Tim Schafer has been one of the most creative minds in the video game industry for over two decades and has played a big part in crafting a plethora of beloved titles that have gone down as iconic in the eyes of both critics and fans alike. He particularly stands out for his stories, which tend to be veryfun and colorful on the surface, but with a much deeper message lying beneath that players can learn more about as they progress through the game.
What also makes Tim Schafer so unique is that he doesn’t just work on one or two long-running series. Instead, he’s been involved in developing wildly different games covering a wide range of genres, but since his style of storytelling and gameplay is so recognizable, it’s easy to tell when this charismatic industry legend has been a core member of the development team.
Costume Questis a fairly niche RPG game released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that many players fell in love with for itscaptivating art styleand colorful open-world which is a real joy to journey through. Tim was a co-writer for this game, and his zany form of storytelling can definitely be felt in the narrative, which is centered around two siblings who are asked to go out in the neighborhood to make some friends by their mother.
Rather than just knocking on a door and seeing if someone’s free to come out and play, the kids instead dress up in halloween costumes to begin their wild “adventure” which starts off in their neighborhood, but eventually reaches the outskirts of town, and eventually a shopping mall. The gameplay can admittedly feel a little clunky, and the actual RPG systems aren’t too deep, but the game is still a blast to run through over the course of a few days.
Brutal Legendis often considered one of the greatest new IPs released forthe seventh generation of consoles, and the main reason for this is because of just how memorable it is as an experience. Set in a heavy-metal inspired world full of references and callbacks to popular rock bands, players take control of Eddie Riggs, a loud and eccentric guitarist who’s voiced by the one and only Jack Black. Eddie himself is a fun and captivating protagonist, but he’s accompanied by a few other amazing characters too such as the fearsome Ophelia who’s endless charm steals every scene she’s in.
It’s clear that Tim Schafer let his passion for rock music take over when designing this game, and it is a prime example of how effortlessly he’s able to write a story which is completely separate from his previous work, creating a brand-new experience and world for players to jump into and enjoy.
5Full Throttle
Metascore: 86
In his early years as a game developer, Tim Schafer was primarily involved with point and click adventure games, and whileFull Throttlemight sound likea demolition darby racing gameat a glance, it’s actually a lot more laid back and casual. While players are able to hop onto a motorbike to leave a specific scene, for most of the game, they’ll be chatting with other characters and finding out more about the world, and uncovering secrets about the surprisingly deep and fairly complex story.
Apparently, Schafer came up with the whole idea ofFull Throttleafter becoming fascinated with biking culture, likening it to pirates who would often sail together and stick by very particular and strict codes which defined their role in the group. Whilst he definitely succeeded in portraying the wild and chaotic life of being an on-the-road biker, in classic Tim Schafer fashion, he still inserted plenty of comical moments to ensure the game and its story are as fun as possible throughout.
After an agonizing sixteen-year wait,Psychonauts 2finally dropped in 2022, and while some were skeptical that it could retain the flavorful fun of the original, their worries were kept at bay as the game easily exceeded expectations. While Raz is still able to use his powerful psychic abilities to traverse each of the stages,he’s also packing a few new powers toowhich drastically change the gameplay, such as Mental Connection which allows him to move between floating platforms in an instant.
Psychonauts 2also proved that Tim Schafer’s imagination was still as creative as ever, something that becomes immediately evident when taking a look at some of the jaw-dropping levels. Whether it’s the PSI-King’s Sensorium which centers around a detached brain, the tricky platforming sections in Bob’s Bottles, or even an entire classroom that can be explored, all the stages feel unique with each of them revealing more about a specific character’s past to expand upon the story.
3The Secret Of Monkey Island
Metascore: 88
The Secret of Monkey Islandmay have been the very first game that Tim Schafer ever worked on, but that isn’t to suggest that it was at all rough around the edges as a debut. Instead, it’s often cited as being one ofthe greatest games within the point and click adventure genre, placing a heavy emphasis on exploration while also providing a very engaging main story that never feels like it’s outstaying its welcome.
At a time when video games were becoming more recognized as a legitimate artform, many developers decided to make their games more serious and dramatic in tone, but Secret ofMonkey Islandproved that a layered and intricate story can still be told in a comedic fashion, and that owes a lot to Schafer’s writing style.
Despite being packed full of hilarious scenes and characters, Tim Schafer was still very particular in how he wrote the story forPsychonauts, implementing plenty of heartfelt moments, with a fewbleak and dark themes thrown infor good measure. On the surface, the game can seem like little more than a quirky platformer, but the concept of diving into other people’s psyches to unveil their goals, relationships and desires allowed for so much creativity when it came to the world and the levels.
This has encouraged discussions about the game’s themes and deeper meanings to rage on ever since it was released, but another reason it has stood the test of time is how downright charming it is. While Raz himself is an extremely lovably bubbly protagonist, there’s also a colorful cast of other characters who are always a joy to be around, resulting in a true cult-classic that everyone ought to play at least once if they haven’t already.
Every element ofGrim Fandangocomes together to create one of the most charming, stylish, and memorable video games of all time. From theAztec-inspired underworld, to the brilliantly fleshed-out characters, all the way to the immersive point and click gameplay, there’s always something inGrim Fandangothat keeps the player’s eyes glued to the screen. The story might start off fairly simple, following Manny’s frustrations with being a travel agent, but it very quickly spirals into something much bigger, and actually very meaningful in its depictions of the afterlife and death in general.
Tim Schafer often has a clear influence for his games, but forGrim Fandango, he really let his creativity run wild, borrowing from multiple different genres and real life cultures to craft a game that has gone down as iconic. The noire style of the game is unlike anything that had been seen in gaming before, and when topped off with some incredible music and stellar voice acting, it’s not hard to see why fans, even to this day, are still screaming out for a remake of this classic title.
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