Escape from Monkey Island Act 1 Guide

Welcome to my guide for Escape From Monkey Island™. I wrote this guide because this is one of those games that is going to take you about 3 years without using a guide at least once even if its just to find one bit you’re stuck on. In this guide there is an in-depth approach to the motherload of a mini game MONKEY COMBAT! This game will most likely get you stuck in your progress through act 3/3 but don’t worry because all will soon be explained.

Intro

The game opens with a funny video scene where Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood™ is writing in his personal log when suddenly he realises that the ship him and his new wife Elaine Marely™ has been invaded by pirates. Now we get into our tutorial part.

First move around to where the brazier full of hot coals is. Press the triangle button to kick it over. Then press the button too pick one of the coals up with your feet.

Circle round the pole until “kick at loaded cannon” becomes on option then press the X button to see a funny scene in which the cannon fires blowing a massive hole right through the enemy ship. This means Elaine and the crewmembers have an advantage as they force the pirates into giving up.

Act I: Things to do on Melee Island™ when you’re Dead.

Melee Island™

Now we see the two return to Melee Island™ after their long honeymoon only to find there is no-one waiting for them at the dock. Elaine immediately goes into distress mode and talks about her loving fans or something.

Now Guybrush™ and Elaine find Timmy the monkey who manages to tell them that there’s trouble at the governor’s mansion in a mixture of oops eeks and acks. Of course it takes Guybrush™ a few ridiculous suggestions first before they get it.

Now the couple runs over there to find that a man with a catapult is flinging stones at the house because Elaine has been declared dead, had all her possessions sold and her mansion is to be knocked down. Elaine goes down to the town hall to see if she can make herself un-dead and gives Guybrush™ his first two tasks.

First, you have to stop the man flinging stones at your mansion so go over and talk to him. Find out that he would stop doing it for a while if Guybrush™ gave him some snacks by asking him the “please stop chucking boulders at your house” option. Then ask him what it would take to stop him temporarily. You also need to ask him what the numbers he’s saying are then ask him everything about the cactus.

Now go to the SCUMM bar and walk over to the far corner of the room where a clearly drunken man looks depressed. Don’t talk to the man, just look at the balloon then go over to the darts players near the entrance. Ask the darts players why there are so many holes around the target and then when the guy asks you to pick a target pick the balloon.

The balloon will pop and frighten the man so much he faints. Now go over and pick up the bowl of pretzels but don’t eat any – just put them in your inventory by pressing square. Then press square again to put them in your inventory.

Now, you need to talk to the guy on the table near the drunken man and you will find out his name is Mr I Cheese! Ask him to become a member on your ship and he will ask what would he be doing. Answer with the option about Lucre Island™ and the lawyers to find out he can’t leave because a Australian real estate developer is buying up all the houses by challenging everyone to a game of insult something or other. Ask him what insult arm wrestling is then convince him you join your crew by challenging Mr I Cheese to a game of insult arm wrestling and beat him by using the following replies to each sentence he comes out with. If he says the thing on the left you say the thing on the right.

 Today by myself 12 people I’ve beaten – By the size of your gut you’d think they were eaten.
 Do I see quivers of agony dance on your lip – It’s laughter that’s caused by your feathery grip.
 Only once have I met such a coward – He must have taught you everything you know.
 Give up now or I’ll crush you like a grape – I would if it would stop your WINE – ING
 I’ve got muscles in places you’ve never even heard of – Too bad none of them are in your arms.
 My 98-year-old grandmother has bigger arms than you – Yeah but we’ve bot got better bladder control than you do.
 I’m going to put your arm in a sling – Why, ya training to be a nurse?
 Your knuckles I’ll grind to a splintery paste – I thought the bean dip had a strange taste.
 My stupefying strength will shatter your ulna into a million pieces – I’m surprised you can count that high.
 Hey look over there – Yeah, yeah I know: It’s a 3-headed monkey.
 Your arms are no bigger than fleas I’ve met – So THAT’S why you’re scratching, I’d go see a vet.
 People consider my breath lethal weapons – Sadly your breath should be equally reckoned.
 You’re the ugliest creature I’ve ever seen in my life – I’m shocked you’ve never gazed at your wife.
 My forearms have been mistaken for tree trunks – An over-the-counter defoliant could help with that problem.
 I’ve out wrestled octopi with these arms – I’m sure that spineless creatures everywhere are humbled by your might.

Now you have beaten him he will agree to be your navigator; so that’s 1/3 of your crew. Now walk out of the pub and as you are walking back to the town go and talk to the two pirates standing by the wall. Ask them if you have met them somewhere before then ask them if you shared a voyage to Monkey Island™ once. You will now find out that they are Carla and Otis from the first Monkey Island™. They finally escaped from Monkey Island™ after Guybrush™ left them there. Ask them to come back to your crew and then offer them cushy government jobs.

