Without hints, and nothing on the pump saying “monkey wrench needed”, then it’s fairly impossible to work out regardless of whether you know what a monkey wrench is. If you’re using hints it says monkey wrench, so it’s obvious. In England the name is interchangeable with ‘Stilsons’ – and type of adjustable spanner, but with a larger adjustable gap that moves up and down the handle (a plumber’s tool). A monkey wrench is actually a very well-known object to the manly men of the UK that do, but maybe modern day lifestyles with ‘the kids of today’ having less manual/DIY skills is a factor in some never have hearing of the tool. The ‘sexist’ truth is, most girls don’t use tools. I guess for the most part it comes down to language differences. I just thought it would be an interesting topic to explore given all I’ve heard about it, and having reached that part of the game myself for the first time. ‘Nuff saidīeing a big LucasArts fan I’m not having a dig at the developers here. Or, they already had the monkey in their inventory and just thought to try it (great if that works, but it’s not a brilliant puzzle if you don’t know what the connection is).Įven now, there are numerous comments on Steam and other forums from people baffled by the logic even after they’ve solved it. But back in the day, before internet walkthroughs, my guess is that most people finished this puzzle by trial and error. There’s a monkey in the bar that I could turn into a wrench shape by placing this banana on the metronome!’ I probably need a tool to do that.’ But how many would then think, ‘I need a monkey wrench. If you think about the thought processes involved, most people would begin thinking, ‘I need to turn this pump. The problem is, in the context of an adventure game where the player doesn’t have the benefit of knowing the answer, getting there is very difficult. The idea itself is a great play on words. If you relayed this puzzle to a group of people in the same way as you might tell a joke, they would likely find it clever and amusing. It relies on the player knowing the puzzle is a metaphor And in some languages, ‘monkey wrench’ isn’t even a thing. Even if a wrench or spanner enters your mind, you’re unlikely to think, specifically, ‘monkey wrench’. I believe this is the case for most countries outside of the US (where the term was invented). I vaguely know what a ‘monkey wrench’ is, but unless you’re a tradesman who uses one all the time, we would just say ‘spanner’ or, at the most, ‘wrench’. ( English Oxford Dictionary)Īs a Brit, we don’t use this term a lot. N. An adjustable spanner with large jaws that has its adjusting screw located in the jaw that is fixed. It relies on the player knowing what a ‘monkey wrench’ is There are two reasons why this doesn’t work well. The reasoning behind this puzzle is that Jojo has been turned into – drum roll – a monkey wrench. Guybrush can now go back to the waterfall and use the monkey to turn the pump. Jojo can then be picked up and added to the inventory. He must place the banana from his inventory onto the metronome in order to mesmerise Jojo and ‘freeze’ him in his current position. Guybrush must go to the Bloody Lip bar on Scabb Island where he will find Jojo the monkey playing the piano. There is seemingly nothing else in the area that would help, nor does my inventory contain any relevant items. Presumably, Guybrush needs to turn it off to stop the waterfall, so he can cross to other side. On Phatt Island, our protagonist Guybrush reaches the top of a waterfall where there is a pump. Monkey Island 2 spoilers ahead! The puzzle I’ve long been aware of this part of the game and the controversy over its difficulty, but it’s only through playing it myself and seeing it first-hand that I’ve come to appreciate just how obscure it is. It’s even possible that I’m enjoying it more than the first one.Ī few days ago I reached the infamous monkey wrench puzzle. It’s great – the humour is spot on and I love how the world completely opens up after the first few challenges. I’m currently playing Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |