In Return to Monkey Island, finding the secret of monkey island is the main task of the game. Everything that the player does ultimately leads up to finding the secret. In the Monkey Island games, typically enjoying the journey is the real end goal. Following this trend, the steps to finding the secret of Monkey Island are complicated and long. Players will have to solve puzzles and cross the map several times before finally revealing the secret.

Return to Monkey Island is LeChuck’s Revenge’s sequel in the Monkey Island saga. It’s been a long-awaited continuation to the story and the developers of the game were incredibly excited to be returning to the Monkey Island story. In this game, Guybrush recounts his tales of piracy to his son and is specifically talking about the journey to find the secret of Monkey Island. The secret has eluded him for ages, and he was ready to finally devote everything to finding it. Fortunately, he has a lot of help along the way from new friends and old.

Related: Why Return to Monkey Island's Art Style Is So Divisive

A lot of time is spent on Melee Island figuring out how to get to Monkey Island, but the true adventure starts in Return to Monkey Island with tricks and disguises. Getting onto LeChuck’s ship sends the player on their way to Monkey Island and the secret. Once the player has free roam of the ship, getting to the island is a straightforward puzzle that helps set up the rest of the game’s puzzles. Following the map that can be stolen from LeChuck’s quarters is easy as well, but proves to be a trick. The pirate counsel is also searching for the secret, and they make a very tenuous truce with Guybrush to get the real map revealed.

WARNING: Spoilers for the main story of Return to Monkey Island are below.

Collecting The Ingredients To Reveal LeChuck's Map

The skullduggery that players get up to in Return to Monkey Island is a very different image of piracy than other games, such as AC: Black Flag and Kingdom Hearts 3. Despite knowing there will be a certain betrayal, the player has to work with the pirate council to figure out LeChuck’s theme song, his catchphrase, and his favorite food. The playful puzzle has the player tricking Gullet into giving them a secret (very bad) poetry book so that Captain Lila can transform Guybrush into him. To do so, the player will need to tell Gullet about Cobb’s editorial career and give him their business card. Once Guybrush has a new disguise, the player needs to return to LeShip and talk to the crew. Also scattered around the island are skulls of various sizes, these need to be collected and placed on the spikes next to Murray in scale order.

If Return to Monkey Island gets a sequel, Guybrush will need to use more than a forgiveness frog to make up for reading LeChuck’s diary to find his catchphrase. In his quarters, the diary is on the shelf to the right. The last entry about the catchphrase refers back to an older catchphrase, which the player will need to . To get LeChuck’s favorite food, there is a dead squid on the beach that can provide tentacles. With the tentacles, talk to Chef Putra about LeChuck’s favorite food (Tentacles with Daisy Sauce) and ask her to make the dish. Lastly, Flair can be talked to about LeChuck’s theme song, but she won’t give it over. The player will need to ring the bell on the main deck to call for a crew vote and get Flair away from her post. Once she’s distracted, the notes about LeChuck’s theme song can be taken from her barrel. After all the information is collected and the skulls placed, Captain Lila walks Guybrush through the ritual.

Finding Bella Fisher's Flags & Her Golden Key

In Return to Monkey Island one trivia card location, and the location of Bella Fisher’s key, is under the ocean at her secret fishing spot. Finding the secret fishing spot requires having all three of Bella Fisher's flags. There are two on Melee Island; they’re at the Museum of Pirate Lore and the fish market. The real flag at the museum is locked in the storage room. To get it, set off the birds by opening the case. When the curator opens the door, sneak into the storage room and steal the real flag. To get the flag from the old pirate leaders’ fish market, the player will have to the Chums and craft a story worthy of Cogg Island. To do so, they need to speak to all the Chums they can find and then return to the fish market to tell it.

