Reviews

Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet review for Nintendo Switch, PC

Platform: Switch
Also on: PC
Publisher: ASH Games
Developer: Alasdair Beckett-King
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: T

It?s not very hard to see that Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is very much influenced by the old Monkey Island series. I mean, it?s a funny adventure game about pirates. If that?s not a succinct description of Monkey Island, I don?t know what is.

That?s not a complaint, mind you. After all, the Monkey Island games were generally a notch above their competitors, so if you?re going to steal, you may as well steal from the best. Even more importantly, though, we?re a decade past the last new Monkey Island game, and about two and a half decades since anyone gave the series much thought. If they?re no longer using the ideas, there?s no reason why this game can?t pick up that torch.

Especially when the results are as pleasant as The Fowl Fleet. While it?s clearly not going to win any awards for originality, it makes up for that with a good sense of humour, breezy dialogue, and fun characters given life by very solid voice actors. Couple that with an engaging story about the titular heroine searching for treasure, and you can see why it?s easy to get sucked in.

On top of that, the puzzles here mostly make sense. Given that you couldn?t say the same about many point and click adventures from the genre?s golden age, that?s actually a pretty impressive accomplishment. Sure, it?s still all picking up random objects and using them in inventive ways, but there are no insane leaps of logic that typified some of the genre?s worst excesses.

Just about the only real drawback to the Fowl Fleet is the controls are a little finicky. It?s clear that the game was designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse, and somehow touch controls don?t quite do the trick. It means you?ll have to tap around occasionally until you find just the right angle for certain things, which slows down the proceedings ever so slightly.

But really, that?s just a minor concern in the big scheme of things. Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet may borrow heavily from Monkey Island, but it does so with the best of intentions — and, more importantly, it leads to some pretty enjoyable results.

ASH Games provided us with a Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet Switch code for review purposes.

Grade: A-
Matthew Pollesel

Recent Posts

Prime Monster review for PC

Can politics and roguelike deckbuilers be a perfect match?

8 hours ago

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set to jump onto digital platforms, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray on May 19th, 2026

The hit Super Mario movie sequel it coming home in just a few short days!

8 hours ago

Nintendo eShop Update – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Outbound, R-Type Dimensions III

Check out the plethora of new eShop titles launching for Nintendo Switch platforms this week…

9 hours ago

Croteam is set to soon wrap up their first-person puzzle series with The Talos Principle 3 for PS5 and PC

The Talos Principal's final chapter is said to provide philosophical questions about the nature of…

1 day ago

Captain Tsubasa II: World Fighters gets a Super Action Soccer story trailer just in time for the World Cup

Bandai Namco's Captain Tsubasa sequel is coming soon, check out the latest details and media!

1 day ago

See what you’re getting in the LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight – Deluxe Edition in this new trailer

Where does he get all those wonderful toys? He paid an additional $20 dollars.

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.