak and Dagger Games
• Publishers: Wadjet Eye
• Release Date: 28 September 2022
• Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS

In contrast to the Return to Monkey Island, Excavation of Hob’s Barrow has a much darker and more complex storyline, heavily borrowing from English folklore. You play as an Antiquarian, Thomanisa Bateman, who is writing a book on barrows of England. All is changed when suddenly she receives an enigmatic letter that summons her to the small village of Bewlay.

After she arrives in the village, the person who summoned her is nowhere to be found, and it is now up to you to help Thomanisa figure out what is going on. Like Return to Monkey Island, the game features classic point-and-click gameplay intertwined with adventure game puzzles and interactions. As you explore the sinister town of Bewlay, you will also continue to meet an intriguing cast of characters, each having their own motives, for better or worse. 

Even though the puzzles themselves aren’t quite complex here, the game makes up for it by forcing the player to make tough decisions in tense situations. The game doesn’t overwhelm you with a crazy amount of items to pick up, and most of your time will be spent interacting with various characters, choosing dialogue options, and diving deeper into the mysteries of the town.

Regarding the art style, the developers do an excellent job of portraying folk horror with pixelated graphics. The visuals and cinematics here are very similar to the ones seen in Blasphemous; horrific and highly detailed. The atmosphere is further amped up by its fantastic score, ominous tracks, and voice-over artists who give their all in engaging you in its world.

All in all, Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is an amazing point-and-click adventure, that might fill the void in your heart if you are looking for something much more sinister and tense unlike Return to Monkey Island while being mechanically similar.

Pros:

• Excavation of Hob’s Borrow features a very aesthetic pixel visual design that has some modern elements to it.
• The story of Excavation of Hob’s Borrow features a rather creepy story that contains some elements of English Folklore.
• The puzzle design of Excavation of Hob’s Borrow is great.
• The voice actors do an amazing job of representing the emotions of the characters in Excavation of Hob’s Borrow.
• The dialogue in Excavation of Hob’s Borrow is written flawlessly and feels like it is out of English literature.
• The atmosphere of Excavation of Hob’s Borrow is very eerie and gives a very haunting vibe.
• Excavation of Hob’s Borrow features a very compelling mystery that keeps your attention throughout.

Cons:

• The gameplay is nothing special and does nothing innovative, as it is your average point-and-click gameplay.
• Excavation of Hob’s Borrow might feel a bit too short for some players.
• Most of the game is a bunch of quests where you run errands for other people, which gets a bit annoying.
• While the voice acting is incredible, there is not much variety in the actors and most characters are voiced by the same person.

17. King’s Quest (2016)

• Developers: The Odd Gentlemen
• Publishers: Activision
• Release Date: 20th December 2016
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

King’s Quest chronicles the adventure of King Graham as he narrates his past adventures to his granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is a reimagining of the original King’s Quest games that alter some of its scenarios while still honoring the orginal’s setting and atmosphere.

Unlike the original King Quest games, the reboot is a traditional adventure game that lets the player control, Graham, while still incorporating gameplay mechanics that make up a standard point-and-click adventure game, like complicated puzzles and environmental interaction.

As you see the events of Graham’s life from a different perspective, the game also lets players control the flow of the narrative. This is done by allowing you to pick different dialogue choices, which can have various reactions and unpredictable outcomes.

There aren’t any prescribed paths, and players usually have the option to explore at their own pace.  The same is applied to puzzles as well, where you can approach a situation in multiple ways.

While there is nothing bad with the “staying true to the origins” mentality, King’s Quest is a great example of a reboot done right. The game doesn’t forget its point-and-click roots and incorporates all elements of that genre in an adventure game. So if you ever wondered if you could take part in all those combat encounters and had more control of Guybrush during his adventures, King’s Quest might be able to provide you with that perspective.

Pros:

• King’s Quest is a very nostalgic game and lives up to the expectations of veteran players.
• The art style in King’s Quest captures the feel of the old King’s Quest games perfectly and looks gorgeous.
• King’s Quest features some very good voice acting that captures the emotions of the characters perfectly.
• The puzzles in King’s Quest are not ludicrously easy or unbelievably difficult, making them perfect.
• The characters in King’s Quest are great and have some very likable personalities.
• Some of the jokes in King’s Quest are genuinely funny and the story has some genius puns.

Cons:

• The gameplay of King’s Quest can feel a bit too linear, especially at the beginning of the game.
• There are a lot of weird graphical glitches spread throughout King’s Quest.
• The developers of the game have horrible communication with the player base, which is very frustrating.
• King’s Quest can feel a bit too confining at the start of the game and might turn away some players.
• The story of King’s Quest has some very cliché dialogue that gets too cheesy sometimes.
• King’s Quest does not have the best animations and they might lag sometimes.

16. Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition

• Developers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Publishers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Release Date: 4th December 2019
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, IOS, and macOS

Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition is a re-release of Deaedlic’s classic, with overhauled visuals, next-gen technology, and intuitive controls, making it a definitive version for both new and returning players. The game puts you in the shoes of Edna as she wakes up in a padded cell with no memories of her past and how she got here. 

