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By the time the player gets to Part 4 of Return to Monkey Island, the plot has taken several twists and turns. As Part 4 starts, Guybrush finds himself back on Melee Island as the secret of Monkey Island is curiously located in the Voodoo shop on Low Street. Upon returning to the starting area, however, you’ll find that it’s not the same as an earthquake severely damaged things.
Return to Monkey Island is a throwback to the classic Lucasarts adventure series which means that, while the sequel certainly has its fair share of modern touches, its puzzles can be a little obtuse at times, especially when playing on Hard Mode. Luckily, the walkthrough below will get you through the toughest puzzles in the chapter. Take note that if you’re playing on Casual Mode, the walkthrough should still get you through the puzzles, you just may have fewer steps to complete than the ones listed below.
More Return to Monkey Island guides:
| Casual Mode or Hard Mode? | Prelude – Hard Mode Walkthrough | Part 1 – Hard Mode Walkthrough | Part 2 – Hard Mode Walkthrough | Part 3 – Hard Mode Walkthrough |
Get to the Voodoo Shop right away
This step is pretty self-explanatory. Although the island has been torn to shreds since the last time you were here, the basic geography of things is still the same. Once you get off the boat, head to the right to go to Low Street.
Once you get inside, examine the box with the keyholes behind you and you’ll start talking with the shop owner. She’ll tell you that the secret lies within it. She’ll tell you that she can’t help you with the keys, but that someone outside the shop will help you find them. Finish the conversation and head outside.
Get the five keys for the safe
As soon as you leave the shop, you’ll run into Widey Bones, the woman that the Voodoo shop told you about. Talk with her and she’ll tell you that you need to find five golden keys to get the secret. She’ll tell you where you can find all five of them and your ToDo list will update. Before you can set sail and start collecting keys, you’ll need to get a map.
Walk over to Wally’s Maps-n-More and ask for a sea map of the local area. With the map in hand, you’ll have everything you need to start searching for the keys. They don’t have to be found in a linear order, so go ahead and tackle them as you please, but note that some keys have prerequisites that you’ll need to meet to unlock them.
NOTE: There is a lot of switching between islands in this section which can get tedious as getting back to your boat on foot can sometimes require walking through multiple areas. To quickly return to your ship, simply hit the minus button on the Switch controller or interact with the map of the sea in your inventory and you’ll be booted to the ocean.
Acquire Widey’s Golden Key
To get Widey’s key, she’ll say that you need to have at least two keys of your own. After you get two keys, however, you’ll see a cutscene where Iron Rose tells LeChuck that she handled getting Widey’s key from her. Go to talk to Widey on High Street, she’ll tell you that she doesn’t have her key anymore.
Acquire Widey’s stolen Golden Key
Luckily, getting Widey’s key is pretty simple. Head to LeChuck’s ship and go to the hold. Inside the hold, you’ll see that one of the ghost chickens on the right side of the room has eaten the key. Grab some chicken feed from the barrel to the left of the ladder and then feed the chicken.
Leave the hold and then go back inside and you’ll see that the key has…passed through the chicken. Congrats, you have another key!
Acquire Old Mrs. Smith’s Golden Key
Head to the locksmith’s shop on High Street on Melee Island. Inside, ask Locke about her mother and what she was called. When she confirms that her mother was, indeed, Old Mrs. Smith, follow up by asking about the Golden Keys and Locke will tell you that her mother left the Golden Key to her in her will. Tell Locke that you’ll pay any amount of money for the key. She’ll tell you that the court destroyed the key because she didn’t pick it up in time, as evidenced by the court probate order she gives you.
After you’re done speaking with Locke, leave the building and walk back to your ship. Interact with it and set sail heading to Scurvy Island. When you get ashore, walk around the left side of the beach and head to the island interior.
There are a lot of lime groves for you to explore on the island, but you’ll want to head north to the camp. When you enter the area, you’ll see that Elaine is nowhere to be found. Take the firewood by her camp, the picture on her desk and then read the note on her desk and it’ll tell you where she’s working. The location varies for each playthrough, so just listen to location information and go to the lime grove that she specifies.
Once you find her, ask her for a few spare limes. With the limes in your possession, head back to your boat and set sail for Brrr Muda Island to the north.
Before you can get to Brrr Muda, however, you’ll be stopped at a Scurvy inspection checkpoint. You’ll show the limes you have and they’ll give you a giant form to complete. The form is terrible to read and is filled with impossible questions. The easiest way to proceed is to ignore all of the boxes except for the last one. Check it and sign and you’ll be given permission to proceed.
Sail to Brrr Muda Island.
Once you land on the island, head to the far left of the first area and enter the courthouse. Inside, open your inventory and show the probate order to the judge. The judge will then hand over Old Mrs. Smith’s Golden Key.
Aquire Bella Fisher’s Golden Key
Get the quarantine ship flag
Hop on your boat and sail to the adrift ship in the bottom right corner of the sea map. When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by two pirates who will deny your request to board due to a scurvy outbreak. No matter what you say or do, they won’t let you on.
If you’ve already met up with Elaine on Scurvy Island, continue forward with this guide.
If you haven’t, follow the steps under the Old Smith’s Gold Key entry on this page about finding Elaine and getting limes.
Head back to Melee Island and go to the governor’s mansion. Talk to Carla inside and ask for one of the IOU’s she’s handing out. Tell her that it’s for rebuilding a local business and she’ll hand it over.
Walk to the port and give the IOU to the crying chef who’s guarding the recipe book that you borrowed from Carla back in Part 1. Once you give him the IOU, you can take the cookbook. With it in hand, head back to Carla to return it. Now that you’ve returned one book, you can take out another. Grab the book titled “The Endless Tale of the Voyage that Would Not End.”
Go to the abandoned Shipyard on the east side of the island. Take the picture of Steve and the toothbrush that are inside the destroyed building.
Before leaving Melee Island, head to High Street and go inside the newly opened fish shop that’s located on the right side of the main strip. As soon as you walk in, you’ll be told about the store and realize that the owners of the store are the former pirate leaders. After the conversation is over, examine the yellow fish that’s sitting on the ground. The pirate behind the counter will tell you that it’s a lumpsucker. Order some and they’ll hand a box over to you.
Once you’ve been given the fish, head across High Street to the jail. Inside, talk to Otis and ask where Stan went. He’ll tell you that he’s doing hard time in Brrr Muda. This isn’t relevant yet, but you’ll eventually make your way there and need to know where he is.
With the lumpsuckers in hand, head back to your ship and go to LeChuck’s ship. It’s the other boat located in the bottom right corner of the map. Check to see if the coast is clear and you’ll climb onto the boat.
Head down to the galley and grab the pepper shaker that’s sitting on the left side of the table in the background. Combine the pepper with the lumpsuckers and you’ll make a meal that has quite the kick.
Before you leave the ship, talk with Apple Bob on the deck. They’ll reveal that they don’t have any hard feelings against you. After you’re done talking, give Bob the book that you borrowed from Clara’s estate, “The Endless Tale of the Voyage That Would Not End.” In return for the book, Bob will give you the joke book back. It’s not needed for getting this key, but it’ll be useful later.
With the peppery lumpsuckers, head back to Scurvy Island. You should have already picked up a picture of Elaine there from her campsite, but you’ll need to find the other half of the picture that was ripped out of the frame. Once you’re on the island, head to the lime grove with a bird near it. Approach the bird on the right side of the area and offer it some of the spicy lumpsuckers that you made. This will cause it to fly off revealing that it was sitting on the other half of the picture from Elaine’s camp. Pick it up.
Head to Brrr Muda Island. If this is your first time, fill out the form given to you by the scurvy inspector by simply ticking the final box on it and signing your name. As soon as you get to Brrr Muda Island, head to the left to access the interior.
