wfmag.cc \ 59ReviewRated
ReviewDriving everyone quackers. Wait, no: ‘honkers’
ome games just honk right in
your face and demand you have a
gander, and Untitled Goose Game hit
its stride both pre- and post-launch
with a two-pronged attack. First, by
looking rather spiffy. Second, by setting sections
of the internet ablaze with frothy-mouthed praise
for this mixture of stealth, puzzling, and mischief.
If I were to describe it as Hitman, but with a
goose, I’d be a liar – but you’d have a better idea
of what’s going on here.
Untitled Goose Game has you controlling a
goose, see, on its way to do something – yes, I
am avoiding spoilers in a game about a goose.
Along the way, you encounter various obstacles
which require you hassle and harass the local
populace of an idyllic British countryside village
to circumvent. Steal a gardener’s rake, lock a child
in a phone box, appear on television, that kind
of thing. It’s objective-based mischief requiring
you figure out just how to make things happen.
And that’s... fun? Fun, I guess. I’m not wholly
sold on Untitled Goose Game, but more on that in
a second. When you pick this up for the first time,
it’s hard not to be beaming from ear to ear as you
waddle around honking like a goose possessed,
nicking carrots and throwing rakes in lakes.Messing with people – irritating them – is funny,
and there’s a palpable sense of being naughty
while you’re toying with the emotions of these
non-honking bipedal apes. It’s uplifting, silly, and
initially very appealing. But the feeling wears off.
Untitled Goose Game’s main problem comes
about because it’s a puzzle game that has puzzles
you don’t always feel smart for having solved.
Vague clues often lead to just trying anything and
seeing what happens – that’s very much in the
spirit of the game, absolutely, but it doesn’t make
for a satisfying experience over the long run.
A goose causing chaos in Middle England is
inherently funny. Adding a layer of defined goals
on top of that chaos is necessary to make this
more than just a Goat Simulator. But the balance
isn’t quite there, and too often I was left sneering
at the game for its vague logical paths, rather
than delighting in a gorgeous honkfest.
That said, Untitled Goose Game doesn’t outstay
its welcome, and as such this lack of development
as things progress is limited, thanks to the fact
the amount of game there is to play is limited.
Speedrunners are already blasting through
in minutes, while us regular people will take a
couple of hours to get through the main chunk
of game – there’s extra mischief to honk your
way through after the fact, too. I can see why
the internet has (in part) come unglued for
Untitled Goose Game – it’s characterful, funny,
and gorgeous; it captures a part of British life
few other games have even bothered trying
to represent. Stripped back to its mechanics,
though, it’s limited and – importantly – not that
much fun.Untitled Goose Game
S
VERDICT
Excellently presented and
brimming with charisma,
Untitled Goose Game is
nonetheless let down by
the trudgery of its puzzles.62 %
GENRE
Honkin’ puzzler
FORMAT
PC (tested) / Switch
DEVELOPER
House House
PUBLISHER
Panic Inc.
PRICE
£17.99
RELEASE
Out nowInfo
ReviewRated
REVIEWED BY
Ian DransfieldHIGHLIGHT
For all its less-than-serious attitude,
Untitled Goose Game is home to a
seriously characterful goose. This
little honker waddles with purpose,
flaps its wings in a non-threatening
could-be threat, and honks to the
beat of your thumb. I might not be
entirely sold on the game, but I do
want more of the goose. Locals don’t take kindly to
your mischief, though the
threat they pose is limited
to ushering you away. For no reason, I stole this
package and threw it in a lake.
Geese are a bad influence.