I believe that Ron will be relaxing from games dev for a few months now till all cash comes back…and I also strongly believe that Ron won’t stop developing adventure games because its in his blood … but now it’s the best time to slowly discuss what could be his next project or what we wish it could be like.
We can barely hope for any Disney’s licensing approvals soon, unfortunately, So I wont mention anything like Monkey Island series, Loom, Maniac Mansion, Zak…etc. It’s very clear that Monkey Island 2.5 or 3a would be in first place of the most anticipated games in last 25 years
…in my opinion, what I am looking for and I am missing in adventure games lately is a hero with sarcastic humor, violent mind with no harm, various exotic places, sometimes combined with futuristic mysteries.
Hero that meets lots of other people (non-playable), add some interaction with animals or no-humans, find a items / artifacts that opens another side quests, so the story expand to unknown places and events. Something what takes us away from reality to more relaxed looking environments.
I have always really liked to travel in Lucas adventures. And I have never really liked to “stick in the night”. And I like different modern eras (i.e. at least some technological achievement). But not our time.
At the moment I think about a paranormal mystery in 1950’s for an unexpected hero. Maybe an Art Director or Copywriter in advertising agency getting messages from somewhere (not necessarily “beyond”) to communicate something. But then realising this should not be, and begins to investigate.
The 80s are a good setting for a Ron Gilbert Game. It would be great if there’s a bigger arc of suspense.
Mystery/SciFi and comedy are my favorite genres and the best mixture would be something like the ‘Fringe’ series. Something combining time-travel, multiverse-theory, mysterious technologies, near-death experiences and so on.
And put more effort in the character development. Do something unexpected, like a detective who has cleptomania.
The new adventure game by Ron Gilbert should be with two characters that move together and comment on each other’s actions. I won’t say “Guybrush and Elaine”, for the known reasons. But he would do a masterpiece with that formula.
Hey Patrik, have you played DeathSpank?, you kind of described the whole game so you might want to check that one out if you haven’t (and is Ron’s too).
I really would like to see Ron and David making a mashup of their past games: LeZak’s Revenge.
Jokes apart, I think it would be fun to read again the list of ideas that Ron and Gary created in their first brainstorming for Thimbleweed Park and see if one of the stories inspires us.
I have create a textual document from the original scans on the blog:
The idea that I would like to see explored more is the number 2: “ZOMBIE MALL”.
For some reason, the fact that it’s set in a mall, remembers me of this old C64 adventure game, also set in a mall:
+1 on Zombie Mall, the fact that it´s set in a mall reminds me of one of the most famous Zombie movies of all time, also set in a mall, Dawn Of The Dead.
A graphic adventure set in a reality show with extreme crazy or secretive characters all with a deep and hidden secret. The player must make them do what’s needed for other members to be “triggered”, get crazy, or anything to highlight them and so avoid getting expelled. There can be a greater back story.
A graphic adventure set in a futuristic version of Robinson Crusoe in a technology impaired planet, meets Romeo and Juliette, meets Survival (actually escaping the king or something) by using different costumes to enter different areas. Dress youself by mixing costume parts to get the propper combination.
A graphic adventure about a simpe guy with a seemingly boring job (garbage collector, book keeper, whatever) which gets involved in a undercover mission to avoid a multinational of harming the world for money (ecology? any serious topic? showing the worst of humanity in a humourus way).
I know that movie because it’s famous but I never really watched it.
Hmm… the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of an adventure game set in a mall. One of my favorites Jerry Lewis movies is set in something similar, a large department store:
as you mentioned Robinson Crusoe, … that brought me an idea with Herman Toothrot. His story could be actually very interesting.
The game could start with Herman and his friend on the ship. I believe they had a monkey as well. Then they would be drinking till consciousness and suddenly appears in front of the island. As the story continue and they both trying to figure out the island, cannibals, monkeys etc. his friend is struggling and hang himself in the jungle which is kind of brutal for Ron’s adventure games … this story could expand a lot…
the true is …that Herman left the Monkey Island and went to Dinky Island. Those new guys would have to get there (as you said) long after Herman…and cannibals could be a tourist attraction… as usually, humans destroying the island with tourism…and thats why Herman left long time ago.
A story about a young orfan child who wants to become a wild cowboy in a western movie style graphic adventure.
“i want to be an outlaw” or cowboy should be one of the first phrases. interaction with ambicious rich entrepreneurs wanting to take over towns, gold diggers some of them with gold fever, sherif and deputy with a jail, saloon, indians with the chief “smelly foot” who must change his name for some reason, a cave or mine to explore, a tressure to find and lose, vandits, a train or a bank getting robbed, also you could get to control a horse as player (and as a character too).
Btw, main char hates fireweapons for some reason, and this makes everything harder.
I think the problem with western is stereotype. Cowboys, Desert, Indians, all made by wood and rock. Its very limited era. It doesn’t take you far from that. Otherwise, it would have to be more like Cowboys & Aliens that brought up some scifi elements into it, or time machine.
… but now it’s the best time to slowly discuss what could be his next project or what we wish it could be like.