The Neverhood
It's been a looong time since I played this game. Then I suddenly realized I could write something about it, when I found it among Gamecenter's "Top Ten Games No-One Played". A tragic fate for such an excellent game ...
"So, what exactly is this game?" you ask. Well, it's an adventure game, sweet and simple. Thre's nothing strange about it that way. You, in the shape of Klaymen, move around the Neverhood encountering puzzles with more or less obvious solutions. After stating this, however, things break the mold in many very definite ways. Klaymen, and all of the Neverhood as well, is made of clay, or klay as it is known in more sophisticated groups. Around three tons of the stuff went into the making of the game, and it was worth every spatula. It's all wierd, wonderful and often very funny. The first longer movie sequence you encounter will have you laughing to tears unless you've been dead for several months, and even then you'll probably produce a wide grin. As will everything else, for that matter. Just watching Klaymen walk holds some entertainment, not to mention leaving him alone for some time ...
The music is so good it's sold on its own, and you won't find anything like it in any other game. Sound effects are cool too, earthy, clayish sort of, and some of them are very long too (just one word: burp ...). All the sounds and music are just right and does a great deal in enhancing the game and pulling you into it.
The story is basically based on the Bible, and the core point is choosing between right and wrong, but that doesn't turn up until quite late in the game. Most of the time you just wander around at a relaxed pace, looking for clues, solving puzzles and marvelling at the landscape.
This is "a clay adventure that breaks the mold", it has its very own style in everything. If there is a game that puts you in a good mood, this is it. There's a lot of fun to be found in this game, so why exactly is it that no-one plays it? Well, there really isn't anything special about the gameplay if you fail to be enchanted by everything else. It is a standard adventure game, no doubt, but it doesn't pretend to be anything else either. If you can find it today it will probably be in some bargain box, and that just makes it an even better buy. Fetch!
