Xbox Series X|SPC (Microsoft Windows)PlayStation 5Mac2024

Harold Halibut

Dive into this nautic adventure as curiosity will guide you through a space ship wreck on an unknown planet made up of water. When one of the lead scientists still on board tries to unriddle the possibility of a relaunch young Janitor Harold is around to assist her. Join Harold in his clumsy undertakings to stir up the ark-like ship’s stale day-to-day life and find the secrets that lie behind its doors. Underwater atmosphere, self-reflective humor and contemporary adventure mechanics make up the foundation of this game created entirely out of craft supplies.

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Storyline

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 on which 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 of course the weird, wonderful and diverse people of the Fedora keep Harold busy too. Until one fateful encounter plunges Harold into a new world that nobody could have guessed existed - and one that may hold the key to Mareaux’s re-launch plans. Join Harold as he explores a vibrant retro-future world, talks (with full voice acting) to its inhabitants, and occasionally goes hands on by sticking screwdrivers in things, operating complex machinery, and more in his quest to find the true meaning of ‘home’.

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Screenshots

Very Positive

1,142 Steam reviews

Review History

LANGUAGE	AUDIO	SUBTITLES	INTERFACE
English	Y	Y	Y
Chinese (Simplified)	—	Y	Y
French	—	Y	Y
German	—	Y	Y
Italian	—	Y	Y
Japanese	—	Y	Y
Korean	—	Y	Y
Portuguese (Brazil)	—	Y	Y
Russian	—	Y	Y
Spanish (Spain)	—	Y	Y
Turkish	—	Y	Y

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Keywords

underwater detective dystopian cinematic spaceship claymation walking simulator narration atmospheric story rich narrative adventure wholesome cozy lore rich

Reviews

1,142 total

≥h

Steam User 3382STEAMRecommended

Man ist in einer Art unterirdischen Stadt, die auf einem fremden Planeten (?) im Meer schwimmt.
Diese Stadt wird von einem Unternehmen namens All Water betrieben.
Die Stadt besteht aus mehreren Stationen, welche über eine Art Rohr-Transport-System miteinander verbunden ist.

Das Spiel spielt sich wie ein interaktiver Knetfilm.
Deutsches Studio, aber nur Englische Sprachausgabe mit Untertiteln.
Gameplay mäßig ist es eigentlich nur von A nach B laufen und die Aktionstaste auf dem Controller drücken.
Stört mich als Fan von Walking Simulatoren jetzt nicht, aber wer hier ein klassisches Point and Click Game mit Rätseln usw. erwartet, wird enttäuscht.

Mar 28, 2026·17h·Verified

Steam User 9319STEAMRecommended

Harold Halibut is a really fantastic game with so much beauty to it. The hand-made feel and the texture really sells the illusion of it actually being stop-motion, which as a stop-motion animator I almost wonder if it was harder than just creating a stop motion animation!!

The characters are rich, full of personality and feel real. They're entertaining and have quirks just like real people do, even if some are more odd than most! Harold himself feels to me very-autistic coded and his general communication style, personality and mannerisms are down-to-earth and relatable. He's a fun protagonist to play, and an interesting one too as it's not something we typically see!

I'm not that far into it so far, but I'm really excited to see where the story goes, especially with the underlying tones of a corrupt dictatorship/dystopian governance keeping them in the submarine. It also has a special place in my heart having been bought for me by a close friend after I talked about wanting it for ages hehe. Should hopefully post an updated review when I've finished it :)

Mar 27, 2026·6h

Steam User 8166STEAMRecommended

If I had to spend the rest of my life in a fictional universe, I would like to spend it on Fedora

Mar 27, 2026·9h·Verified

Steam User 2330STEAMNot recommended

очень нудно... по сути это игры "принеси подай - иди на... не мешай"

Mar 27, 2026·9h·Verified

Steam User 7839STEAMRecommended

Artisticamente e visivamente impeccabile, la tecnica in stop-motion realizzata magistralmente (ci credo che gli ci sono voluti quasi 10 anni per sviluppare sto gioco), molti si sono lamentati per la "lentezza" e per il fatto che si basa interamente sui suoi personaggi e sulla sua storia (e ci credo che è così: è un'avventura grafica interattiva dannazione, cosa si aspettavano?), ma io non l'ho visto come un lato negativo.
A livello di storia e di narrazione è ben scritto e non annoia mai, e i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati e diversificati (protagonista compreso), TUTTAVIA il gioco presenta alcune peculiarità che a me hanno dato MOLTO fastidio, e cioè l'inserimento dei personaggi non-binary, l'uso dei pronomi, l'ideologia gender e sopratutto quella *** di canzone "Oh bella ciao" inserita COMPLETAMENTE a caso che (da italiano quale sono) mi sono stufato di sentire ovunque, e che quindi avrei voluto evitare di ritrovarmela pure qui.
Poi piccola nota finale per gli sviluppatori: voglio segnalare un bug presente nella versione Steam deck del gioco per quanto riguarda i filmati dove, per qualche motivo, quando parte un filmato compare un immagine delle barre colorate verticali, non so se ho solo io questo problema, ma su internet non ho trovato nessuna informazione, quindi la segnalo per ogni eventualità.

Mar 26, 2026·18h·Verified

Steam User 3798STEAMRecommended

This is a hard decision. First the negative - its unbearably slow for anybody who can not sit down 2 hours on a breton coastline to watch the ocean and wait for the sea gulls. There is no "game" - no possibility to loose, no decisions. The actions of the player (not the character though) are irrelavant - the player is just the motor that continues to turn the hand crank on the mutoscope - if they stop playing, the film just stops. Its schlepping from A to B to C to B to C to A to D, with bits of conversation thrown in, and long, long cinematic talking shots.

I still want to advocate experiencing the game as the art style is quite lovely, the characters move all quite human-like, and the later part introduces a new family of characters that give new thinking about communication, understanding and purpose. Somebody put a lot of effort in it. While I personally need more decision capability to actually perceive it as an interactive story, I support the devs decision to show exactly what THEY felt when making, and sharing it with people. Again - its perhaps not quite great as a game, but its great as art.

Mar 26, 2026·18h·Verified

Steam User 8805STEAMRecommended

I recommend going into it not expecting to play a game, but perhaps to watch a anthropology in claymation.

It's offbeat, alternative, and slow to the point that you might accidentally slip into a coma at times. The art and the voice acting are fantastic. It's really really well made and will surprise you with one or two absolute diamond moments that make you feel something. Those moments have stuck with me 2 years after playing it. If for nothing else, it was worth playing for that.

Mar 23, 2026·4h·Verified

Steam User 7110STEAMNot recommended

Oyun görselliğiyle diğer türlerinden ayrılıyor çizimsi grafikleriyle baya farklı bir tat oluşturuyor hikayesi belli bir merak unsuru oluşturuyor lakin tempo çok düşük ve sonunda acaba ne olucak diye beklerken bana kalırsa sönük bir sonla bitiyor her ne kadar gazlamaya çalışsalarda oynanışta ise daha çok bir yürüme simülasyonu belli başlı küçük oynanış ögeleri var ama yetersiz içinizi ısıtıyor oyun lakin eğlendirmiyor steam deckte oynamak için almıştım ve steam deckte sorunsuz oynadım belli yerlerde fps düşüşleri olsada ama pc üzerinden ne yalan söyleyim oynamazdım oyun süresi bu tarz bir oyun için uzun

Mar 22, 2026·8h·Verified

Steam User 5379STEAMRecommended

Probably the most visually impressive game I’ve ever played, but also one of the slowest.

Harold Halibut shows outstanding craftsmanship; the stop-motion style feels completely authentic, and every texture looks tangible. Especially in the last chapters, the game is genuinely stunning.

But the gameplay can be agonizingly slow and often feels monotone. You’re mostly walking back and forth and sitting through long dialogue sequences, and Harold talks sooo slowly, which makes it even more painful.

