It’s hard not to be impressed by Slow Bros.’s adventure, crafted with great attention to detail from the first minutes. The models, environments and other elements are carefully created in a stop-motion style that immediately distinguishes Harold Halibut from anything I’ve played before. Developer and publisher Slow Bros. has been working on this for over a decade and it shows.
If you don’t know, Harold Halibut is a new narrative adventure game. Set in the future on a ship that has crashed on a water planet, the player takes on the role of protagonist Harold Halibut, an everyman struggling to find his place on a ship where seemingly everyone has a purpose and stands out .
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As we have already said, the first thing that will captivate you about Harold Halibut is his looks. Each of the models was hand-crafted and then scanned into the game, creating a visual style that seems strange at first, but becomes more comforting and charming the more you like it. It brilliantly reflects the environment of the ship (aka Fedora), as at first you can’t understand how anyone could enjoy life on this cold, metallic ship trapped in the dark depths of an alien planet, but ever more you learn about it Fedora people, you get to a point where you wouldn’t mind vacationing there.
Harold Halibut draws inspiration from many media for his visual style, world building, and storytelling. Similarities can be found between Lovecraft, the Ghibli films and Aardman, but at no point does one feel like they are parasites risking taking over Harold Halibut. Instead, Slow Bros. does an excellent job of making the story and world feel truly unique at all times. The alien designs are particularly interesting as they look completely strange, but are still full of personality and very friendly.
Harold Halibut’s story covers many important themes. It’s primarily about friendship, but also about loneliness, a sense of home, found family, loss and other topics. Despite this, it never falters too much, as the comedy and charm woven into the script ensure a constant feeling of lightness. Most people would see a setting like a trapped underwater ship and immediately think of the horror potential, but Slow Bros.’s adventure is so vivid, with so much heart, that even in the few dark moments you know there is light will come soon.
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The story slows down a bit in the middle, because even if you grow to like the characters and get involved in the various side quests on the map, it can happen that little happens. At the beginning you will immerse yourself in all the mysteries that the Fedora and its inhabitants pose. Who are the Guardians of the Light? What secrets is the nefarious All Water Corporation hiding? How can Harold look so wizened when he’s only twenty? By the end you’ll have the answers you need as Harold Halibut prepares for a loud and moving finale, but between a very strong beginning and end it can feel like we’re just treading water.
There isn’t much to do outside of the main story either. On the one hand, the trust Slow Bros. places in the narrative is commendable, but on the other hand, it can also prevent the player from feeling like they have a say in what happens. There are mini-games in the ship’s arcade, and some sections require you to do more than just walk and talk, but otherwise the story is all you have. Harold Halibut is a game you experience, not a narrative adventure you choose. It’s a game that relies heavily on atmosphere, which makes it all the more important that Slow Bros. does such a good job of drawing you in from the start and involving you in the lives of these stop-motion people.
Although the visual style sets Harold Halibut apart, I think the music creates the best atmosphere. The soundtrack can be haunting, empty and charming all at the same time. It uses the strangeness of Harold Halibut’s world to great effect, and is perfectly showcased in the game’s best moments. It helps cover up the montages you see in the game, which without their lovely music might have served as a reminder that you don’t have much to do in this story.
Harold Halibut is a beautiful game. Short, sweet, full of individuality and incredible characters made even more endearing by the impressive voice performances – it’s a game born out of pure passion. It’s a unique experience that is sure to delight any fan of narrative adventures and shows that Slow Bros. can play in the league of the genre’s greats.