If Elaine was playable in Return to Monkey Island, getting the third flag would be much easier. The pirates aboard the scurvy ship won’t trade because they think scurvy is contagious. Stan the salesman has to revamp Elaine’s pamphlet for them to read. Stan is in the Brrr Muda quarry and doesn’t want to escape. The player has to take his court document to his ant on Barebones Island. Ned's license (framed with Guybrush’s picture) needs to be submitted with the evidence, then with the new sentence, the player can convince Stan to escape. The revamped pamphlet and some limes get Guybrush onto the scurvy ship for the last flag. Once all flags are combined, the location is marked with an X. To get to Bella Fisher’s ship, the player has to win a belching contest with the old pirate leaders. This gives Guybrush a Blowfish to use for extra air, so he can make it all the way.

Finding The Golden Key In The Terror Island Tunnels

Herman Toothrot, a returning character for Monkey Island, is lost with the golden key deep in Terror Island’s maze of tunnels. To find him, the player has to scour the island for two important items; a lantern and a sign that says XYZZY. The lantern will need to be lit with Flambe's head, because demon fire is harder to put out in Return to Monkey Island. The sign allows the player to escape the maze of tunnels by reading it. With these items, the tunnels can be easily explored until five pieces of story have been found. When the story is in order, the symbols on the tunnels align with those on the papers like a breadcrumb trail. Toothrot is down a hole at the end and will have to be fought for the key. Once in possession of the golden key, the player can read the XYZZY sign to leave with it.

Winning The Three Challenges For Odina's Golden Key

Getting Odina’s key calls for a three-part exam, answering a math class-style quiz, winning a don’t laugh contest and an eating competition. As with most trials in Return to Monkey Island, to win the challenges the player will have to cheat cleverly. To beat Queen Odina at the math test, the player must light a fire in the fireplace of the challenge room. The ceiling starts to drip every fifteen seconds, which will make Odina look away during the challenge. The player can then swap papers with none the wiser.

Winning the seriousness challenge requires the book of demon jokes that was given to Apple Bob earlier in Return to Monkey Island. The very long adventure book from Carla’s library can be traded to him for the joke book, but Carla has a one book at a time policy. When the Scumm Bar chef needed to cook the best recipe for a high-energy customer, the player had to give him Carla’s recipe book. He’ll trade back the recipe book for an earthquake relief IOU. After speaking with Carla about wanting to repair local businesses, she’s happy to grant the IOU. When prompted to tell a joke at the challenge, the player can choose one from the joke book.

To win Odina’s last challenge in Return to Monkey Island players need the fish listed in the eating challenge room and the demon pepper from LeShip’s galley. Once the player has filled the bucket in the challenge room, they need to season it with the demon pepper. Instead of taking a fish from the bucket when prompted, an unseasoned fish can be snuck from Guybrush’s bag so that he wins by eating more. After all three challenges are won, Guybrush is crowned Queen of Brrr Muda which grants him access to the golden key.

Collecting Old Mrs. Smith's & Widey Bones' Golden Keys

One key is thought destroyed with a jewelry box, the other key’s location is a room of ghost chickens, and both can be found. Old Mrs. Smith is Locke Smith’s mother, talking to Locke Smith about it will result in finding out that her belongings were destroyed. However, if the player takes her document about the items to the court on Brrr Muda, it turns out the key wasn’t destroyed and is remanded to Guybrush. Widey Bones’ key can’t be accessed until LeChuck’s crew finds her and takes it from her. Once the crew has threatened her, she says she’s giving up the search and the key is Guybrush’s if he finds it. LeChuck’s Quartermaster, Iron Rose, hid the key by feeding it to one of the ghost chickens in the hold. Fortunately, if this chicken is fed it will then drop the key as soon as the player leaves and returns. These are two of Return to Monkey Island’s easiest keys to find.

Getting Through The Caves Under Monkey Island

The ending of the point-and-click adventure game Return to Monkey Island is an interesting twist, showing Guybrush walking from the caves beneath Monkey Island onto a Melee Island set. The chest that the secret is in sits by the locksmith’s set, with the final key in Locke Smith’s hand. Before turning out the lights as instructed, the player will need to take the key and open the chest to finally get the secret. While the truth of Return to Monkey Island’s secret is unexpected, the journey of finding the secret is the most important discovery.

Next: Return to Monkey Island: How To Convince All Crew to Go