Claymation lives on!
The Neverhoodwas one of the more unfortunate commercial failures of the point-and-click era. It was a one-of-a-kind (two-of-a-kind if you include itsPS1 platformer sequel) claymation adventure from the mind of Doug TenNapel, creator ofEarthworm Jim. A game with such a striking aesthetic deserved a much better commercial reception, and its poor performance basically guaranteed that we’d never see anything as remarkable again.
Butsurprise, surprise! TenNapel has rejoined Mike Dietz and Ed Schofield, both who have worked onEarthworm JimandThe Neverhood, for a spiritual sequel calledArmikrog. Like its predecessor, it’ll be a point-and-click adventure rendered entirely in clay. But since no publisher is willing to back such a project anymore, the boys have taken toKickstarterto amass $900k, much less than the cost of the original game.
It gets even better: Terry S. Taylor, composer ofThe Neverhood‘s bizarre soundtrack, is back forArmikrog. Also on board lending their voice talents are Mike Nelson (Mystery Science Theater 3000), Veronica Belmont (Revision3’sTekzilla), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Scott Kurtz (creator of the webcomicPVP), and Yakko Warner himself, Rob Paulsen (dude gets around lately).
Armikrog, if funded, should come out next summer on PC, Mac, and Linux.
