The Neverhood, also known as Klaymen Klaymen: Neverhood no Nazo in Japan, is a claymation point-and-click adventure game. The game made its world debut on October 30, 1996 for PC. It was later ported to PlayStation on April 23, 1998. The Neverhood was developed by The Neverhood Inc. and published by DreamWorks Interactive.
Critics love The Neverhood for its creative visual style, well-executed graphics, and unique character personalities. It even received several awards and nominations, like the Special Award for Artistic Achievement from Computer Gaming World. While The Neverhood received rave reviews, it was commercially unsuccessful. It did not make it into big box retailers, like Target, so it did not reach as big of an audience as it may have deserved.
The Neverhood Premise
In this surreal, deserted world, everything is made of clay. The people, the buildings, the land, and the animals are all clay. But they are not just any clay. King Hoborg sought out a special kind of clay, that is of the finest and purest quality. It can last forever and never dry out. Before the events of the game, King Hoborg was in the middle of planning his perfect society. He decided to create his citizens one by one. But his first creation, Klogg, wanted Hoborg’s crown. After Klogg steals it, King Hoborg is in a state of stasis and it is up to the players to decide his fate.
Players discover the lore of not only the Neverhood but also of Hoborg and Willie from the time of the Gathering of the Klay. Players will travel the deserted landscape, defeat weasels, solve puzzles, and more all while Willie narrates the nonlinear story.
The game also has several different endings depending on the player’s choice.
- Drain Ending: After draining the lake and ignoring all of the warning signs not to jump in, Klaymen is able to jump down into the drain. These causes him to fall forever and credits to roll.
- Bad Ending: If Klaymen chooses to join Klogg and wear the crown, he will become an evil Klogg-like creature who laughs manically.
- Good Ending: If Klaymen chooses to save Hoborg, Klogg will be shot out of Neverhood and Hoborg will create several more Neverhoodians to build a fun and peaceful society.
The Neverhood Main Characters
Players control Klaymen, a claymation character out to discover his origins and purpose in a world made out of clay. There are also several other unique clay characters that are important to the game.
- Klaymen: A Neverhoodian who was just recently born. He is made of different colored clay and wears brown briefs. There are three buttons horizontally across his chest. The right button opens up his stomach so he can keep objects inside. He moves very slowly.
- Willie: Willie Trombone is a yellow and blue being made of klay (an in-game special type of clay) with a ring on the top of his head. He is not very intelligent but he is Klaymen’s best, and first, friend. He was around before King Hoborg created the Neverhood.
- Klogg: The antagonist of the game, Klogg, overthrew King Hoborg right before the events of the game. This red, demonic looking Neverhoodian is full of nothing but jealousy and greed.
- King Hoborg: While the king is in a state of stasis through most of the game, he played a very important role in it. He created not only Neverhood, but also Klaymen and Klogg with a special type of clay he found, klay. Hoborg is square-shaped, wide, and red with beige arms and legs. He is a tall, divine being with a thin, long, golden crown on his head. If anyone else wears his crown, like Klogg, they will become corrupt and evil.
The Neverhood Series
The Neverhood is the first game in the short but iconic series. It is then followed by the sequel Skullmonkeys, also known as Klaymen Klaymen 2: Skullmonkey no Gyakushū in Japan. In the sequel, we see the return of both the evil Klogg and our beloved protagonist Klaymen.
The Neverhood Cheat Codes
Luckily for players who have the PC version of the game, The Neverhood has a handful of cheats that can give players an advantage.
| Effect | Code |
| Skip the First Level | While on the first level, press the Enter key, type HAPPYBIRTHDAYKLAYMEN, and then press Enter again. |
| Speed Up the Game | Press the Enter key, type FASTFORWARD, and then press Enter again. |
| Skip to the Final Level | In the Venus Fly Trap room, drop off of the balcony to land in the Venus Fly Traps’ mouth. Then press the following keys: Enter, 1, 7, 9, Up, Down, Left, and Right. |
Unfortunately there are no cheats or cheat codes for the PlayStation port of the game.
The Neverhood Cheat Code FAQ
Does The Neverhood have any cheat codes?
Yes! While the game only has a few cheat codes for the PC version, they can be very useful. They can let players speed up the game, skip the first level, and even skip to the final level. Unfortunately there are no cheats for the PlayStation version.