The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Dropsy is a point-and-click adventure centered on a clown named Dropsy. Players control Dropsy while exploring an open world in which they can interact with the environment, solve puzzles, and talk to non-player characters. In the game, Dropsy becomes an outcast after a fire at his family's circus and must work to discover the truth behind it in order to clear his name. The game contains no text, so dialogue is represented by visual icons. The game features over 50 minutes of live music composed and performed by Chris Schlarb.
Development
Dropsy began on the Something Awful forums in 2008 as a choose-your-own adventure game illustrated by Jay Tholen about a clown named Dropsy; forum commentators would suggest what the character would do and the choices would be illustrated and added to the story. The character originated from a platform game created by Tholen in 2004. Demand for a playable version of the story increased and so Tholen began designing a game based around the story with the help of some members of the forum. Tholen cites games such as EarthBound, Grim Fandango, and The Neverhood as inspirations for the game.
In 2011 a Kickstarter campaign raised $225 USD to fund a software package to help development, followed by another campaign in July 2013 which did not reach its $25,000 USD goal. A third campaign, started in October 2013, asked for $14,000 USD and finished with nearly $25,000 USD raised. On October 31, 2013, Tholen released a short horror-themed side game titled Dropsy and the Black Lodge. In November it was announced that Devolver Digital would be publishing the game, providing quality assurance and marketing, but not directing where the Kickstarter funds would be spent.
Reception
The PC version received "favorable" reviews, while the Switch version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
Adam Smith for Rock Paper Shotgun called Dropsy a "touching allegory for all manner of otherness and confusion" but criticized the game's surrealist presentation and puzzle mechanics.