As you plan your escape out of the asylum, Edna meets a bizarre cast of characters, one of which is the game’s deuteragonist called Harvey, who is a talking rabbit. What really adds to the charm of Edna & Harvey is its wacky setting. Talking tables, chairs, extractors, fans, and walls are all here, which not only move the narrative forward but are also incorporated into gameplay segments as well.

Using a classic point-and-click gameplay system, you will have the option to interact with objects in multiple ways. You can talk to them, use them, look at them, or take them, depending on what’s the need of the time. For the most part, you will be using these interaction options to solve puzzles and with how many options you have, puzzle solving can get quite complicated at times.

So if you want to get into something with a wacky and crazy narrative mixed with complicated puzzles, do check out Edna and Harvey: The Breakout –  Anniversary Edition.

Pros:

• Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition has a good amount of content.
• The visuals have been greatly improved and modernized in Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition.
• The puzzle design remains as distinct and unique as ever, with fair difficulty that makes you think.
• Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition allows you to switch between the old and new graphics whenever you want.
• You will find yourself to be emotionally invested in the story, as it is written very well.
• Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition features multiple endings that allow for great replay value.
• The writing for the dialogue is very good and entertaining, with some genius jokes that make you laugh.

Cons:

• Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition does not have any hints if you get stuck in any of the puzzles.
• There is a severe lack of a fast-travel system and it takes a while to get to where you want.
• A lot of the items you can collect in Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition are completely useless.
• The sound design of the game is genuinely awful and can be very annoying to listen to.
• The voice acting in Edna and Harvey’s anniversary edition is pretty mediocre and takes away from the immersion.

15. Machinarium

• Developers: Amanita Design
• Publishers: Amanita Design
• Release Date: October 16, 2009
• Platforms: Windows, Linux, Playstation 3, PlayStation Vita, Android, IOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

The game takes place in the fictional city of Machinarium, which is populated by robots of different shapes and sizes. You play as a robot, Josef, who ends up discovering a plot by Black Cap Brother which involves blowing up the city’s tower. But before he could do anything, he is discovered by the Brotherhood and thrown into a dungeon. 

It is now your job to break out of the prison, aid the citizens in escaping the city and save your girlfriend Berta, who is also locked up by the Brotherhood. For the most part, your goal will be to solve puzzles and brain teasers using point-and-click gameplay. In contrast to a traditional point-and-click game or a narrative-driven game, Machinarium has no dialogue whatsoever. Instead, the game uses animated thought bubbles to convey what the characters are feeling.

If you feel like a puzzle is too complex and cannot wrap your head around what to do in a situation, a two-tier hint system or game’s very own walkthrough can be used as a last resort. These are nice accessibility options for players, in case they can’t wrap their head around a puzzle and need a little push. At the same time, both of these hint mechanics come with their own set of restrictions, which encourages the player to analyze the problem carefully before resorting to hints.

This 2D hand-drawn dystopian point-and-click adventure game is a must-play for those who want to test their puzzle-solving skills.

Pros:

• If you are a fan of classic point-and-click adventure games, then Machinarium is the best game for you.
• The visual design of Machinarium looks incredibly gorgeous.
• All of the graphics in Machinarium are completely hand-drawn with a 2D art style, including the environments.
• Machinarium features some very memorable soundtracks that stick with you even after you finish the game.
• The story of Machinarium is beautifully told and you will find yourself to be invested in it very passionately.
• Machinarium features some very likable characters that you will want to root for throughout the entire game.
• The point-and-click gameplay in Machinarium is executed perfectly and can be very satisfying.
• The puzzles in Machinarium are designed very well, with a genius hint system.

Cons:

• The overall UI of Machinarium is not designed well and can be very awkward to navigate.
• Interacting with objects or the environment can be a bit clunky in Machinarium.
• The code for Machinarium was written fully in Flash, which makes Machinarium feel like a browser game.
• A few of the puzzles in Machinarium feel like mini-games that do not connect with the story.

14. Tiny & Tall: Gleipnir

• Developers: tT Studios
• Publishers: Plug In Digital
• Release Date: 4th September 2018
• Platforms: Windows and macOS

Tiny & Tall are two blacksmiths who were ordered by Norse gods to forge Gleipnir, in order to hold Fenrir and put a stop to his mischievous activities. Mr. Tall is a bit skeptical about taking on this task, while Mr. Tiny can’t wait to begin this adventure. This contrast between the personalities of the two characters makes up for a really great dynamic between the two, as you go on a dangerous yet funny adventure with the two blacksmiths.

The game doesn’t hide its inspirations at all, and it shows. Inspired by LucasArt games (former developers of Monkey Island games) you can pick up objects, combine them and use them at your own disposal. The game also allows you to highlight all environmental objects by pressing the space bar, although it will lock you out of an “achievement”

Regarding puzzles, they’re not very difficult, but they are logical and some of them definitely require analysis to some extent before you can figure out what to do. Even though the dialogue isn’t voice-acted, the beautiful 2D environments, music, and all of the funny banter between the two characters make up for it.

