Welcome to The Adventurer!
Let’s just jump into it, shall we?
First, Double Fine debuted its Action Labs label with Thank You Bus Driver. The game launched on Wednesday, and we gave it a mostly positive review. It’s worth repeating: Bus Driver is a $5 game, so set your expectations accordingly. Also worth repeating: It’s a fun play, and it looks and sounds great, with a quirky Double Fine charm. Need more convincing? Read our review and/or check out the launch trailer.
Meanwhile, Tiller gave us an ever so small peek at A Vampyre Story: A Bat’s Tale.
I don’t know if Substack hangs onto the timestamp, but the Vampyre segment starts at 1:05:55.
I’ll be vulnerable here and admit I didn't finish A Vampyre Story. Should I give it another shot? You know, let’s make that this week’s El Poll Diablo:
As for last week’s poll – “Do Maniac Mansion and Thimbleweed Park exist in one universe?” – 73% of you said yes, 7% no, and 20% (probably correctly) “Who actually cares?!”
Speaking of, here are the week’s Thimbleweed Park 2 updates: A new podcast episode, and some more puzzle dependency chart info.
On the LucasArts Mac front, Ron McAdams has you covered with an EJ Johnston interview.
Finally, if you’re into palace intrigue, check out Kotaku’s exhaustive article on the Double Fine unionization debacle. Whichever side you come out on, there’s one thing we can agree on: what an absolute bummer of a situation.
– Remi
Maniac Mansion Deluxe
This isn’t “trivia” as such, although it sorta is, as I feel Maniac Mansion Deluxe has gone forgotten.
This is a 2004 fan remake of Maniac Mansion, with updated graphics and UI. I don’t care about the graphics either way, but the original SCUMM interface really gets in the way of the O.G. experience. Seeing the story, dialogue, and gameplay are left unchanged, it feels like Deluxe is a happy medium for those who want to enjoy Thimbleweed Park’s prequel without the frustration of a C64-era interface. (Come at me, purists.) You can grab the game from archive.org and play it through ScummVM.
Historical Moments in History
17 years ago this week, The MAN tried to keep it down, but Tim’s Brütal Legend launched on this day.
1 year ago this week, Keeper, an awesome game, released.
Merch for the People
Only the best! The Adventurer has a web store for all your apparel and decoration needs! Don the original LucasArts logo, Manny Calavera’s face, or the OG Adventurer logo, though be warned: Popularity will smack you in your face when you wear – or display – these masterpieces.
Full News Roundup
14 Oct: Double Fine releases, and Mojo reviews, Thank You Bus Driver: The first game since Double Fine freed itself from The Man is now yours to enjoy.
12 Oct: Battle Tim in Brütal Legend tomorrow: It’s that time of the year again.
12 Oct: Get a new look at A Vampyre Story: A Bat’s Tale today: Check your belfry for a video update in just a bit.
12 Oct: Thimbleweed Park 2 podcast survives to second episode: It was touch and go there.
11 Oct: Eric Johnston bravely remembers bringing LEC classics to the Mac: And a whole lot more.
10 Oct: Read the sigh-odyssey of Double Fine’s would-be unionization: It’s a lot to take in.
Last Week’s Mojole Results
It’s the game that sweeps the nation! Can you beat Mojole, our fiendishly difficult daily puzzler? Only hardcore LucasArts aficionados need apply.
09 Oct: “voodoo#” – Voodoo-n-Things. This six-character Mojole expansion worked out.
10 Oct: “dash###” – Voodoo-n-Things. No dashes in Mojole, though.
11 Oct: “truman#” – ... Zanotto. Grand Head of the Psychonauts.
12 Oct: “myth###” – Big Whoop: Unclaimed Bonanza or Myth?
13 Oct: “lindy##” – Young Lindy: The cabin boy.
14 Oct: “zune###” – OK, that might seem like a complete non-sequitur, but once in a while we should remember the finest piece of technology that ever existed.
15 Oct: “weenie#” – The Weenie Hut. Steamin’ Weenie. That one.
And for the competitive amongst you, the Mojole forum thread has gone strong for more than two years. The two juggernauts to beat: Sushi and Huz.
Your Daily Challenges
Mojole too easy? Too hard? (Probably too hard.) Here are other daily challenges to get the brain cells firing on all cylinders.
Monkey Island Frantic: A Monkey Island scene-guessing game at a frantic pace. Image updates at midnight Pacific time. Brag about your results on the Mojo Forums!
Guess That Tune: Each daily game features a clip from Monkey Island music. Guess the tune in up to 6 tries, and return each day for a new challenge! Here, too, you can post your results on Mojo Forums.
Return to Monkey Island Trivia Card Game: The card-guessing game, now in your browser.
Become a Mojoer! (sponsored content)
Hey, kids, do you want to become one of us? Why not join our Patreon? One single dollar will make you a Friend of Mojo. And for the privileged few, there’s the $5 Diamond Club tier, which will earn you a special mention in The Adventurer. Join now! Our interns are hard at work finishing up the special-mention section!
The Mojo Network
The International House of Mojo: Web, Bluesky, YouTube, and Mastodon.