Harold Halibut Combines Video Games and Handicrafts
Claymation Point and Click
Just when you think this industry might be getting a little stagnant, someone goes and makes a game out of clay and Popsicle sticks. Touting itself as a "handmade adventure game", Harold Halibut [official site] is being made entirely in stop-motion. The game started out as a dinner table conversation, before the team started playing with the idea, crafting sets and puppets out of textiles, welded metal, and recycled wood.
The story takes on something of a sci-fi spin, as the characters try to relaunch their spaceship that has crash landed on an ocean planet. Enter Harold, resident janitor, who takes it upon himself to help out the captain by keeping things interesting for the ship's inhabitants...whatever that entails. Oh, Harold. There are also secrets to uncover, because it is an adventure game, after all.
This could veer dangerously close to some pretty saccharine territory, or it could be pretty darn charming. There's no way to tell for now, but there is this neat video that shows how the team designed the characters and set pieces:
The designers have clearly put a lot of love and effort into this project, having built everything by hand--no detail was spared, from the puppets' delicate clothing to the metal knobs on the furniture. We don't know a whole lot about this game just yet, but the development team has promised more frequent updates on their official blog.
[The Dream Machine is still my favourite handcrafted adventure game -ed.]