One of the most anticipated graphic adventures of recent years is finally among us. Hand in hand with two of the great masters of the genre, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, Thimbleweed Park turns out to be both a superb tribute to the golden age of the genre and a true modern classic of it.
Year 1987. Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick , two of the greatest geniuses in the maelstrom of talent that was the LucasFilm Games of the time, launch Maniac Mansion and revolutionize forever the genre of graphic adventures, giving the kick-off to the golden age of it. Unrepeatable time that gave us a myriad of timeless classics in a succession of jewels as a genre has never enjoyed again since then, and that would reach practically the end of the following decade, elevating graphic adventures to the pantheon of PC video games and turning them into one of the favorite genres among the users of them.
Year 2017. Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick return to join forces after a long time apart to devote a heartfelt ode to that time, launching Thimbleweed Park, totally classic graphic adventure as it would have been conceived in the offices of Lucas in that magical and unrepeatable period. Unlike the mentioned classic that these two legends of the sector launched then, this colossal graphic adventure does not pretend to revolutionize the genre nor lay the foundations of it. It is conformed, that is not little, with being a homage by all the highs to the best moments of the sort, and to be one of the best graphic adventures that we have been able to enjoy from the yearnings 90, until the point that without a doubt it would have been a classic timeless like other works by Gilbert and Winnick to have left by then.
30 years, which is said soon, separate Maniac Mansion from Thimbleweed Park. And yet, it is inevitable to look back to the 1987 classic when we contemplate the tremendous work that Messrs. Gilbert and Winnick have given us, beyond the innumerable direct references included in the game. After laying the foundations of the graphic adventures genre with the aforementioned classic, they continued to define it with titles such as the videogame adaptation of the third Indiana Jones movie, the first two adventures of the brave pirate candidate Guybrush Threepwood and, although they only appear as collaborators, with the continuation of their first work together, Day of the Tentacle whose direction fell to Tim Schafer.
After such a productive period, both separated their roads and spent a long time away from the focus of the sector. Winnick with an almost residual production, and Gilbert dedicating himself to titles for a more childish audience, as well as launching the interesting trilogy of action rpg DeathSpank, and returning to join forces with his old partner of misdeeds, the aforementioned Schafer, for The Cave, a Great combination of platform game with elements of graphic adventure. Fortunately, during a meal that Gilbert and Winnick shared, the theme of the charm that the classics they designed in their time at LucasFilm Games / LucasArts came up.. After giving a lot of thought to the matter, they failed to specify the source of this charm. To the delight of their supporters, no other idea occurred to them than to recreate a graphic adventure following the guidelines they used then to respond to that question. Three years later, after a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $ 626,250 between November 18 and December 18, 2014, the answer could not be more forceful.
Thimbleweed Park is a must-have for fans of graphic adventures, especially the most seasoned veterans in the genre who lived through the golden age, but its true triumph is knowing how to offer a tremendously attractive title beyond how well nostalgia inevitable hook for a certain sector of players. It is a very funny title, with a phenomenally narrated plot that captures completely, while it knows how to be a fantastic challenge to our highly enjoyable wit and true height.
The last work of Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick supposes an authentic and heartfelt declaration of love to the genre of the graphic adventures and its golden age, with which both have maintained the most fruitful of the relations. Idyll from which came masterpieces such as the aforementioned Maniac Mansion, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge , and for our enormous rejoicing, we can add to this illustrious list of classics this superb Thimbleweed Park that concerns us.
Welcome to Thimbleweed Park, where nothing is as it seems
Set, how could it be otherwise, in 1987, the starting point of this great adventure is the appearance of a corpse floating in a river in the town that gives its name to the game. To investigate the case, two federal agents, the cynical and veteran detective Ray and the rookie and naive agent Reyes, will move to the area, two of the characters we will control throughout the game. From this moment begins an investigation that hides much more than what appears at first glance, during which we will know the picturesque town that will surprise us with its intrigues and its peculiar inhabitants. Along with the aforementioned police couple, three more characters will make up the brilliant quintet protagonist of the plot, characters that represent one of the great strengths of the title. On the one hand we have Delores, a young member of the richest and most prestigious family in the town, who gave up her inheritance in pursuit of a life as a video game programmer at the famous company MmucasFlem. His father will be another of the protagonists, perhaps the most peculiar of all, for reasons that we will not reveal here to not overtake more than necessary. The last member of the main character is the clown Ransome, a foul-mouthed buffoon whose dialogues are full of bad words censored with the relevant "beep", which has been the victim of a curse for going over the line in one of his scathing performances.
The plot retains the peculiar humor and those droplets of innocence that made the graphic adventures of Lucas of the time, being a constant festival of sarcasm, cynicism and parody as well as these two geniuses had accustomed us at the time. Not content to impregnate the title of such a nostalgic characteristic, they have gone further by generously spicing it with the influence of two of the great television phenomena of that time, namely, Twin Peaks and X-Files. Such influence is evident in the halo of mystery that It envelops the whole plot, and in that constant feeling that everyone in Thimbleweed Park has something to hide, including the main character. This combination of the sharpest and sharpest humor with the enigma that permeates the plot works and catches until we manage to reveal everything that this mysterious town hides.
