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

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:50 am
by Monkey Man
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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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Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:02 am
by kazanova_Frankenstein
Lovely :wub:

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:07 am
by Victor Mildew
The fedora?? So it uses stop m' otion animation.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:10 am
by Knoyleo
Victor Mildew wrote:The fedora?? So it uses stop m' otion animation.

More like Harold Incelibut, am I right?

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:21 am
by Victor Mildew
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.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:44 am
by ITSMILNER
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.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out 16th April.

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:24 pm
by Monkey Man
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/

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:08 pm
by rinks
That's a bit more encouraging.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:16 pm
by Knoyleo
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.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:24 pm
by Moggy
Wes Anderson: The Game

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:27 pm
by rinks

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 7:41 am
by kazanova_Frankenstein
That video still gives me the fear.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:47 am
by rinks
It's a masterpiece. Though I prefer the video for the song Prison Sex (carefully worded to avoid No Context).

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:49 am
by rinks
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!

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 10:14 am
by kazanova_Frankenstein
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.

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:31 pm
by Monkey Man

twitter.com/haroldhalibut/status/1780219713831760080


Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:39 pm
by rinks
It's... 52GB!

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

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:59 pm
by Knoyleo
Just under 50p per GB, what a bargain!

Re: Harold Halibut (PC/PS5/XSX|S/Game Pass) - Handmade narrative game out on Tuesday. IGN 8.

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 5:49 pm
by Knoyleo
Setting my Steam Deck refresh rate to 24fps for an authentic stop motion animation feel. :lol:

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

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:11 pm
by Robbo-92
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: