Note: Caution was taken in order to ensure no spoilers were made for the “Untitled Goose Game.”

Get on with your bad Goose-self. Honk!

The Goose is an herbivore regularly seen on the water floating about. To keep themselves safe, they are often found in large groups. So how did this lone, domestic goose come to wreak so much havoc amongst a small English village? Through stealth and mischief, this goose manages to move its way through this town taking anything that isn’t nailed down.

Simplistic Game Style

“Untitled Goose Game’s” controls consist of five simple actions: move, crouch, run, grab, and, best of all, “honk!” With so few controls, it feels as if there wouldn’t be much for this feathery fellow to do. That’s where you’d be wrong. It waddles about terrorizing the town. What you might forget though, that it is you who embodies this goose. Without you, this goose wouldn’t do anything but stand there. It’s your actions control what the goose does, which makes it interesting to see that when people get a little power under their nails just how much they’re willing to dig in. You get to become this goose.

 “Untitled Goose Game” begins with little direction and a short tutorial on its small list of controls, then you are sent on your way. As the goose meanders around aimlessly, you will finally come to a location where the game provides a task list. This list does not instruct on how to complete its objectives. It is completely up to you to figure out. Some are obvious and can be completed easily while others require creativity to solve. With your new-found freedom as a goose, you’ll be pulling anything you can from its resting spot to see what kind of reactions you can get.

Each newly discovered area provides new items and new ways to interact making each area vastly different. New objectives encourage the player to move forward with the game as it is easy to get side-tracked when tormenting is so enjoyable. As the NPCs get fed up with the goose’s antics, the NPCs will try to banish it with “no goose” signs and barring entry to places. Too bad geese aren’t good at interpreting human signs. The signs themselves are also easily moveable. Hint-hint, wink-wink. 

Popularity even without Play

As players have fun running rampant through the game’s town terrorizing its townspeople, players have taken to the internet to share their fondness. From constant memes on social media to references of the game in recent pop culture, such as the nod to the title in the newest intro of “Rick and Morty,” “Untitled Goose Game” has become a huge name as of late. Even the band Blink-182 gave a shoutout and dedicated a song to the game onstage at a recent concert. Overnight this game has become a cult classic. Even people who don’t care for games have come to love this goose’s grace as it waddles about with complete disregard for its actions.

Verdict

So why is “Untitled Goose Game” great and why do you need to give it a try? It is not necessarily the game that is the great part. From the unambiguous title, the simplistically beautiful cell-shaded art style to the well-executed interaction mechanics, the incredibly small indie development team accomplished what other games either lack or miss: freedom of play. The source of enjoyment that can be found as you do more than what the game asks. Gamers are attuned to accomplishing what a game tells them to do with little more than taking a linear path. In “Untitled Goose Game,” some pleasure a few good chuckles can be found when following a linear road, but with the freedom given in the game, a lovely time can be made as you chase and get chased as you go about around being the mischievous goose you are.

“Untitled Goose Game” was released on September 20th of this year by House House and published by Panic. The game is playable on PC, Mac and the Nintendo Switch. 

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