How to Unlock Every Ending
Unlike its predecessors Return to Monkey Island has multiple endings. There are five of them in total, with some having slight variations depending on the dialogue options players encounter during the game’s closing moments. With the exception of the bad ending, they’re all pretty similar, although fans of the series will no doubt want to check them out anyway.
The good news is that players can experience it all Return to Monkey Island‘s endings are relatively easy provided they make manual saves at the start of part 3 and after passing through the door behind the stone wheel puzzle near the end of part 5. Of course, it’s even easier to just check them out, post them on YouTube, or read about them in this helpful guide.
How to get Return to Monkey Island secret ending
For most players, the “Secret” ending, where Guybrush finally gets his hands on the mystery of Monkey Island, will likely be the one they see first. To reach this ending, they must take the key from the animatronic locksmith and use it to open the nearby chest.
Inside, Guybrush will find a t-shirt, after which players can turn off the lights and leave with Elaine. Depending on how they react to young Guybrush today, they will then see a different post-credits scene.
- The chest was filled with gems, rubies and gold! Young Guybrush is messing around in a huge pile of gold and jewels.
- The secret really was the friends we made along the way. Guybrush is shown in a small boat with several characters from Return to Monkey Island.
- Your mother was right, it’s better not to know. The chest with the secret is buried in a hole in the ground.
- I didn’t make anything up, it really happened. A hand slides three tickets over a counter, presumably for Guybrush, Elaine, and young Guybrush.
- There is no answer as to what the secret is. Players are treated to one beginningScene in the style of a banana balancing on a rock.
How to get the No Secret Ending in Return to Monkey Island
Alternatively, instead of learning the secret, players can collect the key from the animatronic locksmith, but leave with his wife Elaine before opening the chest containing the secret. If players choose this ending, Guybrush is shown post-credits throwing the key into a pool of lava.
How to get the No Key Ending in Return to Monkey Island
If the players decide to leave without getting the key or secret, the post-credits scene instead shows Chuckie chasing his friend Dee from the game’s Prelude, the latter of whom holds the key to the secret.
How to get the infinite ending back to Monkey Island
Instead of going with Elaine, players can instead use Stan’s key to return through the door they came through and backtrack through the caves until the game suddenly ends. Depending on whether the players got the key or the secret before, the post-credits scene will look different again. Backtracking through the caves will also unlock the I Don’t Think Achievement.
- Guybrush left before collecting the key. Guybrush and Elaine sail the Caribbean on a large ship.
- Guybrush took the key but didn’t learn the secret. LeChuck and Lila fight over the locked chest.
- Guybrush opened the chest and took the secret. The voodoo lady returns from a long lunch to find her voodoo shop completely ruined.
Here’s how to get the darkest end of the timeline when returning to Monkey Island
Guybrush is known for being able to hold his breath for long periods of time, but at the end of the day he’s still only human. If players allow the timer to go down to zero underwater, the game cuts back to Guybrush and his son, with the former showing that he has some breathing room left.
Players are then taken back to where they were last, only this time with six minutes on the clock instead of eight. The same thing will happen again if players reset the timer a second time, although the countdown timer will now only have four minutes left on their return.
If the players let the timer count down to zero a third time, the game is reduced to the bench again. This time, however, no one will be sitting on it, and after a few moments, a somewhat depressing message will slowly appear on the screen.
On this very day many years ago, Guybrush Threepwood died in what authorities would later describe as an accidental drowning. He leaves behind his beloved wife Elaine. They had no children. While he had many mighty adventures, the most important of them all remained unfulfilled. The secret was never found.
At this point players will unlock the Dead Dead achievement and then return to the main menu. While it’s possible to unlock this ending in any of the game’s many underwater locations, the best place to do so is at the very beginning of Part 3.
Every time players move between screens here, the time will advance by two minutes, meaning they can clear the timer in just moments by returning right to left immediately after switching screens. Alternatively, letting the game idle for eight, six, and then four minutes also works well.
Return to Monkey Island is available now for PC and Nintendo Switch.