Pros:

• Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir features a very old-school style of gameplay that has been modernized with unique elements.
• All of the environments in Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir have been colored manually and look incredibly gorgeous.
• Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir features a mix of 2D hand-drawn and pixel art styles that are in a modern high-resolution format.
• The overall story of Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir is very interesting and funny enough to make you laugh.
• Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir features a genius hint system that allows you to have a fun time with the puzzles.
• There is a fast-travel system in Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir that allows you to go anywhere on the map.
• Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir has a wide variety of puzzles that keep the game feeling fresh.

Cons:

• Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir lacks a manual save option, which makes saving your progress a chore.
• Some players might not find the dialogue in Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir to be very interesting.
• The animation in Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir does not look as smooth as some players might be used to in modern games.
• There is no voice acting in Tiny and Tall: Gleipnir, which will turn away players that do not like reading.

13. Lair Of The Clockwork God

• Developers: Size Five Games
• Publishers: Size Five Games
• Release Date: February 21, 2020
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Lair of the Clockwork God is a combination of point-and-click adventure games and 90s platformers. You play as Dan and Ben. Dan is a hardcore fan of LucasArts games and loves collecting old junk in hopes of solving yet another mystery. Meanwhile, Dan is someone who always looks forward to the next indie platformer. The interests of both characters are incorporated into the gameplay. 

Ben excels in puzzle-solving while Dan is an expert in platforming. Throughout your journey, you can switch between these two characters in a race against time to save the world from an apocalypse. The mix of these two genres is something that shouldn’t have worked on paper but Lairs of the Clockwork God manages to get it right.

With a press of a button, you can switch between the two characters. Dan’s controls and gameplay mostly involve puzzle solving, interacting with other characters, and managing and combining inventory items. But as soon as you switch to Dan, both the gameplay and UI change as you indulge yourself in some crazy platforming sections.

These two gameplay styles on their own might not be that strong but the combination of those two styles is what gives the game its own identity. Along with its unorthodox gameplay approach, the banter between the two characters, as they comment on the videogame industry along with some over-the-top jokes makes this makes a must-play.

Pros:

• Lair Of The Clockwork God has some incredibly entertaining and genuinely funny humor.
• The puzzles are designed very well and have enough of a challenge to feel rewarding.
• The characters in Lair Of The Clockwork God are written very well and have some great interactions.
• Lair Of The Clockwork God has a very good story that engages you from start to finish.
• Each level feels like a unique story and has some very satisfying endings that also feel rewarding.
• Lair Of The Clockwork God features a very appealing pixel art style that has some very bright colors.
• There is a very good hint system in place, in case you get stuck at any point in the game.

Cons:

• The animations in Lair Of The Clockwork God do not look as dynamic as some players might expect.
• The platforming aspects of Lair Of The Clockwork God are a bit too difficult and can get frustrating.
• Lair Of The Clockwork God has a strange cursor glitch where the cursor becomes awkward to control.
• The pacing can become way too slow in some parts of Lair Of The Clockwork God.
• The controls in Lair Of The Clockwork God are not the best and can become unresponsive randomly.

12. Broken Age

• Developers: Double Fine Productions
• Publishers: Double Fine Productions
• Release Date: 28th April 2015
• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita

Broken Age is a family-friendly, hand-animated, point- and click adventure game, developed by one of the most acclaimed developers in the industry. It tells a timeless, coming of an age story of two teenagers, Vella Tartine and Shay Bolta, who are both in very similar situations but in different dimensions or worlds.

The characters are controlled in the traditional point-and-click style gameplay, with the option to switch between the two protagonists. Both of these characters are completely separate from each other and don’t interact with each other in any way whatsoever. Similarly, both characters have different inventories and set of objects which have to be combined manually by the player.

What sets Broken Age apart from an ordinary point-and-click adventure game is its all-star cast. Big names like Elijah Wood, Masasa Moyo, Jennifer Hale, Jack Black, Wil Wheaton, and Pendleton Ward bring out their A-game in breathing lives to the characters of Broken Age.

Pros:

• Broken Age features a gorgeous 2D art style that is completely hand-drawn.
• The story of Broken Age is written very beautifully, as it does a great job of drawing you in.
• The visual design of Broken Age is delightful and has a beautiful aesthetic that feels almost nostalgic.
• Broken Age features some of the best puzzles ever made, as they are very fun and rewarding to solve.
• The characters in Broken Age are amazing and their journey is a delight to follow.
• Broken Age has some very funny moments, with perfectly executed and witty jokes.
• The music in Broken Age is incredible, as it fits the moment very well and adds to it.

Cons:

• Broken Age follows the same fundamental formula as many other games before it have followed.
• The second half of Broken Age is very disappointing and could ruin most of the amazing first half.
• There is nothing innovative or new in Broken Age that could set it apart.
• Broken Age is an incredibly short game and many players might not be satisfied by the amount of content it has.

11. Sam & Max Telltale Triology

• Developers: Telltale Games
• Publishers: Telltale Games, Skunkape Games (Remaster)
• Release Date: 2009-2022
• Platforms: Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows

Before Telltale moved their gameplay style to something you would see in David Cage games, they used their story-telling expertise in point-and-click adventure games. Sam and Max’s franchise is a series of episodic adventure games where you control Sam and Max, two freelance detectives. Sam is a six-foot tall humanoid dog and Max is a hyperkinetic creature, resembling a rabbit.

