Reviewer: Dos-Games-Online
The Neverhood is an adventure game that was remarkable when it was first released, but has sadly failed to pass the test of time.
It's signature feature is the use of 'claymation' graphics. For those not familiar, it means that the characters, objects and the environment appear as though they are made of clay, plasticine or 'play-dough'. When the game was first released, this was a good way to cover up a lack of graphical detail. The sound, such as it exists in releases, is passable, but not something that you will remember. At least it is not too irritating and impossible to shut down like some of its peers at this period.
The graphical style would be acceptable were it not for the gameplay: ultimately, it's pretty much the same as the Coktel Vision Gobliiins series. Each screen of the adventure is a puzzle with only one way to solve it and proceed forward in the game. As with Gobliiins, the solution to these puzzles is not remotely logical and simply requires the user to press on the nine to ten objects on screen in as many ways as possible.
Reviewer: Dos-Games-Online
In the middle nineties, Dreamworks Studios released the very surreal…possibly just plain weird adventure game, The Neverhood. Animator Doug TenNapel put together this unique point and click game. Its singularity does not come from a totally bizarre plot, a far out protagonist, shocking mature scenes or fast paced, violent action. Instead, the entire game was gruelingly done in an awesome claymation that makes it very different from most every other game of this nature.
Since the entire cast, crew, background, everything in the Neverhood is claymated, it stands to reason that the protagonist of the tale would have a name like Klayman. Klayman is a mute who never speaks, but still has a lot of responsibilities within each graphic area he enters. Klayman spends most of his time in search of small information disks or cartridges. These cassettes can be played in various computer kiosks located around the world, and they give Klayman and the user background information on the Neverhood. It is like clicking the menu item entitled “The Making of the Neverhood” from the main screed of a DVD each time a disk is played.
This is just a subplot of the game, however, that Klayman will undertake as he works on the major quests in the story line. Hoborg is the creator of all things in the klay land, effectively making him god like. Hoborg originally created the klay creature, Klogg as a companion for the lonely Hoborg, but greed led him to steal from Hoborg, making him evil. Klogg steals a magical crown from Hoborg, which puts Hoborg into a powerless sleep and twists Klogg’s mind. Klayman is charged with retrieving the crown and returning it to Hoborg so that land can continue to grow under his magic and guidance.
The Neverhood features many semi-transparent Biblical references in both the story lines and the puzzles. The puzzles are complex and varied, ranging from simple games of memory to playing an impromptu game of “name that tune” referencing ditties from the game itself. The puzzles begin as concrete adventures, but grow more abstract as the game moves forward. They also have little of nothing to do with the actual plot of the Neverhood.
As a whole, the Neverhood is a very interesting game. The soundtrack is very cool and engaging, so much so that it was once sold as its own album in stores. The puzzles are a bit deranged and random, but are solvable. The Biblical references are interesting as opposed to annoying and, of course, the claymation effects are really cool. This is a unique game that is sure to engage the gamer for some time.
|
