Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1993)
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist is a 1993 point-and-click video game made by Sierra On-Line.
A comedy that plays its Old West straight-faced and silly at once. Freddy Pharkas hung up his six-guns after a rival shot his ear clean off, and now he mixes tonics and pulls teeth as the pharmacist of Coarsegold, California, in the 1800s. Trouble rides in anyway: strange goings-on, a gang of outlaws, and a town that needs its reformed gunslinger to reach for the holster one more time. Written by Al Lowe with a fondness for groan-worthy jokes and period gags, it is a point-and-click western that never takes itself too seriously.
Quick answers
What is Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist about?
A comedy that plays its Old West straight-faced and silly at once. Freddy Pharkas hung up his six-guns after a rival shot his ear clean off, and now he mixes tonics and pulls teeth as the pharmacist of Coarsegold, California, in the 1800s. Trouble rides in anyway: strange goings-on, a gang of outlaws, and a town that needs its reformed gunslinger to reach for the holster one more time. Written by Al Lowe with a fondness for groan-worthy jokes and period gags, it is a point-and-click western that never takes itself too seriously.
When was Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist released?
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist was released on 1 January 1993.
Who made Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist?
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist was made by Sierra On-Line.
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A few thoughts on Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
For the same jokey point-and-click spirit, The Secret of Monkey Island is the gold standard of comic adventure, all puzzles, pratfalls, and quick one-liners. Grim Fandango shares the wit while pulling the humor somewhere stranger and more stylish, a noir told with skeletons and jazz.
Comedy point-and-click classics
Al Lowe wrote Freddy Pharkas for the groan-worthy pun and the straight-faced gag, and these are the funniest adventures ever clicked through. The Monkey Island games run on pirate wit and insult swordfights, Day of the Tentacle piles on cartoon chaos, and Grim Fandango wraps its jokes in film-noir style. Comedy first, puzzles a close second.
Small-town mysteries and clever cases
Behind Freddy Pharkas's jokes sits a real mystery, with outlaws and strange doings troubling the town of Coarsegold. These reward the same sleuthing. Phoenix Wright and Danganronpa build cases out of testimony and contradiction, Her Story hides its story in a database of clips, and Syberia sends you digging through a quietly strange world for answers.
Choice-driven story games
Freddy Pharkas leans on character and a town full of oddballs, and these narrative games build whole stories from the people you meet. The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us make every reply matter, Tales from the Borderlands keeps things wisecracking, and Batman: The Telltale Series lets you decide what kind of person you play.
Hand-crafted adventures with sharp writing
Freddy Pharkas is a lovingly written oddity, a Western played for both laughs and heart. These reward players who come for the writing. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis spins a pulpy globe-trotting yarn, Machinarium tells a whole tale without words, To the Moon aims straight for emotion, and Game of Thrones brings weighty, character-driven drama.