Being a nuisance in Untitled Goose Game
I’ve been following this title for a while as it’s produced by Panic, a company that I’ve been a fan of since I used Coda and Transmit back in my uni years.
Panic, I believe were also involved in Firewatch, although I haven’t played that but I understand it was very well received.
The game came out last week and I picked it up to play after Link’s Awakening. I didn’t really get a chance to play it until this weekend but it was completely worth the wait.
The game isn’t a lengthy affair but it oozes charm and it’s a nice little distraction to pick up and play for a couple of hours.
What the HONK is Untitled Goose Game?
It’s a game in which you play as a Goose who likes to collect bells and cause all kinds of mischief in a small english town.
The game has 5 areas:
- A garden where you harass a GroundsKeeper
- A high street (of sorts) where you cause havoc for a boy and shopkeeper
- The gardens of two unlucky people
- A pub where you get up to all manner of shenanigans
- A miniature model of the town where you run around like some form of Goosezilla
You’re given a list of objectives to do in each area which unlock a final task that progresses the game’s narrative.
Examples of these tasks involve:
- Collecting multiple items in one location
- Stealing items from characters and placing them elsewhere
- Hiding in boxes or pretending to be a statue in order to make it into another location
There are only a couple of actions available to the player:
- You can walk
- You can run
- You can HONK
- You can flap your wings (although this is only relevant once in the game)
- You can duck your head
Why’s it so fun then?
Because deep down I think we all want to be able to mess with people without any repercussions and just be a nuisance.
The game is pretty cheap (the Switch version had a discount at launch) and the charm, price point and ease of play make it a very enjoyable experience.
It’s not a game you’ll sink hours into but it’s a nice little break from all the Triple-A (I cannot say that without the Jim Sterling voice) dark and gritty shooters and that’s OK.
I think this clip illustrates why it’s such a fun little game.
One of the objectives is to steal an item from the boy and put it in the shop, making the boy then have to re-buy the item, as the shop keeper refused to believe it was originally his.
It’s moments like this in the game where you wish there was a maniacal laughter (or would that be honking?) button.
Summary
If you have £13 and a couple of hours to kill then you should definitely pick up Untitled Goose Game.
