Insult swordfighting
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Monkey Island (series). (Discuss) |
Insult swordfighting is a feature of the Monkey Island graphic adventure games. It is a form of swordfighting in which the participants, while trading blows with their swords, also trade cutting insults at appropriate moments. In the games, protagonist Guybrush Threepwood must turn to insult swordfighting on many occasions in order to complete some form of challenge. The literary precedent for the practice is Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, who composed an insulting ode to his opponent while beating him in a duel. The insults for Monkey Island 1 were written by author Orson Scott Card[1].
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[edit] Monkey Island 1
In the first game, Guybrush must beat the swordmaster of Mêlée Island, Carla, in insult swordfighting, in order to become a pirate. But first, he has to receive basic training in the art of insult, which is provided (at a price) by Captain Smirk. Guybrush then has to beat some of the lesser pirates on the island to learn the insults and their suitable responses (see examples) so he that will be skilled enough to beat the swordmaster. (In other words, he must learn enough responses to use against Carla's insults, which are more potent than those of the other pirates).
Note: Using Carla's insults against normal pirates will guarantee a win but prevent Guybrush from learning more comeback insults.
[edit] Monkey Island 2
Though insult swordfighting makes no real appearance in the second game, Guybrush attempts to challenge Rum Rogers, Jr. to a duel with the very same words he constantly uses in Monkey Island 1: "My name is Guybrush Threepwood. Prepare to die." When Rogers remarks that real men do not swordfight (they drink!), Guybrush responds with, "Giving up so easily, eh? Wow! [Guybrush then faces the player] This game's a cinch!"
[edit] Monkey Island 3
In the third game in the series, Guybrush must engage Captain Rottingham in insult swordfighting in order to win back a map stolen by the Captain. Again, he must first battle lesser pirates in order to learn insults, which in this game differ from those used in Monkey Island 1 in that the insult and the response have to rhyme. Additionally, it all takes place on the high seas, with Guybrush first engaging in Pirates!-like cannon battles with opposing ships in order to board them (though the player has the option to get help from the computer in these fights). When Guybrush finally has gained enough insults, he can fight the evil Rottingham, who will try to throw Guybrush off by offering different beginnings to the insults, to which the player must find a rhyme that will make sense (Example: Rottingham: You have the sex appeal of a Shar Pei! Guybrush: I look THAT much like your fiancée?). If one loses the battle with Rottingham and uses the insults learned from Rottingham against lesser pirates, they will complain that it is not fair, just as they would in Monkey Island 1.
In addition to the listed responses, Guybrush can also make seemingly random statements that rhyme with the insult just hurled at him (such as responding to I'll leave you devastated, mutilated and perforated! with The importance of breakfast cannot be overstated.) Not surprisingly, these responses are not correct.
[edit] Monkey Island 4
Insult swordfighting per se only makes a brief (and optional) appearance in the fourth game, when Guybrush has the option of challenging Ozzie Mandrill to a match, in which Guybrush can use insults from the first and third games. However, it is not possible to defeat Mandrill; his use of supposedly Australian insults confuse Guybrush, as he does not understand Ozzie's slang, rendering him unable to riposte.
Other forms of insult games also occur in Monkey Island 4, most notably in the form of insult armwrestling, which Guybrush must play in order for his opponent to join his crew as a navigator. Insult armwrestling works in much the same way as insult swordfighting, except that there is no need for the insults to rhyme (although some do), and that the insults often relate to arm strength. Moreover, there is no need to learn the insults or comebacks from lesser pirates, as there is only one opponent. All potential insults are unlocked from the start, and the player simply must determine which is the correct response - many of them are insults from the first and third games.
[edit] See also
- Monkey Island series
- Guybrush Threepwood
- The dozens, a usually good-natured African American ritual in which two competitors, usually male, exchange trash-talk until one has no comeback.
- The Shivah, another game to use a similar gameplay sequence, but with a Jewish twist.
- Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, there is a similar mini game in which Sly has to trade insults with a pirate to prove keep his cover.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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