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Old process creates a new look
DreamWorks Interactive 'molds' original 3-D debut
November 14, 1996
Web posted at: 10:30 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Dick Wilson
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A new CD-ROM adventure uses an old process to create a new look for high-tech computer and video games. (19 sec. /832K QuickTime movie)
The much anticipated debut release from DreamWorks Interactive, "The Neverhood" was created with claymation, rather than computer animation and graphics.
The new offering is most original and very entertaining, while both bizarre and baffling.
"The Neverhood" is an odd-ball adventure set in a clay-animated, CD-ROM universe. The setting is a neighborhood that never was. A bizarre landscape cast from some unearthly, broken mold. The player is a "klayman," a new-born claymation hero.
"Computer games are all going to 3-D. Everything looks so cold and calculated with 3-D polygons and texture mapping and what we call pseudo-shadows. Clay casts real shadows. It is a real object existing in space. It just feels like it's more believable than even the most realistic 3-D game," said the games creator, Douglas TenNapel.
The game takes place at the end of the third age -- and something horrible has befallen your new home. It's up to you to find out what it is and make it better.
The Neverhood is a place full of mysterious artifacts, extraordinary machines and terrifying monsters.
Players must navigate their way through a twisted plot of biblical proportions, uncovering ancient secrets, solving challenging puzzles and using clever inventions .
The game's interface redefines the term intuitive. Just push every button, pick up every object and walk to every place you can. Klaymen will store any items you find and bring them out when you need them.
It took 3 1/2 tons of clay and as much creativity to produce "The Neverhood." Fifty thousand frames of stop-motion animation let you interact with a variety of interesting objects, characters and devices.
The sound track is a delightful mix of atonal Dixieland jazz and blues tunes. It's a perfect accompaniment to your exploration of hidden hallways, trap doors and the secrets of more than sixty puzzles.
"Every kind of puzzle we could think of -- we just totally emptied the war chest on this one. It has basically everyone of our favorite kind of puzzles that we worked with," said TenNapel.
The Neverhood stands alone in its sheer entertainment appeal. Its inane story line, original humor and unique visual design should make it an instant hit with a loyal, cult following.
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