The Neverhood

Details: Category: Computer; By SSquared; 01.Jun; Hits: 8617

The Neverhood is one of those classic, quiet wonders. It took a well defined genre (adventure games) and made it special and unique. With its wide range of puzzles, crazy humor, and absolutely wacky soundtrack, this game has become a classic to a devoted group of people. What made it unique and crazy, and does that actually lead to a solid game?

Story

The Neverhood is a crazy and wacky adventure game set in the world of claymation. You play as Klaymen (sort of weird, you are one character, but it\'s plural) and are trying to figure out who you are and where your world came from. The game starts with you sleeping (and snoring away). You have to wake up to your first puzzle...how to get out of your own room. Throughout the game, you will find a series of video cards. These cards will eventually explain the entire story of who you are and your purpose.

Game play

Before actually talking about the puzzles, let me start with the game movement. The game is an interactive adventure. In genral, there is a static image, with the exception of your character moving. For example, tell him to walk down stairs, and you will see Klaymen walk down stairs. Pull a cord and you will see him pull the cord. When moving off the current scene, the image will pan into the new scene, and once again place you in the static image. How are the puzzles? Well, some will have you stumped for awhile. Others are pretty straightforward, but still require a little time or thought. The puzzles are very original and each one different. Many will require you to sit down and write things out on a piece of paper. These are not always simple and straight forward, but stretch you mentally. As difficult as I may make them sound, I know of several young children who have played the game with their parents. And in fact, this game is good for kids too. Its funny sequences will have them giggling and saying \'Again, again\'. Also, sometimes, the mind of a child can figure out puzzles much sooner than an adult. The interface is so simple to use. You essentially click in the direction you want to move. Or click on a button you want to push. It\'s mostly done using the mouse. Of special note, these puzzles are NOT simply trying to find a lever to open a door. These are truly puzzles and brainteasers. If you want to be challenged, you will probably really enjoy this game. Otherwise, you may end up getting a little frustrated at times.

Sound

The sound is great and very well done. The music is terrific and is just as highly sought after as the game itself. The music is extremely catchy and plays continually as you try to solve the current puzzle. You will be humming and singing these songs for days.

Graphics

The graphics are decent and typical for the time (1996). It is all pre-rendered images for a specific screen resolution. As such, this will result in pixelation at most resolutions.

Christian Perspective

The game is completely clean and even kid-friendly. No bad language. No killing. Without getting into the storyline, I will just say it is a very Christian story. In fact, I think in the Credits, they even mention the game is based on Christianity. There is one caveat. On the little bit of game manual there is, they use the \'D\' word. Why, oh why, did they have to do that?

Conclusion

If you want some good, challenging puzzles, and have a humorous time while you are at it, I highly recommend this game. It is totally clean and is family-friendly. Also, when I ran it under WinXP, I did have some video issues. Windows 98 and 2000 are not problems. Unfortunately, it is now out of print and goes for $30-$40 on eBay.