Review Fix Exclusive: Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick Talk ‘Thimbleweed Park’

Review Fix chats with game developers Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, who discuss their upcoming game “Thimbleweed Park.”

Essentially the spiritual successor to the classic point and click adventure “Maniac Mansion,” Gilbert and Winnick discuss the huge expectations behind the game, as well as its development process and goals.

Already raising close to a half a million dollars via Kickstarter, it’s safe to say the game to set for an eventual release.

For more information on the game, head to their Kickstarter, here.

Review Fix: How does it feel to reunite?

Gary Winnick: It feels good. Ron and I are pretty used to working with each other and know and respect each other’s styles, roles and ideas.

Ron Gilbert: In some ways it’s like riding a bicycle. We’re just picking up where we left off. Not that I would ever ride Gary around the office like a bicycle. That’s not what I’m saying. You’re taking me out of context.

Review Fix: What has the development process been like thus far?

Winnick: We brainstorm a lot. It doesn’t really matter who comes up with a particular idea, if we like it we both take it and run with it. Since each of us brings a real specific set of skills to the table, it’s fairly obvious who should do what when it comes to getting something integrated.

Gilbert: That is one nice thing about being a programmer/artist team. Our roles are very well defined.

Review Fix: Talk about the Kickstarter, what are you looking to accomplish there? What do you need funds for exactly?

Gilbert: We’ve done the basic story and core puzzle arch design, but there is a good three months of design and engine work remaining before we can start implementing the game.

Winnick: We have a pretty clear idea of the scope of the finished project, and that’s not really rocket science to us from the implementation perspective. There is a lot of nuance to story and puzzle design that will take time to create. Ron and I need to devote all our full-time energy to this over the next 18+ months, and on top of that we’re going to need help from a number of the other talented folks we know. Those costs will also grow depending on which stretch goals are funded.

Review Fix: Who do you think will like this game the most?

Winnick: It will certainly appeal to those original gamers who grew up playing the LucasArts adventures, since that’s the experience we want to re-create for ourselves. But we’ve learned a lot over the last 25 years and will be applying that experience to provide both a true hardcore adventure play level, as well as a secondary, more casual gaming mode.

Gilbert: We want to make a true classic adventure game, and that involves hard puzzles and a good game length, but we also understand that a lot of people don’t have as much time for gaming they did when they were younger. Easy and Hard modes, like I did for Monkey Island 2, will be used here and should provide a nice balance.

Review Fix: Why do you believe point and click games are still viable in today’s graphic-focused gaming community?

Winnick: Behind it all are the characters and their stories, plus players like solving clever little problems and adventure games are a natural fit for doing that. When the player figures out the right combination, there’s a real reward in that ‘a-ha!’ moment.

Review Fix: What do you think makes this game special?

Gilbert: The game will have a chainsaw AND gasoline. It took 25 years to figure out the tech to do that.

Review Fix: What are your hopes for the game?

Gilbert: For me, the goal of any game I make is to have it sell well enough to make another. We’d love to keep making games like this.

Gilbert: Review Fix: How do you want this to be remembered?

Winnick: As another gaming experience that players love and can fondly look back on in 25 years.

Review Fix: Any thought of a “Maniac Mansion” port on a new console?

Gilbert: Unfortunately, it is out of our control. In a way, that’s why we’re making Thimbleweed Park.

Winnick: Like Monkey Island, Maniac’s now owned by Disney, so it really depends on what plans they may have for the LucasArts library.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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