Release Date: 30/03/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: Droid / iOS / Lin / Mac / NS / PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 6h 55m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Terrible Toybox
Publisher: Terrible Toybox
As much as I'd like to claim otherwise, it's impossible for me to distance myself from when I was a kid spending hours fixated by LucasArts point-and-click adventures. I know I'm not alone, so it's nothing new, but I'd like to think that even though nostalgia can spark interest in a game, it doesn't dictate one's enjoyment. The thing is though, I'm not sure if I love Thimbleweed Park because it takes me back to being a kid, or because it's a fantastic iteration on the genre. I guess I'm pretty sure that it's both.
It's also hard for me to look at a new game from Ron Gilbert, and compare it to Tim Schaffer's point-and-click update that was Broken Age. I backed the Kickstarter for what was then "Double Fine Adventure", but by the time Thimbleweed Park's campaign surfaced, I had been burned too many times by crowdfunding disappointments.
In fact, as much as I really liked Broken Age, it was a sore blemish in my gaming library for a while. Like many others, I felt a bit cheated by the Kickstarter campaign that promised one thing, but ended up delivering something else entirely. In fact, the original Double Fine Kickstarter seemed to be pitching something a lot more like Thimbleweed Park, than Broken Age.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a dig at Double Fine (heck they're one of my favourite developers for a reason), but I can't frame any opinion about Thimbleweed Park without giving the context a nod. I remembered seeing that Ron Gilbert was leaving Double Fine after The Cave had been released (I might be wrong on the particulars, but that's how I remember it), so of course I was curious to see what this giant of the industry was going to produce next.
Somewhere along the way I played Broken Age, along with remasters of Day Of The Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango. Not to mention the remasters of the Monkey Island series that are still fantastically entertaining to this day. Even though Ron Gilbert and Tim Schaffer had varying levels of involvement on each of these titles, I still find them ubiquitous with the pair, who entertained me so much during my childhood.
The real disappointment of Broken Age, wasn't really anything to do with the game (I actually really enjoyed Broken Age for what it was), but more to do with broken promises. My main reason for backing the project was because I wanted an old-school adventure, which is what was promised in the pitch video. Thanks to the huge explosion of backers and all that money pouring in, I can see why the scope ended up blowing up beyond any of the developers' expectations, so they had to change what they were doing. However, at the end of it all, I was still left wanting a traditional and authentic point-and-click adventure that had been promised to me in the original pitch.
Along comes Ron Gilbert, Gary Winnick, and Thimbleweed Park, which released to praise in the media that it was finally an old school adventure that lived up to its name. Having been burned on the Broken Age debacle, I didn't pick up Thimbleweed Park right away, as I wasn't sure if I could trust all the hype, but after six months or so, the game was still being praised as a masterpiece, so it was time to dive in.
Holy cow did it put a smile on my face.
Everything about Thimbleweed Park is faithful to the original point-and-click adventures in so many ways. You can tell within the first few scenes that this is a game made by industry veterans who really understand what makes the old games classics to this day.
In essence Thimbleweed Park is everything you remember and expect from an old adventure game. There's a mysterious self-aware plot that pokes fun at the fourth wall and never takes itself too seriously. Multiple playable characters flesh out the world and each bring their own stories that end up intertwining and relating to each other by the conclusion.
There are items to find, combine, and use in creative ways that aren't always obvious at first glance. Thankfully the moon-logic is kept at a reasonable minimum, but there are still a few puzzles that will leave you trying everything in your inventory with everything else. There are even single pixels of dust to find in just about every scene, as a nod to "pixel hunting".
One of the best aspects of playing a modern-yet-authentic point-and-click adventure is the updated pixel graphics. In a lot of ways the art stays faithful to the old styles of blocky characters and simple animations, but everything has a modern sheen of detail that wasn't possible on older systems. Without the limitations of old school hardware, it seems that pixel art can take on a much more detailed and expressive form through tiny animations and colour variations that wouldn't have been possible in the past. While maintaining a faithful art style, these are the kind of improvements I want to see in a modern adventure game.
There's something about using pixel art instead of vector-like cartoons that elevates Thimbleweed Park above some of the remakes like Monkey Island or Day Of The Tentacle. I agree with Gilbert that those games are worse off for the newer art style, as the original didn't need to be changed. It seems like the difference between the art in Thimbleweed Park compared to the original Monkey Island, is simply the ability to use more pixels. This increase in density means that the scenes look fantastic and the animations are more nuanced. Essentially the entire genre is lifted to greater heights by simply iterating as a response to capabilities, instead of throwing out the old and replacing it with something else entirely.
I'd love to get stuck into the actual story and plot of Thimbleweed Park, but I would hate to spoil anything accidentally. What I will say though is that there's a nice mix between the X-Files, Twin Peaks, and other off-beat mysteries. The five playable characters are each given distinct personalities and purposes for being in the game. They are each trying to solve a mystery of their own and find their way to answers that others may or may not be able to help them with.
Ultimately it's a fantastic ride to discover all the NPCs and locations around town. It turns out that Thimbleweed Park is a bit of a strange place with lots of run-down and abandoned buildings. The locals are entertaining characters in their own way and most conversations and interactions are worth exploring due to their charm and personality. Where some point-and-click adventures make back-tracking and exploring a bit of a chore, Thimbleweed Park is always giving you something new to interact with and another funny line to laugh at.
I suppose the only part that could be considered weak, would be some of the voice acting. However, I stress that it's not really the voice acting itself, but some of the recording quality can be a little spotty at times. It's common among lower budget games for the audio mix to be a little off in places, but I was kind of hoping for more polish considering the level of impeccable production on the rest of the game.
Not to worry though, as even the spotty audio has some entertaining aspects. For instance, at any public phone you can find a phone book that's filled with numbers to call. A few of them are story related, but the vast majority will play you an answering machine message submitted by the game's backers. I mention it because I spent a bit of time just dialling random numbers to hear what people had recorded and submitted as some of them are genuinely hilarious. Including backers into a game is always a bit of an odd task I think, but this was a nice way to make the town of Thimbleweed Park feel larger, while bringing backers directly into the game they funded.
I could probably go on further about how awesome Thimbleweed Park is, but the best way I can think to sum it up is that it's the point-and-click adventure I have been waiting for. The fancy new adventure games have been fun and a nice little interim between the classics and today, but when a game like Thimbleweed Park comes out it's time for everyone else to sit down and pay attention.
This is how you do an authentic take on an old-school genre, while utilising contemporary technologies and design to enhance the original formula. If you've ever loved an old school adventure game, do yourself a favour and play Thimbleweed Park.
Nothing else is even comparable.