Harold Halibut Impresses Early but Loses Steam Later

Harold Halibut, a stop-motion adventure game that first released on other platforms in 2024, drew attention before launch with trailers showing its distinctive visual style, which uses character models based on scans of real marionettes and hand-crafted sets. The atmospheric music and promise of emotional storytelling made it seem like a must-play.

The game's story follows a crashed spaceship and its crew stranded on an ocean planet. Its aesthetic has been compared to Wes Anderson animated films such as Isle of Dogs or Fantastic Mr Fox. The early impression was that Harold Halibut could set new standards for what games can achieve visually and narratively.

However, the experience struggles in its second half. While the initial hours showcase the creative stop-motion art and engaging characters, the pacing and narrative momentum decline as the game progresses. What starts as a promising contender ends up feeling flawed.

The review notes that this won't be the first critique to mention being wowed by the pre-launch trailer only to find the full game uneven. The ambitious emotional storytelling that seemed so compelling early on does not sustain itself through the entire adventure.