Harold Halibut: I love it

 Palette cleanser time

Much though it may seem the way, the gaming industry of today isn't totally about the absolute pits of imagination-less trite being plumed for content year after year in a deathly-boring waltz of sequels, remakes and remasters. Heck, I even rate some of those sequels, remakes and remasters we're seeing nowadays because a few are simple, undeniable, brilliance. But every once in a blue moon, once the appropriate dark deities have been paid their dues, you'll see a real gem from the pack shine out and remind you what the art form is all about. Something that inspires you, makes you smile and lets you know that there's passion still burning in someone's heart out there. I'm talking the sorts of games that you just can't help but clap your hands together and say "Now that is a feat of genius." Or at least I'd like to think that's the case, but all of the philistines I live with seem utterly blind to that fact and so I'm stuck pleading to the uncaring chasm of the internet to say "You guys care about Harold Halibut, right?"

Weird name, that's fair, but stick with me here. What's the one trick that all of the hip and trendy side-scroller games are flocking to in order to prove themselves as different and not-your-average-sidescroller-indie-game? (Doctors hate it!) That's right, it's the 2d sprites on a 3d background aesthetic that borrows the charm of sprites alongside the depth of 3d worldspaces. It's cool, certainly, and some games which use it still blow me away from their previews, (like Replaced) but it's bordering on overplayed. I don't think it's there yet, by any stretch; but, in the words of Deus Ex Human Revolutions, (and, according to Google, a band I've never heard of) "you can see it from here." What we need is something else to offset this trendy new attitude so that we don't become sick of a good thing too fast, and won't you know it I think there may be a bit of something like that embodied in ol' Harold Halibut. (And Fantasian, but I probably need to spell out the comparison a little so I'll come back to that later.)

Picture 'claymation'. That oh-so adorable style of animation that is very rare to see nowadays thanks to it taking forever to pull off for not-so flashy effects. It's not the kind of thing that studios seriously consider so that even the trailblazer animation studios like Pixar and the experimental ones like Sony Pictures Animation won't commit themselves to it in a dedicated project. It's just not explosive and expressive enough, typically inherently gentler and calmer in style than those fast-paced American studios want. (In fact, the only recent use of mainstream claymation I can think of was a throwaway, yet rather dark, mock-commercial during one episode of Wandavision) Over this side of the pond we've historically had a bit more time for claymation and it's actually secured a bit of a place in British television history as a result. From the featureless abstract man of Morph to the penguin with an attitude (yet also a soft heart) Pingu, and of course the British icons; Wallace and Gromit. I mention all of this because that is the style which sets Harold Halibut apart from the other side scroller games of it's type; this thing is bought to life in the fabulous world of Claymation.

Just taking a look at the storytrailer for this game is a simply magical experience, as least it is for me, because these are the sorts of visuals I remember growing up with. That slightly surreal, almost puppet-like movement, was a stable of Children's TV during my- well, okay, just before my generation if I'm being honest; but I watched a lot of old and 'new' children's TV at the time so I'm familiar with that trend. It captures this odd realness to it that you just cannot find in even the most high fidelity game of the age. In fact I coincidentally had a conversation with my Father about a similar topic not so long ago, with him having grown up before wide spread animation. We were talking about Captain Scarlett, the puppet-led show he remembered and the animated reboot from my time, and he remarked that there was something more tangible about the puppet because "Somewhere out there, is the Captain Scarlett puppet. It's a real thing that exists in our world", not just pixels and numbers on a screen. It sounds arbitrary and nonsensical, but I think I understand the sort of difference that makes. Like a subconscious switch in our heads from even acknowledging that what we're seeing relates to something real, the end result automatically becomes a touch more intimate.

Floating around since 2017, Harold Halibut has really been stunning audiences for a while now, but it wasn't until the April 2021 reveal that we got a chance to really see, and geek out about, how exciting all of this looks. From the exaggeration of the character designs that borders somewhere between the wacky nature of Wallace and Gromit but still retain sensible face structure for a more personal-based story, to the environments which are, like the characters, built in the real world with little dioramas and then, presumably, scanned into the game. (Or at least parts of them are) Which brings to mind that comparison with Fantasian, a whole RPG made with 3D scanned environments that had this aura of comprehensiveness to it's world and a realism you could almost touch. I see this in parts of the storytrailer for Harold Halibut, such as with a little alcove/newstand with a floral print table spread, the likes of which you've seen a thousand times if you live over in Europe.

So enamoured have I been with the look and feel of Harold Halibut, that I've actually tended to put the story itself off to one side, figuring it to not be as important; although in truth the link is integral, as I've been discussing how the game seems built for an intimate and less excitable narrative without backing it up with evidence. Well, similar to a sedate narrative based experience, Harold Halibut is set on a space station full of people searching for a home, and in that vein the game is said to be about friendship and connecting with people, which can certainly be sensed in the footage released thusfar. You won't see explosions or daring capers, or a tornado of unknownable origins coming to devastate a small town in the middle of nowhere in a lacklustre finale episode with the most hollow ending choice of the entire genre. (Wow, I released a bit of pent-up frustration there) There instead seems to be a lot of gentle-paced exploration, taking in the exquisite scenery and getting to know oneself by learning about others. Real wholesome stuff.

But I'll be honest it's the look that's getting me through the door, because I just can't get over how good this game is when it breathes. It's clear enough how stop animation was a big part of the inspiration behind this, but bringing it to life in a video game either took incredible patience or heavy computer assistance because I haven't seen a single frame of the stuttering I'd associate with even the highest tier stop animation. Heck, if it wasn't for the actual movements themselves I'd think this was entirely fluidly animated, but there's a rustic heart there which is indiscernible but instantly recognisable. Honestly, I file games like this alongside Cuphead and other titles which look like they belong alongside anything other than other videogames. (And I of course mean that in a good way; this sort of quality makes the product feel like a movie.)

Needless to say, with something this creative and unmatched across gaming there's not really a prospective dare to launch yet, which is fine by me. I can live off teasers of this wonderous looking thing forever and be happy, the unquantifiable nature of the project almost makes it all the better for an observer like me. (Although I guess the creators are actually going to be wanting compensation for their hardwork at some point, so it has to actually come out.) I just bristle with jealous excitement whenever anything like this sparks up because it's an example of passion and talent that I just wish everyone in the development space could have a fraction of, not least of all myself. May the lesser seen market continue to push on what we assume games can be in order to shock and awe for the foreseeable future, I wouldn't want it any other way.