When it comes to gaming, I like to consider myself a fan of 'cult' games.
Games with originality and spark - games that excel themselves in areas like story and art - games that fly under the radar for many but are beloved by few.
Games like The Neverhood.
Now it's probably no wonder that most of you have never even heard of the game, this is the gaming equivalent of Gold Dust when it comes to rarity but somehow (thanks to the gods that be) I have a copy of this game and it's truly a sight to behold.
What is so special about this game? Well, it all starts with a lump of clay...
Klaymen learns the hard way, some buttons shouldn't be pressed
The Neverhood was conceived and created by Doug TenNapel, who is somewhat more famous for his work on Earthworm Jim than on this infinitely more intelligent and masterful adventure game, and for a game concept it's brave. Very brave. The entire game is made of clay, that's real clay, as in a Wallace and Gromit film but done for a whole game. Stop motion animation for every movement, every expression, every step and every fall. Truly a terrifying idea for a games company, but somehow, the crew at Dreamworks did it, and as a result, this games graphics cannot age. Why? Because it's made of clay! Nothing has even come close to the ambition here, and despite the amazing amount of work and money spent on the game people haven't even heard of it, let alone played it! Slightly sad isn't it, that something so fresh and creative is ignored... ah well, enough of the morose tale of failure, what about the game itself?
Point and Click adventure is the order of the day here, as you play as Klayman, a man made of... well you can probably guess. He awakens in a room with a leaver in and that's all you get for story to begin with. As you find your way out of this mysterious room and into the open world of the Neverhood, you begin to realise that you are entirely alone. There isn't a single living thing about, just strange buildings and warped scenery. The effect this has on you as a player is fairly harrowing, did this world once live and breath, or was it always this barren? More exploration through the usual point and click methods will take you to places with strange puzzles, the reward for which appears to be strange rectangular lumps, which when placed inside a video player on some of the walls inside the buildings, start to reveal the back story to you in hazy, part missing lumps.
So begins your quest to explore this new world, find the tapes, discover who you are and indeed why you have been brought to exist. Even though this sounds very soul searching and almost philosophical, like all decent point and click games, it's also extraordinarily funny. Doug TenNapel may be famous for Earthworm Jims hilarious antics, but Klayman is by far the more endearing goofball. His curiosity will always land you in a mess, and other friends you meet along the way such as Willie and Bill aren't exactly intellectual powerhouses either, prepare for plenty of prat falling and panic. Oh, and just a little warning, the world isn't entirely empty, there may be a rather hungry weasel waiting for you...
It's difficult to try and tell you more about the story without ruining it for you, but suffice to say those who want heavy back story will find it in the Hall of records, a 100 screen long explanation of how everything has come to be, and you have to traipse through this history to find a cassette so you can beat the game. It can have some rather sadistic streaks this one... That said, it also features some endearing puzzles, making yourself out of dynamite to trick a hungry monster, using shrink potions and size enlargers to explore, pulling the plug on The Neverhood (actually, that's not advised...), the game has plenty to keep you interested, just don't be ashamed if you go running towards a guide with you tail between your legs, it is very, VERY hard. One example is a 8x8 grid matching pairs game, where if you screw up once the whole game is reset. I had to get some paper and a pen to beat that part, oh, and about 2 hours of my life.
But now I want to move away from the gameplay and talk about something that makes this game one of the more tragic losses to the gaming world, the soundtrack. Go youtube it now, find a song and listen. It's amazing, a jazzy, unique and completely original soundtrack make The Neverhood both intimidating and jovial, it's an ambivalence that's hard to come across. It uses a strangely messy and slack use of instruments and feels like the musicians are just playing what comes to mind, and fortunately what comes to mind is brilliant, smooth and chaotic jazz. Marvellous.
The Neverhood isn't perfect. For a game with so many great things going for it, it is far too hard and at times far too wrapped up in its sadistic puzzles to care about the player, but it is also truly unique and we'll probably never see anything of it's ilk again, it's a sad thought but one we must live with. If you ever stumble across a copy, make sure you grab it, not only because it's truly a work of art and something you should undoubtedly enjoy one lazy Sunday afternoon, but also because on eBay this thing goes for some serious cash. Not that you'd ever want to sell it once you had it, but consider it a family heirloom. One made, entirely, of clay.
Recommendation: Well, if you can, buy it, otherwise I'll look the other way while you try and 'find' it. *Ahem*
Bottom Line: A neigh on impossible game made entirely of Clay with a sense of humour to match it's absurd premise, of you haven't fallen in love with it after 10 minutes of play if you have no heart.
