Earthworms, Skullmonkeys, and a Neverhood: Doug TenNapel's Return to Gaming with Armikrog

I don't know what it is, but I want one anyway. 

Source: Official Armikrog FB page

After several false starts and stunted attempts I'm happy to return to Gaming Cuisine with some great news: Doug TenNapel, the man behind Earthworm Jim, Skullmonkeys, and The Neverhood, and many other games, not to mention over a dozen graphic novels, is working on a brand new game: Armikrog.

While details are currently pretty sparse, there are a few things known about Armikrog. So far we know it will most likely be a point and click adventure, some of the key members from games such as Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood, and Skullmonkeys, will be working on this game (including musician Terry S. Taylor, animators Mike Dietz and Ed Schofield, and several others), it appears to be another claymation animated/styled game, and the game will be funded via Kickstarter. Other than that all the details seem kind of in the air at this point.

It may not look like much, but The Neverhood is a true classic.

So why is this so exciting? Well for one Doug TenNapel's brand of humor, direction, and amazing art style hasn't been seen in the game industry in over a decade. Though he has been a consultant in the industry for years the last game he worked on directly was Boombots for the Playstation (1999). While some may say that Boombots wasn't exactly an instant classic, it's hard to deny his talent for making amazing games; and another game in the The Neverhood universe would be very welcome by many gamers.

TenNapel stealthily slipped this sneak peek of Armikrog in during an update of his recent Kickstarter campaign. Check out Update #12 - Doug TenNapel Sketchbook Archives for the original post. 

Though many gamers have likely not heard of The Neverhood, it has long held a cult following, and was critically acclaimed for it's amazing graphical style, interesting music, and incredible detail. The entire game was animated via claymation, which took many hours to do, and the music has to be heard to be believed (and was worth the purchase of the soundtrack in my opinion). To give you an idea of just how strange  and amazing this game is, there is an approximately 38-screen long Hall of Records the player can enter which gives a semi-biblical style history of the universe the Neverhood rests in. In plain text this takes up nearly 45 pages, and isn't necessary to the storyline of the game; it's just there to increase the atmosphere and awesomeness of the game in general. Simply put almost every aspect of both The Neverhood and its sequel Skullmonkeys (PS) are simply amazing. While slightly obscure they're both worth seeking out and playing.

It's a sad day when EA doesn't realize the virtue of a character called Joe Head Joe.

And there in lies what is kind of a bummer also, because Electronic Arts (EA) currently owns the rights to The Neverhood and all of its characters. TenNapel has mentioned that he's tried working with EA on making a new game, but they apparently weren't very receptive to the idea. So he's coming out with something new, but very similar in style, making the upcoming Armikrog a spiritual successor, rather than a verified heir to the throne, so to speak. That is if they get funding.

I mentioned above that Doug TenNapel and Pencil Test Studios will be taking this to Kickstarter for funding, and so getting a public display of support when it starts funding will most likely be critical for this game to see the light of day. However, and not to discourage backing the project when it does launch, on his personal blog Doug TenNapel has mentioned that he would have made his book whether he got funded on Kickstarter or not (http://tennapel.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/kickstarter/) and I sincerely believe he would have. Considering that the crew have been documenting their work on Armikrog, and that pieces of the set are already being made it seems like they're determined to make the game one way or another, which bodes well for the game being made well, whether or not they succeed on Kickstarter.

Kickstarter is like kryptonite to my bank account:
Like Sup's I try to avoid it, but I keep running into it somehow. 

Though I suspect this project will do well, and will draw plenty of backers, it never hurts to make people aware of what will be coming soon. So if you're a fan of Doug TenNapel, Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood, or just good games in general, make sure to keep an eye out for Armikrog on Kickstarter in the next few months, as every penny that goes into it will help deliver another quality title from a group of dedicated veterans.

Until next time, Game on.