Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: ‘Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!’ and ‘Pillars of Dust’
Heavy hitters to start the page.
Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is the HD revival of the original 2007 freeware game by Alasdair Beckett-King, a stand-up comedian and subsequent game developer in the United Kingdom. This iteration was published by Application Systems Heidelberg.
We are here for the great Nelly Cootalot and her pirating adventures, and her big mission given by the legendary Ghost of Bloodbeard; finding out what happened to the Spoonbeaks.
To those familiar with the genre and the greats that everyone cites (Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, etc.), Nelly Cootalot will be quite familiar. Players will select where they want her to go in a scene, clicking on anything that has a name to hear her thoughts on it, and possibly talking with strangers for some good ol’ socializing.
The goal is clear but difficult, as Nelly is not really sure where to start in ‘finding where the Spoonbeaks went’, so a lot of it comes down to players interacting with as much as possible to find clues as to where they can go next.
Some interactions will lead to items being acquired, which in turn can be utilized to solve puzzles by selecting them and applying them to interactions. Other items can be combined together, like giving a cat a stiff drink or sabotaging a hook, in order to progress their usefulness. Everything relies on prompts given by Nelly or others, so keeping a close eye (and ear) out for any hints or clues is imperative to finding out where to go.
This will culminate in two major puzzles that do not utilize the ‘traditional’ format and instead are puzzles that involve new mechanics and a new UI. I won’t lie, these are tough — they both rely heavily on trial and error with a hint of luck.
It can be especially difficult for those that may be playing in a second language (there are many translations from what I’ve seen) as it relies on the understanding of word structures. Even when it is in a native language to the player they might struggle a bit — I know I did. However, once the initial struggle has been broken through it can become smooth sailing, but do not be afraid to grab a guide if necessary.
The reason I can say this is because these two puzzles are not the focus of the game; that crown goes to the writing. Nelly is a joy to follow, as she banters about with the locals and gets heckled by others for silly comments. There are loads of one liners to be found within, and hundreds of build ups to jokes that pay off in the strangest of ways. It’s all in cheeky fun, even when solving puzzles or interacting with serious characters; nobody is safe.
That is not to say that the jokes are ‘random’ or go ‘all over the place’, as they aim to be lighthearted and focused on the in game dealings rather than relying heavily on references (which wouldn’t make sense nowadays anyway, it’s been 15 years since the original came out). It’s absurd, but in-world absurd. After all, the word “borrow” gets used a lot and yet never seems to have the correct meaning.
Ridiculous antics aside, Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is a treat to play, albeit a bit frustrating depending on your familiarity with the genre and its puzzles. If you enjoyed your time, there’s a sequel called Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet that came out in 2016 featuring a completely different art style and more voice actors than just Nelly and Alasdair Beckett-King. Plus if you bought the original the revenue went to RSPB, a charity in Britain to help out birds. A charity game in a charity bundle, as it were.
Nevertheless, if you love British humour and adored point-and-click narrative adventures, this might be the perfect game for you.
Pillars of Dust is a retro-stylized RPG created by Retreaux Games, an indie duo based in the USA. Players will be whisked back to the older days of gaming to follow two different stories in the hopes of finding out the mysteries of the fallen kingdom and bring back the glory days.
Pillars of Dust is in all counts a retro-RPG with its companions, secrets, camera-angle, and turn-based combat, but this is where the obvious similarities end. For starters, random encounters are non-existent; the enemies are visible to the player at all times in the overworlds, so if players wish to outmaneuver them then they can.
This is made possible by the streamlined combat system that is used, dividing up the idea of ‘experience’ in two. The first group is in ‘orbs’, which are hidden throughout each chapter and give players a stat increase (either choice or predetermined). The other is through completion of chapters, which can increase the amount of health a player can have if they are able to fulfill objectives. This allows for combat to be fair yet challenging as there is no case of being over or underleveled unless the player is actively ignoring all parts of the game which… while plausible, does not really sound that fun.
Combat also is not necessarily ‘turn-based’ either, instead relying on a bar-system. The bar at the bottom of each character will fill based on a rate tied to a stat for each character. Once it is full that character may take their turn. This means that having it fill quicker will allow for the player to have multiple turns before they can get hit. On the flip side, the longer combat goes the more ‘phases’ occur, meaning that enemies will become tougher. It’s a trade off.
By the way, those chapter completions I mentioned earlier are much more important than just getting them completed for stats; they drive the game’s exploration. Each chapter will start with a man in a funny hat giving the amount of orbs, secrets, and chicken nuggets (the currency) that need to be acquired, so players always have an ulterior goal outside of just ‘following the plot. This can lead to finding tunnels, secret areas in the overworld maps, and the systematic destruction of as many pots as possible. Secrets can be found anywhere, which means a lot of interacting with people and objects to find everything that one can.
If that was not enough, the chapter system also enables the glorious overarching aspect of Pillars of Dust: parallel plot lines. Players select which character they wish to follow at the opening, but at the end of every chapter players are asked again. This is because both plots need to occur as they eventually come together, meaning that there are two plotlines that need to be followed in order to see the full picture. Since they can occur at any time and in any order, the plot and the interactions alter slightly depending on who is followed and when they are followed.
My point is that this ‘little retro RPG’ is actually a massive game hiding away in its pixelated frame. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that this game is small due to its aesthetic and style, but I was floored when I realized just how much content there was to get through. I’m still working through it, and even when I’m finished I could go back and see how Gregg the Pauper would handle the world if I followed him more than our unlucky Prince Carlton.
However you wish to play it, the game will alter itself to ensure that you get a massive plot throughout Alluriga. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, then by all means: embark.