The story is lovely, the characters are interesting (Harold in particular), and the soundtrack fits the atmosphere really well.

Overall, I’d give it a 7/10. It probably could have been a few hours shorter or used more gameplay variety to feel tighter. Still, the artistry alone makes it memorable, and knowing how much work went into those handcrafted visuals makes them even more impressive.

Hope to see more from Slow Bros! :)

Mar 19, 2026·15h

Steam User 8285STEAMNot recommended

bad optimization, good ideas but badly executed, weird and boring level and quest designs. Steamdeck is not the best way to play this

Mar 17, 2026·11h·Verified

Steam User 5649STEAMRecommended

Very chill story driven game. Good game to play to wind down. Some minor graphical stutters at the beginning of game that get better over time. I'd recommend picking this up on sale.

Mar 17, 2026·19h·Verified

Steam User 6362STEAMRecommended

I loved every second.

Mar 16, 2026·91h·Verified

Steam User 5988STEAMRecommended

Harold Halibut is a special, well crafted game!
it's clay-mation art style is the first thing that draws you in, then you discover the story... which is another beast on it's own, while being silly and humourous it tells a much deeper story at the same time,
about belonging and purpose in life.

The game plays like an interactive movie, and is a slower cozy kind of game, the first half of the game more so than the later half, where it really opens up.

However I did encounter some bugs and technical problems with the game.
the game stutters quite frequently, I tried to lower the resolution but to no avail.
also sometimes a marker would appear above some characters heads but i could not interact with them or the conversations would be delayed.
I also encountered a bug with "Weeoo" disappearing so I couldn't continue on with the story.

If you currently expericence a game burn out, Harold Halbut is a game I can recommend trying out.
I would love for a sequel to this excellent game in the future!

Mar 15, 2026·13h·1·Verified

Steam User 8539STEAMRecommended

I was more captivated by the story than the art. It's worth it if you're able to take value away from having to sit with yourself, little things become more interesting. The pace of the game seems intentional and the tone is unique, I didn't find it to be that gloomy.

Mar 15, 2026·23h·Verified

Steam User 3092STEAMRecommended

Красивое интерактивное кино

Mar 14, 2026·19h·Verified

Steam User 9664STEAMNot recommended

GIOCO DI MERDA 8 ORE DI ROTTURE DI CAZZO L'UNICA PARTE CARINA TRA MOLTE VIRGOLETTE è QUELLA DEL POSTINO...

Mar 14, 2026·10h·Verified

Steam User 2425STEAMRecommended

ALL/10 water

Mar 7, 2026·19h·Verified

Steam User 9463STEAMRecommended

This is a truly refreshing adventure game.
The characters were all well defined and full of life. Artwork and animation top notch. The story was intriguing and well thought out. I appreciated the to do list which made tasks easy to accomplish and move the game forward. There were many emotional moments in the game that tied us in to the characters lives and the choices they made.
In fact the only disappointment I had, even though I know it was Harold's choice to stay, was not going on a new adventure home with his space family.
Only complaint I have, would be the tube travel animation every time he travels since there is so much of that that needs to be done.
But it definitely doesn't detract from the great story. In fact, I'd love to see some kind of sequel. Maybe Harold has to go and rescue his space family in some space mishap. Or they come back to help with some catastrophe with Harold's new found home.
Definitely would recommend to any adventure game fan.

Mar 4, 2026·19h·1·Verified

Steam User 6619STEAMRecommended

É um jogo maravilhoso. Buddy, meu camarada, te amamos!

Mar 4, 2026·16h·1·Verified

Steam User 1797STEAMNot recommended

Mar 3, 2026·Verified

Steam User 1757STEAMRecommended

Harold Halibut is a fascinating example of aesthetic ambition sometimes outpacing narrative momentum. Its most striking achievement is undeniably the art direction — every environment painstakingly handcrafted from clay and captured through stop-motion techniques, giving the world a tactile warmth that feels almost archival, like you’re exploring a preserved artifact rather than a digital space. It’s rare to see a game so fully committed to a visual philosophy, and that commitment carries much of the experience.

The setting — a submerged, city-sized superstructure drifting through an alien ocean — is conceptually rich, evoking themes of isolation, stagnation, and quiet resilience. Much of the game is spent observing the inhabitants of the Fedora I, and while their day-to-day lives are rendered with genuine affection and detail, the deliberate pacing can feel both immersive and, at times, indulgent. The game often prioritizes mood over momentum, which will either feel meditative or frustrating depending on your tolerance for slow narrative progression.

Where the experience becomes more compelling is in its latter sections, particularly as the third chapter expands the scope with stranger biology and hints of a larger mystery beyond the walls of the ship. These moments give the story a needed sense of escalation, though the emotional and thematic payoffs remain intentionally understated rather than cathartic.

Ultimately, it’s less a traditionally plotted story and more an exercise in atmosphere and texture — a game about inhabiting a space rather than conquering it. Its strengths lie in its patience, craftsmanship, and tone, while its weaknesses stem from a reluctance to push its narrative ideas as far as its worldbuilding suggests they could go.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3654125044
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3668547163
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3654125171

Feb 24, 2026·17h·10·Verified

Steam User 8025STEAMRecommended

This isn’t just a game! it’s a handcrafted world that breathes. You can feel the fingerprints in every corridor, every object, every tiny prop sitting on a shelf. The stop-motion style isn’t a gimmick; it’s the soul of the experience. Every frame looks like it took someone hours of love to create, and that care translates directly into emotion on screen. It’s warm, tactile, and deeply human in a way most games never even attempt.

And the writing… wow. The narrative moves at its own pace! slow, intentional, reflective, and it trusts you to sit with it. It’s not trying to overwhelm you with action; it wants you to live in this floating, forgotten ark of a society. The world feels lonely but never empty, melancholic but never hopeless. There’s this quiet, persistent question about purpose, routine, and what it means to belong that just seeps into you the longer you play.

The characters are extraordinary. Nobody feels like an NPC. They feel like people who existed long before you arrived and will keep existing after you leave. Their conversations are awkward, funny, tender, and sometimes painfully real. There’s so much subtext in the pauses, in the way they look at Harold, in the things they don’t say.

And Harold… what a protagonist. Soft-spoken, kind, a little lost, a little overwhelmed, but endlessly compassionate. He isn’t a hero in the traditional sense, and that’s exactly why he’s perfect. You don’t play Harold so much as you become him. His quiet curiosity, his patience, the way he listens…it makes every interaction feel meaningful. By the end, I didn’t feel like I had finished a game; I felt like I had lived a chapter of someone’s life.

Feb 24, 2026·55h·3·Verified

Steam User 0485STEAMRecommended

Игра...мультфильм. Мультфильм отличный. Давненько у нас не было такого визуального стиля. Музыка на месте, озвучка соответствует образам, персонажи прописаны.

Геймплей был усечен практически до нуля, это заметно. Приключение умышленно затянуто, чтобы зритель мог погрузиться в быт и рутину. Главное - персонажи, а значит - диалоги. Вариативности и интерактива ждать не стоит.

Потенциал у проекта был, но что вышло, то вышло. А получился добрый, неспешный линейный мультфильм с подтекстом - на подумать.