What is a true festival is the nostalgic tribute component of the game . For the veteran player of graphic adventures who lived the golden age of the genre, this jewel is a non-stop of references, homages and winks to the past that will suppose an absolute delight for the most talluditos. The innumerable amount of mentions to titles of the own Lucas, Mountain range and some other one, as well as of several particularities of the time and the sort are not to stop and their positioning is so studied that they suppose a true delight. While the strength of the story and the humor of this wonderful Thimbleweed Park will get hooked to any player who approaches him, the most veteran have an appointment with this sense tribute to the past.
Back to SCUMM
During a family visit for Christmas at the time he was designing Maniac Mansion, Gilbert watched his cousin playing King's Quest, title of Sierra considered the first graphic adventure of history. Ron was a confessed lover of conversational text adventures, and the inclusion of graphics in the work of Roberta Williams completely dazzled him, so he avidly devoured those Christmases. However, the need to enter the commands through text using the relevant parser seemed an inconvenient solution, since the player had to deduce the commands to type in a not always obvious manner, which was an additional obstacle that made it difficult to enjoy of such titles. As a solution to the problem he designed for Maniac Mansion an interface based on some verbs that appeared at the bottom of the screen,
This interface was named SCUMM, Scrip Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion, and would suppose from that then a standard of the sort, imitated until the satiety until after The Curse of Monkey Island and finally Full Throtle of the own Lucas would evolve towards a more direct and graphic interface. How could it be otherwise, if Ron and Gary wanted to bring back the charm of the classics of the genre, the return of the legendary SCUMM was inevitable. Nine verbs located in the lower left corner of the screen will allow us to unravel the mysteries hidden in this picturesque town. To the right of the interface is the inventory, where, unlike the first version of the SCUMM, graphic representations of the multiple objects that we will collect instead of just its name are shown.
This time we find some interesting addition to the control , such as the fact that the character will follow the cursor if we leave the left mouse button pressed, or that the interface itself highlights some verbs automatically and we can use them directly with the button right, which allows us to gain agility, but at no time will help the resolution of the puzzles, something that the veterans will appreciate. In the face of the Xbox One version (and the likely Playstation 4) has been implemented a pad control that works correctly, although given its nature the indisputable best way to play the title is mouse in hand.
The real heart of Thimbleweed Park are its brainy puzzles, inherited from the best classical tradition of the genre. They are integrated excellently in the adventure, and pose a phenomenally raised challenge. They need to be attentive to every detail, every conversation, and the use of lateral thinking and large doses of ingenuity to overcome them. How well they work and how tremendously successful their resolution is turns out to be one of the main attractions of the title. We must consciously search for objects on the stage to use them in the most ingenious ways, choose the appropriate dialogues in the many conversations present in the adventure, and know how to provoke situations from which to take advantage to achieve our objectives. One of the main features of the game is that we handle five characters, being able to exchange the control of each of them at any time. Except for a specific case that has unique abilities, the handling of the other four characters is identical, but we must coordinate them and have them work as a team and exchange objects between them to overcome some puzzles.
With great skill, Thimbleweed Park knows how to collect the best of the gameplay of the classics of the genre, and is not limited to avoid the usual blunders that presented in his time, but even knows how to laugh at them. For example, for those who miss the pixel hunting, if there are any, it proposes the optional achievement of finding 75 specks of dust present in the scenarios. Likewise, each character will have his list of "things to do" that we can consult at any time in case we are not clear on what goals we have to meet, parodying the lists of commissions so common in the classics of the genre. We also have at our disposal a map to move immediately between the locations, which suspiciously resembles that of Melee Island, and that we can consult at any time in our inventory to expedite travel.
The game offers two difficulty modes, Casual and Hardcore. The latter gives us the full experience, with all the puzzles intact so that it turns out to be a real challenge to match. In Casual mode, many puzzles are omitted or have a simpler solution, and we even miss a couple of locations and some characters. Perhaps the cut in that mode is excessive, making the game little more than a walk, except a couple of puzzles. While Hardcore mode offers a demanding level of difficulty and will test the patience of the least adventurous adventurers, it is the recommended mode unless we have never played a graphic adventure and we back the difficulty of the genre. The duration of the game is around 15-20 hours in Hardcore mode, being cut in something more than half if we opt for Casual mode, staying in 5-8 hours. It is an extension above the average, and really the title is enjoyed a lot while it lasts, maintaining the level until its conclusion. The game has an excellent translation into Spanish of all its texts, so the language will not be a barrier to enjoy it.
