Point-and-click aficionados will naturally feel right at home with this setup, while newcomers may find it a bit tedious, specifically those playing it on console. This string of commands means selecting the camera tape and using it on the camera before clicking on the body to snap a picture. Photographing a body means having a functioning camera, but it needs to have camera tape installed first. There are more complex variations too that involve multiple items. For instance, using the Open or Push commands on a door will move your character over to the door to either open or push it to advance. Controlling characters requires using the on-screen verbs in conjunction with various items and objects. Playing as multiple characters is something of a staple for anyone who’s played Maniac Mansion before, and I’m happy with the way it’s handled here too. “Thimbleweed Park holds the classic point-and-click adventure rule book so tightly to its chest that some of the genre fundamentals that worked in the 80’s and 90’s may come off as cumbersome to some.” It’s safe to say that they’ve done it again because Thimbleweed Park is the perfect love letter to anyone that fell in love with the genre all those years ago. Truth is, I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, the makers of Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island, the so-called pioneers of the genre.

It hit home really hard, probably more so than any independent game vying for the nostalgic crowd. We were immediately gushing over the pixel art, puzzles, offbeat characters, and humour.

Not long after, there I was, my older brother beside me, staring at the Thimbleweed Park logo etched across my flat screen TV. Flash-forward to 2017 and not long after wrapping up the opening prologue, I knew I had to call my brother up - who has long since left his gaming habits behind - and have him come over to experience it with me. Despite its comedic nature, Maniac Mansion used to scare me and the only way I could get through it was playing it alongside my brother. There I was, sitting in front of the family’s PC, my older brother beside me, staring at the Maniac Mansion logo etched across the dusty screen. The blocky character models, the list of action verbs plastered on the bottom screen - I didn’t expect it to be so instant. It took five minutes for Thimbleweed Park to transport me back to my childhood.

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