How do you find the five Golden Keys in Return to Monkey Island – Casual & Hard mode

Return to monkey Island is a faithful continuation of the series, combining great humor with point-and-click puzzles on the high seas. You once again take on the mantle of Guybrush Threepwood as he enters a battle of wits with old enemy LeChuck in their seemingly endless quest to find the secret of Monkey Island. Surprisingly, the secret has been hidden in a locked chest all along—which needs five keys to unlock. So, how do you find the five Golden Keys in Return to Monkey Island?

How to get Old Mrs. Smith's Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Casual mode

Getting the first golden key is easy. Just see the locksmith, who tells you her mum was called Old Mrs. Smith – and she left the key in her will. Chat with the locksmith more, and she'll agree to give you the key. While you're in town, be sure to get a map of the sea from Wally.

How to get Old Mrs. Smith's Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Hard mode

Talk to a locksmith to get Old Mrs. Smith Golden Key on Hard mode. Talk to her about her mother and the Golden Key, and she'll tell you that the key is gone, but you'll get a Probate order. To get this key, you'll need to get limes you can find on Scurvy Island, where the Elene is. She is also a Chum, but that's not important now.

Now that you have limes, head to Brrr Muda, fill out the customs form, and enter the Town Center. Head left until you find the Courthouse and the Judge inside. Give him the Probate order, and he'll give you the Old Mrs. Smith's Golden Key.

How to get the Terror Island Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Casual mode

Sail to Terror Island, and go to the Unlucky Place to collect the Silver Key. Next, head to the Mysterious clearing and pick up the Lamp. You can light this by using it with any fire, such as the torches on LeChuck's ship or matches from Brrr Muda castle.

Now head to the Twisting Path on Terror Island. At the end of the path, look at and then take the Sign that says xyxxy. This will reveal a keyhole. Use the silver key to get inside the Dark Cave. Once inside, use the Lamp to enter the maze. Inside, use only the exits that are not marked with an X. You'll come to (and fall into) a hole, where you'll find Mr. Toothrot – and a Golden Key. Once you take the key and it goes dark, use the xyxxy sign to be transported out of the cave.

How to get the Terror Island Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Hard mode

To get the Terror Island Golden key on Hard mode, use the walkthrough for Casual difficulty until you reach the maze. When you enter it, walk through corridors until you collect five notes. Each describes one of the signs in the maze. To pass through successfully, enter the rooms with signs in the following order: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring 2 ("e" looking symbol). If you get stuck, the magic sign will take you outside.

Here you'll find the Golden key on the left and Mr. Toothroot. After unsuccessful negotiations, you'll get into a fight. The Lamp will go out, leaving you in complete darkness. All seems lost, but luckily you have the magic sign. Use it to exit the cave. Congratulations, you now have the Terror Island Golden Key!

How to get Widey's Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Casual mode

Widey Bones told you that you needed to have two other keys before she'd make a deal with you. However, once you have two keys, you'll find LeChuck's crew has taken them from her. Luckily, it is just sitting on the boxes outside LeChuck's quarters on his ship – you need to dock with the boat and grab it.

How to get Widey's Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Hard mode

To get Widey's Golden Key on Hard mode, talk to Widey, and she'll tell you the pirates take the key. Return to LeChuck's ship and head to the hold (the same hold you escaped from earlier). You'll see that one of the chickens has swallowed the key. Feed the chicken with the feed and exit the lower deck. Return straight away, and you'll see that chicken has "released" the key, along with poo. Pick up the Widey's Golden Key.

How to get Bella Fisher's Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Casual & Hard mode

You can combine getting this key with the Brrr Muda one below, as you'll need to get there several times to get this one. Talk to the old pirate captains in the fish shop, and they'll tell you Bella Fisher had a secret fishing spot to which she left a clue. The clue is on a flag on the Adrift Ship you can see on the sea map, but the ship has a scurvy outbreak and won't let you on board.

Go to Scurvy Island and head to the camp. Grab the picture of Elaine, and read the note that tells you which lime grove she is in. Find her in the lime groves, get the Scurvy Flier from her, and grab a few limes. You'll find out a seagull stole a picture of you. Look on the Scurvy Island map, and you'll see a bird's nest on one of the lime groves (in the northeast). Go there to recover the picture of Guybrush.  

