Of The Neverhood

Alright I've beat around the bush for long enough. One of my biggest passions in life is video games. Whilst I don't have much time nowadays I still enjoy sitting down and spending a few hours getting lost in the worlds.

A couple of my favourites include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Bioshock, GTA: Vice City, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Portal, Chibi-Robo!, Crackdown and Tetris. However my favourite game ever is the seldom heard of The Neverhood Chronicles and really it boggles the mind as to why such a gem got buried over the years when everyone I've ever met who plays abosultely loves it with a passion (except for those dicks at gamespot)
The Neverhood comes from the now almost extinct Point and Click Adventure genre (although Zack and Wiki was great). The Neverhood uses unique puzzles to pull into the game as you explore The Neverhood and what has happened to it (God I sound like a marketting person).

The thing about the Neverhood is that it is just an immense joy to play. It's sufficiently puzzling but doesnt quite get on your (however it is one of very few games that requires you to take notes). I love the Neverhood so much that it is one of the few games that I have ever been able to complete multiple times (and in one sitting!!) along with Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Maybe it's because of it's length.

The Neverhood looks incredible and was probably even more so when it was released. Whilst it isn't the hi-def tour-de-force that games like Crysis and Gears of War are, why it looks incredible is in it's unique look and art-style. The entire game is made out of clay (or klay) and it really shows throughout with a real handmade look to the game world. This coupled with Terry S. Taylor's music gives the game an incredibly earthy feel. Infact Terry Taylor's soundtrack makes the game, whilst it is based of Douglas Tennapel's ideas (albeit freaking genious ideas), Terry Taylor really makes the Neverhood come to life. I would go as far to say that The Neverhood soundtrack is the greatest soundtrack is the greatest soundtrack from all videogames!! Terry Taylor's music has gone to influence other musicians such as Jonathan Coulton who wrote "Still Alive" (he actually credits "Li'l Bonus Room from The Neverhood's sequel Skullmonkeys as a great influence on the song).

The Neverhood is also genuinley funny. Many of the cutscenes have made me laugh out loud which is why I've included a selection below (allow they probably won't make much sense out of context):

Willie's Story


Battle of Robot Bil


Weasel Chase


Pulling of the Pin


Bad Ending


Good Ending + Credits


The Other Ending


Finally I'd like to thank the God's for making it so that there will soon be a Neverhood film (which will hopefully bring new found interest in the game)