Feb 22, 2026·15h·2·Verified

Steam User 9964STEAMRecommended

Something special

Feb 21, 2026·11h·Verified

Steam User 2051STEAMRecommended

This is a really beautiful game. The atmosphere is really interesting and it made me want to explore the ship and talk to everyone i meet. I think the main character is really loveable. He's clumsy and forgetful, and the game sometimes makes it feel like he can't do anything without us, the player. so it's a little meta in that aspect. The way he solves puzzles is also really funny becasue he doesn't know what he's supposed to do, therefore the player also doesn't know lol. I just found him to be a very charming character.
I think people that like Project Hail Mary would like this game. Harold Halibut had many aspects that reminded me of this book :)

Feb 19, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 5315STEAMNot recommended

never write a main character that is too pathetic, or awful dialogues you cant just skip out of. or even worse awful preachy dialogue. the art direction is ok though

Feb 19, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 6228STEAMRecommended

♥

Feb 18, 2026·20h·Verified

Steam User 1424STEAMRecommended

This game is special. It beautifully mantains that handcrafted feeling throughout with thoughtful touches. I cannot recall a more visually appealing game in my memory. Thank you devs for your hard work over so many years.
I call upon the patient gamers. The cozy yet existential gamers. This is a long journey but it will be worth it. The quests will not hold your hand and tell you where people are, you need to remember names to faces and understand characters' roles and habits in order to find them on the ship. The majority of the experience is cutscenes.
So buckle up Fedorans and thank you for using All Water, we get you to where you're going :)

Feb 14, 2026·15h·4·Verified

Steam User 2353STEAMNot recommended

Troppo strascicato, troppi dialoghi che non si possono saltare, di una lentezza estenuante: non si può correre o passare direttamente ad un punto senza dover incamminarsi tutte le volte per i soliti corridoi ed ascensori vari infinite volte sacrificando inutilmente il tuo tempo e ciò, essendo la costanza del gioco, diventa decisamente frustrante e noioso. La Storia in sé è intima a tratti commovente e riflessiva. Plausi per la realizzazione grafica amanuense, è ciò per il quale se non altro merita. L'esplorazione resta comunque tediosa. Più che un gioco, è una storia grafica poco immersiva. Non rilassante per chi mentalmente ha quella di arrivare alla fine. Inoltre, se malauguratamente nelle tue esplorazioni ti fermi a guardare la TV, non salti più fuori dal gioco, tocca riavviare. Forse un Bug?

Feb 12, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 7235STEAMRecommended

Que experiência, viu?

Feb 11, 2026·11h·Verified

Steam User 6414STEAMRecommended

топчик

Feb 10, 2026·15h·Verified

Steam User 2515STEAMRecommended

I really enjoyed the game :,), was on my wishlist for awhile after watching a youtube reaction video. Playing it for myself so many years later, and seeing the beauty, the details, music, story, and it's humbling and real too to feel at times the pain and how relatable at times Harold is.

Thank you for your hardwork and creating a game that carries so much depth :,) loved every small detail and enjoyed every nook and cranny, even inside the stores, I had fun looking through the notebooks, drawings, meeting everyone. And Buddy.. really sparked my love for writing letters again, so thank you!

Feb 10, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 9430STEAMNot recommended

I feel bad writing this review, because the game's heart is in the right place. Unfortunately the experience was bland and unenjoyable. The characters were mostly unlikable or boring. I ended up finishing because I was holding out on perhaps the game turning it around and surprising me, but nothing like that happened. I don't mind slow games, in fact I play them quite a bit, but the game fell far short of what it was trying to accomplish, leaving me unsatisfied.

Feb 10, 2026·16h·9

Steam User 8388STEAMRecommended

5/10 算不上科幻顶多算奇幻童话。音画极佳游戏性极差的典范，这年头能做出这样的游戏也是不多见了…应该去和风来之国坐一桌
美术值得体验和欣赏，但是游戏性真的是近乎没有……

12/10 有一说一，这个组的定格动画和音乐真的是无可挑剔的强。
游戏里只要是纯纯播片的地方做的都相当的好。场景的小细节，大背景的渲染，角色动作其实也活灵活现，几乎没有卡顿感，真的比一般的黏土动画都要厉害很多。播片时候的运镜也颇有电影的感觉，尤其是最后两章的长播片。可惜人物表情没怎么做，没闭眼动作之类的，但也能理解。整体配乐也很优秀。后面章节播片时的几首插曲也是相当好听，就连选择界面的音乐做的也很好听上头。

3/10 游戏设计和落地就算放十年前都属于差的了。
一方面广为诟病的慢节奏和跑腿，这个放在快节奏的当下确实是很劝退。游戏性可以说非常低，互动小游戏也救不了。但其实…也能用塑造角色体验生活之类的圆过去…
另一方面，整个游戏的角色移动操作交互设计的给人一种非常强烈的程序学了三天unity就上岗的感觉…触发播片有个固定位置，在附近进行交互会走（或者瞬移_(:з)∠)_）到那个位置去。剧情进入后期进洞之后虽然机位有所变换，但是固定机位的角度让你行走的时候会卡视角非常迷惑。走在洞里太靠边会触发掉地板bug，进深洞的那个隧道进出竟然面对着屏幕走的，都看不到路…广播有时候必须听完才能动有时候又不用…有一种做了但是没完全做的迷惑，让人感觉可能这个组就没人给程序做测试和QA吧…总不能程序落地是主美兼职的吧？（level design好像真是主美）感觉这个组是十个人做粘土半个人做游戏。

5/10 剧情真的属于是童话剧。可以理解但不是很接受这种叙事，尤其是这个结尾…
和科幻一点关系没有，鱼人我甚至觉得可以纯当作一个意象看待…主要叙事还是着重在主角哈罗德在一个封闭压抑每日重复的环境里，通过一件突发的第三类接触而逐渐接受认清自我并且“为自己真正的做一次决定”这件事上。
[spoiler] 主角哈罗德是个老好人，他虽然在做事但是一直内心发问自己是否真的被需要。那种站在人潮中的孤独感其实是一种高度内化的痛苦。他自叙没有人尊重他没有人需要他大家给他做的都是自己不想干的事，其实游戏里大家都各种短信轰炸担心他担心的要死（播片太长甚至一度累积了30条笑死）。小孩子们把他当老铁邀请他加入秘密结社，巴迪更是临死都特地留信给他推他向前，如果这都不算尊重信任那人类真是没救了。然后主角在经历了一顿思考人生之后终于觉悟了…做出了人生中第一次真正的选择，离开飞船加入鱼人…的乌托邦。怎么说呢，虽然确实可以说哈罗德在飞船没有真正的朋友而鱼人是他第一个能袒露内心的朋友，但其实这也是因为鱼人是处于他社会关系之外的个体，对他而言没有”压力与威胁”，因此成为他的一个安全出口。这结局的叙事就怪怪的，终于做了一次自己的决定，然后决定是给自己换了个新的舒适区，倒是停止了内耗，但也一点责任都不要呗…所以说这真是童话剧，所有人都是温柔的，所有后果都被理解祝福和抹平…[/spoiler]

Feb 9, 2026·15h·1·Verified

Steam User 9475STEAMRecommended

At first, it feels like Disco Elysium: you wake up, you’re broke, the world is a mystery. But Harold Halibut isn’t about solving a case. It’s about sitting with one.

For most of the journey, you don’t play, you listen. Fully voiced, clay-crafted characters share their worries, their jokes, their small lives aboard the Fedora. There are no big choices. Just the gentle pull of getting to know people.

It does linger, maybe a little too long in the final chapters.
But that’s a small complaint.

Harold Halibut doesn’t want to challenge you, or test you, or make you win.
It wants to sit with you.
It’s a warm cup of tea in video game form.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

Recommend it?
Yes.
Go be Harold for a while.
The water’s fine.

Feb 8, 2026·20h·5·Verified

Steam User 0922STEAMNot recommended

1.遊戲為純劇情遊戲+跑腿模擬器，無解謎

2.故事背景設定及美術風格還不錯，但劇情能做這麼無聊也是不簡單

3.安全提醒，80%劇情全部都在跑腿，只有最後20%比較不無聊一點

4.能把這麼悶遊戲全破完，我也是很佩服那些人跟自己啊！

5.最大優點大概就是美術風格+有全程配音

6.總結無聊二字貫穿遊戲核心

7.只推薦給時間很多，玩完遊戲後會思考人生為何要玩這款遊戲的同學～

個人喜愛程度：★★☆☆☆

Feb 8, 2026·11h·5·Verified

Steam User 0136STEAMRecommended

I know it's not the type of game for nervous peoples. But it's the type of game where you can slow down, sit back, relax and enjoy a good piece of arts.

