Return to Monkey Island

This new chapter in the Monkey Island saga, which sees series creator Ron Gilbert returning to the helm for the first time since 1991’s Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, might not seem like a natural fit for a list of cozy games. It’s about pirates, after all! But it really is a delightfully warm, pleasant game. If you grew up with Guybrush and his early adventures, it feels all the more like reuniting with an old friend as he reflects on how life both is and isn’t what he thought it would be, but you don’t need that background to set sail with Guybrush on this adventure. He’s eminently likable, one of the great charmers in all of video games, and that’s still the case in this poignant, heartfelt, funny adventure. Oh, and if banging your head against adventure game puzzles sounds like the opposite of cozy to you, rest assured both that the puzzles here are actually sensible and well-designed, and that you can just use the game’s built-in hint system to keep things moving along. —Carolyn Petit