Thimbleweed Park (Xbox One, 2017)

Thimbleweed Park
Developed by Terrible Toybox
Released for Xbox One (3/2017)
Also on Android/iOS/Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Thimbleweed Park is a true love-letter to the old LucasArts point & click adventures of the '90's. If you're a fan of games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion then Thimbleweed Park was made for you. It's hard to say how the younger generation of gamers will feel about this game as this gameplay style is something of a relic compared to what you're used to in video games these days, but there is a lot to love about Thimbleweed Park even if you've never played any of the games it pays homage to.

The game features a list of actions you can select from at the bottom left corner of the screen and displays your inventory on the right. You basically use the cursor to point your character where you'd like them to go and use the inventory/command options to interact with people/objects around you. It's a simple formula and quite easy to pick up, though is obviously best experienced using a mouse. That being said, I still feel the game played quite well on the Xbox One and at no point did I feel like the controls became an issue. It also helps that the game doesn't have any parts where you have to react quickly, making the somewhat clunky controls a lot more forgivable.

At the start of the game, you have control of two federal agents that you can switch between at any given time. As you progress through the game, you'll gain access to additional characters until you eventually have the ability to switch between five characters. This is a great mechanic and made for some really interesting and unique puzzles that wouldn't have been possible with just a single character. Each character has their own motive for why they're involved in the mystery and each one is interesting to play with.

I'm not going to go too much into the story as that is a big part of the fun in Thimbleweed Park, but I will say there are some original twists and I remained intrigued through my entire playthrough. There are tons of references to classic LucasArts games scattered throughout the game, which will definitely bring a smile to the face of old farts like myself who loved these types of games back in the day. The dialogue in the game is all spoken and the voice actors all did a tremendous job delivering their lines.

Thimbleweed Park has two difficulty modes: hard and easy. Easy plays like an abridged version of the game, omitting many of the trickier parts of the game in order to make it a bit more accessible to gamers new to the genre. Experienced players will definitely want to play hard mode to get the full experience and to get the most playtime out of the game as well. It's pretty much impossible to get a game over in Thimbleweed Park, but don't think that means it'll be easy as you can and likely will get stuck at points due to some of the puzzles.

Over the last decade or so, throwback games triggering the nostalgia of gamers has become a reoccurring trend. I'd have to say Thimbleweed Park is one of the best in delivering the authentic experience of the old titles that inspired it. If you grew up loving the old LucasArts titles, make sure you give this one a look! Even younger gamers that have even the slightest curiosity about the genre should give it a look and if you enjoy it there's a plethora of old titles similar to this one on the PC you can go back and discover. It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to play one of these types of games and Thimbleweed Park was an absolute joy. Let's hope Terrible Toybox can deliver some more of this in the future (a Maniac Mansion HD remake or re-imagining would be most welcome!)!

Final Verdict: Fans of the old PC LucasArts point 'n click games will love Thimbleweed Park. Anybody curious about the genre would be advised to give it a go as well.

Related Links:
Buy Thimbleweed Park - Microsoft Store

Related Links:
Point & Click Games - Xbox Overview
Thimbleweed Park - Official Site
Thimbleweed Park - Metacritic
Thimbleweed Park - GameFAQs
Thimbleweed Park - True Achievements
Thimbleweed Park Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements