Thimbleweed Park is free on the Epic Games Store

In case you missed the announcement a couple weeks ago, Thimbleweed Park, the goofy X-Files-esque point-and-click adventure from Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creators Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, is now free on the Epic Games Store.   

Thimbleweed Park tells the tale of Ray and Reyes, a Mulder-and-Scully-like duo investigating a murder in a very strange small town. As is so often the case in such locales, it features a cast of bizarre supporting characters including a foul-mouthed clown who's been cursed to wear his makeup forever, a game designer who returns home following the death of her uncle, and a pillow salesman who also happens to be a ghost. 

"It's a game that dips into the past, but doesn’t use it as a crutch, managing to capture the essence of classic adventures while avoiding some of the things that made them frustrating," we said in our 84% review, and it's legitimately funny too, with "witty dialogue and a compelling central mystery." 

And it's free, which is a really big plus. You've got until March 7 to pick it up. 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.