Ron Gilbert Is Moving On From Classic 2D Adventure Games
Ron Gilbert, the creator of Monkey Island and one of the key figures behind classic point and click adventures, says he is no longer interested in making traditional 2D adventure games. That might sound surprising given his recent work, but his view is that the classic verb and noun style interface now feels like a relic from another era.
In a recent interview, Gilbert compared old school adventure design to black and white silent movies. They can still be appreciated and loved by a niche audience, but he does not see them as the future of the medium. According to him, younger players occasionally discover and enjoy these types of games, yet he believes they are unlikely to survive as a mainstream form once the current generations of fans are gone.
This stance is especially interesting because Gilbert’s studio, Terrible Toybox, has helped drive the modern revival of old school adventures. Thimbleweed Park and Return to Monkey Island both leaned heavily into that classic Lucasarts style. Despite this, Gilbert is now focusing on different ways to tell stories and build puzzles that better match what players expect today.
The Future Of Adventure Games According To Gilbert
Gilbert does not think adventure games are dying. Instead, he believes they are evolving into more experimental and flexible experiences. He points to games like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes as a strong example of what the future of the genre could look like. These titles keep the spirit of puzzle solving and exploration, but present it through more modern interfaces, visuals, and design structures.
If he ever gets the chance to make another Monkey Island game, Gilbert says it would not be another traditional 2D point and click. He imagines something set in a true 3D world where you walk around freely, rather than clicking around flat screens. For him, the exciting challenge is figuring out how to translate the brain bending puzzles and structured problem solving of old adventures into a fully three dimensional space.
He admits that he does not yet know exactly how puzzle solving would work in such a design. That unknown is what makes the idea interesting. Tackling the problem of puzzles and interaction in a 3D environment would let him experiment with new ways to surprise players, rather than repeating what he has already done for decades.
This is not the first time Gilbert has shifted between traditional and modern styles. Over his 40 years making games he has repeatedly bounced from classic adventure formats to more unusual and contemporary projects. His latest comments simply underline that he is more interested in pushing the genre forward than in endlessly revisiting the same formulas.
Ironically, his pivot comes at a time when classic adventures are having a quiet resurgence. The year has seen several strong retro style releases, such as Old Skies, Loco Motive, and The Drifter. These games capture the feel of older Lucasarts and Sierra adventures, with time travel mysteries, comedy whodunits, and pulpy thrillers. None of them have become giant commercial hits, though The Drifter appears to have done reasonably well. Still, their existence proves there is an active audience for this kind of game. The challenge is less about survival and more about making the right game that reaches the right players.
From Canceled RPG To Death By Scrolling
Gilbert’s current focus is a very different project from Monkey Island. His latest game is Death by Scrolling, a fast moving 2D action title where players must constantly climb upward to escape the Grim Reaper. It is not a story heavy adventure, but a more immediate arcade style challenge built around motion and pressure.
Death by Scrolling actually grew out of the ashes of a much larger idea. Gilbert had been planning a Zelda inspired role playing game with a bigger open world and deeper systems. Ultimately he scrapped that concept because creating such a large game would require far more time and money than he had available as an independent developer.
On top of the production scale problem, the publishing deals he was offered simply did not make sense. He described modern publishing as heavily driven by formulas and safe calculations about potential profit. For a creative project that did not neatly fit into those models, the terms were not worth accepting. Rather than compromise or risk years on a massive project with shaky backing, he decided to pivot to something smaller but more manageable.
The result is a game that still reflects his playful design instincts, but in a much tighter form. Death by Scrolling focuses on one core concept and builds around it. That move mirrors his broader shift in thinking about adventure games. Instead of clinging to nostalgia for classic point and click systems, he wants to explore new frameworks that still channel the same sense of challenge, humor, and discovery.
For fans of Monkey Island and old school adventures, Gilbert’s comments may sound bittersweet. They signal that another traditional 2D Guybrush Threepwood outing from his hand is unlikely. At the same time, his interest in pushing into 3D worlds and new puzzle structures suggests that if he ever does return to Monkey Island, it will be in a form that tries to surprise both long time fans and new players.
The wider adventure genre is clearly in a transitional phase. Classic styles are still alive and loved, especially by players on PC and handhelds looking for story rich experiences. But creators like Gilbert are increasingly focused on hybrid designs and new perspectives. Whether through 3D exploration, experimental storytelling, or tighter action puzzle loops like Death by Scrolling, adventure games are not fading away. They are changing shape, and Ron Gilbert intends to be part of that evolution rather than a curator of its past.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/monkey-island-creator-ron-gilbert-isnt-interested-in-returning-to-making-2d-adventure-games-when-were-all-dead-it-probably-wont-be-the-kind-of-thing-that-survives/
