Spigot
01-01-2010, 02:33 PM
It's time to get your claymation on as we visit one of my favourite games of all time this week.
The Neverhood
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4232480467_d58291a6ee_o.jpg
Year: 1996
Platform: PC
Rating: Moldy Oldie
# of Players: 1
Ah, The Neverhood. One of the finest claymation games ever created, with a sense of whimsey and absurdity hard to match with anything that has come out in the past 13+ years. Crawling out of the mind of Doug TenNaple, the creator of Earthworm Jim, this is a game that set the bar for how strange, yet charming, a game could be.
The Neverhood is a lump of clay buildings floating in an infinite void. Very few creatures call The Neverhood home, but you play as Klaymen, a goofy looking claymation creation, who wanders The Neverhood learning about himself and the world around him while saving the known universe despite his many blunderings.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/4234888668_bb21cdbb84.jpg
At its heart, The Neverhood is a basic point and click adventure. As Klaymen, you must navigate the environment, solving puzzles and interacting with the wacky creatures that populate the world. What sets Neverhood apart from most other games is the sheer absurdity of most of the game and the gorgeous claymation visuals, which are both crude yet beautiful at the same time.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4234894438_5996c45832.jpg
The story of The Neverhood revolves around Klaymen learning about why he and The Neverhood were created, why things aren't quite right and how he can set things right. I won't spoil things, as much of the charm of the game is finding these things out for yourself, but you will reunite a giant robot with his teddy bear at one point. There are also giant monsters to dodge, an evil king to depose and the creator of the universe to save, so you'll rarely be wanting for tasks.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4234113593_0c208e549c.jpg
The world is incredibly well realized from a lore perspective as well, with a 38-screen Hall Of Records that must be traversed near the end of the game and which tells the near biblical story of the universe of The Neverhood. It's not necessary to read all of the story but it is nice to see that the creators went to that extra effort.
Last, but certainly not least, is the phenomenal soundtrack. Composed by Terry S. Taylor, the songs in The Neverhood will make you smile and tap your feet. A compilation soundtrack for The Neverhood was released in 2004 and still sells well to this day.
_B9kLKWFSPo
Sadly, The Neverhood isn't currently available on any of the digital distribution services and has been out of print for years. It came out at a time when adventure games were waning in popularity and did not sell very well, despite all of the critical praise heaped upon it. Copies are retailing north of $50 on Amazon if you can get your hands on them. Hopefully the game will be released on Good Old Games at some point in the future and the world can bask in the glory of Klaymen and his wacky exploits again.
Skullmonkeys, a sequel of sorts, was released on the PS1 in the late 1990s although it is a platformer rather than an adventure game.
The Neverhood
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4232480467_d58291a6ee_o.jpg
Year: 1996
Platform: PC
Rating: Moldy Oldie
# of Players: 1
Ah, The Neverhood. One of the finest claymation games ever created, with a sense of whimsey and absurdity hard to match with anything that has come out in the past 13+ years. Crawling out of the mind of Doug TenNaple, the creator of Earthworm Jim, this is a game that set the bar for how strange, yet charming, a game could be.
The Neverhood is a lump of clay buildings floating in an infinite void. Very few creatures call The Neverhood home, but you play as Klaymen, a goofy looking claymation creation, who wanders The Neverhood learning about himself and the world around him while saving the known universe despite his many blunderings.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/4234888668_bb21cdbb84.jpg
At its heart, The Neverhood is a basic point and click adventure. As Klaymen, you must navigate the environment, solving puzzles and interacting with the wacky creatures that populate the world. What sets Neverhood apart from most other games is the sheer absurdity of most of the game and the gorgeous claymation visuals, which are both crude yet beautiful at the same time.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4234894438_5996c45832.jpg
The story of The Neverhood revolves around Klaymen learning about why he and The Neverhood were created, why things aren't quite right and how he can set things right. I won't spoil things, as much of the charm of the game is finding these things out for yourself, but you will reunite a giant robot with his teddy bear at one point. There are also giant monsters to dodge, an evil king to depose and the creator of the universe to save, so you'll rarely be wanting for tasks.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4234113593_0c208e549c.jpg
The world is incredibly well realized from a lore perspective as well, with a 38-screen Hall Of Records that must be traversed near the end of the game and which tells the near biblical story of the universe of The Neverhood. It's not necessary to read all of the story but it is nice to see that the creators went to that extra effort.
Last, but certainly not least, is the phenomenal soundtrack. Composed by Terry S. Taylor, the songs in The Neverhood will make you smile and tap your feet. A compilation soundtrack for The Neverhood was released in 2004 and still sells well to this day.
_B9kLKWFSPo
Sadly, The Neverhood isn't currently available on any of the digital distribution services and has been out of print for years. It came out at a time when adventure games were waning in popularity and did not sell very well, despite all of the critical praise heaped upon it. Copies are retailing north of $50 on Amazon if you can get your hands on them. Hopefully the game will be released on Good Old Games at some point in the future and the world can bask in the glory of Klaymen and his wacky exploits again.
Skullmonkeys, a sequel of sorts, was released on the PS1 in the late 1990s although it is a platformer rather than an adventure game.