The Secret of Monkey Island, the first Monkey Island games has no questions to be asked about it because it was the opening game in the Monkey Island gaming series. But, there is one question that puzzled everyone after the game - What is the Secret of Monkey Island?
What is the secret of Monkey Island?
No one knows yet. The real Secret of Monkey Island is like a broken treasure map, unless you have all the pieces, you cannot find the treasure. Monkey Island have brought out 4 out of their 5 games. After MI5, you should be able to put all the "pieces" together and solve the real Secret of Monkey Island. So far all we have to go on are clues:
- SOMI: (famous) Giant Monkey Head, Monkey Island itself
- MI2: Big Whoop (connected to Carnival in CMI)
- CMI: Carnival (connected to Big Whoop in MI2), roller coaster
- EFMI: Giant Monkey Head/Robot, Ultimate Insult
- MI5: Unknown
If you put all the "pieces" to get (so far) you come up with Monkey Island itself, Giant Monkey Head & Robot, Big Whoop, Carnival (which may be Big Whoop), the Ultimate Insult and Herman Toothrot (HT Marley). The Giant Monkey Head is connected to the Robot and the Ultimate Insult, Big Whoop is connected to the Carnival and the roller coaster and Monkey Island itself is a secret because only a few people have ever seen it. They are Guybrush, his original crew, LeChuck, Herman Toothrot and the cannibals. The Reverend there can't leave the church so he hasn't seen Monkey Island. In EFMI you are told that the Giant Monkey Robot is the real secret of Monkey Island but in Monkey Island 2 you are told LeChuck is your brother which (we know now) isn't true so I think when MI5 comes out you will be told the Robot was a fake or something that resembles that anyway. The truth is, at the moment no one really knows what the real secret of Monkey Island is.
In Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge a few questions start appearing but the main three are, What happened at the end, what is Big Whoop and what happened to Largo?
What happened at the end?
What is actually happening is that LeChuck is imprisoning Guybrush in the Carnival of the Damned. The whole "brother" thing is an illusion. His fortress in MI2 was probably a temporary location while the Carnival was being built. It is finished by the end of Monkey 2 and is destroyed at the beginning of Monkey 4, when Ozzie Mandrill pulls LeChuck out of the ice. We have to assume that LeChuck's power increased for some reason, which is why he can change forms in MI4." At the carnival in CMI (the part where you are talking to LeChuck), LeChuck tells you that you are not his brother and that the Carnival IS the famous treasure of Big Whoop.
What is Big Whoop?
It is explained in CMI, when you are talking to LeChuck that Big Whoop is the roller coaster to Hell in the carnival. LeChuck says he passed through the gate once and now he once Elaine to pass through it so she can be his bride.
What happened to Largo?
Largo probably ran off after LeChuck was defeated again. The other possibility is that Largo stayed with LeChuck and LeChuck made him one of his army men or else killed him for failing him. I wouldn't be surprised if Largo made an appearance in MI5.
In The Curse of Monkey Island cleared up more questions than were asked. But, two of the Questions asked were, If the Carnival in MI2 was an illusion, why did Guybrush start his adventure in CMI by floating on a bumper car away from the carnival on Monkey Island and What happened to Wally (at the end)?
Why was Guybrush on a bumper car if the carnival was an illusion?
My answer to this is, the carnival wasn't an illusion, it was actually there. The illusion part of it was only where Guybrush was a child and had a brother called Chuckie (who was LeChuck). In a smaller game (not connected to LucasArts) called Monkey Island 2.5, Guybrush breaks out of LeChuck's curse and escapes on a bumper car. I think even though this game is not connected with LucasArts that is what happened. When LeChuck went to Plunder Island his curse broke from Guybrush and Guybrush got away to Plunder Island on a Bumper Car from the carnival.
What happened to Wally at the end?
No one knows. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the part where you see Wally tied up (inside the roller coaster). Guybrush left him there and that means Wally must have been caught in the explosion. No one knows what happened after that. Wally was either killed or had a very lucky escape. Escape From Monkey Island is the latest Monkey Island Game and it is the one which probably has the most questions. EFMI brings back Islands like Melee and Characters like Otis and Carla which were last seen in SOMI. The main questions are, how is Herman Toothrot HT Marley, what is the real secret of Monkey Island (again) and how did your boat disappear on Melee Island?
How is Herman Toothrot, HT Marley?
There is only one way that this could be true. Herman Can only be Elaine's other
Grandfather if this is the way it went. Captain Marley (Elaines first
Grandfather) went looking for Big Whoop and was killed whereas her other
Grandfather who was somehow also called HT Marley was thrown into a freakish
whirlpool and landed on Monkey Island as Herman Toothrot. Unless Elaine's two
Grandfathers were called HT Marley the Herman Toothrot, HT Marley thing cannot
be true. The story which Herman tells in EFMI is not true because in MI1,
if you read the captains log book you will see that Herman was really a partner
to another captain who landed and was killed on Monkey Island. Herman tells you
that he was tossed into a whirlpool while in a race off the coast of Australia.
Herman may be Elaine's Grandfather but Herman Toothrot was NOT in a race off the
coast of Austrailia. The question, what is the real secret of Monkey
Island is brought up again in EFMI. I can say nothing more than what I said
earlier on.
How did your boat disappear on Melee Island?
There is a simple answer to this and all you have to do is look out the window in the Scumm Bar. When you do that you will find out the reason why you have to go and buy a new boat instead of using the same one you docked with.
They are all the main questions asked by Monkey Island Fans and there will be more (I'm sure) when MI5 comes out. Good old LucasArts, leave us waiting for MI5 to find out the real Secret of Monkey Island.
Things have changed since I wrote that article (about 2 years ago, or more). It's not exactly up to date :(
Nice new Article section BB
I forgot to change the date of this article. It's now changed to the original date.
2 years? Where does the time go? Nice article though!
when is the next monkey island game coming
We have no idea. yet.
I can't understand something. If the tree fall in the forest and any one see it falling how can Herman Toothrot know the tree was multicolor?
The Three Headed-Monkey and the Three Headed-Fish are friends?
The guy with the banana head friend of Lemon Head is not afraid of monkey?(Specially from Three-Headed one.)
Why the people don't count the Three Headed-Monkey as the "Secret of Monkey Island?
Is in any place Murray biography or something from him?
How can Murray chew gum a lot of times and don't blow it in his face?
How can Bob be killed in "SOMI"?
In response to 3headed_monkey's question. I don't think bob did die. I think he is the one in curse of monkey island who gets his head knocked off by Lechuck at the beginning because Bob always got his head knocked off
when is monkey island 5 comeing what the dill with the vodoo lady and were can i find mokey island 2.5
okay.. wait herman toothrot has to be in the race becuase.. if he was ht marly and the story does say he was in a race and was knocked into the whirl pool.. which ozzie thinks he couldnt have got out of.. but it appears that he did got of and profe he is the real ht marley is that he has the governatorial symbol...