Harold Halibut

Harold Halibut is a narrative science fiction adventure from the Cologne studio Slow Bros. It is set on a spaceship the size of a city, stuck beneath the surface of a foreign ocean. Instead of combat, the focus is on exploration, encounters with the residents and an ongoing story about belonging and home.

A special feature is the material design: characters and sets were built as miniatures and puppets before the developers digitally assembled them into a walkable game. This makes the world resemble a stop-motion film, while remaining an interactive adventure.

The original release took place on Apr 16, 2024. Since then, native versions have been available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Steam also offers a macOS version for computers with Apple Silicon.

On Oct 14, 2026, Slow Bros. announced another native port for Nintendo Switch 2. The planned release date is Nov 12, 2026. This date refers to the new Nintendo version, not to the first launch in 2024, which has already taken place.

Confirmed are PC (Windows and, on Steam, macOS for Apple Silicon), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Xbox explicitly lists the version as optimised for Series and as Xbox Play Anywhere, with PC access within the same store ecosystem. The PS5 version is a standalone native console release.

Nintendo Switch 2 is set to follow on Nov 12, 2026, according to the announcement. This new platform must not be confused with an earlier, unconfirmed Switch entry or a version launched via backward compatibility. Information on performance on Switch 2 has not yet been documented sufficiently officially.

Harold Halibut is a narrative single-player adventure. In the rooms of the FEDORA I, Harold holds conversations with the crew, helps with tasks and occasionally operates technical facilities. The game focuses on characters and exploring the stranded spaceship rather than fast combat.

For Windows, Steam lists at least Windows 10, a Core i5-7400 or AMD FX-8370, 8 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 480 and 56 GB of storage. An SSD is recommended.

Recommended: Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, Core i9-10900K or Ryzen 5 7600X and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6800. On macOS, an Apple Silicon processor is required, at least an M1 with 8 GB RAM. These details apply to the PC or Mac version, not Switch 2.

Around 250 years ago, the FEDORA I left Earth to escape a possible global conflict. The ark now lies beneath a foreign ocean. Many people have come to terms with life on board, while the scientist Jeanne Mareaux keeps searching for a way back to the surface.

Harold works as Mareaux's lab assistant and meets all kinds of ship residents in his daily life. An unexpected discovery forces the question of what home really means.

Slow Bros. first made characters, sets and objects as real miniatures from clay, wood, textiles and metal. Only afterwards were the models digitised and assembled into an interactive world. The distinctive look is therefore the result of real model-making work, not just a digital stop-motion filter.

Harold Halibut is a single-player game with fully English voice acting. Steam offers German menus and subtitles as well as text in nine other languages. The PC version supports controllers, Steam Cloud and achievements. Slow Bros. recommends a controller for input.

The final controls and technical details for the announced Switch 2 version have not yet been fully published. The PC features should therefore not be treated across the board as confirmed console features.

According to the studio, the idea for Harold Halibut arose back in 2012 from a shared passion for stop-motion and narrative games. The developers started out with puppets and small sets in their own rooms. Over many years this grew into the adventure released in 2024.

Developer and publisher is Slow Bros. from Cologne. The mix of analogue model making and digital execution shapes not only the look but the production history of the entire game.