Thimbleweed Park

Thimbleweed Park’s clue hunting, dialogue, and oddball mystery are a great fit for a relaxed night at your desk. They are a bad fit for exercise, since you need to stop and think through puzzles instead of keeping your attention on your workout.

Gameplay

You switch between five characters as you investigate a dead body and unravel the strange town’s secrets. The writing and puzzles make the mystery fun, but expect plenty of reading and careful thought between discoveries. That makes it easy to forget your pace, and hard to play safely while moving.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The game has full controller support, which helps, but a controller does not make the puzzle solving any less demanding. You need to follow dialogue, inspect clues, and manage what you have found, so playing while moving is a poor fit. Save it for when you can give the mystery your full attention.

Category Score: 0 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum specs call for a 2 GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM, and Intel HD 3000 graphics or better. That is modest hardware, and the game only needs 1 GB of storage.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Thimbleweed Park is a funny, weird mystery with a fun cast and satisfying clues to chase down. It is a great game, but a bad workout companion, so play it at your desk.

Overall Score: 1.33 out of 3