Now walk to the dock using the world map (bottom left corner of the map) and go next to the grog machine. Pick up the rubber tube and put it in your inventory. Then talk to the boat lady about everything! Now go back to the mansion and attach the rubber tube to the far cactus next to the house. Take out your pretzels and offer them to the catapult operator. When he walks off quickly go and tinker with the catapult controls by pressing X and he will shout at Guybrush™ a bit.

Now he will load the catapult and use the cactus to re-align it but he doesn’t know you have the rubber tube on the cactus. When he fires the rock will bounce backwards and hit the catapult but when the smoke clears you see the catapult still there. The operator manages to jinx it though and the catapult rolls off the cliff and explodes.

Now Elaine will come back and tell Guybrush™ that city hall declared her dead at sea and ordered her mansion destroyed, all he possessions sold and there is going to be a new election. You will discover that only one person is running and that candidate will but in half way through Elaine’s sentence. He will now tell you his name is Charles L Charles.

Now Elaine goes into the mansion to work on her election campaign and tells Guybrush™ to go to Lucre Island™ to talk to her grandfathers lawyers. Now when Elaine runs off into the mansion follow her and walk around the bottom floor of the mansion till you find some government papers. Pick them up then look at them. Now take them over to Elaine and ask her to sign them. Make sure they are the cushy contracts, not just the average ones on the table by Elaine or you will waste your time.

Now ask Elaine about getting a ship or something and she will eventually give you the Melee Island™ Gubernatorial symbol. Now go to where Carla and Otis are and give them the signed “cushy government contract” and they will join your crew. Now you’re ready to go – apart from the fact you don’t have a ship.

Go to the dock and show the Melee Island™ Gubernatorial symbol and she will guide you to your boat. When you are at the boat everyone else should be there so now it will cut to the world map scene where you should listen up to ensure you here all the funny comments.

Congratulations – you are off Melee Island™! However, you’re not out of act 1 yet; in-fact you’re barely ¼ of the way through.

Lucre Island™

Welcome to Lucre Island™. Enjoy your stay and please try not to get framed for armed robbery by the villain Pegnose Pete™. If only they had a sign like this on the way Guybrush™ might have been a little more careful.

Well, now that you’re there run up the steps and pick up the duck outside the bait shop. Now run into town and run west past the flower beds thing till you get to part 2 of the town. Now go into the lawyer’s office, which is right by the place you have entered from.

Once you have talked to the lawyers and have got the letter you need read it to find out about… The Ultimate Insult! Go to the bank now and watch a funny scene featuring Ozzie Mandrill™ and Tiffany the bank teller. Now talk to Tiffany and ask her about the SDB (safety deposit box).

When you are in the SDB it’s a video at first so just sit back and watch. Now Pegnose Pete™ will come in and say some stuff about framing you and how you will never got away etc. Then he will lock you in the safe and you’ll be back in control of Guybrush™

Go over to the now empty SDB and look at it to find a music box and a fine bottle of grog at the back. Now pick up the sword and jam it into the top hinge of the safe door. The sword will break so now use the broken sword (no I’m not talking about the game) in the crack and there will be a slightly bigger hole.

First you should pick the hanky up off the floor and then your will need too take the three sponges off the floor and fit them in the crack. Now take out that bottle of fine grog from earlier and pour it on the sponges  such a waste. Anyway now it will jump into a video scene and you can just sit back and relax.

Ok, now you’re in the police station and you have a anklet of discomfort on your leg. Just brilliant – but do not worry because they will let you go if you just prove that Pegnose Pete™ commited the crime. Belive me, that is a lot harder than it sounds.

Ok, first go next to the big pointy coffin torture thing and pick up the tin of chicken grease. Now talk to Otis if you want then exit. When outside go to the man who is selling perfume and pick up an empty perfume bottle and a bottle of cologne. Now go over to the walking sticks shop and after a short video scene go over to the wall where the rack is and pick up some sawdust.

Now put the sawdust in the empty perfume bottle. Head out of the shop and over to the prosthetic shop. Use the music box with the shop keeper then run over to the far left basket, quickly examine it then take the prosthetic hand. Now walk out of the shop and go over to the manhole cover. Use the broken sword (I keep telling you I don’t mean the game!) with the the cover and it will flip off.

You have to read the manhole cover and note down what the names are. Now head back to the prosthetics shop and talk to the shopkeeper until you find the free prosthetic parts and enter the names you noted down from the manhole. You will receive some prosthectic skin so you should go and use it on the uncovered manhole. Bounce on it to trampoline yourself into the bank.

Once in the bank go down the ladder and turn the light on and get the scupperware which is on the table to the bottom left of the screen. Now go back up the ladder and look at the lights next to the weird shadow until you find a prosthetic nose.

The police man will then come in and tell you to leave so jump out of the window. You miss your target like a prat and fall over. Anyway now you should go to part 2 of the town then keep heading left till you walk down some stairs and find 2 men playing chess. When the left one is making his move say something like LOOK THE RAPTOR, or LOOK OVER THERE and he will drop his piece making him angry. Then try with the left guy and he will ignore you so you have to go back to the right guy and tell him about how the right guy has good concentration.

