LTTP: Thimbleweed Park is the Greatest Adventure game of all time

[RoyaleDuke]

I spent 20 hours with this incredible tribute to classic Lucas Arts adventure games, I played it on my switch, on tv, in handheld.

God.

They don't make adventure games like this anymore, and I hate that they make the amazing in jokes and extra dialogue completely optional as a option box in the games options menu. HUGE mistake, also not having Classic verbiage and stuff on by default. Adds so much to the game for me, since I kind of grew up playing those in computer lab class when the teacher wasn't looking or on "fun day".

This game is like if Lucas Arts traveled in time to watch the full 18 Hours of Twin Peaks Season 3 crazy masterstroke of genius by David Lynch, while also simultaneously looking at Adventure games over the last 30-40 years, then taking the people who practically started the genre, and have them make the game with a budget.

Also the art and music are some of the most beautiful in the genre, that really helps to sell the premise and feel of the game, the other thing is that a lot of those older Lucas Arts titles had really creative facial animation that exaggerated at times. Thimbleweed keeps this and other offbeat tenets, like characters going offscreen and making things while a bunch of zany noises are heard. Red Herrings.

The works.

Honestly, of all the adventure games I've ever played I think this one is the best, it even rivals Full Throttle, DOTT, and Grim Fandango for me.

Fate of Atlantis is still pretty close second though.

So ERA, what did you think about it?

EDIT: oh no wrong forum.

Oh good someone moved it thanks mods. :x

 

[ry-dog]

I've only just started it, I don't really have any attachment to the genre, but it's the sort of game the Switch is lacking in. Story driven games with voice acting, games with gameplay progression loops don't really do much for me anymore

 

[sangreal]

I wouldn't put it anywhere close to the best adventure game but I did enjoy it as a well done homage to the games of yesteryear. I think the game has some deep flaws like the redundant characters, a number of dead end threads/puzzles and of course the ending

What does work in the game works really well though

 

[Stouffers]

I've been on the fence. You just pushed me over.

 

[Brian McDoogle]

I think its greatest strength and weakness is that it feels like something out of the early 90s. I think having the easy difficulty makes sense, but it cuts out so many puzzles that it is ridiculous. The scene where you apply the game studio sets you up with having to do several things and then answer a quiz, but it skips out almost all of that stuff. I think the story loses its way, and the red herrings become distractions, and I really hated the ending to the point that it made me fearful that if Ron Gilbert got his hands back on Monkey Island he'd do something ludicrous that undermines a lot of what came beforehand.

As someone who loves the old LucasArts games, I did have fun playing through most of it, but I do think a lot of it feels antiquated in both its writing, characters, and puzzle design. I also don't think it comes close to FoA, DotT, and Grim Fandango. Maybe Full Throttle because that game has some real tedium in it (the destruction derby, the motorcycle fights, etc; also, the game is incredibly short and easy).

 

[Horror]

I found the story niche and corny. Like the humor was based on a TV show or a series of movies from the same unfunny writer.

 

[Vinnk]

I enjoyed it a lot. The best? No. For me that will always be the original Sam and Max.
But it's easily in my top 10 adventure games played (and I have played a LOT).

 

[tbyte64]

If you're talking specifically about LucasArts point and click adventure games, I kinda agree OP, it's my favourite one too. Some of the ideas in this game are just pure genius

Spoiler: Thimbleweed Park ending

Like the fact that you have to go outside the game and look at the kickstarter video for the game on youtube to solve the last puzzle, or the "wireframe" world at the end.

 

[GUNDAM STARDUST]

It's good, I beat it, but it's not the best. There were some puzzles that were straight up nonsense without tips .

 

['3y Kingdom]

If you're talking specifically about LucasArts point and click adventure games, I kinda agree OP, it's my favourite one too. Some of the ideas in this game are just pure genius

Spoiler: Thimbleweed Park ending

Like the fact that you have to go outside the game and look at the kickstarter video for the game on youtube to solve the last puzzle, or the "wireframe" world at the end.

Click to shrink...

It was inventive, to be sure, but the last chapters in general, and ending in particular, were disappointingly trite after the richness of what came before. I enjoyed the game overall, but it was an uneven experience.

 

[RoyaleDuke]

I think its greatest strength and weakness is that it feels like something out of the early 90s. I think having the easy difficulty makes sense, but it cuts out so many puzzles that it is ridiculous. The scene where you apply the game studio sets you up with having to do several things and then answer a quiz, but it skips out almost all of that stuff. I think the story loses its way, and the red herrings become distractions, and I really hated the ending to the point that it made me fearful that if Ron Gilbert got his hands back on Monkey Island he'd do something ludicrous that undermines a lot of what came beforehand.

As someone who loves the old LucasArts games, I did have fun playing through most of it, but I do think a lot of it feels antiquated in both its writing, characters, and puzzle design. I also don't think it comes close to FoA, DotT, and Grim Fandango. Maybe Full Throttle because that game has some real tedium in it (the destruction derby, the motorcycle fights, etc; also, the game is incredibly short and easy).

Click to shrink...

I feel like a lot of the reasons you outlined are why it works so well, it if was a 100% played like a modern adventure game it just wouldn't be the same. The game was pitched on kickstarter as a "lost and found lucasarts game", the regular difficulty has some fantastic puzzles that really remind me of so much shit in the genre, and I went into it expected that, sometimes even expecting the least logical puzzle outcome.

I loved the story, the ending was telegraphed but I still couldn't figure out if it was going to go IHNMAIMS or something equally horrific like Darkseed, instead it went totally left field in a way that I ended up really liking because I'm a sucker for metahumor. This game is chock full of that kind of 4th wall breaking metahumor and nonsensical LucasArts game traditions.