Each entry in the series brings something new to the table while sharing similar gameplay mechanics. Solve cases involving mass hypnotization and face off aganist otherworldly creatures like Santa Claus, dancing zombies, and cosmic powers capable of controlling matter and space. All of this is just scratching the surface of what Sam & Max has to offer.

The gameplay involves Sam & Max exploring myriad environments and solving a series of puzzles while managing items in your inventory, that are either used to solve puzzles or progress the storyline. The solutions of puzzle range from simple logical solutions to far-fetched ones, requiring you to think out of the box. 

Each game in the series is unique and offers a sense of adventure, and if you want to go divulge yourself into another series after you are done with Monkey Island games, Sam & Max Telltale trilogy is what we would recommend.

Pros:

• The visuals in Sam and Max are very good, with a distinct aesthetic that makes the graphics stay memorable.
• The replay value in Sam and Max is very high, as you can replay some episodes to find new dialogue.
• Sam and Max feature amazing humor, with some cleverly sarcastic jokes that are hilarious.
• The plot is written very nicely in Sam and Max and it does a great job of keeping you engaged.
• Sam and Max have some very entertaining characters, with each character having a distinct and colorful personality.

Cons:

• Sam and Max do not do anything ground-breaking or innovative that could set it apart from other games.
• While the humor in Sam and Max is great, it might be hard to understand for players that are not native English Speakers.
• Some of the puzzles in Sam and Max can get incredibly frustrating and force you to search for a solution online.
• Sam and Max is a very basic point-and-click adventure, with not much else to the overall gameplay.
• You might often get stuck at one point in Sam and Max, with no idea what to do next.

10. The Book Of Unwritten Tales

• Developers: King Art Games
• Publishers: THQ 
• Release Date: 31st July 2012
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux

The Book of Unwritten Tales takes place in a war-torn country, where an aged gremlin archeologist by the name of Mortimer Mcguffin holds a powerful dark artifact. The person who holds the artifact holds the fate of the world in his hands. For this reason, the Army of Shadows sent their best spies to discover the location of the artifact. It now comes to Wilbur, Nate Ivo, and Critter to find the artifact first and make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Book of Unwritten Tales pays homage to traditional fantasy RPGs while using point-and-click gameplay, instead of a traditional turn-based combat system. Unlike other point-and-click games, Book of Unwritten Tales is a long game, featuring over 20 hours of gameplay, 60 explorable locations and 40 NPCs, and 250 interactable items.

Throughout your adventure, you will be able to switch between 4 playable characters, each having its own strengths and weaknesses. The key to the solution of various brain teasers and puzzles is hidden in utilizing character traits, adding a new layer of complexity to the puzzles. Sometimes it will require a single character to solve the puzzle while at other times you will have to make these characters work together in order to progress further.

If Return to Monkey Island wasn’t able to satisfy your itch for the puzzles, The Book of Unwritten Tales is the right game for you. A follow-up to The Book of Unwritten Tales was released in 2015.

Pros:

• The cast of characters in The Book Of Unwritten Tales is very memorable and lovable.
• The Book Of Unwritten Tales has a lot of great humor that many fans will find incredibly entertaining.
• There are many references to RPG and fantasy games littered throughout The Book Of Unwritten Tales.
• The Book Of Unwritten Tales has a lot of content for its price, as it can take you up to 20 hours to finish it.
• You can play as multiple characters and each character has its own set of unique skills for you to utilize.
• The puzzles in The Book Of Unwritten Tales rely on logic to solve and are not too difficult, but still feel rewarding.
• The Book Of Unwritten Tales features voice acting for the dialogue, which is done very well.

Cons:

• The Book Of Unwritten Tales is fixed at a 16:10 aspect ratio and if your screen is any different, you will have to deal with black bars.
• The ending of The Book Of Unwritten Tales is awful and undermines the entire story while being very anti-climactic.
• The overall story is pretty basic and does not offer you anything new or unique.
• The developers of the game refuse to solve the issues that are haunting many platforms. 

9. Sea Of Thieves

• Developers: Rare
• Publishers: Microsoft Windows
• Release Date: 20th March 2018
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S

Obviously, there is more to Return to Monkey Island than just being a point-and-click adventure game. For a game where the focal point is puzzle solving and narrative, the setting can sometimes leave a lot to be desired. That is why for our 10th entry, we recommend Sea of Thieves which allows you to be a full-fledged pirate and embark on a dangerous journey to live out your dream piracy life without any restrictions holding you back.

Despite a rocky launch, the continuous support of Rare over time turned it into the live-service game they always envisioned it to be. Players can select from numerous avatars and can face off aganist other players from around the world in brutal ship battles. Since the game features a shared world, you can invite your friends and explore the seas in a three-ship brigantine or four-ship galleon, boasting a sheer sense of adventure.

In addition to exploration, properly manning the cannons, patching up a broken area, and customizing and upgrading your ship is just one of the few responsibilities that fall into the player’s lap. In addition to exploration, you can even complete voyages offered by three main trading companies in the game, each offering something different and unique.

So if you want to embark on a voyage exploring the dangerous seas, by yourself or with your friends, be sure to check out Sea of Thieves.

Pros:

• The graphics and visuals in Sea of Thieves are stunning and do a great job of bringing the pirate world to life.
• There are interactive sailing mechanics in Sea Of Thieves that give you the most immersive pirate-themed experience.
• There is a multiplayer mode in Sea of Thieves with co-op, which is incredibly fun to play with friends.
• The design of the ships in Sea of Thieves is very innovative and the ships are brimming with personality.
• It is incredibly satisfying to sink the ships of your opponents and then steal their loot.
• The developers of Sea of Thieves are very active in the game and they release constant updates.

Cons:

• The gameplay and quests in Sea of Thieves are not designed very well and get repetitive very quickly.
• It is incredibly frustrating If you do not have any friends or other players willing to join your crew or complete tasks.
• There are some bugs and glitches present in Sea of Thieves that can interfere with your gameplay experience.
• Sea of Thieves suffers from a lot of cheaters and hackers in the online mode of the game.
• A lot of the content in Sea of Thieves might seem a bit lacking and underwhelming to some players.

8. Deponia: The Complete Journey

• Developers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Publishers: Daedalic Entertainment
• Release Date: 8th July 2014
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch

Deponia features a classic setting born due to capitalism, a degenerated city that is now a huge garbage dump, and a high sector that hovers above Deponia, where the rich and privileged live in comfort. You play as Rufus who is a part of lower class people, doomed to live his entire life in the mountain of trash. Rufus is a good-for-nothing and hopes for an opportunity to get rich and live amongst the higher class of people. 

One day, fate smiles upon him as a lady named Goal falls into the heap of dumpsters, and helping her might give Rufus an opportunity to put her in his debt. That’s where Rufus starts plotting his fiendish scheme in order to gain access to the upper world. The narrative is whacky, bizarre, and well-written with tons of funny and bittersweet moments.

The puzzles for the most part can be solved with logical reasoning, but there are a few instances where the answer can seem illogical and out of place but overall it keeps the difficulty in check. Even with all the great animations, audio, and overall storyline, the main star of the game is Rufus himself, who is just as intriguing as Guybrush if not more. And just as the credits roll, you won’t wait for a second to dive into the sequels to see where the adventures of Rufus take him next.

Pros:

• The humor in Deponia: The Complete Journey is very unique, as it still manages to crack jokes during intense and emotional moments.
• Deponia: The Complete Journey features an amazing 2D art style that has the visual aesthetic of modern western cartoons.
• The voice acting is incredible, as the voice actors do a phenomenal job of delivering dialogue, especially the witty jokes.
• The main protagonist of Deponia: The Complete Journey is very entertaining and has an amazing character.
• The point-and-click gameplay elements are executed perfectly, which many fans of the genre will love.
• Deponia: The Complete Journey has a surprisingly emotional ending that is sure to pull at your heartstrings. 

Cons:

• The puzzles in Deponia: The Complete Journey are a bit too hard and can get frustrating quickly.
• The overall quality of the game decreases as you progress further.
• Deponia: The Complete Journey does not have controller support on the PC version and you have to use a community mod.
• Deponia: The Complete Journey might be a bit too expensive for some players, as the game costs 40$ dollars on steam. 
• You have to look up guides on the internet to finish Deponia: The Complete Journey because of the difficulty.

7. Darkestville Castle

• Developers: Epic LLama
• Publishers: Buka Entertainment
• Release Date: 21st September 2016
• Platforms: Windows and macOS

Imagine Monkey Island games but directed by Tim Burton, that’s how we would describe Darksetville Castle. From the get-go, the similarities between Darkestville Castle and Monkey Island will be obvious, as the latter was a big inspiration for the game. Unlike the mighty Guybrush, players play as the Cid, a demon in Darksetville. Despite having this nightmarish and dark setting, the overall game has an upbeat tone, with a purposely goofy protagonist.

Instead of setting out on a grandiose adventure, Cid sits in his castle the entire day plotting schemes on how to make tease the citizens of Darkestville. All is changed when Cid’s pet gets kidnapped by an equally clumsy bunch of demons who mistake it for their master.  It is now your job to assist Cid in these mischievous activities and experience all sorts of goofy and funny situations with jokes that actually land.

Darketville has what you would expect from a point-and-click game, that is puzzles, inventory management, and storytelling. While the storytelling aspect is very fleshed out with multiple dialogue choices during the conversation which does not only alter the course of the narrative but can also lead you to acquire new items, the puzzle part can range from very easy to normal difficulty. 

The aspect of locating items is also made accessible with the inclusion of a hint button located on the top right corner of the screen, which can make the puzzles even easier. So if you are looking for a version of Monkey Island that is coated in dark humor and setting while still having a goofy narrative and protagonist, Darkestville Castle is your game.

