Space, The Final Frontier
Developed and published by Slo Bros, Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative adventure game that has finally been released. The story is a complicated and far too realistically scary concept. It’s been 250 years since the Fedora, an ark-like spaceship which fled the Earth that was on the brink of cold war and environmental disaster, in search of a habitable planet to preserve the human race. Upon landing on the supposed ideal planet for colonization, it is discovered that the air is poisonous, resulting in the ship plunging into the green waters of the alien planet. You play as the titular character Harold, a young lab assistant (and general handyman for the ship) to the ship’s head scientist Dr Jeanne Mareaux. Harold and Mareaux are tirelessly searching for a way for the ship to regain power and escape the waters of the planet, even though most of the inhabitants of the Fedora have accepted this ship as their way of life.
The story is deliberately slow paced at the beginning and one that I adored. I loved how the game takes time to get going allowing you to explore the ship and meet its cast of characters, it really made me feel like I had a chance to know all these wonderful characters before the real stakes of the story got going. The overall themes of the game begin right at the start, when you are forced to make Harold do menial tasks he often thinks aloud and to other characters his feelings and thoughts on his own existence and self worth; a masterful stroke in storytelling from the get go. The way in which Harold articulates his struggles in daily life really hit home for me and I could sympathise with Harold almost immediately, an incredible job by Slo Bros to have a such layered way of storytelling. Without giving away major spoilers for the rest of the game, Harold is taken on an incredible journey of discovery both in the literal sense of being on an alien world and a personal sense in his journey of self discovery. This slow burning build will certainly not be for everyone but much like Wes Anderson films (The games clear inspiration both graphically and narratively) it will find its core audience.
Both a positive and negative to the story are the characters themselves. Harold has the chance across the course of the roughly 12 hour story to interact with many different citizens aboard the Fedora. Whether it’s uncovering the mystery of the Secretary brothers, or completing tasks for the colourful Captain Zoya, the game has such a wide and varied range of characters, each coming with their own background and tasks. It’s up to you, the player, in narrative games like this, to take the initiative and get to know this cast, which is beautifully and deftly voiced by a superb British cast which is led by an outstanding performance by Andrew Nolan as Harold. At times, this is where the cast can be a slight negative for the player as you can be so caught up in the individual stories it can take away from the overall plot. But for me, I found the story absolutely riveting and something that has to be seen to behold. Of course a game like this relies on its visuals and boy does this deliver!
Painstaking Precision
The visuals in Harold Halibut are truly something spectacular. One of the main reasons this game has been in development for over 10 years is the process the studio took graphically. Each and every single item in the game has been hand drawn and then filmed and animated in a stop-motion process, which creates a simply astounding looking game. Characters are made in clay in real life and then 3D scanned and actors’ faces mo-capped into the game to create this stop-motion look. I mean what I say by calling Harold Halibut one of the greatest graphical feats in the video game space. EVER. The game oozes style; characters look incredible and individually unique. You really could mistake these characters from being in Wes Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ or ‘Isle of Dogs’ they look that good. Emotions on the faces are shown so brilliantly, allowing the player to clearly grasp the way they are feeling and thinking in each and every conversation you have. The stop-motion style looks so good on screen and has been animated to perfection. It fits the narrative adventure game that Harold Halibut is to an absolute tee. I am absolutely blown away by Slo Bros and their dedication to this process. I sincerely hope they continue to create games in this style and format. There is a moment relatively early on in the game I don’t want to spoil, in which Harold makes a discovery which is just artistically nuanced and beautiful; you simply have to see it to believe it – a remarkable achievement.
Locations in the game are varied and unique for the player to make them memorable, which is useful when given side tasks by characters. The beautiful shots of the green ocean you are submerged in is something to behold and I often stopped on my way to an objective to look out of the windows of the Fedora. I could rave about this game’s style and art all day long. The little touches in the game are also beautiful, my favourite being the notebook you can access when looking at your daily tasks. It has hand drawn images from Harold’s conversations and adventures throughout the story which is a brilliant way of reminding the player of the story’s events.
Simple, Yet Satisfying
I would liken Harold Halibut to ‘Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture’ and ‘Firewatch’ in terms of its gameplay. This game has basic and simple mechanics in the sense that the game at times can boil down to being a walking simulator. Sprinkle in some puzzles and mini games (great retro games can be found in the arcade) and you have the main gameplay loop. They are fine and serviceable mechanics for this type of game, but they’re not what makes it special. The real gameplay loop is the exploration and discovery process for Harold. Touring each unique area allows the player to get lost in the mystery of the ship and its inhabitants. Exploring each environment for small story details is what makes this game so special to me; it’s the little things that count, whether it’s using the water tube travel system to go to different areas connecting to a central hub, or watching in-game television that has a fully animated whacky show. You can really tell the developers have poured their hearts and souls into this game and made me want to continue exploring and discovering. If I was to truly nit-pick the game, the lack of an in-game map system could be troublesome for players, but it’s such a small minor detail it does not affect the overall game.
Similarly, the soundtrack for the game is incredible. At times, the game deliberately employs scenes of pure silence which really helps build tension and mystery for the player. In addition, emotional and crucial story moments have been created with such a beautiful orchestral score that reminds me of classic space movies from the 80’s and 90’s and yet is unique and fresh. Sound design is also a high point, with beautiful touches for the menial tasks in the game, like traversing the water system or clearing the filtration system. Harold’s bulky shoes clanking on a set of stairs or the sliding doors slowly opening with a bust of air are simple things to the average person, but it’s small touches like this that make me adore this game.
Verdict
Quite simply for me, Harold Halibut is an astonishing achievement in story telling and game design. It has visuals that need to be seen to be believed and a story focusing on the human mind and psyche as well as the unknown. This game has it all for an interactive drama. Wonderfully voiced by a diverse cast, deftly scored by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and crafted with such love and care, Harold Halibut truly is a feat in modern gaming, and one that will stay with for me for a long time. I know this type of game isn’t for everyone, but for me, this is perfection.
