How to play CURSE OF MONKEY ISLAND and other LucasArts Archives on Android (ScummVM)

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UPDATE 22 Mar 2014: I figured out that you can turn it into a direct touch interface (rather than the trackpad interface). Go to Options>>MIDI then check the [✓] Mixed AdLib/MIDI Mode. That made a world of difference! Also, two-finger touch is right click. Back button is ESC. And press and hold the three options dots to bring up the keyboard so you can skip dialog and stuff.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

I cannot tell you how excited I was to get The LucasArts Archives Vol. 1 when I was a kid. My older brother and I both chipped in money from our limited savings (this was 1995). It was like a real buried treasure—seriously, I was that giddy (partly because of the box design).

The adventure games in particular were my favorites. I later bought Vol. 2 (1996) and Vol. 3 (1997). And they became a big part of my childhood—as ingrained as some of my favorite books. I still quote some of the funny lines: “Stop him, Sam! He’s gonna tell us a story!”

I recently found out that you can copy these files onto your Android phone to play them. I have a Galaxy Nexus, and this is what I needed:

1. Install the ScummVM app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.scummvm.scummvm

2. Install the ScummVM plugins (which it needs to run): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.scummvm.scummvm.plugin.scumm

3. Plug in your phone to your computer as if it were a jump drive. I use this on Mac: http://www.android.com/filetransfer/, but I don’t think you need any extra software for this step on PC.

4. Drag the game files from your CDs to any directory on your phone (I made a new folder called Scumm). For example, to play Curse of Monkey Island, you need 4 things from the CD-ROM (haha, remember when people used to say “ROM”?):

• COMI.LA0
• COMI.LA1
• COMI.LA2
• RESOURCES folder

The following wiki will tell you the specific files you need for each compatible game (because sometimes the CDs have demos and a bunch of unnecessary files): http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Datafiles

THAT’S IT! Now just load the app on your phone, “load the games” by finding them in the file explorer, and try not to spend too much time on them.



It’s cool how it works: The Scumm app basically turns your screen into a trackpad—that’s how you move the pointer. THE DIG works especially well because the interface was very basic. But it works with all of these games from the LucasArts Archives:

• FULL THROTTLE
• INDIANA JONES and the FATE of ATLANTIS
• DAY of the TENTACLE
• SAM and MAX HIT the ROAD
• SECRET of MONKEY ISLAND
• MONKEY ISLAND 2: LECHUCK’S REVENGE
• CURSE of MONKEY ISLAND
• The DIGG

TIPS: Android’s “back” button is like hitting escape. Also, double-tap and hold to bring up the navigation coin in Curse of Monkey Island or the tattoo in Full Throttle (but The DIG doesn’t need this).

MY SOAPBOX

I wish LucasArts would just release these games themselves. I may already own them, but I’d pay 99¢ to have them in my Google Play library and not have to worry about plugging my phone in to install them. I’ve said this about Nintendo too. They’re missing out on a huge market by making their games exclusive to DS. They’d get all kinds of my money if they’d just sell me what I want.

Have you ever played these games? Which was your favorite? And what’s a funny line you remember?

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