Feb 7, 2026·33h·1·Verified

Steam User 7367STEAMRecommended

A história tem bastante furos, que gostaria que fossem respondidos, contém bastante cutscenes bonitas mas pouca mecânica de jogo. Mas fora isso, a arte feita totalmente com stopmotion e a trilha musical são incríveis e me ganhou. É um bom jogo! Que o Harold seja finalmente feliz em seu novo lar <3

Feb 7, 2026·21h·Verified

Steam User 6577STEAMNot recommended

unlikable characters, art direction alone can't save it

Feb 6, 2026·1·Verified

Steam User 8608STEAMRecommended

This is a beautiful game. Very highly recommended! It's an experience, I would say, sort of like playing through a miniseries. And getting to live inside the world of it. I got to the end and wanted to start again from the beginning immediately!

Feb 5, 2026·19h·2·Verified

Steam User 1330STEAMRecommended

**Harold Halibut - A Flawed and Slow Story**

It pains me to give this game only a 6/10, but it has major issues. Let's start with the good first. The game looks absolutely amazing! I love the hand-crafted look. It looks great with all the characters and environments, and this must've taken a lot of work to make. The voice acting is also great, and I really liked all the characters. Good music too. However, those are the best things about the game. It only goes downhill from there. Let me explain.

This is perhaps the slowest pacing I've ever experienced in a game, and I actually like slow-paced games. When games take their time, I feel rewarded by the end, but in Harold Halibut, it becomes a pain after a while. For instance, you have a tube system that you use to "teleport" around. That sounds helpful, doesn't it? No, it's just slow. In this game, you mostly just do fetch quests, running around at an extremely slow pace on a big space station that's underwater. You run to one of the tubes to move to a next area, a slow animation plays, you hear the same intercom saying the same lines again and again as you use the water tubes, then there's a loading screen, then you finally get to the next area. It's fast enough, but it's the repetition that gets very tiring.

What about the gameplay? Maybe it gets better? No, you just run back and forth the entire game. There are no real puzzles, no real mechanics, it's just to run around and talk to people, then deliver things or messages. That's it. The gameplay never evolves or changes. Now gameplay is THE most important aspect of a game to me, so when a game takes me 18 hours and never evolves its gameplay or does anything unique, you come out the other end feeling pretty disappointed.

Even though I think gameplay is very important, would it matter much if the story was amazing? I actually wouldn't mind the gameplay taking a backseat if the story was incredible, but it's not. It's decent at best, but most of the time, it's pretty underwhelming. You play as Harold, a man that's very timid and unable to do much, unable to speak his mind on anything at all. He's almost autistic in a way, and I don't mean that in a rude way, as I'm autistic myself. You're in this space station that has landed in an alien ocean. You now live there, but the people have a plan to get out of the atmosphere and explore the cosmos again. Sounds epic, right? Well, you don't get to explore anything outside that space station and a little bit of the planet you're stranded on. Also, most of the game, nearly all the characters are rude as hell towards Harold. This made me so annoyed after a while. You do a bunch of annoying chores for these people, and they're always rude or don't care much. Towards the end, people eventually start liking him though, and I was so happy to see that. He finally has friends and he's useful, he feels accepted, and when they're finally going to escape the planet, he decides he want to stay with an alien he befriended. Yup. He finally gets respect from his mother figure, people finally like and care about him, and he decides to stay in a small cave for the rest of his life. Abysmal ending.

That's a problem I have with the entire game: It seems made for children's TV in the UK, Germany or somewhere. It's very simple, and there are barely any deep scenes in the entire game. For instance, there's a sad scene where the postman dies, but it's only sad because he was super nice to everyone, a real standup guy, but it's not sad because he was some deep well-written character. Characters barely have anything to them, maybe a tiny bit of backstory, but that's it. It pains me to say this, because the voice acting is really good, and all the characters are all super charming, but the story itself? Pretty weak for a story-focused game.

All in all, I felt pretty disappointed after playing this game. The art, characters and music are all wonderful, but the gameplay is painfully boring and the story is very simple and has a terrible ending. It also could've been a lot shorter, as I feel like much of the game is filler. Oh yeah! And I forgot that there's also a "twist" with a "villain" later in the game. It's so dumb and had me rolling my eyes like crazy. Still, I have to give it at least a 6/10 because of the art and music, and the fact that a small studio made it. If you want a charming game that's long and full of fun characters, this game is for you. Just don't expect a deep story or any interesting gameplay whatsoever.

Feb 4, 2026·18h·13·Verified

Steam User 9252STEAMRecommended

crossover between a game, story and art

Feb 4, 2026·14h·Verified

Steam User 2704STEAMNot recommended

Literal time theft as a plot point, still keeps slow as molasses pacing. Would be based if the gameplay was more than fetch quests. Art is really good, but I don't think this needed to be a game. 35$ is too much, grab on sale if you don't have anything else to do for 10ish hours.

Feb 1, 2026·13h·5·Verified

Steam User 9237STEAMNot recommended

Couldn't finish the game. The pacing was just too slow. The game looks really good though.

Jan 30, 2026·7h·8·Verified

Steam User 4779STEAMRecommended

oh my god...
its, so boring,
the scene is unique, the character is unique, the conversation is not bad.
but it is sooooo, slow.
from my current point of view this game have a lack of interaction with the player, when i touch something i want the main character to say something, to feel something, and the walking stairs is very, very disgusting.
i don't know, was very hip about this game, but the UI, the face expression is just so poor, that i can't really have a smooth experience to enjoy the stuff that this team have put effort into.
quit frustrated because it have such potential to be a great work.
its more like a theatre puppet show instead of a full game.
if you wanna try something you never see before go ahead.
if you wanna have a full game, maybe not.

Jan 30, 2026·1h·2·Verified

Steam User 1586STEAMRecommended

Это тяжело назвать полноценной игрой. Челенджа тут нет вообще. Это скорее артхаусный интерактивный фантастический фильм в духе социальной фантастики второй половины 20го века. Это не хорошо и не плохо, так просто есть. История, местами, полна условностей, но достаточно милая и интересная. Я бы рекомендовал игру тем, кто любит неспешные сюжетные игры. В целом, я из таких, поэтому мне понравилось. Так что, я скажу игре - "Да".

Jan 30, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 1737STEAMRecommended

Твин Пикс в космосе под водой. Надеюсь следующие проекты студии будут такими же творческими и самобытными, и при этом всём приятными и понимаемыми)

Jan 29, 2026·21h·Verified

Steam User 5884STEAMRecommended

Great story

Jan 25, 2026·21h·Verified

Steam User 8490STEAMRecommended

Cool Evangelion Rebuild

Jan 24, 2026·15h·Verified

Steam User 8605STEAMRecommended

最喜欢和巴迪相关的故事

Jan 20, 2026·12h·Verified

Steam User 5895STEAMRecommended

https://youtu.be/jItnCGRsMjw?si=NyEIx1u9ONZijUgy

Jan 19, 2026·20h·Verified

Steam User 8709STEAMNot recommended

Отличный визуал, отличный саундтрек, классная озвучка но сюжет просто никакущий, самая скучная игра из всех что я играл, и допроходил на ютубе, потому что это просто невыносимо слушать весь этот пустой бубнеж.
Очень жалко что такое исполнение улетело на совершенно скучнейшую историю.
Не знаю, лучше бы сделали фильм.

Jan 17, 2026·8h·1·Verified

Steam User 3754STEAMRecommended

I enjoyed this game - the art, story and vibe were all amazing. I just think it needed to be shorter, there was too much running back and forth. If the pacing was better, I would recommend it to more people, but due to the constant backtracking, I would say it's more for the niche audience that really enjoys walking simulators.

