Point-and-click adventure games may not be the industry-leading blockbusters that defined studios like Sierra Entertainment and LucasArts before the turn of the century, but they aren't bygone relics. Tom and Emma Hardwidge of Tall Story Games, behind Lucy Dreaming, recently told Game Rant the niche market is having a sort of renaissance thanks to high-profile titles like Return to Monkey Island and The Game Awards 2022 "Best Debut Indie" nominee Norco. Cyanide and Happiness: Freakpocalypse is another part of this trend, releasing its first of three episodes two years ago.
An extension of the webcomic that began in 2005, Freakpocalypse is an absurdist dark comedy about teenager Coop McCarthy dealing with the trials and tribulations of high school - as well as the end of the world. The game takes a similar visual style to Cyanide and Happiness' animated shorts and was funded through Kickstarter in September 2017. While Episode 1 received a "mixed" reception on storefronts like Steam, Explosm still plans to complete the full trilogy, and the first entry is 60-percent off through March 23. Game Rant spoke to Freakpocalypse director Kris Wilson and lead game designer Roger Barr about the second-anniversary sale and what fans can expect going forward.
Taking Cyanide and Happiness Into Different Mediums
Wilson is one of Cyanide and Happiness' original co-creators alongside Rob DenBleyker, Dave McElfatrick, and Matt Melvin, three of whom "are involved to a degree" on Freakpocalypse to help the adventure game really feel like an extension of the same universe (Melvin left Explosm in 2014). In fact, Wilson said there's an "absurd" amount of worldbuilding cohesion behind the scenes, reflected through the team's decisions on where to take characters that are reflected in both comics and animations. However, games like Freakpocalypse allow them to go further than just references and callbacks.
"A point-and-click game allows someone to view and explore at an eye level, seeing popular characters or locations living their bizarre lives, and interacting with them outside a short-form gag. Plus, we get to look at the players themselves as a character within the universe, which adds a lot of material to play around with."
Freakpocalypse was not Explosm's first multimedia venture, having released plenty of tabletop games like Joking Hazard and Master Dater that extend the reach of Cyanide and Happiness' particular brand of comedy. Yet Wilson feels the fresh approach of a video game allowed them to "deconstruct C&H" in a way that invests audiences more easily than six-panel comics. Barr said it felt natural to extrapolate full-length, meaningful content out of the series' darkly comedic, often-satirical world. "We still have serious and emotional moments in the game, but we’re also swimming in absurdity 99 percent of the time, and that’s where we love to be."
Taking Freakpocalypse: Episode 1's Lessons Forward
The team at Explosm blames "marketing mishaps" for Episode 1's mixed reviews, with Wilson saying this was "to be expected when developing your first game fully in-house." There are plans to take what was learned and "treat a game's release as an art form in itself, rather than a formality" going forward, as Barr said the team found this reception frustrating in light of the fans who did enjoy Freakpocalypse. It was a "big morale boost" for Explosm and Skeleton Crew Studios to watch livestreams where absurd jokes landed, and Barr said one of the biggest complaints was Episode 1 - essentially a prologue - being too short.
Episode 2 is "well into development," according to Barr, though both he and Wilson were clear that Episode 1's current sale is not a preface for coming announcements. "That does sound like it would be a good move," Wilson said. "Oh well! Better luck next time." The full arc of the story is planned out, even as the world "becomes more realized" while details are woven in (including possible changes from something like a Cyanide and Happiness animation). Barr hopes this series' next release will be a huge payoff to fans who have been waiting thanks to its "killer artwork" and some of his favorite jokes in the set.
"We ended the last game on a big cliffhanger, and now we’re getting to my favorite part of the story: the actual Freakpocalypse where Coop’s entire world is forever changed, so I’m really excited about that. I’m also looking forward to people who played Episode 1 getting to experience the before and after version of the town and so many of its inhabitants."
Cyanide and Happiness: Freakpocalypse Episode 1 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Episode 2 is in development.