You will now be told that the guy on the right likes Tiffany the now fired bank teller. Go to the right guy and when he’s in the middle of a move say something to do with Tiffany and he will drop his piece. Then a fight will break out and now you can pick the clock up.

Now go to the bait shop and go inside. Pick up a free bait which is next to the termite circus. Put it in the perfume bottle then pick up another free bait and put it in the scupperware. You will find out why you need to do all this later.

Go to part 2 of the town and go through the tunnel next to the bank to get onto the world map for Lucre Island™. You will need to go to Ozzie’s house first which is the big spooky house on the left of the map. Once there pick up a flower which is by the big fountain and put it in your perfume bottle.

Go inside the house to find Ozzie. He will tell you to get out of his house and challenge you to a game of insult sword fight. There are no right answers for this. You will lose no matter what you answer. Once you have lost go back into the house and without talking to him put the cologne on the foot mat he has and he will get mad and break his stick (again).

Now go out of the house and head over to the swamp on the map; its in the north and its pretty obvious that it’s a swamp. Use your perfume bottle with the puddle then go back into town part 1 and go to the prosthetics shop. Spray your home made perfume on the shopkeeper. He will tell you that it smells like one of his customers. The name is random but you need the three initials.

Now tinker with the filing machine and enter the initails using the following code.

Sign 1: A – D
Sign 2: E – J
Sign 3: K – N
That’s the basic code and 4 and 5 are pretty much the same code excpet bigger areas of letters so say the initials were E.J.B you would have the first bit as sign 2, the second bit as sign 2 and the third bit as sign 1. Then press the button to bring up a file with the directions to Pegnose Pete’s™ house in the moors.

These directions can be very confusing. Basically E means east, N means north, S means south and W means west. Now you are probably wondering what the numbers are; these are acutally times so go to the swamp with a pen and paper handy. First note down each time with the direction. Then use the clock with the raft.

Get on the raft and using the time it says on the clock go in the direction it says next to that time so say if the clock said 1:20 and on the paper 1:20 had E written next to it it means you shoud go east. This is not even got complicated yet.

After a while you will come to a gate and you will see yourself(?). The other you will give you an item and say a sentence. Write them both down. Then he will give you another item. Record that item below the first item. Then he will give you a second item. Once again record it below the second item.

Now the Guybrush™ you are playing as will think of a random number and ask the other Guybrush™ what you are thinking of. When the other Guybrush™ gets it right write down the number he said. Now open the gate and the other Guybrush™ will go through. He will give you one last item then sail off.

Now don’t move out of the area with the gate. Check the time and go the direction it says you should. After a while of doing this again you will sail up to the same gate except now you will be the Guybrush™ that gives the items.

Give the other person the item you got first and use the same sentence that was said. Now use the second item with them. Then use the third item with them. Then when the Guybrush™ of the past asks you what number he is thinking of answer with the one you wrote down.

The other Guybrush™ will now open the gate and you will sail through and give the Guybrush™ of the past the last item automatically. If you get any of the things you wrote down wrong twice it will cause a paradox and you will be warped back to the beginning of the swamp!

Now follow the clock directions for a bit more and finally you will arive at Pegnose Pete’s™ house. That took a while didn’t it? Oh well, you’re there now. First you should automatically go to the window and listen to the conversation between Ozzie and Pegnose Pete™.

Once Ozzie has left you should use the chicken grease on Pegnose Pete’s™ doormat then use the duck with the window. Pegnose Pete™ will run out, slip on the grease and fall into the trap. Now you will get a short cutscene but don’t think that act 1 is over just yet. The police sergeant is still not convinced that you didn’t do it because he needs the loot and proof that Pegnose™ did it.

You will now see a scene where Charles L Charles promises the people of Melee Island™ good times and free grog.

Now you need to go to the walking stick shop and put the termite infested hand to Ozzie’s stick. Ozzie will then come in and pick up his stick leaving a nice little trail of where he is going behind him.

Go to Ozzie’s house and talk to him saying that you know where Pegnose’s secret booty stash is. Ozzie will ask you what it looks like. You can answer with whatever you like. Ozzie will now go to the booty stash and you can follow him using the sawdust prints. You will now be taken to a hidden lagoon where you will see Ozzie come out of a secret cabin muttering he can’t figure out what the mystery is.

Go left through the trees to come out on the mini island. Go round to the other side and go down the hidden passge. Once in there press the red button on the table to open the curtains and reveal the stash.

Go back up the ladder and dive into the deep water. Open the scupperware and a lighted up fish will swim in giving you a clear view of the underwater scene. Go into the hidden cave to the left. Pick up all the treasure and the tiny screw you find with it.

Then make your way out of the cave and back to the police station and use the treasure on the policeman. Now you can sit back and enjoy a long video scene.

Congratulations, you have just completed act 1! Only 2 acts which are tons harder to go. And you thought this one was hard? As if!