Can't wait to see what they do next (just less walking and backtracking next time!) <3

Jan 13, 2026·17h·Verified

Steam User 5976STEAMRecommended

Why is everyone so mean to my boy Harold : (

Jan 11, 2026·22h·2·Verified

Steam User 0867STEAMNot recommended

A game obsessed with time, proudly wasting every minute of it

Jan 10, 2026·27h·7·Verified

Steam User 9487STEAMRecommended

Me encantó en su totalidad. tuve momentos muy hermosas con una persona muy especial e importante para mí. Nos dejó algo muy hermoso para recordarlo.
(Posible spoiler)
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Me gustaría ver una secuela basada en algún descendiente de los tripulantes, obvio con el titulo diferente, pero siguiendo la historia desde otro enfoque, como el como chocarían las formas de pensar de las personas de la tripulación una vez lleguen a la tierra, como tener toda una vida viviendo en comunidad por supervivencia, tendrían que lidiar con convivir con los que nunca se fueron, que tienen una forma de vivir más agresiva, individual y caótica a lo que están acostumbrados.

Gracias por tan buena novela interactiva.
Gracias por los buenos momentos.
Gracias.

Jan 10, 2026·25h·1·Verified

Steam User 2494STEAMRecommended

Beautiful narration and art design. The whole game is very immersive and artistic. If you are someone who is very into story, then highly recommand this one

Jan 10, 2026·18h·Verified

Steam User 0074STEAMRecommended

Very unique experience. Would recommend if you like stories and running around.

Jan 10, 2026·20h·1·Verified

Steam User 5807STEAMNot recommended

One of the strangest games I've ever come across. It's incredibly light on gameplay, more of an interactive movie with a random minigame here and there, but the art style is incredible and ther world-building is truly bizarre.

I started out intrigued and willing to tolerate the slow pace, but ultimately this game's slow pace became unbearable. It's hard not to perceive it as a design flaw instead of intentional. The sheer amount of walking or slow jogging you have to do down unnecessarily looooooong corridors becomes too much of a distraction, so when you're suddenly tossed into a short and not-a-all challenging minigame, it's jarring. Harold suddenly broke out into song during what was meant to be an emotional climax but I'd spent so long watching him mutely jog down corridors that it felt like it was completely out of the blue and hard to connect with. Ultimately I developed a mental block to even open the game, because play sessions were so unrewarding in terms of story content. I just wasn't excited to play it.

Jan 9, 2026·3h·1·Verified

Steam User 1987STEAMRecommended

An incredibly touching game made by a wholesome and passionate group of people. A must-play if you're into story-driven games.

Jan 8, 2026·36h·7

Steam User 4286STEAMRecommended

Very chill and pleasant experience. It has this cool, cosy, almost sleepy (in a good way) vibe that I enjoy so much. It's also quite wholesome overall.

The visual style is wonderful.

It might not be everyone's cup of tea due to parts being quite slow (other reviews mention them enough) but that didn't really bother me personally.

Jan 7, 2026·14h·3·Verified

Steam User 4375STEAMNot recommended

This game is a walking simulator in the truest sense of the word...the entire game is just walking to the next cut scene filled with excessive and fluffy dialogue. This is almost zero actual game play. They should have just made a movie.

Also, when the main character runs, it looks like he has to poop...

Jan 7, 2026·3h·13·Verified

Steam User 1010STEAMRecommended

Esse jogo é uma obra de arte, digo isso em visual e história.

Um jogo que começou com sua ideia em 2012 com pessoas que falavam suas paixões em filmes stop motion e jogos narrativos, lançado em 2024. Ele não é para agradar todos e muito menos a grande industria, ele é lento, filosófico e complexo (mesmo que ao mesmo tempo é simples de se entender).

Falar sobre o cotidiano, ter poucas ambições é dificil de se gostar logo de primeira, ja que isso que o Harold traz na sua história. Mas se você se abre para ouvir o que todos tem a dizer e ver a beleza no simples, no dia a dia e em coisas pequenas, com toda certeza o jogo vai te agradar e muito.

Ele tem poucas musicas, a maioria do tempo você passa com o silencio e isso te abre espaço para observar, quando os npcs conversam contigo, fazem com que você preste mais atenção no que ele tem pra dizer.

Quando eu digo que o jogo é MUITO filosófico, é que ele é mesmo! Mas não da forma ruim, eu sai pensativa e analisando mais e mais do que foi conversado nessa minha jornada de 15 horas.

Harold não é um personagem inteligente, esperto, mas é sábio.

Harold erra e erra muito, mas o que importa é que ele tem sabedoria para aprender com os erros e seguir em frente.

Jan 6, 2026·15h·2·Verified

Steam User 2885STEAMRecommended

Slow pacing, but that really is the point of the story. Charming slices of life

Jan 6, 2026·17h·Verified

Steam User 6704STEAMRecommended

附带故事的步行模拟

Jan 4, 2026·15h·Verified

Steam User 2444STEAMRecommended

This game was a beautiful story about a main character who is trying to find his sense of belonging. Each chapter gave you a life lesson. You can tell that the creators put a lot of thought into making each character unique. I couldn't help but fall in love with each detail. I definitely recommend this game.

Jan 3, 2026·21h·2·Verified

Steam User 0869STEAMRecommended

[h3]Boring slog of a game.[/h3]
I nearly fell asleep three times while playing it.
Storytelling walking sim with minimum interactions or gameplay. The story is slow-paced and dragging. Writing is good, and characters have personalities and soul. Several are androgenous.
The main character is a foolish useless guy who got into the middle of events by accident. I sometimes felt talked down to, embarrassing.
The idea of an expedition lost on a water planet is extremely interesting, and the overall atmosphere is immersive.
No inventory or puzzles. Occasional quirky minigames are cool, and there could be more of that.

The visuals are stunning. The amount of details is unbelievable. It was crafted by skilled sculptors/puppeteers and it shows. Lighting, shadows, music ... everything perfect. Absolutely marvelous.
50 GB size is a bit too much for an adventure game, but it's a cost for such a detailed world, I guess. (The Neverhood was an art piece also and took 0.6 GB.)

I cannot find out who this game is for. I thought it was for the kids. But my kids would be bored to death with it.
It's definitely not for me. If I would like to be a janitor with dull tasks, I'd go to work irl.
So it is art - actual handmade puppets in its actual handmade miniature world transferred to computer and brought to life.
[b]As an art, it excels absolutely and deserves a thumbs up.[/b]

---
[h3]Another view:[/h3]

At first, I was genuinely hooked. It looked like a love child of Nick Park and Wes Anderson - quirky, stylised, weird in all the good ways. But I quickly realized it isn’t like that. It’s just weird. I couldn‘t wrap my head around it – it’s clearly juvenile enough to be aimed at children, but could a child possibly stick with something so slow-paced and dull? Then it hit me – it is not written for a five-year-old; it is written BY a five-year-old. A clichéd story of a hidebound corporation meeting a community of hippie zen-fish; pointless subplots going nowhere deliberately wasting your time; cringe attempts at humour; cheesy emotion-squeezing; awkward and clumsy storytelling; no depth to anything whatsoever; full of things which might sound cool to a kid somehow but aren’t really. It’s not “cosy”, it’s not “heart-warming”, and you don’t need to “take your time playing it to be rewarded”. There is no reward, there is just your sunk-cost fallacy trying not to feel stupid for wasting so much time playing something so badly written. It IS beautiful, though, and surely well-intended. Better writing could make it work, but as it is, it’s just a missed opportunity.

