Return to Monkey Island vs ScummVM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Return to Monkey Island
Embark on a thrilling pirate adventure, continuing the legendary story of Guybrush Threepwood. Solve clever puzzles, explore new and familiar islands, and engage in witty dialogue as you seek the fabled Secret of Monkey Island. Experience classic point-and-click gameplay with modern twists.
- Classic point-and-click gameplay
- Engaging narrative and character interactions
- Puzzle solving and exploration
- Modernized adventure game controls
- New and familiar island exploration
- Context-sensitive interactions and reactive dialogue
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Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’. Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory. Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling Bringing classic point and click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze. Embark on Archipelago Adventures Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrr Muda to make allies and enemies alike. Created by a Legendary Crew The new chapter in the Monkey Island series marks the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by game co-writer Dave Grossman, art director Rex Crowle (Knights & Bikes, Tearaway) and composers Peter McConnell, Michael Land, and Clint Bajakian (Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge).
ScummVM
Play classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs on your device. This application includes two playable demos and offers access to many more titles through its website. Enjoy a vast library of beloved retro games.
- Play classic adventure games
- Play classic RPGs
- Includes playable demos
- Access to more games online
- Open source software
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ScummVM provides a way to play many classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs. The application is bundled with two playable demos, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (DOS Demo) and The Secret of Monkey Island (DOS EGA Demo), both titles copyright of Lucasfilm Ltd. You can find more information, demos, and some free-to-download adventure games on our website. See also an up-to-date list here: https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Where_to_get_the_games Full documentation of ScummVM can be found at https://docs.scummvm.org/ Please visit our web forum where you can discuss the iOS version. https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=15 ScummVM is open source software available under the term of the GPL v3.0 license. The source code is available from https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ScummVM at none against Return to Monkey Island's 1. ScummVM also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (88% vs 59%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Return to Monkey Island sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ScummVM asks for nothing beyond the download.
ScummVM holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 171 and 102 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Return to Monkey Island's written reviews are positive against 88% of ScummVM's.
Return to Monkey Island ships an update every 5 months, ScummVM every 4 months. Both last shipped on September 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Return to Monkey Island | ScummVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (171 ratings) | 4.8 (102 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews | 87.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 171 — better | 102 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3.4 GB | 268 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Devolver | Eugene Sandulenko |
Customer experience
Return to Monkey Island
ScummVM
User reviews
Return to Monkey Island
From 171 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Fantastic nostalgia trip
- 👍 Smooth gameplay and controls
- 🎨 Beautiful art style and visuals
- 🎶 Excellent music and voice acting
- 💡 Clever puzzles and challenges
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sound issues on some devices
- 🤔 Ending may disappoint some fans
- 💰 High price point for mobile game
- 🤖 Lack of cloud save functionality
ScummVM
From 102 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Reliving classic games
- 👍 Great for mobile browsers
- 👍 Amazing experience with specific games
- 👍 Glad it's available
- 👍 Supports classic point-and-click and RPGs
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashing mid-game
- 🐛 Save feature not working correctly
- 🐛 Touchscreen tap issues
- 🐛 Clunky game adding process
- 🐛 UI needs improvement
Bugs and requests
Return to Monkey Island
Reported bugs
2 issues- Game prompting to repurchase after previous purchase
- Difficulty with touch controls in certain situations
Requested features
3 requests- Restore purchase option for previous owners
- Bring back the original Monkey Island games on iOS
- Add support for more languages
ScummVM
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes mid-game
- Save feature does not save
- Single-tap not registering as left click
- Two-finger tap not registering as right click
- Magic Keyboard touchpad not working
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- Trackpad from new iPads not working
- Cannot link OneDrive due to JSON response issue
- Recently added games graying out
- App crashes on second boot
- External keyboard not working
Requested features
12 requests- Easier game search
- Apple TV support
- Gamepad key mapping support
- Apple Pencil support
- Magic Keyboard touchpad support
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- Trackpad support
- Change icon color
- Support for Discworld Noir
- DOSBox and FUSE support
- NES interpreter support
- Better iOS support for Grim Fandango & Escape From Monkey Island
- More significant way to add games
In-app purchases
Return to Monkey Island
- Buy the full game!$9.99
ScummVM
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Return to Monkey Island free?
Is ScummVM free?
Which has better reviews, Return to Monkey Island or ScummVM?
Do Return to Monkey Island or ScummVM have ads?
Which is updated more often, Return to Monkey Island or ScummVM?
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