Thimbleweed Park

How to Review a Point-and-click Game? Use ‘fingers’ on ‘Keyboard’ 
 

- Robert Douglas

This game is more important than its humble pixels might imply. Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, point-and-click adventures were making waves. In an industry just about coming to terms with plumbers doing a jump, we were seeing games like Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion put excellent writing and logic puzzles front and centre.

Now, though, Thimbleweed Park has a task on its 8-bit hands, looking to reinvigorate the genre for a new realm of gamers while meeting the expectations of Rob Gilbert’s fans. It begins with a murder. Two agents, the young and eager Reyes and the acerbic Ray, stand over a bludgeoned corpse. Interactions in this game are tied to words, as you gather inventory items and combine them with your surroundings by way of a collection of verbs in order to solve puzzles.