Jan 3, 2026·24h·10

Steam User 1544STEAMNot recommended

[h1]Sights & Sounds[/h1]
[h3]This is the good part[/h3]
[list]
[*] Whatever negative aspects color my opinion of the rest of the game, I'd at least like to take a little time to appreciate the presentation
[*] Stop-motion is a ridiculously time-consuming, tedious way to put together an animation, let alone an entire piece of interactive media. The amount of patience and dedication it must have taken to animate every character and setting is immense
[*] Speaking of settings, you'll have to endure a bit of [i]Harold Halibut[/i]'s tedium before you get to the good stuff. Most of the early game is set within the confined quarters of the parts of the All Water ship that Harold is permitted to access. It's not until the plot progresses a bit that the backdrops and locales really kick off
[*] The soundtrack helps enhance the stellar presentation with its cinematic, emotionally varied allure. The mysterious and moody passages are usually paired with trip hop drums and synth. Pensive moments are underlaid with orchestral strings, woodwinds, and piano. Happier sequences even get upbeat, jazzy tunes
[*] There's even a little licensed music here and there. The use of BADBADNOTGOOD and Samuel T. Herring's [i]Time Moves Slow[/i] was an inspired choice; its bittersweet, soulful sound and lyrical content were employed perfectly
[*] The voicework feels strange. Everyone talks like they're in a Saturday morning children's show rather than a retrofuturistic Cold War melodrama. The mixing is also pretty rough at times. Harry has a soft voice that's sometimes barely audible over the other audio
[/list]

[h1]Story & Vibes[/h1]
[h3]Twelve hour kid's movie[/h3]
[list]
[*] Although the bulk of the story comes off as a heartfelt, almost charming DreamWorks-like animated feature from the early 00s, the backstory is especially good
[*] Smack dab in the middle of the Cold War, with the spectre of being glassed in a thermonuclear apocalypse hanging over everyone's heads, the All Water Corporation decides to round up the best crew they can and blast off into space in search of a new home before doomsday clock inevitably ticks over to midnight
[*] Centuries pass before the Fedora finally reaches its destination: the planet tabbed to the new human homeworld. Unfortunately, solar storms lead to the ship making a splashdown landing before sinking. And that's where you as Harold, the ship's janitor and handyman, come in
[*] The rest of the story? Take the arithmetic mean of [i]Pocahontas[/i] and [i]The Shape of Water[/i] then subtract a constant to dial it back to a G rating. You'll more or less have the gist of it then
[*] If this were a 90-105 minute animated kid's movie, I would have enjoyed myself in spite of being slightly confused by the man-fish romantic B story. Unfortunately, with all the tedious gameplay thrown in, [i]Harold Halibut[/i] doesn't live up to the exciting backstory
[/list]

[h1]Playability & Replayability[/h1]
[h3]Time thief[/h3]
[list]
[*] Does enduring fetch quests and delivering messages for a dozen hours while a plot unfolds around you sound fun? No? Well, you're in for a rough time, then
[*] In some ways, I almost respect the unrelentingly slow pace. It's the antithesis of the disposability and brevity embodying much modern content, whether it be text, video, or interactive in nature
[*] Unfortunately, the game doesn't fill that additional time it takes from you with anything worthwhile. Just watching Harold shamble slowly from place to place looking like morose Clay-drian Brody while checking objectives off a list
[*] There's really not much else to say. I guess you could argue that there are a few puzzles littered here and there, but as long as you're paying attention, none of them should take much thought
[/list]

[h1]Overall Impressions & Performance[/h1]
[h3]Just get on with it[/h3]
[list]
[*] I guess if you wanted to boil this review down to just the highlights: the presentation is excellent, the plot is pretty good, the writing is mediocre, the pacing is abysmal, and the gameplay is virtually non-existent
[*] There's nothing wrong with a game that takes its time to tell a story. The number of 60+ hour RPGs with stellar reviews is testament to that fact. But if a game fails to fill that extra time it takes from you with anything meaningful, then the playthrough feels wasted
[/list]

[h1]Final Verdict[/h1]
[b]3.0[/b]/10. With a faster pace, this would at least be a mediocre game. With better gameplay, it might even be a good one. But as it stands, I wouldn't be willing to recommend this to most story game enjoyers unless you have an excessive amount of time to kill

Jan 2, 2026·20h·25

Steam User 0213STEAMNot recommended

Beaucoup trop long

Jan 1, 2026·16h·Verified

Steam User 0819STEAMRecommended

良いところと悪いところがすごくはっきりしてるゲームでした。
基本的にはお勧め、ほぼすべてクレイアニメで作られてる所は芸術作品でもあると思います。
自分に子供が居たら最初にやってほしいゲームって思うくらい良い体験のできるゲームでした。

悪いところは、一昔前のゲームか…！？ってくらいプレイ体験のテンポが遅くてちょっとつらいところです。
子供に勧められる内容というのも、裏を返すと刺激が少ない…という事でもあります。
今どきの刺激満載のサクサクしてるゲームに慣れすぎていると楽しめないかも…
それゆえに幼いころに遊ぶゲームであってほしいと思います…思春期で居場所がない…と感じてるような子にやってほしいかなと…（そのためにも日本語吹き替え版があったらいいなあと思う…）

以下軽度ネタバレ↓
宇宙人とそのコロニーに接するまでがちょっと長く、割とほんとに退屈で、出会ってからもけっこうのんびり事が進んでいきます。
宇宙人さんたちのデザインが本当に素晴らしく可愛くて、そこがすごく満足でした。

Jan 1, 2026·15h·1·Verified

Steam User 2381STEAMRecommended

a story game for those that want to slow down and patiently walk through a beautiful artsy underwater sci-fi world as a Regular Joe that learns a lot about Life. Great music. great characters. great world, great story. Game play is the slowest and not what you should play this for. Its pretty strong at just letting you figure things out. but there's really not a lot to figure out. But would recommend for a lay on the couch late at night story game like instead of reading a cozy book. Good time

Dec 31, 2025·15h·Verified

Steam User 8325STEAMNot recommended

This game is like having someone give you a beautifully wrapped gift. You take the gift, which has an odd shape and weight, and now that you have it you see that they've hand painted the wrapping paper. This must be something special so you start to open it only for the person to stop you. The oddly shaped and somewhat nice looking box IS the gift, you thought there was more inside but no, just a nice looking odd box. Not what you were expecting, probably not what you want. You can appreciate the effort, but can't help feeling that you would have preferred that effort went into a more interesting and/or useful item inside, instead of just pretty wrapping.

That's a hell of an analogy but it's difficult to get across how frustrating this game is. If you like diving into a new world, learning about it and losing yourself to it, stay away from this. There is no depth or thought, and it feels deliberately empty. The story is lethargic and depressing, I've seen other people describe it as comfy, but no, at least not for me. While the story was depressing, it was also barely present so that didn't matter much.

I don't mind games with no gameplay like this, but they need a powerful story and/or characters to carry the player's interest. This has no gameplay, makes fun of you for wanting to know the story, and every character is a sleepy version of tired archetypes. I escpecially hate the "Is science smart so therefore is terrible at social skills" characters.

It is a shame, beacuse a lot of effort clearly went in, but only to the visuals. No gameplay, no story, no characters, no fun.

Dec 31, 2025·13h·57·Verified

Steam User 5715STEAMRecommended

Really decent story and visuals, the gameplay is very basic tho.

Easily 7/10 kind of game

Dec 30, 2025·13h·2·Verified

Steam User 7019STEAMRecommended

An interesting storyline with unique, handcrafted clay-animation visuals. I’ve played it multiple times with friends and family, it delivers a unique and entertaining experience.

Dec 29, 2025·73h·Verified

Steam User 1832STEAMRecommended

one thing special about this game is the music. many times while playing you hear nearly nothing but quiet and ambience but then sometimes music plays and sometimes the music aligns with the scene adding incredible drama! the characters will really get to you... some of them you want to know more about, some of them repulsed me. rafi and slippy are the type of characters i would avoid in real life blegh...

this game made me think about myself and the ending sequence was engrossing.

