Every great adventure game needs a secret society that operates across the breadth of its world. For Return to Monkey Island, that’s the Chums. A mysterious cabal of angler storytellers, the Chums can be identified by a distinct red and yellow fishing lure on their clothing or somewhere near their person. Guybrush can even join the Chums, though it isn’t the most obvious initiation.
How to Join the Chums
You can only join the Chums after reaching Chapter 4 when Guybrush is searching for the five Golden Keys to the Secret of Monkey Island. After the events of Chapter 3, the town at Melee Island has undergone a few changes, including a new shop on High Street just below Widey Bones’ window.
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This new storefront is called The Cod’s Wallop, and it features a few familiar faces for long-time players of the Monkey Island series. It’s here that Guybrush can find all manner of fish for sale (including a yellow lumpfish that’s perfect for eating contests). He can also find three scruffy men who look a lot like the old pirate leaders from Scumm Bar.
Ask About Sushi
Just inside the entrance of The Cod’s Wallop is a bowl with a goldfish inside. Ask the shopkeeper about the goldfish and one of the former pirate leaders will let slip some information about the Chums. The others will try to cover up his mistake, but the shopkeeper will acquiesce and let Guybrush know more information about the Chums.
They’re a group of fish-lover who enjoy swapping tall tales about their most impressive catches. In fact, they spend more time honing their storytelling skills than they do actually catching fish. Ask how to join their order, and the shopkeeper will offer you immediate entry.
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Take note that this quest is purely optional when playing the game in Casual Mode and will have no bearing on the overall story. If this note isn’t enough, the shopkeeper himself will offer the same warning, but who listens to NPCs anyway? In Hard Mode, however, visiting the Chums is a necessary step in recovering one of the five Golden Keys required to unlock the Secret of Monkey Island.
Build Your Story
Once an initiated member of the Chums, you can now seek out members of the group to begin building your fishing tale. There are several members around the game’s world, and each one will offer you tips on how to improve your storytelling abilities. The list of Chum members includes:
- Lock Smith – Melee Island, High Street
- The pirate outside Scumm Bar – Melee Island, the Docks
- Elaine Marley – Scurvy Island
- Apple Bob – LeChuck’s Ship
- The guard outside Ice Quarry – Brrr Muda, the Ice Quarry
Once you’ve honed your story with all five members of the Chums, bring your story back to Cod’s Wallop. The owner of the store will ask you to Return To Monkey Island: How To Join The Chumsrepeat it one last time, taking into account all the lessons you’ve learned along the way. After telling him your perfected story, he’ll congratulate you on this achievement and give you a trophy as a reward. You’ll also unlock the “Became A Prize Chum” in-game achievement.
Return to Monkey Island is available now for the Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Published: Sep 27, 2022 12:46 pm