You are Klaymen. Klaymen wakes up in a building in the strangely empty world of Neverhood. Initially, he does not know where he is or what he has to do, but as he explores the area, he finds mysterious disks. Each disk contains a fragment of a recording; gradually, the back story is revealed as Klaymen finds more and more disks. It would spoil too much to reveal the exact plot, as finding it out is part of the game. The Neverhood is a point-and-click adventure game, notable for its claymation graphics. It uses a simple interface: you move and interact with the world by clicking on the screen. There is no inventory screen, though Klaymen can find a few items he can pick up. There are few inventory-based puzzles; most of the puzzles involve solving riddles and interacting with the environment. Generally, the game is seen from a 3rd person perspective, but when moving between locales, you see the world through Klaymen's eyes (but you have a limited freedom of movement).
Embark on a clay adventure that breaks the mold." This quote appears on the box of the adventure game The Neverhood. I almost missed out on this adventure for two reasons: (1) I thought it was a kid's game. I somehow missed the statement "for ages 17 and up." Even if it was for adults, I thought, "how good can a game using claymation be?" It turns out the answer to that question is, "it can be one of the best!" I did eventually play the game and found it to be an excellent adventure, and it remains one of my favorites today.
You play the game from a third-person perspective, manipulating the movements and choices of the main character, Klaymen. The game begins with Klaymen asleep on the floor of a room. After you click on any object in this room for the first time, he awakes and embarks on a great journey, the journey of discovery. For you see, Klaymen needs to do more than just defeat an evil character, which is something he must do; he needs to discover who he is and why he is in the Neverhood. This concept is what I believe to be one of the most enjoyable, creative plots for an adventure game. It addresses the fundamental questions in life: why I am here? Why are you here? Why is Klaymen here? It's the adventure of a lifetime. It's the adventure to find the meaning to life. Is the plot too deep for a game? No. The game never loses its sense of humor or takes itself too seriously. There are a lot of funny bits in this game.
As you and Klaymen travel through the Neverhood, one of your tasks is find and collect twenty discs. These discs contain recorded bits of information, and when loaded into playback machines located throughout the Neverhood, they reveal insights into why Klaymen exists and what his mission is. When all twenty discs are loaded and played, it reveals a wonderful story of creation: how it started out good, how it turned bad, and what must be done to rescue the Neverhood from evil. The plot receives an A+.
The graphics are absolutely amazing. Sure, you can tell it's clay, but to see what the creators did with clay is awesome. It didn't take me long to get immersed into the game, to the point where I completely forgot about the fact that this was all done with clay, and I enjoyed the scenery with all its color and detail. The character movements are not jerky like you might expect from using claymation, but rather very realistic. I loved the way Klaymen walked: plodding feet and with an exaggerated arm swing.
