Issue #73: It’s All in the “S”
Today, The Conspiracy™ is brought to you by the letter S.
Yeah, I don’t even know, but the grand Monkey Island unification theory keeps on going as we spend way too much time investigating Stan’s Previously Owned Coffins. More about that below.
Much more interestingly, Ron “Ronzo” Gilbert’s Death by Scrolling looks to be closing in on the finish line, as he is completing the final credits. Exciting! I, for one, am more than cautiously optimistic about this lovely-looking game.
And, finally, Mojo turned 28 on June 15th. This is a great time for us (and maybe you) to reflect on various life choices.
Respectfully,
Remi
The Monkey Island Cover-up Keeps on Rolling
Some may recall the “Theory of Everything” forum thread that aimed to establish a very deep-rooted tissue connecting the Grossman/Gilbert trilogy. (We wrote about it a few weeks back if you need to catch up.) The conversation has not stopped, with Thrik throwing a recent curveball.
See, the “S” in Stan’s Previously Owned Coffins? It differs between Booty Island and the Big Whoop carnival. What does it mean? Well, it means they didn’t just paint over the same background, but could also indicate that Big Whoop could have a different type of “S” shop, as opposed to an alternate Stan’s. (I mean, this is riveting stuff!)
Aro-tron took the ball and ran with it (yes, I’m mixing sports metaphors):
And in a last final (maybe coincidental) detail is that the "The Head Bone's Connected to the Leg Bone" song the Skeleton Dance (which of course features Guybrush's dead parents) has MIDI instrumentation that sounds a lot like Stan's theme...
We can shoot this part down—the two songs are standards—“Go Tell Aunt Rhody” and “Dem Bones”—so any similarities would be coincidental. (As far as the actual MIDI instruments go, they came from the same soundbanks, in this case, Peter McConnell’s.) To wit:
And:
Dem Bones
This seminal scene—colliqually known as “The Bone Dance”—is inspired by the Disney Silly Symphony, “The Skeleton Dance.” The track used in Monkey Island 2 is called “Dem Bones,” a religious song written by James Weldon Johnson.
DM-81 promises screenshots to bolster his general thesis, so stay tuned! Replies are appearing in the thread as I’m writing this.
Max Pieces of Eight
Of course, there are other lunacies analyses kicking around the forums, too: “What’s the max pieces of eight can Guybrush (sic) have at any one time?”
We actually did have the answer at some point, but it has since been lost to time. In the thread, we’re seeing 482 for The Secret of Monkey Island—though that may be based on a CD-ROM bug?!—and 12,279 for LeChuck’s Revenge.
Hey, it helps the evenings go by a bit faster, maybe?
El Poll Diablo
We breathlessly asked, “Are you excited for Keeper?” to which 50% of you said “yes!”, 39% of you decided to withhold your opinion for now, and a meager 11% were not impressed by Double Fine’s next game. Hey, you can’t win them all.
This week:
Full News Roundup
13 Jun: Vintage Autumn Moon interviews emerge from the coffin: They were lost, but now have been found.
11 Jun: AdventureGamers.com forums gone?: You will neither be able to point, nor click, on 25 years worth of occasionally expendable history.
Last Week’s Mojole Results
It’s the game that sweeps the nation! Can you beat Mojole, our fiendishly difficult daily puzzler? Only hardcore LucasArts aficionados need apply.
11 Jun: “#buried” – Or dig for buired treasure.
12 Jun: “#milk##” – Or milk a cow.
13 Jun: “#next##” – Or confuse the person next to you.
14 Jun: “contest” – Or have a yelling contest with your neighbor’s dog.
15 Jun: “#yellow” – Or paint a yellow line in the center of your driveway.
16 Jun: “plant##” – Or plant trees on public property.
17 Jun: “###snow” – Or write your name in the snow.
And for the competitive amongst you, the Mojole forum thread has gone strong for more than two years. The two juggernauts to beat: Sushi and Huz.
Become a Mojoer! (sponsored content)
Hey, kids, do you want to become one of us? Why not join our Patreon? One single dollar will make you a Friend of Mojo. And for the privileged few, there’s the $5 Diamond Club tier, which will earn you a special mention in The Adventurer. Join now! Our interns are hard at work finishing up the special mention section!
The Mojo Network
The International House of Mojo: Web, Bluesky, YouTube, and Mastodon.