Go to the ice quarry on the left side of the island. Talk to the man at the booth and say that you want a tour of the prison. He’ll say that the only people allowed in are those visiting inmates. End the conversation you’ll be prompted to tell him that you want to visit an inmate. When he asks who you want to see, tell him you’re looking for Stan. He’ll tell you that he needs physical proof that you know Stan.
Go into your inventory and combine the framed picture of Elaine with one of the other pictures you have. After doing that, you’ll be able to put two pictures in the frame together. Put Guybrush in the frame with Stan and then show it to the man in the booth. He’ll let you inside the prison.
Walk around the prison yard and you’ll eventually come across Stan. Tell him that you came to see him and that there’s an escape tunnel nearby. He’ll tell you that he isn’t interested in escaping because he can get out cleanly since his sentence is only one month. That’s an issue, however, seeing as he’s the only one that can help Elaine make her pamphlets better which is what you’ll need to board the other pirate ship.
In order for him to feel the need to escape early, you’ll need to make his sentence much longer. Leave Brrr Muda and head to Barebones Island on the far left side of the sea map. Once there, you’ll be greeted by Ned, Stan’s accountant that’s in possession of the damning documents that could put Stan away for a long time. After you talk with him, take out the prison sentence that Stan gave you and he’ll get spooked when he finds out that Stan is only locked up for a single month.
Grab the documents that Ned tosses out of his suitcase and head back to Brrr Muda. Go to the courthouse on the left side of the Town Center and present the judge with the documents you just got from Ned. Unfortunately, he won’t accept the documents unless Ned himself is there.
Peek inside Ned’s satchel and then rummage through it inside your inventory. This will break the satchel into two different items: Stan’s financial records and Ned’s license. Combine the license with the framed picture that you used to get into the prison and then put it in the frame next to the picture of Guybrush.
With the picture and the license in the same frame, show it to the judge and he’ll resentence Stan to 10 years in prison. Take the new sentence to the prison and show it to Stan. Now, he’s interested in escaping but he’s locked up in chains still. Use the double monocle that you made in Part 1 to inspect the locks and head back to Melee Island for a key.
Show the serial number to Locke Smith and she’ll make you a key for Stan’s shackles. Return to Stan and use the key to get him out of his chains. He’ll help out Elaine in a cutscene and the scurvy pamphlet will be redesigned. Grab it from the table.
With the new pamphlet finally made, head back to the pirate ship in the bottom right corner of the sea map. Show it to the pirates and they’ll allow you on board.
Grab the tattered flag that’s flying on deck and then go into your inventory and combine it with your sea map. Guybrush will comment saying that it seems like he needs more flags in order to properly find what he’s looking for. Return to Melee Island and head for the Museum of Pirate Lore.
Get the museum’s flag
Inside the museum, you’ll see that another Bella Fischer pirate flag is locked up in the display case. Use the crackers in your inventory to distract the parrots and then nab the flag. The problem is that once you try to combine the flag with your map in your inventory, you’ll come to find that the one in the museum was a fake. Head back inside the museum.
Get the museum’s REAL flag
The real flag is actually kept in the backroom. Inside the museum, open the flag display case without giving crackers to the birds and they’ll sound the alarm. When they do, the curator will grab the flag and start folding away after unlocking the door to the backroom. While he’s distracted, walk past him into the room and then swap the real flag with the fake.
Once you’re outside, combine the flag with the map and Guybrush will say that there are still too many holes. Head to the newly opened fish shop on High Street and ask about the final flag that’s hanging to the right of the door.
Get the flag from the fish shop
Ask if the flag is for sale and the pirate behind the counter will tell you about a semi-secret society. Ask to join and say that you have good fish stories. You’ll need to meet up with five different pirates in the society to hone your storytelling skills before being inducted. You can find them here:
- The pirate outside of the remains of the Scumm bar on the docks.
- The locksmith in the shop on High Street.
- Apple Bob on the deck of LeChuck’s boat.
- The guard outside of the ice quarry on Brrr Muda.
- Elaine on Scurvy Island.
Talk to each member and show them the fishing lure that the pirate at the fish shop gave you. Once you’ve taken all of their advice and spoken to them all, return to the shop and tell them your finalized story by showing the pirate behind the counter your lure.
