a blonde man stands in a fish shop with barrels of different sized fish up against the walls. More trophy fish are handing from the ceiling or mounted on the walls. a man in a green shirt stands behind the counter, while two other scruffy pirates sit at a table on the left. text at the bottom of the screen reads "Achievement earned: Became a Prize Chum"

Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

Return To Monkey Island: How To Join The Chums

The Chums are a very secret society, but Guybrush can join their ranks with the right blend of wit and luck.

Hayden Epstein

Published: Sep 27, 2022 12:46 pm

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

a dimly lit street at night. a blonde man stands on the street and looks up at a white haired woman in a second floor window. Light spills out of the windows below her, illuminating a silhouette in one of them. a sign hangs over the door. — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

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.

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

Guybrush Threepwood stands in a cramped fish shop with barrels of fish lining the walls. he's standing in front of a small bowl of water with a goldfish inside. text below reads "show interest in Sushi" — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

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.

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

a blonde haired man speaks to a pirate with a green shirt and hat. they're standing in front of a burning, seaside building while a heavy-set man in a chef's hat cries nearby. There's text at the bottom of the screen that allow the player to tell the next part of an epic story eg "Morgan LeFlay and I said we were married so I'd seem unavailable!" — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

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

a blonde-haired man in a blue coat stands in a lime grove with a red-haired woman wearing a purple vest over a white blouse. — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

A guard stand outside a large, wooden gate in front of a frozen moat. The guard stand is small and wooden, and the guard wears a blue unifrom and a goatee. Guybrush is standing in front of the stand in a rectangular shape cut out of the snow — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

the deck of a pirate ship. Guybrush stands before a ghostly pirate hanging upside down from a piece of the mast. the pirate is reading a yellow book — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

a blonde haired man stands in the middle of a narrow shop. There are display cases on both sides, and behind him is a window. behind the shop's counter is a woman with a shaved head wearing welding goggles, a leather apron, and leather gloves. A green parrot sits on a roost over the counter. Behind the woman is a large portrait of two older woman with a young girl — Screenshot via Terrible Toybox

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.