The Neverhood

Add equal parts Space Quest, Full Throttle, Gumby, and peyote; mix throughly, and you will have the clay masterpiece that is The Neverhood.  Even the most seasoned adventure gamer will find numerous surprises mixed with clay and utter madness.

The visuals of this game arguably blur the line between games and art.  No pixels were harmed in the making of this game; in their stead, motion captured claymation.  The characters of this game follow a similar art style to those of the current games being published by The Behemoth: Castle Crashers, and Alien Homonid.  They differ because they live in a clay world that continues to unfold the madness and sheer genius of it's exsistence as you explore it.

The puzzles are creative and continuosly unfold the Chuck Jones like universe these characters inhabit, and it is a singular universe at that.  It's as if Mr. Goldberg himself was given a 20 sets of clay and told to make some of his machines on stop motion camera.

In addition to all this, the narrative is quite strong and told through the player's actions.  in comparison, this game plays much like Myst.  The main character does not speak, but you must determine the problem, characters, and setting through exploring the world.  This world, unlike Myst, is one of sharp wit, cartoonish charm, and out of the box thinking that was way before it's time.

If you have played adventure games in the past, or you're wondering why these old people keep posting about them; this is not only a great adventure game experience, but it is a keystone example of games as art.