Dropsy

Dropsy is a solid title from the start to finish. It has an original premise, interestingly resolved interface and rules of conduct (the hugs, pets, the main protagonist doesn't understand english, etc.) and manages to be overwhelmingly positive in its message despite horribly disturbing and depressing environments and events that occur throughout the game. It also has its problems: some puzzles' tips were too misleading and music cassettes that majority of which doesn't influence the gameplay a bit (they're just a collectible), but can certainly clutter your inventory. The ending sequence was too abrupt, which made it pretty confusing. Nevertheless, the game managed to keep me stoked on it to the very end and the fact that the game doesn't turn the main protagonist's kindness against him in a bigger scheme of things was pretty satisfying. TL:DR - it feels good to help people.

Finally a game where I can accomplish my greatest power fantasy yet. Tumbling around the neighbourhood hugging people.

Charming adventure game with some unique gamplay mechanics for the genre.

This adventure game is unique. Mostly due to the art style, which is weird, bizarre, almost psychedelic... but lovely at the same time. Secondly, it's the fact there is no text in the game. There are no dialogues, spoken or written. Even the menu uses only symbols. And it works well. The plot is simple. You are Dropsy, a weird clown, who during one performance accidentally burned down the circus. And some people died in that fire. Now, everybody in the town hates you. You travel with a dog and later other animal companions around the town and try to solve problems for townsfolk. And make them like you again. I have to say, I really enjoyed the game. As I mentioned, the stories are told (or rather shown) in images and through the environment, which is a very nice way of storytelling. The only thing I didn't like as much was the ending. It wasn't bad, it just felt little rushed. It left some questions unanswered (or maybe I didn't pay enough attention?) and I think it could have been more expanded. However, I still enjoyed the game. It was a unique experience.

Dropsy is a deceptively simple and charming game. The main story is short and mechanics are one of the simplest in point-and-click genre, but that is not a bad thing. Due to the simple mechanics it's easy to get into and allows the Dropsy to work using only symbols without any "real" text. Pixel art of this game is gorgeous, giving each character varied range of visible emotions and fitting the story of clown going around helping people theme. Colours are warm and aside from the mirror(and even that is on purpose), this game was never hard to look at, nor was there any problems of finding items, which is problem in many point-and-click games. There is no way to die in Dropsy, nor can you softlock the game by making poor decisions, every consumable item has single purpose(except the two coins) and game encourages you to take your time and search around for answers, as it also uses time mechanics. Every time you change screens, time passes. Some people and locations are only available at certain times. But what sets Dropsy apart from most other games of the genre is the almost open world gameplay it has. You can choose to help whoever you want, with only few "story quests" you need to do in order to finish the game. World is not that large, but at first it might feel bit slow to traverse around the island, but you'll get to see the sights and each location is memorable. You'll unlock fast travelling at one point, which takes a load off from your feet, so you can more efficiently just stroll around the not so friendly neighborhood. Music of the game is also great and compliments the visuals well. Each track feels just right and for those who were wondering: Yes, there is a fart button. Dropsy might seem like a happy kids game from the screenshots, but from the start there are dark undertones, grim events and cruelty waiting the player. Still, I recommend anyone who plays point-and-click games or just wants to have fun time to play this.