It may not have been animated by Nick Park, director and writer of films like Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit, but Harold Halibut certainly shares a similar claymation aesthetic to Park’s work. And it seems the handmade aquatic adventure will finally make its way to PC and consoles.
Comprised entirely of real world supplies and made in Unity, Harold Halibut aims to bridge the analog and the digital in a narrative exploration game that combines underwater atmosphere and self-reflective humor. Cologne-based developers Slow Bros. sculpts, paints, and glues together the models and puppets that make up the world of Harold Halibut, while a team of digital artists renders these objects into the virtual space much like a Tim Burton or Wes Anderson film. The game follows a clumsy lab-assistant and janitor who was born on a submerged spaceship that crash-landed on an alien planet made entirely of water. Never knowing what life was like on Earth, Harold spends much of his time daydreaming about what’s beyond the raggedy ship he’s stuck inside. After spotting an unidentified swimming object, Harold becomes obsessed with uncovering the mystery behind this aquatic planet.
“Harold Halibut started out as a dinner table conversation about the adventure games we played as children. The result works like a game but it looks like a stop-motion film. Welded metal, carefully sewn textiles against tiny wooden floorboards, and clay faces the size of walnuts pull the player into Harold’s world,” said Slow Bros. designer, writer, and composer Onat Hekimoglu.
Harold Halibut will be strutting his way to PC and consoles sometime in 2019. You can watch the game’s trailer above.