Dec 28, 2025·15h·Verified

Steam User 1250STEAMRecommended

6/10, I'd say barely recommended if you're an adult and definitely a good experience if you play with a kid. This is not an actual game, it's a walking simulator that shows you the story scene by scene. There's no real action, none of the decisions you make have any consequence whatsoever, there are no stakes, and you can't even die or "lose" in any way. Expect a chill experience, and think of it as a slightly interactive movie, a sort-of Netflix experience rather than a game.

I would have still enjoyed it a lot if the story was good, but it's... disappointing. It's very, very basic, hence why barely recommended. You play for 9h waiting for the big reveal (again, no real game here, so you WILL spend 9h to get to the big reveal)... and the big reveal is... not that big lol, without spoiling anything.

That being said, it's a truly beautiful game. I usually don't care that much about how a game looks, but this one is truly unique. Some scenes are very beautiful and the style is unique. Some of the inner stories are captivating, and you do somewhat feel part of the story. You get used to the vibes, the songs, the scenery. Very well done on that end. I just wish there was something more other than a beautiful world. And, unless you play with a kid or you are one, I'd say... there's not much else.

Dec 28, 2025·10h·4·Verified

Steam User 2316STEAMRecommended

Harold Halibut is an absolutely gorgeous game. Every environment and character is crafted from real-life clay animations that have been digitized into the game, resulting in a truly stunning and unique art style. Beyond its visuals, the storytelling really shines. You play as Harold, journeying to uncover the true meaning of home while helping search for a way for the ship’s crew to finally leave the planet and find a drier place to live. Each character is full of personality, and it’s easy to empathize and form connections with everyone you meet, which makes the ending especially rewarding. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a strong narrative and a well-crafted point-and-click adventure.

Dec 25, 2025·19h

Steam User 2568STEAMRecommended

This game is SO wholesome, SO cute, I absolutely LOVE it. The storyline gets you invested~ Explore everything, talk to everyone, and just have fun!! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with a cute game such as this one~ Definitely one of my favorites :3

Dec 25, 2025·2h·Verified

Steam User 6507STEAMRecommended

I played this game long ago but this is one of the few games that I still think about and reminisce. The story was pleasant and warm, the gameplay was solid and clever, but more than anything it was the charm of the style, art direction and music that hooked onto me. I haven't played another game that has affected me in those areas and it makes me wish this game kept going, like it was a friendly neighbor that never moved away that I could always hang out with. I'm so looking forward to the next game by these creators.

Dec 22, 2025·14h·Verified

Steam User 3712STEAMRecommended

Hru doporučuji je taková pomalejší oddechová postavy jsou zábavné a originální. Vizuální zpracování je na jedničku avšak ovládání chce trochu zvyku. Jde o takový interaktivní film, což mám jako hry rád a hra obsahuje i překvapivé momenty. Pokud se vám hra líbí a chcete se ponořit do příběhu k odpočinku hurá do toho :)

Dec 21, 2025·17h·Verified

Steam User 7577STEAMRecommended

I expected a cute indie game but this is a walking simulator wrapped in a claymation philosophy class. You spend a lot of time walking, listening, cleaning things, and quietly existing in a world that feels both cozy and deeply lonely. And somehow, without you even noticing when it happened, the game gently lowers your guard. It sneaks up on you with small moments, odd conversations, and that constant soft melancholy humming in the background, until you realize you’re way more emotionally invested than you ever planned to be.
And then that scene happens. Just Harold, a flamboyant teacher and a stupid little paper airplane floating through that weird, dimly lit corridor. Nothing dramatic. Nothing loud. Just a simple, fleeting moment that hits like a brick wrapped in felt. I almost cried. I actually stopped playing for a second just to sit there with it.
Now I’m that person telling friends about a paper plane in a video game, and seeing them get chills because it’s one of those moments you don’t really describe, you just feel. And Harold Halibut is full of those, quietly reminding you that sometimes the smallest, silliest things are the ones that stick with you the longest.

Dec 17, 2025·16h·5

Steam User 8795STEAMRecommended

It was a great interactive movie.

Dec 14, 2025·15h

Steam User 8810STEAMNot recommended

Overall I liked the game's aesthetics and soundtrack. The story is also actually quite good and the experience is really great towards the end.

Since I was overall happy with it after reaching the end, I would have given a positive review, however, there are quite a bunch of pain points that, I realized, I have way more to write about than the actual good stuff.

So I've elected to write this review as a kind of "case study in game design", first for myself with what I've learned with this experience, and second for anyone willing to read this, including (hopefully) the devs.

First the positive: the parts that received the most attention from the devs were really, actually good. The visuals, the short montages, the music. When these hit, I was like "OK, I see what you wanted to express, it's great. Good stuff". Not spoiling anything, suffice to say they left me satisfied with the game and almost made me forget what a pain it was to get there.

So the issue is, to get to the good stuff, you have to be VERY patient. I would summarize it like this: the game doesn't fully exploit its own strengths but more importantly, doesn't respect your time.

The biggest pain point is that you spend most your time going from point A to point B by just walking, which, in terms of experience, is equivalent to an interactive loading screen : you are not really DOING anything. You're just moving your joystick, interacting with some menus and visiting places you will see dozens of times.

[h3]Quest design[/h3]

- All quests are fetch quests
- There is nothing to do on the way; nothing is interactible and there is nothing to collect, discover, or really explore.
- Quests sometimes don't tell you where to go. I get it, immersion. But like, you literally have a few quests where it is written "where could that be??". So I am supposed to go around, check every corner, and talk to everyone, maybe all for nothing if I end up missing the real thing? No, when that happens, I search on the internet for the solution. As mentioned, the game will not reward you for all that time you spend searching.
- In some sequences you are literally forced to walk slowly, as the game wants to show you something (like "how beautiful the scenery is" or "how impactful this moment is"). But like, most of the time, you "get it" after 3 seconds. There is really no need to make such sequences drag on for that long. There are surely other alternatives to get your point across much more efficiently. I doesn't feel deep, it just feels forced : "OK the devs want me to take it very slow as if they were afraid I wouldn't fully appreciate the time they spent on this".

[h3]"Mood"[/h3]

- Most of the time there is no music, just a vague ambient sound. Makes it a bit gloomy and depressing.
- There is only a single immutable story line. This makes all "optional" stuff not worth spending time on (unless you like to extra dialogue).
- Choices have no consequences, which goes hand-in-hand with the previous bullet point.
- Interactions with NPCs don't pay off. You get some dialogue and a bit of animations, but it never feels like it goes in any interesting direction. Sometimes big topics are evoked but then never elaborated further upon.
- There are jokes and fun moments but the way they are delivered doesn't make them as fun as they could be. It's the kind that may make you smile slightly but you forget about it 3 seconds later. I have no idea how this could be improved. Perhaps if accompanied by exceptional animations or situations it would have worked.
- Some gameplay sequences are basically [spoiler]"here's a music track; we'll play it to the end while you're interacting with a glorified loading screen. This is so profound and artsy"[/spoiler].
- [spoiler]One of the character's death was presented as a big deal, but I've barely even talked to him, and the story doesn't make him important, so it barely has the intended impact.[/spoiler] Which is a shame, because it had a lot of potential to be a very impactful moment. [spoiler]Don't get me started on the constellation of him winking at the very end which ruined the mood by making me burst out of laughter for how ass it was[/spoiler]
- [spoiler]Weeoo and the Flumylym[/spoiler] basically carry this game. Along with the main hub's look-and-feel, the nice art direction, and the story, they are almost the only new/interesting thing that makes this game appealing, IMO.

[h3]General design[/h3]

- The Central Station is a design mistake, one I hope everyone can learn from. It's because of it that you often have to [spoiler]go through 2 loading screens instead of 1, even though there is practically no reason for it being the way it is. After all, the point of All Water is to get you anywhere from anywhere else instantly. Was it really necessary to inflict the extra load time on players? It sure isn't.[/spoiler]. But then again, if there was anything actually interesting to do or see there, it could have changed everything.
- The puzzles are a joke, so much so that they might ALSO be considered interactive loading screens as well. Let's forget about the last one where [spoiler]an NPC literally guides you step by step because you're dealing with an obscure UI that was designed this way[/spoiler].