Games with originality and spark - games that excel themselves in areas like story and art - games that fly under the radar for many but are beloved by few.
Games like The Neverhood.
Now it's probably no wonder that most of you have never even heard of the game, this is the gaming equivalent of Gold Dust when it comes to rarity but somehow (thanks to the gods that be) I have a copy of this game and it's truly a sight to behold.
What is so special about this game? Well, it all starts with a lump of clay...
Klaymen learns the hard way, some buttons shouldn't be pressed
The Neverhood was conceived and created by Doug TenNapel, who is somewhat more famous for his work on Earthworm Jim than on this infinitely more intelligent and masterful adventure game, and for a game concept it's brave. Very brave. The entire game is made of clay, that's real clay, as in a Wallace and Gromit film but done for a whole game. Stop motion animation for every movement, every expression, every step and every fall. Truly a terrifying idea for a games company, but somehow, the crew at Dreamworks did it, and as a result, this games graphics cannot age. Why? Because it's made of clay! Nothing has even come close to the ambition here, and despite the amazing amount of work and money spent on the game people haven't even heard of it, let alone played it! Slightly sad isn't it, that something so fresh and creative is ignored... ah well, enough of the morose tale of failure, what about the game itself?
Point and Click adventure is the order of the day here, as you play as Klayman, a man made of... well you can probably guess. He awakens in a room with a leaver in and that's all you get for story to begin with. As you find your way out of this mysterious room and into the open world of the Neverhood, you begin to realise that you are entirely alone. There isn't a single living thing about, just strange buildings and warped scenery. The effect this has on you as a player is fairly harrowing, did this world once live and breath, or was it always this barren? More exploration through the usual point and click methods will take you to places with strange puzzles, the reward for which appears to be strange rectangular lumps, which when placed inside a video player on some of the walls inside the buildings, start to reveal the back story to you in hazy, part missing lumps.
So begins your quest to explore this new world, find the tapes, discover who you are and indeed why you have been brought to exist. Even though this sounds very soul searching and almost philosophical, like all decent point and click games, it's also extraordinarily funny. Doug TenNapel may be famous for Earthworm Jims hilarious antics, but Klayman is by far the more endearing goofball. His curiosity will always land you in a mess, and other friends you meet along the way such as Willie and Bill aren't exactly intellectual powerhouses either, prepare for plenty of prat falling and panic. Oh, and just a little warning, the world isn't entirely empty, there may be a rather hungry weasel waiting for you...
It's difficult to try and tell you more about the story without ruining it for you, but suffice to say those who want heavy back story will find it in the Hall of records, a 100 screen long explanation of how everything has come to be, and you have to traipse through this history to find a cassette so you can beat the game. It can have some rather sadistic streaks this one... That said, it also features some endearing puzzles, making yourself out of dynamite to trick a hungry monster, using shrink potions and size enlargers to explore, pulling the plug on The Neverhood (actually, that's not advised...), the game has plenty to keep you interested, just don't be ashamed if you go running towards a guide with you tail between your legs, it is very, VERY hard. One example is a 8x8 grid matching pairs game, where if you screw up once the whole game is reset. I had to get some paper and a pen to beat that part, oh, and about 2 hours of my life.
But now I want to move away from the gameplay and talk about something that makes this game one of the more tragic losses to the gaming world, the soundtrack. Go youtube it now, find a song and listen. It's amazing, a jazzy, unique and completely original soundtrack make The Neverhood both intimidating and jovial, it's an ambivalence that's hard to come across. It uses a strangely messy and slack use of instruments and feels like the musicians are just playing what comes to mind, and fortunately what comes to mind is brilliant, smooth and chaotic jazz. Marvellous.
The Neverhood isn't perfect. For a game with so many great things going for it, it is far too hard and at times far too wrapped up in its sadistic puzzles to care about the player, but it is also truly unique and we'll probably never see anything of it's ilk again, it's a sad thought but one we must live with. If you ever stumble across a copy, make sure you grab it, not only because it's truly a work of art and something you should undoubtedly enjoy one lazy Sunday afternoon, but also because on eBay this thing goes for some serious cash. Not that you'd ever want to sell it once you had it, but consider it a family heirloom. One made, entirely, of clay.
Recommendation: Well, if you can, buy it, otherwise I'll look the other way while you try and 'find' it. *Ahem*
Bottom Line: A neigh on impossible game made entirely of Clay with a sense of humour to match it's absurd premise, of you haven't fallen in love with it after 10 minutes of play if you have no heart.