Unfortunately, Elaine's flier is boring and needs a salesman's touch. Go to the Brrr Muda Ice Quarry and find Stan. To get into the quarry, you'll need a photo of Stan. You get this from his old hut on Melee Island, where you'll also find his toothbrush. Just combine it with the one of Guybrush in the inventory. Once you find Stan in the quarry, show Elaine's flier to him.

He can help but needs to talk to her in person to improve it. He doesn't want to escape jail, as his sentence is only one month long – and she won't leave Scurvy Island. Talk to Stan, and he'll give you a copy of the one-month court decree while telling you about his accountant, Ned Filigree.

How to get Stan out of jail on Brrr Muda Island – Casual mode

You'll find Ned on Barebones Island. Show him how short Stan's sentence is by giving him the court decree. He'll panic and give you Ned's Financial Records. Take them to Judge Planke in the Brrr Muda court building, and he'll change Stan's sentence to 10 years.

Take the new decree to Stan. Once he sees it, he wants to escape – but you need to remove his shackles. Use the double-monocle to get the serial number to get a key from the locksmith on Melee Island. Stan will now accompany you to Scurvy Island and improve Elaine's flyer. Take the New Scurvy Flier and show it to the crew of the Adrift Ship. They'll let you on board, and you can grab Bella's Flag from the mast. Combine it with the sea map to find Bella's secret fishing location – then go there to recover her golden key.

Related: How the Hint Book works in Return to Monkey Island

How to get Stan out of jail on Brrr Muda Island – Hard mode

To get Stan out of jail on Brrr Muda Island on Hard mode, you'll need to prove to the court that you are Stan so you can receive a new court decree. To do that, look at Ned's Financial Records in inventory. Stan's license will drop out. Use it with a picture frame to put the license together with your picture. Show it to the Judge, and he'll give you a court decree for harsher punishment for Stan. After this, release Stan in a way described for Casual difficulty.

How to use Bella's Flag in Return to Monkey Island – Hard mode

You'll need to combine three flags to get the correct coordinates of Bella's secret fishing location.

• First Bella's Flag: Become a High-ranking Chum and pick up the flag from the fish store.
• Second Bella's Flag: Steal Bella's Flag from a scurvy-infested ship.
• Third Bella's Flag: Steal from the museum on Melee Island. If you try the old trick of feeding the parrots, you'll succeed, but you'll only steal the replica! Return to the museum, and talk to the museum lady about the replica. Try again to steal the flag, and this time let the parrots warn the museum lady. She'll open the back door, which is your chance to steal the third flag hidden there.

Now combine three flags to find a spot. Travel there, blow into the blowfish you earned in the burping contest use the anchor to jump into the water. Halfway, open the inventory and take oxygen from the fish. Continue to the bottom of the ocean, where you'll find Bella Fisher's Golden Key on the right side of the derelict ship.

How to get Brrr Muda Island Golden Key in Return to Monkey Island – Casual & Hard Mode

Go to the top of the Ice Castle on Brrrr Muda and talk to the Queen. You must defeat her in three challenges to become Queen, which will get you her crown – and the last Golden Key. Here's how you win each challenge:

• Heartiness: Get some slimehead fish from the fish shop and add demon pepper, which you can get from the now empty kitchen on LeChuck's ship. When you need to draw a fish from the bucket, take one from your inventory instead.
• Seriousness: Get the joke book back from Bob on LeChuck's ship by giving him the Endless Book that Never Ends from the Governor's Mansion. You can take another book if you return the cookbook to Carla. Use the book when it's your turn to tell a joke, and you'll win the contest.
• Intelligence: Build a fire in the contest room with driftwood, taken from the lookout point on Melee Island. Light it with the matches you get from the Queen's throne room. This will make the icicle in the room drip, which will distract her during the test. When it does, switch papers with her by right-clicking on her paper.

You should now have all five Golden Keys. Now, find out How to find LeChuck beneath the Monkey Head! If you need more information regarding Guybrush's adventures, check out What's the difference between Casual and Hard mode in Return to Monkey Island on Pro Game Guides.