Pros:

• Darkestville Castle has a demo version on Steam that allows you to try out the game without buying it.
• There are no delays or any formalities when you start playing Darkestville Castle, as it allows you to get in the action quickly.
• The animations in Darkestville Castle are very high-quality and are very appealing to look at.
• Darkestville Castle features a very satisfying and intuitive UI that also has a very aesthetic appearance.
• The voice acting in Darkestville Castle is pretty good, with the audio quality being even better.
• There is a very good fast travel feature in Darkestville Castle that allows you to quickly go to the next room.
• The ending of Darkestville Castle references the ending in the Monkey Island series.

Cons:

• The overall audio design of Darkestville Castle can be a bit inconsistent, with the music being too loud in some places.
• Some of the English translations in Darkestville Castle might not be as accurate as you would expect.
• There is a severe lack of save slots in Darkestville Castle, and it will only save your game if you quit to the main menu.
• The humor of Darkestville Castle might not be everyone’s cup of tea and appear to be a bit cheesy.

6. The Darkside Detective

• Developers: Spooky Doorway
• Publishers: Akupara Games
• Release Date: 27 July 2017
• Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Stadia, Xbox Series X & S

The Darkside Detective takes place in a fictional city called “Twin Lakes”, where crimes are reported on daily bases, that mostly involve beings from another world. Beings from the Darkside, which is a ghost world reflection of Twin Lakes, have invaded the city. For that reason, the police department has formed a special division, led by Francis McQueen, to investigate these activities. 

The game has an overall satirical nature and has nods to various pop-culture media all over the game. Some of the references include: Buy Hard, which is a reference to Die-Hard films; Don of the Dead, a reference to Dawn of the Dead; Polterguys, a reference to Steven Speilberg’s Poltergeist; Baits Motel, which is a reference to American psychological horror drama Bates Motel, and even its setting seems inspired by what you might’ve seen in Stranger Things.

Gameplay-wise, the game follows the standard point-and-click formula, consisting of collection and combination of objects, solving connecting pipes or combining electric circuits type puzzles, and interaction with NPCs to progress the storyline or to acquire new items. The game features six episodes, in which you have to solve a different case with its own plot along with your partner.

Writing is definitely Darkside Detective’s strong suit, and the banter between McQueen and Dooley makes up for some of the most hilarious and funny moments of the game. It is a small adorable graphic adventure, where the soundtrack, art direction, and writing are in complete harmony. A follow-up to Darkside Detective was also released in 2021, which builds upon its predecessor and brings further quality-of-life changes.

Pros:

• The Darkside Detective features very high-quality pixel art graphics that have the perfect aesthetic.
• The soundtrack in The Darkside Detective is incredibly memorable and iconic.
• The Darkside Detective is an incredibly fun game for point-and-click adventure fans.
• The humor in The Darkside Detective is solid and some of the jokes are genuinely witty.
• The Darkside Detective has a good amount of content to keep you busy for its cheap price.
• There are no glitches or bugs to be found in The Darkside Detective, as it is greatly optimized.

Cons:

• The Darkside Detective has little to no replay value.
• A lot of the cases in The Darkside Detective fail to keep your attention till the end and can get boring as you progress further.
• The narrative might feel a bit too disconnected to some players, which can break your immersion in the story.
• A lot of the players might find the puzzles to be way too difficult, as they require trial and error to solve.

5. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

• Developers: Ubisoft Montreal
• Publishers: Ubisoft
• Release Date: 29th October 2013
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStaion 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and Stadia.

Another entry on our list, that might not be a point-and-click adventure but is definitely one of the best pirate-themed adventure games to come out in the last decade. Assassins Creed 4 is set in the year 1715, during the age of Golden Piracy, where Pirates have established a rule on the seas of the Caribbean. Among those outlaws is a young pirate by the name of Edward Kenway, a charismatic and brutal pirate captain, whose adventures and stories even earned him the respect of legendary pirates like Black Beard.

As Edward explores the Caribbean along with his crew, he unknowingly gets drawn into the ancient war of Assassins and Templars which can potentially destroy everything the Pirates have built. Instead of puzzles and point-and-click gameplay, you will partake in stealth-action combat instead, giving the players the choice of when to be sneaky and when to face off aganist 5 different opponents alone.

Akin to Sea of Thieves, Assassins Creed 4 also allows you to customize your character clothes, armor, weapons, and your ship “Jackdaw”. As most of your time will be spent on Jackdaw, upgrading its weapons and properly maintaining them is crucial.

Furthermore, as a pirate, fighting ships and assassinating templars is not what you would be doing only. From a game where you play as pirates, it’s a given, that treasure hunting, animal hunting for rare pelts, and exploring hidden caves in remote islands is some of the things you will be able to do.

If you are looking for a true pirate-themed experience with a sense of adventure and a moving narrative, we can’t recommend Assassins Creed 4 more.

Pros:

• Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is praised by many players as one of the best pirate games to ever be created.
• The world of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is gigantic and looks amazing, with many different things for you to explore.
• It is incredibly fun to engage in combat with huge ships in the middle of the ocean.
• The main campaign of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is very good and does a great job of keeping your attention.
• A lot of the ranged weapons have been balanced very well in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
• Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag features stealth mechanics that are very fun to play around with.
• The side missions are done very well and stay fun without getting too repetitive.

