Dropsy is a vibrant pixel-art point-and-click puzzle game themed around hugging everyone you meet. As the titular character Dropsy, a clown with a head like a rotted pumpkin and dead yellow eyes, with a handful of sparse teeth, players must set out into a harsh world and share his love with its inhabitants. As Dropsy ventures out into the world, he discover much sadness and makes it his mission to make people happy again. On his journey, Dropsy meets a cast of diverse characters, all sharing in common a dilemma plaguing them with a case of the blues.
Over the course of his adventure, Dropsy meets some new animal pals, and they join his team. As you progress, a mouse and bird accompany Dropsy on his quest, each with their own means to help Dropsy solve puzzles. Mousy can scurry up objects and crawl into holes or under furniture.
Knowing when and which animal pal to use is an extra layer to puzzle solving. Dropsy may look like a tickles, sunshine and hugs type of game because it is , but it will tug at the heartstrings something fierce when you least expect it.
While there are simple character routes in which NPCs want something trivial, and Dropsy needs to find it, the game throws at you characters with hints of melancholic backstories — a man who lost his wife, an activist estranged from his brother, a homeless person seeking shelter. His exuberance is contagious. The absence of text and dialogue in Dropsy lends itself well to these moments too, stripping them down to the pure essence of expression, happiness or the other side of the spectrum, sorrow.
EDM and even some metal make an appearance. Key scenes are also complemented by the soundtrack as it frames things from the perspective of the simple Dropsy and how he feels.