I honestly hope that if Ron Gilbert does get Monkey Island again I think people will absolutely be surprised in that it will probably have a similar presentation to this but it wouldn't surprise me if the story is similar to MI1 or 2. Which btw, I love both of those too.

I didn't experience any dead ends besides the Dangerous Device red herring but the game warns you ahead of time most of the time when choices that use finality are about to be made.

I also loved switching through the characters and I felt like all of their arcs made sense in the context of the game, and what makes me like it more is that the twist at the end, makes the obvious shortcomings and gamey-ness of the entire adventure, even more brilliant. It reminds me a lot of MGS1 vs MGS2.

Also the maniac mansion joke with Ransome was amazing.

 

[Nali]

It was a fun romp, but the setting is too obviously weird for the sake of weirdness, Ransom and Franklin were the only lead characters I got invested in, and the ending is the Ron Gilbertiest thing ever, which I both do and don't mean as a compliment.

It's a funny game that doesn't take itself seriously that wants to be a throwback to a bunch of funny games that did, and the distinction left me wanting.

 

[Luchadorable]

It's one I've had my eye in, but I've never gotten on well with point and click adventures in the past. Those really obtuse puzzles would stump me for ages, I'd get frustrated and just lose interest.

Your OP definitely makes me want to try it out - the Twin Peaks influence being one of the juicier carrots. However, pretty much all of the praise I've seen comes from adventure game fans, or people viewing it through the lens of this being a revival of the genre. I'm wondering how well it works for someone who has never really enjoyed playing adventure games. I think I like the idea of them more than I enjoy actually playing them. Be interested in hearing how welcoming it is to new players (both in terms of its puzzles and also it's humour. Can it be quite reference heavy at times?)

 

[petran79]

I liked Maniac Mansion and Zak McKraken more tbh.
There was a reason the former arrived heavily edited on NES you know

 

[Brian McDoogle]

It's one I've had my eye in, but I've never gotten on well with point and click adventures in the past. Those really obtuse puzzles would stump me for ages, I'd get frustrated and just lose interest.

Your OP definitely makes me want to try it out - the Twin Peaks influence being one of the juicier carrots. However, pretty much all of the praise I've seen comes from adventure game fans, or people viewing it through the lens of this being a revival of the genre. I'm wondering how well it works for someone who has never really enjoyed playing adventure games. I think I like the idea of them more than I enjoy actually playing them. Be interested in hearing how welcoming it is to new players (both in terms of its puzzles and also it's humour. Can it be quite reference heavy at times?)

Click to shrink...

I've heard from new players that it is somewhat welcoming. You can turn off the reference humor in the options, and the easy mode is incredibly easy. There's also an in-game hint line.

I honestly hope that if Ron Gilbert does get Monkey Island again I think people will absolutely be surprised in that it will probably have a similar presentation to this but it wouldn't surprise me if the story is similar to MI1 or 2. Which btw, I love both of those too.

Click to shrink...

I think he's stated it would be very difficult, in the style of 1 and 2, with nothing coming from 3 or 4 or Tales being included or acknowledged, and probably no voice acting.

I loved the story, the ending was telegraphed but I still couldn't figure out if it was going to go IHNMAIMS or something equally horrific like Darkseed, instead it went totally left field in a way that I ended up really liking because I'm a sucker for metahumor. This game is chock full of that kind of 4th wall breaking metahumor and nonsensical LucasArts game traditions.

Click to shrink...

The old LucasArts games had 4th wall stuff, but not to the degree of Thimbleweed, to me. Some stuff, like "Ask me about Loom", and the reference to that of "Ask me about Grim Fandango" in MI2 and 3 are fine, but having a game's story thoroughly break because it wants to crawl up its own butt and comment on how it is an adventure game and even its kickstarter/development history is another. Even the ending of MI2 is kind of a throwaway joke, but it's brief and silly,I just hated it so much, that it felt pompous, and undercut a lot of the whimsy and mystery that proceeded it.

It's also not like I hated the game as a whole, it's just the things I dislike I strongly dislike, especially since I enjoyed quite a bit of stuff.

 

[Slam Tilt]

I enjoyed it a lot. The best? No. For me that will always be the original Sam and Max.

Click to shrink...

DAMMMMMMMMMMMN right.

 

[legend166]

I enjoyed it, but it started to wear out it's welcome with me so much that pretty much for the last third of the game I was using the hint line at every opportunity.

I agree the plot became completely ridiculous and waaaaay too self referential. It was definitely better than Broken Age though.

My favourite P&C since the "golden era" remains Gemini Rue.

 

[Sloane]

Very good? Yes. The greatest? Only if Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island 2, Broken Sword, DOTT, The Longest Journey, and a few others suddenly stopped existing.

Thimbleweed Park has surprisingly strong puzzles, it looks pretty great, and some of the dialogue is funny enough, but it's not as consistent as LucasArts' or Revolution's best work, switching characters doesn't work as well as it should, and the story falls apart pretty quickly.

I'd definitely recommend playing it; it's one of the best adventure games of the last twenty years but I don't see a case for it being the greatest.

 

[Noogy]

I really really enjoyed what I played. Didn't quite finish it due to work but I look forward to returning to it soon. I don't know if it's among my favorites of the genre, but it was really nice to play a classic adventure game. I also loved the voice acting, really fun cast.

 

[giapel]

It's game design is slightly more modern than you think. But the fact that it pulls off the multiple characters progression effortlessly and without dumbing down the puzzles makes it a classic in my eyes. Shame the story is not as great

 

[gforguava]

Definitely wouldn't say it is anywhere near the greatest but it was very likable and did a lot of things very well. I definitely felt the game got worse after awhile as well, to the point where I was ready to throw in the towel before I even finished it. And I was not fond of the end to say the least.

 

[Deathknell]

One of the best games i played last year.