[h3]Conclusion[/h3]

This game's flaws boil down to a very simple principle: think about what the player will be DOING most of the time in your game, and what is there that makes it interesting or motivating.
And if not DOING, then what they're WATCHING or CONSUMING.

Maybe the intent WAS to make you feel like Harold, doing pointless and boring stuff that never even attempts to stimulate you in any way, but the problem with that is, in real life, people have limited free time, and if you make decisions that lead them to essentially waste it, don't be surprised if they get angry or stop playing with your product.
And I have to apologize, but glorified loading screens ARE a waste of time. There is nothing interesting going on when I'm just tilting the joystick and moving around, during those moments I might as well be taking a nap or doing literally anything else.

To prevent this, you're supposed to provide engagement : either elements that require the player's active contribution, or a consistent stream of story beats. This does NOT mean "design for short-attention-span TikTok kids", it just means "give us something to consume or play with".

The only reason I came back all those times to finish this game, is that I wanted to see how it ends and be done with it.
That is a failure : what I was supposed to be thinking was "oh I can't wait to see what will happen next in the story and how I'll contribute to it". The same feeling that makes you rush back to a book to finish it. There are techniques to achieve that, and whether or not Harold Halibut truly considered them, it didn't work, at least for me.

This is unfortunate because there are some really great parts and I love seeing this kind of art project succeed. Honestly, if they trimmed the fat and made it into a shorter, more focused experience, I think I would have 100% recommended it. But with all the flaws listed above, I cannot do so in good faith.

Regardless, I wish best of luck to Slow Bros if they ever continue working on similar projects and congratulate them for shipping a game that, despite its flaws, left me satisified by the end, and did feel like it was made with care.

Dec 14, 2025·10h·41·Verified

Steam User 4865STEAMRecommended

10/10. The perfect game. Cozy, slow, surprising, and wonderful. The animation and details were a joy to experience on top of a story I adored.

It was its very own thing while reminding me of Joe Pera Talks With You, Wes Anderson's work, Night in the Woods, and Wallace and Gromit.

What an experience! I'll be playing it again soon.

Dec 11, 2025·17h·1·Verified

Steam User 1191STEAMRecommended

I really enjoyed the game!

I very rarely write reviews, but this game deserves a big thumbs up!

If you enjoy point and click adventures with little gameplay but a rich story, this is for you!

Dec 8, 2025·14h·2·Verified

Steam User 8086STEAMRecommended

This was an absolute gem for me!
May not be for everyone.
My only regret is that i cannot play it for the first time again.

Dec 8, 2025·16h·2·Verified

Steam User 9638STEAMNot recommended

Изначально игра привлекла своим визуалом, но сюжет и геймплей полностью перекрыли положительные эмоции. Несколько раз бросала её, но всё же решила, что за что уплачено, должно быть проглочено. Забавно смотреть на достижения и понимать, что я не одна такая. Первую главу осилило меньше половины игроков.

Начнем с сюжета. Он очень затянут и не особо интересен, возможно, при более динамичном повествовании сложилось бы другое впечатление. К персонажам не получилось привязаться и проникнуться, даже при максимальном взаимодействии с ними. Все тайны, вокруг которых нагнетают саспенс, оказываются местечковыми и незначительными.

С геймплеем дела обстоят не лучше. В основном вы будете бегать по космическому кораблю с поручениями: «сходи куда-то», «принеси что-то». Я ничего не имею против такого геймплея, но в сочетании с унылым сюжетом создается ужасное комбо.

В заключении могу сказать, что игра оставила очень спорные эмоции, она не ужасна, но ее тягомотность очень мешает насладиться визуалом, музыкой и даже сюжетом. Пройти ее можно за 9–10 часов без дополнительного общения с персонажами. Возможно, если сократить сюжет до полуторачасового мультика, получилось бы вполне неплохо.

Dec 8, 2025·22h·2·Verified

Steam User 1394STEAMRecommended

c'est comme regarder un film, très beau, une superbe histoire

Dec 3, 2025·8h·1·Verified

Steam User 4411STEAMRecommended

🐟

Dec 1, 2025·16h·1·Verified

Steam User 7176STEAMRecommended

哈姆德哈比比

Nov 30, 2025·17h·Verified

Steam User 0997STEAMRecommended

amei, jogo único, simplesmente magnífico .

Nov 29, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 6749STEAMRecommended

Harold Halibut is a meditative and charmingly weird cozy walk and talk adventure game. The art style is interesting and unique and the soundtrack is quite evocative (especially in the last half of the game.)

It's a game that rewards taking your time. Play when the interest strikes, and don't plow through it. Enjoy the quiet -- appreciate the imperfections and brushstrokes in the art -- and you'll be rewarded for it.

Nov 29, 2025·11h·1·Verified

Steam User 1026STEAMRecommended

A very unique gem. I haven't played any game like that before. It has avery unique atmosphere. If you like games with good narrative, go for it. It's a bit slow, but that's to enjoy the settings.

Nov 28, 2025·11h·Verified

Steam User 9654STEAMNot recommended

Это не игра. Хотите сделать повествование - рисуйте мультик.
Затянутая, неинтересная, неигра.

Nov 27, 2025·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 2660STEAMRecommended

讲故事很重要

Nov 24, 2025·21h·Verified

Steam User 6100STEAMRecommended

One of the best interactive movies I've ever played. In terms of gameplay there is very little to do, you just walk around and press a button when prompted, basically, apart from a couple of more interactive scenes. But who cares when you have such a great story, graphics, animation, music, characters, environment and especially when you can play it on a huge screen that takes up your whole view with beautiful background light that corresponds to what you see on the screen? Which is possible with VorpX and a VR headset in a matter of a couple of clicks. I tried it on a flat screen for just a short while and it's lacking, like any other flat game in comparison to VR.

But even for a flat screen it's a masterpiece! The amount of well acted dialogues is just incredible - like 70% of my (almost) 15 hour playtime I've been listening to chatter, all of which was actually interesting to listen to. Overall it felt not even like watching a movie, but rather a theater play. The amount of work they've put to build the visuals is quite insane too. Most of the surroundings and characters are hand made and then scanned in reality, which makes it look interesting and unique. Even with the modern day graphics we rarely can observe such a level of detail and non-repeating textures and objects everywhere.

The music is as trippy as the game itself and quite diverse. And it's good to listen to on its own too. Especially the ambient parts, that made me just stop there and listen for quite a while.

So overall I highly recommend it!

Nov 22, 2025·15h·2·Verified

Steam User 5606STEAMRecommended

If you enjoy point and click adventure with story then you’ll enjoy this, I don’t get some of the recent bad reviews. This a great game and I’ve enjoyed games like Syberia and dreamfall chapters. I love Harold I find him very relatable. And the art style is incredible I love claymation. This game doesn’t disappoint.

Nov 19, 2025·8h·Verified

Steam User 6521STEAMRecommended

Yes.

Nov 18, 2025·22h·Verified

Steam User 6119STEAMRecommended

Not a game in the classical sense. More like an animated movie where you tag along with the protagonist. I liked the story and the way it is told very much! It has an unique graphics style. Well done!

Nov 17, 2025·13h·Verified

Steam User 1789STEAMNot recommended

What little time I've spent with this game, has all been trial and error to try getting it to run properly I'm on a fairly high-end machine with an RTX4080, Ryzen 7800X3D and a high speed M2-drive. Still, the game chugs and stutters, and the visuals often crawl to single digit FPS, while the audio keeps playing at normal speeds. Even walking throughout the interiors causes huge traversal stutters every few meters, and this isn't exactly a huge open world. I simply can not make myself play this - which is a shame, since I love the art style and premise..

Nov 16, 2025·2h·1·Verified

Harold Halibut

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