Harold Halibut

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’. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

Though plaudits will be rightly levelled at its appearance, Harold Halibut is equally as impressive when it comes to its narrative, world-building, and how both are realised. Despite being relatively light in gameplay terms, the game packs a punch where it matters by sticking its landing and proving beyond doubt that the answer to the meaning of life may be closer to home than you think.

Harold Halibut is a heartfelt and handcrafted tale of human existence, delivering charming, profound, and deeply funny writing guaranteed to put a smile on your face. What Slow Bros has managed to achieve with its visual style is masterful and, for our money, it's now one of the best looking games on Xbox. The gameplay can feel repetitive at times, and the writing can drag in places, but ultimately we had a great experience seeing it through to the end. If you’ve got a Game Pass subscription, it’s worth checking the game out for its aesthetic alone. Harold Halibut won’t be for everybody, but f...

It has long been recognized by sociologists that someone’s happiness isn’t really dependent on circumstances. Unhappy people who win the lottery level-set back to unhappy not long after. Happy and content people are generally that way whether they’re rich, poor, or in between. I thought of that while playing Slow Bros’ Harold Halibut. One of the things that it’s about is contentment, what it means, and where to find it.

Harold Halibut is stunning with its stop motion-style graphics. It tells a wholesome story with hilarious moments and loveable characters. That being said, its pacing and gameplay issues did tarnish my ten hour playtime experience.

Harold Halibut is a triumph in its characters and visuals but struggles to stay afloat under its own scope and ambitions.

A visually arresting, warm-hearted tale of a gofer searching for his purpose, Harold Halibut flounders amongst endless fetch-quests and waffle.

Harold Halibut stands out for its painstakingly gorgeous stop-motion animation, but as a game it falls short of the mark. If you’re looking for a charming story with plenty of heart, Harold’s shortcomings are absolutely worth pushing through. But those looking for something more engaging would be better to look elsewhere.

Things aren't necessarily better down where it's wetter.

“Harold Halibut makes some key compromises to make its eye-popping claymation art style work.”

Harold Halibut is a bit like visiting an aquarium for the umpteenth time — yes, it's visually interesting, offering a glimpse into a submerged alien world, but once the initial intrigue is gone, you're essentially on a long, and quite dull, walk. This narrative-focused sci-fi adventure starts off with a promising premise and enchanting art style, but it doesn't take long before the facade falls to reveal what is ultimately a protracted and shallow game.

Harold Halibut is a remarkable accomplishment from a visual standpoint, its breathtaking stop-motion presentation a glorious sight to marvel at. Though in its pursuit of innovative design, it all but overlooks everything else it takes to piece together a worthwhile video game. Lacking in interactivity, it certainly isn’t an experience everyone will enjoy.