Animator Doug TenNapel created this bizarre and unique adventure game that was released by Dreamworks Studios in 1996. It is a standard adventure game that features anything but standard graphics. The entire game is painstakingly done in lively and awesome claymation.
The Neverhood is a basic point and click adventure. It revolves around the hero, Klayman. Klayman does not speak, but he interacts with almost everything in his environment. Klayman marches around Neverhood and seeks cartridges that can be played in simple kiosks in the land. These cartridges reveal mostly information about the Neverhood and its history. While that is not exactly the main plot, it is a valuable, time consuming sub-goal.
Hoborg has created everything in the klay world, including Klayman himself, and Klogg, Klayman’s nemesis. Klogg was originally created as a companion for Hoborg, but greed led him to steal Hoborg’s magical crown. Trying to wear the pretty golden crown warped Klogg into a nasty and evil creature. Without his crown, Hoborg falls into a deep sleep. Klayman must seek the crown in the Neverhood and return it to Hoborg so that Hoborg can continue populating the land with his life seeds. There are many transparent Biblical references throughout the plot, but it only adds a dimension. It is not overpowering or preaching, just interesting.
Klayman, as mentioned, is a very unusual game. It features some really interesting puzzles that range from playing memory games to emulating tunes heard in the game. (The soundtrack is awesome, by the way, and was once so popular it could be purchased separately from the game.) Unfortunately, while the puzzles are fun and different, they really don’t have much to do with the plot. They seem to be random adventures requiring the user to move objects, make combinations and run around aimlessly. The puzzles at the beginning of the game are much more concrete than those in the final portions, almost as if the creators were running out of ideas and just started throwing things in there. Still, they are solvable with a little time and patience.
In short, The Neverhood is a very interesting point and click adventure game. The hero is lively, interesting and very three-dimensional (literally). The graphics and cut scenes are thoroughly entertaining and the puzzles are workable, although abstract and vague at times. The Neverland is worth a download based on its novel content, humorous exploits and great soundtrack. The game play itself is not triple A, but it is plenty good enough!!
Written by:
~dorento1
