Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!

Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!
Developer(s)	Alasdair Beckett
Composer(s)	Mark Lovegrove
Series	Nelly Cootalot
Engine	Adventure Game Studio
Version	1.5
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date(s)	March 6, 2007
Genre(s)	Point-and-click adventure
Media/distribution	Download
System requirements Windows 95 OSR2, 98, ME, 2000 or XP with DirectX 5+ 500 Mhz Pentium Processor 128 Mb RAM DirectX compatible video card that supports 16 bit 640x480 resolution DirectX compatible sound card

Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Alastair Beckett. It was created as an indie game using the Adventure Game Studio engine and released for free on the Internet on March 6, 2007.^[1]

Overview

A screenshot of the game, with Nelly on the left

Spoonbeaks Ahoy! was created by Beckett as a gift for his girlfriend, and the pirate protagonist Nelly Cootalot is modelled after her.^[2] In the fictional, insular Barony of Meeth, the player investigates the disappearance of a fleet of spoonbeaks (the game's term for spoonbills).^[3] A few minigames must be completed to reach the ending, including decyphering a coded message and winning a "hook a duck" carnival game.^[4]

The game's ending scene alludes to a potential sequel,^[4] which development was officially announced by Beckett in September 2008.^[5]

Reception

The game was praised for its story, music and humorous setting, though a few puzzles were considered difficult.^[2][4][6] While reviewers felt the game was inspired by Monkey Island series for its setting and dialogues, they acknowledge the originality of its art style and play experience.^[4] It was rated 80 out of 100 by the magazine PC Format.^[7]

The game won five awards on the Adventure Game Studio website for the year 2007, namely "Best Game Created with AGS", "Best Gameplay", "Best Dialogue Writing", "Best Player Character", and "Best Character Art".^[8] It was also named one of the 20 "Best Freeware Adventure Games" of 2007 by Think Services' IndieGames.com.^[9]

References

1. ^ "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! for PC". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/nellycootalotspoonbeaksahoy/index.html. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!". PC Gamer (Future Publishing). April 2008. http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/nellypcgamer.gif. Retrieved 2008-10-07. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Luke Plunkett (2007-09-14). "Nelly Cootaloot Is A Hoot". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/gaming/niche-genre/nelly-cootaloot-is-a-hoot-299810.php. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Luke Jensen (2008-07-19). "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,885. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
5. ^ Alasdair Beckett (2008-09-21). "Nelly Cootalot II - Tech Demo". Chris Jones. http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=35624.0. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
6. ^ Ernie P. Barin. "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy". Abandonia Reloaded. http://reloaded.org/download/Nelly-Cootalot-Spoonbeaks-Ahoy/332/. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
7. ^ "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/939165.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
8. ^ Andrew MacCormack (2008-02-18). "Woah, Nelly! AGS Awards results announced". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1616. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
9. ^ "Best freeware adventure games 2007". IndieGames.com. 2008-01-19. p. 11. http://www.indiegames.com/blog/articles/index.php?c=ad&y=2007&gid=11. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 

External links

• Game entry on the Adventure Game Studio database
• Game entry on Mark Lovegrove's website
• Game manual
• Official 1.6 Spanish version