Are You Afraid of Clowns? This isn’t Going to Help

YOU WILL BE HUGGED AND YOU WILL LIKE IT

I mentioned in my earlier coverage of Tsioque that point and clicks were enjoying something of a re-emergence in this industry and the latest example is set to be “Dropsy.”

Developed by Tendershoot in collaboration with A Jolly Corpse and published by Devolver Digital, Dropsy tells the story of a rather disturbing looking clown who sees his life and image ruined after a deadly fire wipes out the circus he works at.
With his father suffering some sort of life threatening malady and his once adoring public wanting nothing to do with him, Dropsy embarks on a journey to remind all of them just how wonderful he truly is by helping those in need and hugging every person he meets.

Whether they want him to or not.

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

Dropsy is an open world point and click adventure game. There is no set path. The player can guide Dropsy wherever they so choose and interact with its inhabitants but the thing about Dropsy is that he himself can’t speak nor does the game handle communication with its NPCs linguistically.

Instead it’s done visually, challenging the player to correctly interpret meaning. 

This I feel is done on purpose not just to allow the game to appeal to a broader audience but to coincide with the theme that Dropsy is a disgraced clown who’s just trying to do right by people and will hug them regardless of what they desire to comical effect.

Is someone afraid of vampires? Hug them.
Is a small boy pissed off that you drew your face on his swingset? Hug him.
Is there a man in a chicken suit that absolutely despises any and all human interaction? Hug the bastard.

Throughout all of this Dropsy will take on odd jobs to make ends meet and support his father whilst at the same time uncovering dark pieces of the past that serve to illuminate just what happened on that day his career went up in smoke.

But he’ll probably remain blissful regardless of what he finds out.

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

Apart from the overworld Dropsy can also explore a surrealistic dream realm, accessible when he sleeps. It’s basically a twisted version of the real world but full of Dropsy’s fears, desires, information about his past and will provide minor hints as to what’s happening now.

It’s a completely optional area that isn’t necessary to explore to complete the game but does offer more details about Dropsy and his past.

Who doesn’t want to gaze into the mind of a clown anyway?

I’m terribly excited to get my hands on this one. Dropsy is one of those games with the kind of tongue and cheek  sort of humor I can really appreciate.
It’s a game that tells a heartfelt story but that story is layered beneath a hideous looking clown who only has the best intentions for people who want nothing to do with him.

But he’ll hug them anyway because God dammit that’s what he does.

That twisted sort of dark humor really comes through for me in its art style and especially in its most recent trailer, where the text oozes on and off the screen in a psychedelic fashion that reminded me immediately of Stephen Warbrick’s “Superjail.”

Dropsy doesn’t appear to be as graphic or as vulgar as that show but thematically they both share that sort of surrealistic dark humor that makes their premises so enjoyable to experience…..if you’re in to that sort of thing.

All in all this appears to be just the sort of game I’ve come to expect from Devolver Digital as they’ve already published titles like Not a Hero, Bro-Force, Serious Sam and probably the most noteworthy Hotline Miami series.

Dropsy will be added to that list come September 10th.

Much hugging will follow suit.

-Kevin Ryan