The Neverhood

The Good
This is one kRaZie adventure game. Everything is made out of clay, tons of it too. You play the hero, a nondescript character named Klayman. Klayman never speaks, but he interacts with his enviroment and other characters without hampering game play.

Klayman would indicate to you when something is important by looking at something with a thoughtful expression. The clues to solving the puzzle are often presented this way. There are a couple red herrings, but nothing too agravating. He has a long loping style of walking that reminds you of a caveman. There are several comical scenes and styles in this game that are vaguely reminicent of Tex Avery and other cartoon artists.

The story has some biblical themes, but its in no way religious. You track your progress in the game with story cartridges. These cartridges can be played in kiosks that are found throughout the game. The kiosks do not provide puzzle clues, but tell you about the Neverhood and its creator. This story is delightful and frustrating as well. You strive to find the cartridges so you can view the whole story.

The imagination and creativity in this game has gone unmatched by most game producers. The game designers took several risks and produced a piece of game history. Its a sad testimony that game producers have essentially abandoned all but the sure-to-sell game design.

The music isn't made of your traditional adventure themes. Its mostly accoustic guitar and singing. Its very cool and adds to the krazy flavor of the game. The puzzles are fairly unique. You have one music puzzle, one sliding tile puzzle, one concentration style puzzle. The rest are more original.

The game does have a built in help section, but its hard to access for the tougher puzzles.

The Bad
The thing I dislike the most is a lack of a sequel. I realize that the game didn't sell and the sequel was pending on that. It doesn't change the fact that when the game was over, I wanted to go on another adventure with Klayman. So I end up playing the game for the nth time.

I also have a beef with the long hallway walk to get the cartridge. That was dirty pool.

The Bottom Line
If you are looking for a game that has an amazing enviroment, great sound and story, and hard as they come puzzles, Try and get a copy of The Neverhood.