Game news The creator of Monkey Island is preparing a new video game between Zelda and Diablo. There is reason to be impatient!
After his work on Monkey Island, its sequel and more recently Return to Monkey Island, Ron Gilbert returns with a very promising new game. A perfect mix between Diablo and Zelda.
A cult title full of humor
With its particular humor and its game system, Monkey Island quickly became cult! Released in 1990, Ron Gilbert’s title took us alongside Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who has only one dream: to become a pirate. If the developer had already completed a few projects, it was point and click that highlighted his career thanks to its phenomenal critical success. The writing and dialogues being the main points strong of this achievement. After such success, several games around the universe were planned, including a sequel just as applauded by the press.
Recently Gibert did wonders again with Return to Monkey Island. “Return truly captures the spirit of the original games and delivers exceptional point and click of the 21st century. Adventure,” concluded the media Pixel Bandits. It should be noted, however, that the graphics have been reworked, which left some fans aside. If we do not yet know if this license will return, Ron Gilbert is already at work. He is preparing a new video game between Zelda and Diablo.
The return of Jon Gilbert
Apart from his work on the license Monkey Island, Ron Gilbert increased his work on various low-budget games, between 90 and 2010. He was notably a producer or consultant. Only this time he intends to return to the forefront with a more ambitious project which he describes as a mix between Diablo and The Legend of Zelda. For the moment, the creator remains very discreet, because the project is only in its beginnings. However, the screenshots and the concept already look very promising.
We thus discover a world which actually resembles that of the first Zelda, with an isometric view and very retro 2D pixels. According to Gilbert, the buildings seen will provide players with “everything they need before embarking on a day of questing.” Possibly a way to create an RPG that uses the classic codes of the genre. Only from the creator of Monkey Island, we will surely have to expect a surprise and a good touch of humor. Moreover, we already have a glimpse of some characters, whose history we do not yet know. However, we already recognize Gilbert’s style, particularly with the design of the hero and his ponytail.
In the few images revealed, we also see a cemetery next to some ruins, but above all a sort of dungeon with skeletons. If we still find a little Zelda, Diablo can surely serve as inspiration during the combat phases. From what little we know, the creator will be accompanied in his work by Elissa Black (Swords of Freeport and TownCraft), as a quest designer. If Gilbert has joked several times about abandoning the project out of boredom, he is very motivated for the moment, but cannot yet give a release date. “Coming late 2024 (or maybe early 2025, it’s gamedev after all)“.