Emerald Mine vs Return to Monkey Island
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Emerald Mine
Navigate treacherous underground caves as a miner, collecting gems to unlock exit portals. Avoid hazards like exploding bugs, tanks, aliens, and falling debris. Relive a classic Amiga experience with over 6,000 levels.
- Collect gems to open exit portals
- Avoid hazards: bugs, tanks, aliens, acid
- Over 6,000 classic levels
- MFi controller support
- Game Center high scores
- Touchscreen controls
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Emerald Mine for iOS. Based on the Rocks N Diamonds codebase but only includes the Emerald Mine levels. Game Center global high scores. In Emerald Mine you play as a miner trapped deep underground. Your objective is to collect the minimum number of gems to open the exit portals. Explore the caves to find all the gems and try to avoid the hazards which include exploding bugs, tanks, aliens and acid pools. Be careful of falling boulders and debris as they will crush you. Relive the classic Amiga game, Emerald Mine. This is a fan port of the game updated to play on all iOS devices. All classic art and sounds are included as well as the original levels for Emerald Mine 1, 2 and 3 plus some bonus levels from the Emerald Mine archive. In total there are more than 6,000 levels. Swipe on the right half of the screen to move your character. Tap and hold on the left side then swipe on the right side to grab a nearby block. MFi controllers supported
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).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Emerald Mine at none against Return to Monkey Island's 1. Emerald Mine also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). Return to Monkey Island's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (171 vs 32). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model 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. Emerald Mine asks for nothing beyond the download.
Return to Monkey Island holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Return to Monkey Island has 171 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Emerald Mine's written reviews are positive against 59% of Return to Monkey Island's.
Emerald Mine ships an update every 2 weeks, Return to Monkey Island every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Emerald Mine | Return to Monkey Island |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (32 ratings) | 4.3 (171 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.1% of reviews | 59.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 32 | 171 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 3.4 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Les Bird | Devolver Digital, Inc. |
Customer experience
Emerald Mine
Return to Monkey Island
Bugs and requests
Emerald Mine
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
Emerald Mine
No in-app purchases
Return to Monkey Island
- Buy the full game!$9.99
Questions
Is Emerald Mine free?
Is Return to Monkey Island free?
Which has better reviews, Emerald Mine or Return to Monkey Island?
Do Emerald Mine or Return to Monkey Island have ads?
Which is updated more often, Emerald Mine or Return to Monkey Island?
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