Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet (PC) Review

What is water? It's a difficult question, because water is impossible to describe. One might ask the same about birds. What are birds? We just don't know… Well, Look Around You quotes aside, there are indeed both birds and water in this sea-faring adventure, with Nelly Cootalot trying to get to the bottom of why a fleet of fowl creatures (ah, that's where the name comes from!) has been hypnotised and has, consequently, flown the coop. Clearly this must be the misdeeds of one Baron Widebeard, nefarious brigand of the high seas! On a wing and a prayer, keen to stick her beak in, and ready to put a new feather in her cap, Nelly flies off on a journey full of puns that hit the mark, unlike the ropey avian-related ones right nesting within this very sentence that some may certainly find hard to swallow… *tumble weed rolls by*

This is not actually Nelly's first adventure, by the way, since Captain Cootalot starred in the completely free Adventure Game Studio-built Spoonbeaks Ahoy! back in 2007. It's widely acclaimed, apparently. There are quotes and the like online… so it must be good, right? Well, crowdfunding monies have now been plundered and put to fantastic use now to line King Beckett's pockets (oh, Beckett-King - apologies!). Wait. No. Please stop poking me with that sword…

*Ahem* Right, let's try that again… Fans have diligently, of their own free will, parted with cash, certainly not under duress, to aid with taking the pretty little escapade and transforming it into a gorgeous modern day sequel. No shenanigans at play. Honest, guv.

The visuals are jaw-dropping, with cel-shaded characters galore and quirky settings filled to the brim with personality, and all complemented by a fantastic array of voice actors and actresses that bring the world to life, driving home those comedic lines and delivering cheesy bits of wordplay with sheer perfection. It is often said that a mediocre adventure can be lifted considerably by amazing production values, yet here it proves that a smashing adventure can become thoroughly brilliant when backed strongly on the presentation side.

The wonderful thing here - no joke this time! - is that The Fowl Fleet is not merely pleasant to see and listen to (just wait until you hear the sublime soundtrack, complete with one theme in particular that would not be out of place in the Banjo-Kazooie series!), but is highly logical in the puzzle creation stakes, leading those in control deeper and deeper into the jaunt, yet never causing high levels of annoyance due to obtuse roadblocks or a cumbersome inventory system.

There may be one or two head-scratching moments, but the few instances faced during the review process were down to sheer idiocy rather than unfair puzzle requirements or any fault of the game itself. Well, apart from one Operation mini-game that threatened the integrity of the review PC's mouse. Yes, lots of banging of said device occurred, along with a plentiful supply of swashbuckling language... All is forgiven now, though! After all, there will be many a moment where cracking the conundrum will leave a great sense of satisfaction, and the high levels of chuckles throughout really do placate any qualms.