The Spotlight: Terry Taylor's Neverhood

Back when I was a kid, I used to love adventure games (still do, actually). This isn't to say that I don't still love them now, but they really don't make them like they used to. King's Quest, Space Quest, and Zork were among the more universally known entries, but there were some gems that slipped under the radar. And by "slipped under," I mean stealth-cloaked itself and completely bypassed mainstream social consciousness. It's a shame too. The people who've played games like Sam & Max Hit the Road and The Neverhood will swear by how amazing (and riotously funny) the experience was. Sadly, there are far too few people who can say that they were able to partake during the golden age of adventure gaming.


Before you get too settled, let me clarify that this isn't an article about gaming, but more tangentially, one about video game music. After I bought The Neverhood, I immediately internet ordered the soundtrack. It's worth noting that my grasp of the internet was so tenuous at that point in time (around 1996) that I can't even recall exactly how I accomplished that task. Regardless, the music that soon arrived at my door was like nothing I had ever heard before (well, aside from the hearing it during gameplay). I had just been smashed in the head by the musical stylings of Terry Taylor.


There's good music. There's appropriate music. Then there's music that makes the experience. Can you imagine Star Wars: A New Hope without John Williams' epic score? Or (more depressingly), Episode One? Yeah, I just threw up a little in my mouth too. Terry Taylor's music is that level of integral. Words honestly fail to capture what he does for the game... which, by the way, is flat out hilarious amidst its spartan use of dialogue.

At this point, there's not much else I can say about either the Neverhood or Terry Taylor that would do either justice. Some things, you just have to experience for yourself. But if you ever do get the chance to play the game or listen to the music, I'd highly recommend making the investment of time to do so.