Harold Halibut Review — A Claymation Classic

While 14 years may seem like a shockingly long time to develop basically any piece of media, a cursory glance at Harold Halibut is more than enough to understand exactly why it is that this game took so long to make.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most unique titles I have ever come across, and I don’t think I’m likely to encounter anything like it any time soon. And the 14 or so hours I spent with it are probably some of the most fun I’ve had with an adventure game in quite some time.

But at the same time, the game has its fair share of faults, many of which will turn a lot of people away from the game. So join us now as we dive into the wonderful clay world of Harold Halibut with our review.

Story And Setting

Harold Halibut takes place in an underwater city known as FEDORA I, which honestly got a chuckle out of me the very first time I heard it purely because I can’t ever imagine naming a ship something that random.

Anyway, the Fedora wasn’t always a city, it was once a spaceship that left Earth during the peak of the Cold War in order to prevent the complete annihilation of the human race. But around 250 years ago it crash-landed on an alien planet and found itself at the bottom of its ocean.

Since then, the denizens of the ship have made their home in this ramshackle underwater city.

A cursory glance at Harold Halibut is more than enough to understand exactly why it is that this game took so long to make.

And I know that we’re usually used to seeing settings like this with dark undertones and a bunch of death and despair, but alas the Fedora is not like that. This is not Rapture, there are no murderous mutants to fight, unique superpowers to acquire, and certainly no Big Daddies to encounter.

By all accounts, the Fedora is a fairly charming place to exist in, with a colorful cast of characters that bring its metallic halls to life.

And within this city, you step into the shoes of the titular character Harold, a simple man who goes about his days as a lab assistant. He is perhaps the most straightforward person in the entire city, and there’s a charm to him that makes him perfect in the role of the protagonist.

This is his adventure, and it is through his eyes that you get to experience a heartwarming tale of friendship and the meaning of what home really is.

An Interactable Movie

As damning as it is to refer to a video game as an interactable movie, that’s kind of what Harold Halibut is. It is technically an adventure game, but it is also more specifically a narrative game where the vast majority of the time is spent interacting and talking with people.

There are some very impressive setpieces to play through, and certain situations even let you choose between dialogue options. But at the end of the day, the game plays out in a predetermined way and there are no actual decisions you can make.

This is not Rapture, there are no murderous mutants to fight, unique superpowers to acquire, and certainly no Big Daddies to encounter.

I’m also gonna go ahead and say that it is perfectly fine for the game to be this way. I liked interacting with the characters in the world, I enjoyed listening to the things they had to say, and the various shenanigans they got up to.

Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed by the way so many characters are so needlessly passive-aggressive to Harold and each other, including the very first character you meet in the game. But over time even that became a bit tolerable, if never enjoyable.

I grew to care about Harold. I got upset when he was treated like everyone’s errand boy, and I rooted for him as he worked to solve the underlying mystery at the heart of the game.

Gameplay

Now this is the part of the game that will push away the vast majority of people because as mentioned earlier, the game is technically an interactable movie. You get to walk around Fedora I, talk to people, and even participate in the occasional mini-game.

But by and large, you will spend your time walking from area to area talking to characters and watching the story play out.

And if you’re not into that particular sort of narrative adventure, well then Harold Halibut is not the game for you. It sounds a bit crude to say, but it’s true.

Limited Appeal

It’s not meant to appeal to everyone, that much is obvious from the moment you boot it up. When compared to a lot of other adventure games, there are no big puzzles to solve, no items to collect, and no hidden pathways to unlock.

But by and large, you will spend your time walking from area to area talking to characters and watching the story play out.

In that way, I suppose the game is more of a narrative adventure as opposed to a mechanical one, like reading a good book or watching a fun movie. And yes, if that’s what you’re looking for, then it is really really fun,

Again, it’s a very specific type of video game, and it owns up to that. It’s not pretending to be anything else, and that’s why I think it shines.

Visuals And Performance

As is apparent from looking at a single frame of this game, Harold Halibut is made entirely via the laborious art of claymation. It’s why it took 14 years to make, because the developers had to meticulously create every single thing you see on screen in the real world with clay, and then digitize it.

Every frame of movement, every gesture, every outfit, every tiny little animation that you see in the game, was all done by hand. It boggles the mind to even think of how much effort it must have taken to do this, and I am genuinely blown away at the dedication displayed here by developer Slow Bros.

It takes years to produce a single stop-motion film, and yet here they’ve created an entire city where you can walk around at will. And perhaps it’s because of that that some of it’s a bit rough around the edges.

Every frame of movement, every gesture, every outfit, every tiny little animation that you see in the game, was all done by hand.

There is a rigidity to many of the facial animations of the characters. Often times you’ll be talking to someone, and their faces will show the most minimal amount of expressions or none at all.

I feel really bad saying this considering how much work went into this, but then I also have to remind myself that the developers didn’t have the budget of something like a Wallace & Gromit film. The Slow Bros are a tiny indie studio and that shows in their production value.

None of this is a deal breaker by the way. I simply felt that it needed to be pointed out. And because the game is basically comprised of scans and very few actual rendered objects, performance is great even on old GPUs. During my time with it, I literally saw no issues at all.

Verdict

That Harold Halibut slipped under my radar for so long is forever going to be one of my biggest regrets when it comes to games. I would have liked to contribute to its Kickstarter, I would have liked to have done my part in helping it be bigger and better than it is.

But at the same time, I got to dive into it virtually unaware of what it was, and for that, I was rewarded with one of the most charming and surprising gaming experiences I have ever had.

Harold Halibut is a masterpiece in its own right and it should serve as an inspiration for so many others to take risks and tread new ground in this medium. Please do not skip out on this title if you are a fan of the adventure genre. Support devs like the Slow Bros in helping make unique games like this a reality.

This has been my Harold Halibut Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles

• Sand Land Review
• Nioh 2
• Metroid Dread
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants