Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out now!! IGN 8.

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Monkey Man
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PostHarold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out now!! IGN 8.
by Monkey Man » Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:50 am

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Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game about friendship and life on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean. Join Harold as he explores a vibrant retro-future world in his quest to find the true meaning of ‘home’.

https://slow-bros.com/harold-halibut

Developer: Slow Bros.
Publisher: Slow Bros.
Platform: Xbox Series X|S/Microsoft Windows 10/Steam/Game Pass/Xbox Cloud Gaming/PS5.
Release Date: 16th April 2024.
Genre: Adventure
Length: 12-15hrs
Price: £29.50 (15% off at launch on Steam) or free with Game Pass.
Open Critic & Metacritic: 73% on MC - https://www.metacritic.com/game/harold-halibut/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/9247 ... d_Halibut/
https://www.facebook.com/HaroldHalibut/
https://twitter.com/HaroldHalibut
https://www.instagram.com/harold_halibut/

ABOUT THIS GAME

Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game about friendship and life on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean.

It’s been 250 years since your home - an ark-like spaceship - fled an Earth on the verge of cold war to find a habitable planet to preserve the human race.

You are Harold, a young lab assistant for the ship’s lead scientist, Jeanne Mareaux. While most of the ship’s inhabitants have reconciled themselves to a life lived aboard the sunken ship, Mareaux still works tirelessly to find a way for the ship to leave the planet and find a new, dryer home.

But the weird, wonderful and diverse people of the FEDORA I keep Harold busy too… Until one fateful encounter plunges Harold into a world no one could have imagined - and one that may hold the key to Mareaux’s re-launch plans.

Join Harold as he explores a vibrant retro-future world in his quest to find the true meaning of ‘home’.

Features:

Unique Stop-Motion Aesthetics: Every element in Harold Halibut is a tactile and meticulously hand-crafted using traditional sculpting and model-making techniques.
Full Voice Acting: All of the Fedoras' wonderful inhabitants come to life with full English voiceover, elevating the game's narrative to cinematic proportions.
An expansive Character Ensemble: Meet a variety of unique characters and get to know their personalities, quirks and stories through meaningful conversations.
A riveting cinematic storyline: Journey through a captivating narrative, underscored by a carefully orchestrated script that blends drama, humor, and suspense.


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Last edited by Monkey Man on Tue Apr 16, 2024 5:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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kazanova_Frankenstein
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by kazanova_Frankenstein » Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:02 am

Lovely :wub:

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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by Victor Mildew » Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:07 am

The fedora?? So it uses stop m' otion animation.

Hexx wrote:Ad7 is older and balder than I thought.
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Knoyleo
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by Knoyleo » Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:10 am

Victor Mildew wrote:The fedora?? So it uses stop m' otion animation.

More like Harold Incelibut, am I right?

pjbetman wrote:That's the stupidest thing ive ever read on here i think.
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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by Victor Mildew » Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:21 am

Knoyleo wrote:
Victor Mildew wrote:The fedora?? So it uses stop m' otion animation.

More like Harold Incelibut, am I right?


I would also have accepted Harold the nice fry.

Hexx wrote:Ad7 is older and balder than I thought.
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ITSMILNER
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by ITSMILNER » Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:44 am

Tried the demo on Steam and it looks so good, like Coraline or Frankenweenie style.

Ran a bit funky on the Steam Deck at the time but it was a pre-release build so hoping it’s tuned up before release.

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Monkey Man
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.
by Monkey Man » Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:24 pm

Reviews -

IGN - 8

Harold Halibut is a wholesome, handcrafted adventure with plenty of heart.

https://www.ign.com/articles/harold-halibut-review

Shacknews - 9

2024 has been a year so full of RPGs I can’t begin to imagine ever being able to finish all of them. Coming across Harold Halibut in the middle of so many massive, complicated adventures was a breath of fresh air. Just being able to slow down, soak in all the impressive minutia of a world built entirely by hand in an art studio, and wonder about what it was like to construct and digitize, felt like a release. I was able to let go a bit of having control over every piece of a game, and still have a story in front of me that was thoughtful and engaging enough to sit with me well after the credits rolled. Even the parts that felt rough around the edges were refreshing, as they enhanced the very human feelings that are so clearly front and center here. Harold Halibut is the kind of game I discovered by accident, but one I’m grateful to have come across in that way.

https://www.shacknews.com/article/13949 ... view-score

Metro - 6

It would probably make a better movie than a game, but there’s still a unique charm about Harold Halibut and his slow-paced journey to discover his place in life.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/15/harold-h ... -20650289/

Gamesradar - 4 out of 5

Harold Halibut's sunken spaceship adventure on an alien planet is a stop-motion-style delight filled with meticulously crafted models and surprisingly moving writing, but awkward controls and occasionally clunky animations mar an otherwise excellent title.

https://www.gamesradar.com/harold-halibut-review/

PC Gamer - 60%

A great artstyle and flashes of brilliance never truly make up for a meandering, risk-averse plot.

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure ... ut-review/

MC - https://www.metacritic.com/game/harold-halibut/

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rinks
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by rinks » Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:08 pm

That's a bit more encouraging.

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Knoyleo
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by Knoyleo » Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:16 pm

Already Steam Deck verified. :datass:

Do we know how much this is likely to be on PC? No prepurchase option on Steam at the moment.

pjbetman wrote:That's the stupidest thing ive ever read on here i think.
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by Moggy » Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:24 pm

Wes Anderson: The Game

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rinks
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by rinks » Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:27 pm


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kazanova_Frankenstein
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by kazanova_Frankenstein » Tue Apr 16, 2024 7:41 am

That video still gives me the fear.

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rinks
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by rinks » Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:47 am

It's a masterpiece. Though I prefer the video for the song Prison Sex (carefully worded to avoid No Context).

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rinks
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by rinks » Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:49 am

Weird that there's no indication of price yet, but Game Pass obviously removes that concern.

EDIT: According to a post on the Steam community:
The game will cost $34.99 USD / €34,99 / £29.50. Additionally, there will be a launch discount of 15%. So within the launch week you can get it for around $29,99 USD.

Bit steep? Wonder what the console price will be!

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kazanova_Frankenstein
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by kazanova_Frankenstein » Tue Apr 16, 2024 10:14 am

Game Pass has saved me a fortuna.

Pretty much everything I have read about this makes me thing I will like it. Story driven, slow burn and based on a guy who is miserable in his job but puts a brave face on it to the outside world.

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Monkey Man
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by Monkey Man » Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:31 pm

twitter.com/haroldhalibut/status/1780219713831760080


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rinks
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by rinks » Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:39 pm

It's... 52GB!

Thank heck I'm on FTTH now. I'd be spitting.

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Knoyleo
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by Knoyleo » Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:59 pm

Just under 50p per GB, what a bargain!

pjbetman wrote:That's the stupidest thing ive ever read on here i think.
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Knoyleo
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.
by Knoyleo » Tue Apr 16, 2024 5:49 pm

Setting my Steam Deck refresh rate to 24fps for an authentic stop motion animation feel. :lol:

pjbetman wrote:That's the stupidest thing ive ever read on here i think.
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Robbo-92
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PostRe: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out now!! IGN 8.
by Robbo-92 » Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:11 pm

This actually looks rather intriguing, might give it a download as its on Game Pass, be nice to actually get some more use out of it this year :lol:

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