Cons:

• The graphics might seem a bit outdated if you are used to the games being released in this modern era.
• The combat system in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is pretty mediocre and does not do anything innovative.
• There have been almost no improvements made to the gameplay in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
• The difficulty feels a bit too easy and lacks the challenging aspect, which gets rid of the rewarding feeling.

4. Lost in Play

• Developers: Happy Juice Games
• Publishers: Joystick Ventures
• Release Date:  10th August 2022
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch

Lost in Play is a journey through childhood imagination, filled with carefully crafted puzzles and wholesome, well-written characters. It puts into the shoes of two siblings as they find their way back home, by traveling through mystical lands. Your job is to help the siblings navigate enchanted forests, goblin villages, and other fantastical places, filled with both hostile and non-hostile creatures alike.

It’s a bizarre and dreamlike world that strikes a perfect balance between reality and fantasy. In addition to a traditional point-and-click adventure filled with unique puzzles, Lost in Play is also filled with goofy and fun mini-games. Playing a game of clicking crabs with a pirate seagull, serving tea to a royal tad, and hunting machine parts to build a flying machine are just some of the few activities you will be partaking in during your adventure.

The kind of adventure this game offers feels like something taken out of a Pixar or Hayao Miyazaki movie, filled with fantasy and mystery. At the same time, Lost in Play doesn’t make any compromises on its puzzles at the cost of great art direction, music, and storytelling. The puzzles are well thought-out and don’t feel too easy or too hard.

These aspects make Lost in Fantasy one of our highest recommendations on this list if you are looking for something that matches Return to Monkey Island in every aspect, quality-wise.

Pros:

• Lost in Play features a very interesting 2D art style that resembles the aesthetic of the incredible cartoon called Gravity Falls.
• Lost in Play has some very funny moments that will make you laugh.
• Lost in Play features a very intricate puzzle design that has fair difficulty.
• The animations look very fluid and satisfying, which adds to the overall aesthetic of Lost in Play.
• Lost in Play features a very engrossing story that does a good job of keeping you occupied throughout.
• The progression system is great and very clear, as you will never find yourself to be lost.
• Lost in Play’s gameplay is very smooth and flows naturally, making it feel incredibly satisfying.

Cons:

• Lost in Play has little to no replay value because it does not have any collectible items.
• The overall pace of Lost in Play feels incredibly slow, including the speed you walk at.
• The puzzles in Lost in Play do not have a skip option and you do not get any hints either.
• Lost in Play is an incredibly short game, which might not be worth the price.

3. Thimbleweed Park

• Developers: Terrible Toybox
• Publishers: Terrible Toybox
• Release Date: 30th March 2017
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Android, and IOS

There is no way we could end our list without recommending the game, which is not only inspired by Secret to Monkey Island but is also the only other game developed by Terrible Toybox. The game features a neo-noir setting and takes place in the haunted town called Thimbleweed Park, where even a dead body is just another Tuesday for the people of Thimbleweed Park.

The story kicks off as two detectives, Senior Agent Angela Ray and her partner Junior Agent Alberto Reyes, arrive in the town of Thimbleweed Park to investigate the disturbances occurring there. The investigation leads them to meet the other members of the main cast which includes: Chuck Edmund, owner of a robotics company; Ransome the Clown, a guy cursed with eternal clown makeup; Delores Edmund, a programmer and Delores’s father Franklin.

Throughout the campaign, you will control all five of these characters, whose meetup seems circumstantial at first, but is later revealed how their fates are intertwined and they all have a bigger role to play. The game uses a third-person perspective and makes use of verb commands to perform different actions like “use”, “pick up” and “talk to”, in order to use an object, pick up an item and interact with a character respectively.

As the game uses 5 different characters, you have to utilize all of them in order to solve a series of puzzles and progress into the next chapter in order to learn more about the mysterious town and its even more mysterious characters. The story is filled with twists and turns and the quality of the puzzles is astonishing, making the player properly analyze the environments and cleverly use its items to get past the puzzles while remaining in the realm of logic.

So if you’ve liked the style of writing and gameplay in Return to Monkey Island, we highly recommend checking this one out too since it’s made by the same people.

Pros:

• You will especially enjoy Thimbleweed Park’s witty humor if you are a fan of Gravity Falls or Twin Peaks.
• The game design of Thimbleweed Park is very nostalgic and might awaken some 90s adventure game memories in you.
• The puzzles in Thimbleweed Park are pretty fun and do not get frustrating, as they are very logical.
• Thimbleweed Park has a decent amount of replay value due to the multiple difficulty options.
• Thimbleweed Park contains everything that makes the Return To Monkey Island series great.
• There are a lot of 80s pop-culture elements present in Thimbleweed Park.
• You can play as 5 different characters and each character is unique in its own way.
• Thimbleweed Park has a decently long length and a bunch of content you can keep yourself busy with.

Cons:

• Thimbleweed Park is known to have one of the worst endings to a video game ever created.
• The writing of the story in Thimbleweed Park is not the best and relies too much on jokes.
• You might not like a lot of the characters in Thimbleweed Park and get bored of them quickly.

