Not long after escaping from the ship's hold at the beginning of Part 2, Return to Monkey Island players will be tasked with finding a flattened skull to complete LeChuck's Monkey Island potion. In previous Monkey Island games, players have traditionally used a Jolly Roger pirate flag for this exact purpose, but things are a little different this time around.
For whatever reason, the ship's lookout Flambe will prevent Guybrush from heading up into the crow's nest, forcing players to think outside the box a little. Luckily, they'll be able to find everything they need to create a flattened skull of their own down beneath the ship's deck, which is where they'll need to make their way as soon as they've regained control of Guybrush.
How to Get a Flattened Skull in Return to Monkey Island
Those who thoroughly explored the hold before making their escape will know that there just so happens to be a skull inside. Heading down the stairs and to the left will lead to Gullet throwing Guybrush back down into the hold, where players will be given the option to either persuade Murray to come with them using words or just pick him up and carry him away against his will. If players didn't take him out of the crate earlier on, they'll need to do so now before making their choice.
Once Murray is in Guybrush's satchel, players should make their way back through the porthole and up onto the ship's main deck. They'll then want to head down the stairs again, though this time should make sure not to move too far to the left so as to avoid being spotted by Gullet. Instead, they should examine the laundry machine that's sitting a little to the right of the stairs, which will cause it to instantly fall apart.
Thankfully, Return to Monkey Island players just so happen to have a few screws in their inventory and can use these and a bit of elbow grease to repair the broken device. Once it's up and running again, it's a simple case of using Murray with the laundry machine to flatten him out and then placing the Very Flattened Murray into the cauldron of glowing red potion up on the ship's main deck.
What to Do After Completing the Potion
Almost immediately after Guybrush completes the potion, Gullet will tip the cauldron over and demand that Guybrush clean it up. LeChuck doesn't take too kindly to this though, with the ghost captain opting to throw his former First Swab overboard and offer Guybrush a promotion. Players will then be able to head up to the crow's nest and interact with the telescope to learn that Captain Madison and the other pirate leaders are following LeChuck's ship.
After a moment, it becomes clear that Madison and her crew are in the process of brewing their own Monkey Island potion, though lack the flattened skull that's needed to make the potion work. Guybrush will then come up with a plan to give them Murray and then follow them over to Monkey Island once they've completed their potion, but LeChuck's crew votes against his plan. As is often the case, it's then left up to Guybrush to change their minds about returning to Monkey Island.
Return to Monkey Island is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.