Software:Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!

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Short description: 2007 video game
Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!
Developer(s)Alasdair Beckett-King
Composer(s)Mark Lovegrove
SeriesNelly Cootalot
EngineAdventure Game Studio
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseMarch 6, 2007
Genre(s)Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)single-player

Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is a point-and-click adventure game by British developer Alasdair Beckett-King. It was created as an indie game using the Adventure Game Studio game engine and released for free on the Internet on March 6, 2007.[1] The game has been translated into Spanish, French, German and Polish. A sequel to the game, Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet, was released on March 22, 2016.[2]

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.[3] In the fictional, insular Barony of Meeth, the player investigates the disappearance of a fleet of spoonbeaks (the game's term for spoonbills).[4] A few minigames must be completed to reach the ending, including deciphering a coded message and winning a "hook a duck" carnival game.[5]

The game's ending scene alludes to a potential sequel,[5] which development was officially announced by Beckett in September 2008.[6] The second game is called Nelly Cootalot II: The Fowl Fleet. It was crowdfunded via Kickstarter and released in March 2016 commercially.[7][8]

Reception

The game was praised for its story, music and humorous setting, though a few puzzles were considered difficult.[3][5] 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.[5][9] It was rated 80 out of 100 by the magazine PC Format.[10]

The game won five AGS Awards in 2007, namely "Best Game Created with AGS", "Best Gameplay", "Best Dialogue Writing", "Best Player Character", and "Best Character Art".[11] It was also named one of the 20 "Best Freeware Adventure Games" of 2007 by Think Services' IndieGames.com.[12]

References

  1. "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! for PC". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/nellycootalotspoonbeaksahoy/index.html. 
  2. "Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet". Webedia Polska SA. https://www.gamepressure.com/games/nelly-cootalot-the-fowl-fleet/zc3801. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!". PC Gamer (Future Publishing). April 2008. http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/nellypcgamer.gif. 
  4. Luke Plunkett (2007-09-14). "Nelly Cootaloot Is A Hoot". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/gaming/niche-genre/nelly-cootaloot-is-a-hoot-299810.php. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Luke Jensen (2008-07-19). "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,885. 
  6. Alasdair Beckett (2008-09-21). "Nelly Cootalot II - Tech Demo". Chris Jones. http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=35624.0. 
  7. "Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet! (Retro Pirate Adventure)". http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/315061806/nelly-cootalot-the-fowl-fleet-retro-pirate-adventu?ref=card. 
  8. "Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet wird ausgeliefert". 2016-03-22. http://www.application-systems.de/nellycootalot/news.html#739222032016. 
  9. spoonbeaks-ahoy on Rock, Paper, Shotgun (2007)
  10. "Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/939165.asp. 
  11. Andrew MacCormack (2008-02-18). "Woah, Nelly! AGS Awards results announced". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1616. 
  12. "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.