NELLY COOTALOT: THE FOWL FLEET
My parents are English and I grew up with their humour, which was dry, witty, and often a bit hurtful, while being affectionate and standoffish. As such, I wasn’t surprised to find that Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet had been written by British comedian, Alasdair Beckett-King. The game is funny, even lightly, all of the time. Normally, I’d be slightly wary of a comedy title, given I actually remember the Looms more fondly than the Monkey Islands, but this is a really nice game to play.
The original 2007 game, Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy, passed me by somehow, but I’ve since looked it up and it’s absolutely fabulous freeware. Apparently, it was also a love letter to the designer’s girlfriend, on whom Nelly is based. Consider starting with the first game before continuing your on voyage, as characters and story will be enriched by experiencing both. The content is suitable for the family, too, without alienating the adults.
Nelly is a conservationist who loves birds. The game opens on a ship where she is working in its mailroom. As she becomes aware Widebeard is kidnapping her feathered friends, she mails herself off the boat, in pursuit. The first hub is rather small, but introduces players to the style of puzzling that can be expected. You need to listen carefully to what you are required to do, before finding solutions and repurposing equipment. It’s tricky, but hints are everywhere.
Beyond the usual inventory-based puzzles, there are occasions where Nelly has to interpret detailed information and represent her findings graphically. It’s nice to have to use one’s noggin in order to progress, as well as follow a trail of objects. She also utilises the help of a bird, voiced by Tom Baker, the Doctor Who of my early childhood, similarly to how you can use Crow in The Longest Journey, only without the sass, mostly.
Soon enough, you’ll find yourself in The Guttering Howls and a massive town reminiscent of Woodtick in Monkey Island 2, except with more airships and Asian food markets. The objectives expand out from a few to a great many. It’s nice to be able to work on developing a reputation, for example, while mulling over how to steal a sword in the meantime. You never know which solutions will lead to other solutions, so it lends itself to creative exploration.
You will want to right-click on things, if only to hear Nelly’s commentary and silly one-liners. There’s a guy called Gusty Nethers who is considering changing his name to Stormy Longjohns. That stuff. And a seagull who wants his egg to grow up close to all the best schools, of fish. It’s genuinely smirk-inducing. The art is simple, but plentiful, and the pirate music is fantastically jaunty in a way that only becomes annoying when you’re stuck.
Indeed, this was one of those adventure game reviews where I was given a Steam key before release and got stuck almost immediately. I did ask for a hint and got hilariously chided by a representative for the small, German publisher. I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever needed to find chest hair for a man, but never mind. Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is a truly delightful experience. It conjures both nostalgia and delight at its truly unique qualities.
utilises the help of a bird, voiced by Tom Baker, the Doctor Who of my early childhood