While it’s no mystery that I liked the video game Thimbleweed Park (based on my “positivity first” policy of expressing my personal opinion on Tabletop Detective), I write reviews to share why I liked certain mysteries, and to help you decide if you might like them as well.
Thimbleweed Park overview
Thimbleweed Park is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Terrible Toybox and released in 2017. It was designed by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, both renowned for their work on classic Lucasfilm Games titles like “Maniac Mansion” and “The Secret of Monkey Island.” The game exhibits the same graphical style and gameplay mechanics of those classic ’80s and ’90s adventure games, combining nostalgic elements with modern design sensibilities.
Set in the strange and mysterious town of Thimbleweed Park, the story begins with FBI agents Ray and Reyes arriving to investigate a dead body found in the river. As players delve deeper into the investigation, they must switch between five playable characters, each with their own backgrounds and connections to the town’s secrets. The narrative is characterized by its dark humor, intriguing puzzles, and various intertwined subplots, presenting both a murder mystery and a series of deeper, interconnected mysteries about the town and its inhabitants.
Beyond its compelling story, Thimbleweed Park stands out for its humor, cleverly designed puzzles, and a reverence for the golden age of point-and-click adventures. It is both an homage to and a modern take on the genre, offering a rich experience for fans of the classic games as well as newcomers. The game’s pixel art aesthetic, combined with a gripping narrative and memorable characters, makes it a noteworthy title in the adventure gaming canon.
What I liked about Thimbleweed Park
I loved the gameplay mechanic of having to switch between characters throughout the story, much like its spiritual predecessor, Maniac Mansion. But unlike the game I played as a child, which I’d classify as playfully quirky with a little bit of twisted, Thimbleweed Park‘s humor grew up right along with the audience they knew they game would reach. If you play mystery games as a family, and you have young children, maybe have them sit this one out.
Without spoiling too much of the story or revealing detailed solutions, I’ll just say that one puzzle involves intentional food poisoning. One of the playable characters is a disgruntled clown who you have to guide through a performance where you need to strike a balance of insulting audience members just enough without going overboard.
Every character, playable and NPC alike, is neurotic, everyone has something to hide, and everyone has a conflicting agenda. Yet somehow, you need to convince or trick NPCs into helping you, and keep playable characters from inadvertently sabotaging each other’s efforts.
There’s something seriously screwed up going on in the town of Thimbleweed Park, and don’t expect to get to the bottom of all of it. While you’ll uncover the core mystery of the game, there’s plenty of potential for more exploration (what exactly are the ‘signals’?), should Terrible Toybox ever decide to expand or give us a sequel.
Overall, Thimbleweed Park is a positively delightful game. It scratches the retro nostalgia itch for people who loved Maniac Mansion as a kid, while still providing a thorough, complex, and entertaining mystery story for adults.
Visit the Thimbleweed Park website for an in-depth overview, plus links to buy from your favorite video game store.