Now that you’re a grand master Chum, you can ask for the flag and they’ll give it to you. Combine it with the map and you’ll see where to find Bella Fischer’s key.
Bella Fischer’s secret fishing spot
With the three flags in your possession, Guybrush will mark down the fishing location on his map. Unfortunately, the key is at the bottom of the ocean and you’ll need to find a way to hold your breath for even longer than you already can. Inside the fish shop, ask about the blowfish that’s sitting between the two pirates and they’ll challenge you to a burping contest. They’ll declare the match a draw, but you’ll need to win in order to get the fish.
Go to the Scumm bar and grab the exotic drink that’s on the table next to the pirate out front. Run back to the fish shop and take a sip of it inside. After you’ve drank the soda, start another burping contest. This time, you’ll be able to easily win thanks to the carbonation of your drink.
Now that you have the blowfish, head to your boat and go to the marked spot on your map. Once you get there, drop anchor and then blow up your blowfish by interacting with it in your inventory. Dive into the ocean and after Guybrush says that he’s almost out of breath, use the blowed up blowfish to reach the bottom.
On the ocean floor, walk to the right and grab the key off the end of the ship.
Acquire the Brrr Muda Island Golden Key
In order to get the key from Brrr Muda Island, you’ll need a handful of items:
- The pepper shaker from the galley of LeChuck’s ship.
- Firewood from Elaine’s camp on Scurvy Island.
- The joke book from Apple Bob that’s given to you by giving him the book “The Endless Tale of the Voyage that Would Not End.”
Grab all of those things before heading to Brrr Muda to get the key. If you need any of them, consult the previous sections of this page.
Once you’re in Brrr Muda, head to the Ice Castle on the left side of the interior island map and walk all the way to the top of the castle where you’ll meet the Queen. Before approaching the Queen, pick up the matches directly to your right when you walk into the room.
Walk up to the Ice Queen and speak with her. Tell her that you’re looking for the Golden Keys. She’ll tell you that the only way for you to get your hands on the crown is by becoming the queen. Ask how you would go about doing that, hypothetically of course. She’ll tell you that you’ll need to beat the current queen, her, in a three-trial contest.
Win the Contest of Heartiness
Talk to the queen and challenge her to the Contest of Heartiness. She’ll take you downtown where the first challenge will be initiated. The contest requires you to eat more raw fish than the queen. Unfortunately, there’s a problem: there’s no fish in town hall for you to compete with. The contest will be put on hold until you can find some fish to use in it.
After a short cutscene, you’ll be returned to the main room of the town hall. Enter the Contest of Heartiness room on the left and look at the poster that’s inside the giant shark jaw. It’ll tell you what fish is going to be featured in the contest. The specific fish changes from game to game, so memorize it and then head back to the fish store on Melee Island.
Once you’re in the shop, talk to the pirate behind the counter and ask to trade in your current batch of lumpsuckers for a different type of fish. Ask for the fish from the poster and he’ll hand it right over. With the fish in hand, head back to the Contest of Heartiness room in the Town Hall of Brrr Muda. Place the fish in the bucket and then season it inside the bucket with the pepper shaker from the galley of LeChuck’s ship. Ring the triangle in the corner of the room to start the trial.
As soon as the contest starts, open your inventory and put the unseasoned fish you just got from the store on your plate. Eat it and you’ll have won the contest as the seasoning that the queen is eating will be too much for her.
Win the Contest of Intelligence
After winning the first contest, you’ll be put back in town hall. Go to the room that’s up the staircase on the left and you’ll be in the room where the Contest of Intelligence is held. There are a handful things that you can do in the room and you’re welcome to try out the contest by ringing the triangle once you enter, but you’ll lose thanks to the queen’s sharp intellect.
As you can see in the left corner of the room, there’s an icicle hanging down over a bucket. In order to distract the queen enough to steal her answers, you’ll need to get the icicle to drip. Place the firewood that you picked up at Elaine’s camp on Scurvy Island in the fireplace and then use the matches you picked up in the queen’s chamber on it to light a fire. With the fire lit, the icicle will start dripping. Ring the triangle and try the contest.