2. Grim Fandango Remastered

• Developers: Double Fine Productions
• Publishers: Double Fine Productions
• Release Date: 27th January 2015
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and IOS

There is no way would end our list of adventure/puzzle genre games without talking about one of the all-time greatest LucasArt games, Grim Fandango. Grim Fandango is set in the Land of Dead, where souls are looking for salvation and want to make their way into the Land of Eternal Rest via a Four Year Journey.

Souls who have led a good life are given travel packages like cars or trains in order to reach the gate of the Land of Eternal Rest early, while those who didn’t do anything good in their lives are left to wander in the Land of the Dead for a four-year journey, sniffing out any hope they had for salvation.

On the Day of the Dead, the departed souls are given a chance to visit their families by traveling to the realm of the living. You play as Manuel Calavera aka Manny, who serves as a travel agent for the Department of the Dead. Manuel is frustrated by the bad living choices of the people and is threatened by his boss to bring better clients in order to sell their travel packages or else he will be fired. It is now your job to assist Manuel in bringing clients, and unraveling the schemes of the criminal underworld.

Even though it is not a point-and-click game on paper, the structure of the game is very much like it. Solving 2D puzzles, collecting objects, and engaging in conversations with other NPCs to solve the puzzles and progress the plot is what drives its gameplay. The only difference between a Grim Fandango and a traditional point-and-click game is that you can control Manny via keyboard and joysticks as well instead of the mouse only.

The game uses clever techniques to provide excellent visuals by having static pre-rendered backgrounds while putting in all the horsepower in animating main objects and characters, something Resident Evil Remake did too. The remastered version further improved the lighting, textures, and controls and even implemented the use of a mouse so players could play it as a point-and-click game as well.

Pros:

• The visuals in Grim Fandango Remastered have been greatly improved compared to the original game.
• The original soundtrack has been remade in Grim Fandango Remastered and fits the modern world much better.
• The story in Grim Fandango Remastered is brilliantly crafted and offers a very immersive experience.
• You will get hit by a train of nostalgia if you have played the original game in your childhood.
• Grim Fandango Remastered has added new mouse controls that make the game much easier to navigate.
• Grim Fandango Remastered is optimized very well and runs on most systems without issues.
• The character designs in Grim Fandango Remastered are very good and have a distinct visual aesthetic.

Cons:

• A lot of the solutions to the puzzles can seem illogical and lead to a frustrating experience.
• The backgrounds of Grim Fandango Remastered could not be improved because they are pre-rendered.
• There are some minor bugs present in Grim Fandango Remastered.
• The puzzles can be unnecessarily hard sometimes.
• The controls feel incredibly unsatisfying and clunky while having some inconsistencies.

1. Monkey Island Series

• Developers: LucasArts, Telltale Games, Terrible Toybox
• Publishers: LucasArts, Devolver Digital
• Release Date: 1990 – 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation, Nintendo, Windows

Let’s be honest here, our number one spot on this list was a no-brainer. If you are looking for more games like Return to Monkey Island, the most obvious answer to this would be to go and play the rest of the entries in the franchise. All of the games follow the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood as he aims to become the greatest pirate in the Carraibian, come out on top against his nemesis LeChuck, and win the heart of his crush” Governor Elaine Marley”.

Monkey Island series is known for its goofiness, humor, and sense of adventure. The games take place on a frictional archipelago in the Caribbean called “Tri-Island Area”. Each entry in the series introduces new islands to explore while also allowing you to revisit older ones from time to time. In total Tri-Island Area is comprised of 13 islands, each of which can be explored in different entries.

According to the director of the first game, the main inspiration for Monkey Island’s story was Pirates of the Caribbean and a book by Tim Power called “On Stranger Tides”. The gameplay, art direction, and music doesn’t really need an explanation because luckily, for the most part, the original writers and directors have worked on every entry, maintaining a consistent tone and essence.

If you were to ask for our top recommendations even among the series, our choice would be Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2 as it was one of the first things, great game designers like Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman, worked on. 

Fortunately, you don’t worry about them being outdated by today’s standards because LucasArts released a special edition of both of these games back in 2009 and 2010 which serve as a definitive version of both of these classics.

• Secret of Monkey Island is an incredibly funny game, with some very witty and genuinely hilarious jokes present in the game.
• You can interact with some very interesting characters in Secret of Monkey Island.
• The characters of the game are incredibly well-written, which makes the interactions much more immersive.
• The art style of Secret of Monkey Island is very nice to look at and still holds up in this modern day.
• Secret of Monkey island makes it incredibly easy to get into for new players that are not familiar with this genre of games.
• The UI makes it very easy to traverse the menus of the game while feeling satisfying.
• There are some very fun and intuitive puzzles in Secret of Monkey Island.
• The soundtracks of the game add to the witty humor and are very memorable.

Cons:

• You cannot skip the dialogue in Secret of Monkey Island.
• The gameplay can be a bit inconsistent sometimes and fails to respond in crucial places of the game.
• The hint system for the puzzles does not always work, which can be a bit inconvenient if you are stuck.

This concludes our guide on games like Return to Monkey Island. Let us know which one of our entries you liked the most in the comments below:

Next: Return to Monkey Island Review