The pixel crafts
The visual section of Thimbleweed Park seeks something beyond to capture in our monitors the world devised by its creators. It seeks to be a journey back to the classics, to evoke a wealth of sensations coming from another era with the mere fact of contemplating what it shows on the screen. The graphics of this excellent title are at the service of nostalgia, but of well-understood nostalgia. The visual section pixel art of Thimbleweed Park is a true work of craftsmanship, where Mark Ferrari, which at the time was responsible for the funds of many Lucas classics, has placed on hand each pixel of each and every one of the people that make up the game's title, achieving a fantastic job that on the one hand offers a majestic setting and on the other hand it immediately takes us back to another era just by contemplating it. One of the few faults that can be attributed to the title is that the locations that we visit will seem a bit scarce, and makes us go through them several times throughout the game. To highlight the participation of the Barcelona Octavi Navarro , known for his superb works of pixelart, who has worked on animations and helping Mark.
In any case, the quality of these scenarios partially compensates for this limitation. And if the recreation of the mysterious village of Thimbleweed Park is superb, it is not far behind the work done in its colorful inhabitants. It is incredible how with such a long visual section it has been possible to characterize the characters of the game so deeply, both the protagonists and the varied secondary cast. Both in terms of animation and expressions, they are able to transmit a lot more than initially expected. Not only this, but the visual section of this jewel knows how to reinforce the humor so particular present in the work, both with the animations of the characters and with multiple details that permeate the scenarios. The graphics of Thimbleweed Park are at the service of the search for that charm of the classic graphic adventures that its creators intended to bring back, and not only get it back, but know how to get the best out of that visual style to offer a tremendously attractive title more beyond the nostalgia factor.
Great dubbing job
Within the sound section highlights the excellent work of English dubbing, with a selection of voices tremendously successful and that knows how to reinforce the personalities of the characters of the adventure. From the cynicism of agent Ray to the ingenuity of agent Reyes, passing through the cockiness of the clown Ransome, whose dialogues are shared words and bips almost equally due to his taste for words, the actors who give voice to the universe Thimbleweed Park have managed to do a totally convincing job that completely defines their characters. The soundtrack, without being especially memorable, on the one hand manages to enhance the aura of mystery of the title, and on the other hand it offers us some really catchy piece, as for example with which the Dj from the village crushes us again and again in the radio waves.
conclusion
We are facing one of the best graphic adventures of recent years, which also knows how to be a profound tribute to the golden age of the genre. It offers the best humor and the best tradition of classic puzzles to delight us with an extremely attractive story. These puzzles are truly successful, with a high level of difficulty but logical and acceptable, resulting in tremendously satisfying the moment in which our brain clicks and we find the solution to some of the convoluted puzzles that hinder our progress through a plot very well posed that hooks until we reach its conclusion. Round off a superb title a great cast of main characters that offer us a succession of hilarious dialogues,
Up to its price, $ 19.99, is a nod to the past ("Never pay more than 20 bucks for a video game"). We only have to thank the teachers Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick who have seen fit to come down from their well-deserved place in the Olympus of the creators of electronic entertainment to share with us their love for the graphic adventures and the golden age of them , delighting us with a new classic of the genre that joins the majestic list of incunabula with which these geniuses had already given us. Hopefully the title has the success it deserves among the general public and that standing up to Gilbert, as he said, delights us with more titles of this draft. And now, to ask, visionary gentlemen of Disney, sell him once the license of Monkey Island to this gentleman, please.
The best
Excellent implementation of their puzzles, integrated in an organic and intelligent way in the plot and that know how to be both logical and challenging, demanding great attention and ingenuity on the part of the player and knowing how to reward him with the satisfaction that his resolution provides.
It displays the best humor typical of the Lucas classics, giving us truly hilarious and hilarious dialogues.
It offers a cast of memorable characters, both at the protagonist and secondary level, full of personality and charisma.
It is a continuous succession of winks, references and tributes to the golden age of graphic adventures, being a real joy for the veterans of the genre. If you have lived this period with passion, add the little dot missing from the note.
Worst
It forces us to visit the same locations several times throughout the plot, perhaps missing a couple of older scenarios.
Excessive clipping of puzzles in Casual mode, a better balance between the requirement of Hardcore mode and the ride of Casual mode would have been good.
A reference title in its kind, which stands out above its competitors and which you will enjoy from beginning to end, surely several times. A game destined to become classic over the years.
Gameplay 9
It reaches a perfect balance between challenge and logic in its puzzles, resulting in a truly demanding graphic adventure at the same time enjoyable, the aforementioned puzzles being integrated with mastery in the plot. The SCUMM works wonders, and certain improvements have been added to the interface that make it even more agile. Although its duration is well above the current average of the genre, it is truly entertaining from beginning to end.
Graphics 8
Visual section at the service of the nostalgia that at the same time knows how to show the necessary quality so that a work of true craft like this shines with great force. It achieves an excellent atmosphere in its sets, recreated with real mastery, and its characters manage to transmit much more than expected with such a classic graphic section.
Sound 8
The real protagonist within the sound section is a superb English dubbing work, which knows how to characterize and package the personalities of all the characters of the adventure, with a fantastic selection of voices that fits perfectly. The soundtrack, without excelling, is very resultona and leaves a couple of melodies that you have left in your head.
1-6 IMAGECREDIT
THANKS FOR READING, ALSO CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS REVIEW ON TUROK 2: SEEDS OF EVIL REMASTERED (PC)