As soon as the contest starts, the queen will look away from her desk at the dripping icicle and you’ll be able to swap papers with her. As soon as you do, the judge will return and grade them saying that you won.
Win the Contest of Seriousness
Winning the Contest of Seriousness is simple. Enter the room directly behind you when you get put back in the center of town hall. With Apple Bob’s joke book in hand, start the trial by ringing the triangle. When it starts, open your inventory and find the joke book. Select “tell the queen a joke” and select any of the options you’re given. Once you do, she’ll laugh and you’ll win the contest.
After winning all three contests, you’ll watch a cutscene where you’re given the queen’s crown. Agree to all of the vows that the judge asks you to take and you’ll be given the crown and with it the Golden Key.
Aquire the Terror Island Golden Key
Sail to Terror Island and walk to its interior by leaving the first area through the forest. Go to the “unlucky place” on the east side of the island and pick up the silver key that’s on the ground next to the skeleton. Turn around and go back to the interior.
Now, go to the mysterious clearing on the northwest area of the island. Walk to the right and you’ll find a forgotten lamp on the ground next to another skeleton. Head back to the interior map.
Head over to the twisty path on the far northeast coast of Terror Island. Walk along the path until you come across a sign blocking your way that reads “XYZZY.” Use your knife to break the sign and then use the silver key you just picked up to unlock the rest of the path. Once it’s opened, head into the dark cove.
Inside the cave, open your inventory and combine the matches you got from Brrr Muda with the lamp you just picked up. Now, you can see the inside of the cave, so follow the path until you exit the area on the right.
Once you enter the Twisty Passages portion of the cave, take the first passage that leads north. In the center of the room to the north, you’ll find a note left on the floor. The note will have an interesting symbol included in the body of the text. Ignore it for now.
Once you’ve picked up the note, walk in whatever direction you like and exit the area. Wander the halls of the maze and pick up notes on the floor until you’ve collected five of them. Once you’ve found the last one, examine the sign that you cut off the gate that got you inside the caves and you’ll be teleported back to the start of the cave. Enter it again and go back to the Twisty Passages. Once you’re at the start of the maze section, open your inventory and look at the five notes you picked up.
The notes all have different symbols on them, symbols that you should be able to see painted on the walls of the maze. Each notes mentions a season with two notes mentioning the spring. You’ll need to follow the passage with the corresponding symbol in the order of the seasons starting and ending with spring. The symbols are different for each game, so you’ll need to figure out which symbol corresponds with each season on your own. Once you’ve figured out the order, follow the path.
If you’ve done things correctly, you’ll find yourself in an area called the Pit of Agony. Jump into the water and you’ll find that your lamp has gone out. Use the XYZZY sign to teleport back to the start of the cave. You’ll need to find a fire that won’t go out underwater. Head to LeChuck’s ship.
Once aboard, climb the crow’s nest and use your lamp on the sleeping Flambe. Now, it’s lit with demon fire that won’t extinguish underwater. Head back to the cave area on Terror Island and make your way back to the Pit of Agony. Luckily, you won’t need to do the maze puzzle again as the game will just take you back once you enter the cave.
Hope into the water and walk to your right until you leave the area and fall down a tunnel. At the bottom, you’ll meet Herman Toothrot, the owner of one of the keys. Finish your conversation and you’ll find a Golden Key on the left side of the area. Try to take it and Herman will say that it’s his. Talk more with Herman and offer to make a deal for it. Be forceful in the conversation and you’ll eventually lose your lamp but gain the key. When you’re in the dark, use the XYZZY sign to escape the caves.
Now you’ve got the last key!
Return to the Voodoo shop
As soon as you have all five keys, head back to the Voodoo shop on Melee Island. Use the Golden Keys on the safe and it’ll open. Watch the cutscene and you’ll have finished Part 4 of Return to Monkey Island!
