As mentioned in my recent review of Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love, the point-and-click retro game genre has experienced a significant resurgence. Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet distinguishes itself among its contemporaries, and here’s why:
Players follow the pirate Nelly Cootalot on her quest to discover the treasure of the seven seas, all while unraveling the enigmatic plans of pirate captain Widebeard. Her journey presents considerable challenges, demanding sharp problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles and achieve her ultimate objective.
At first glance, Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet‘s graphics may appear simplistic, resembling an animated children’s book. However, upon closer inspection, the visual design proves to be surprisingly sophisticated. The character animations are fluid, and the voice acting is both competent and entertaining. Furthermore, the script impressed me considerably. As previously noted in my review of Irony Curtain, many modern developers have drawn inspiration from LucasArts‘ classic titles, yet often fall short of replicating their success. Nelly Cootalot, however, manages to capture that essence. It is a genuinely witty, enjoyable, and cleverly designed adventure game, populated with eccentric characters and humorous dialogue options. The game evokes strong memories of Monkey Island, arguably the progenitor of the pirate point-and-click adventure.
A potential drawback lies in the occasionally convoluted puzzle design, which can lead to player frustration. While logical solutions ultimately exist, solving some puzzles requires significant trial-and-error. This issue arises relatively early in the game, potentially disrupting the player’s momentum and causing prolonged periods of stagnation. Adding to the frustration, the repetitive musical loop can become grating during these challenging sections. Additionally, I observed instances where relevant conversation options were absent after acquiring a necessary item, requiring the player to combine the item directly with the intended recipient. Offering both interaction methods would, in my opinion, enhance the gameplay experience.
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is also available for mobile devices (Android and iOS), reflecting its design suitability for smaller screens. Consequently, it translates well to the Nintendo Switch’s handheld mode. In fact, I found the experience preferable in portable mode, leveraging the touchscreen for intuitive interaction.
In conclusion, I found Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet to be an enjoyable and cleverly crafted game, offering considerable entertainment value for its price point. It comes recommended.
