Gay Girl Casually Reviews Games #7: Untitled Goose Game (2019)
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You’re a naughty goose and your goal in life is to annoy humans.
MY RATING:
🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢/5
Why play?
* To relax.
* To do things you can’t really do in life as a human being.
* For the beautiful Debussy music.
* To honk.
* To have an excuse for bad behavior.
Avoid if:
* You’re afraid of geese.
STORY & PREMISE
You play as a goose, a naughty goose.
This goose shows no mercy.
Watch out, Solid Snake, this goose is an expert on stealth play!
At the beginning of the game, you’re given a to-do-list (elegantly written in a scrap of paper). Who wrote this? We do not know… (did the goose write this???)
Some tasks are completely harmless, such as setting up a cute little picnic (you have to steal the food though lol) and impressing some villagers with your wing-flapping skills.
Other objectives, however, are more nefarious (there are no deaths involved, don’t worry).
Tasks include annoying villagers (in a myriad of ways), collecting items, and breaking into areas where geese are strictly not allowed (villagers even put up no goose signs, but you can steal this signage too lol).
The game is set in a small English village, peppered with a bunch of items you can snatch, hide, break, or run around with.
There are bridges to cross, rivers to wade through, a mini golf course to explore, backyards to trespass, gardens to destroy, and hidden corners to discover.
GAMEPLAY & CONTROLS
It’s quite fun to be a naughty goose: you can walk/run, grab things with your beak, flap your wings, and honk.
You can also snatch objects that make sounds (i.e., bell, radio).
One of the things I enjoyed doing in-game, although not required, is throwing random things into the river — it relaxes me…(haha).
Obviously, you cannot speak, but you can honk to make your presence known. The villagers also do not talk, they just mumble and make use of little thought bubbles (i.e., to indicate that they’re looking for a missing item).
When you honk, villagers either run away from you or chase you. You can use this tactic to trap them (i.e., in phone booths, garage).
Honking is also a good distraction when you’re planning something more sinister (i.e., a villager in the middle of carpentry work might get spooked as you honk, leading them to accidentally drop a hammer on their toe; breaking things while the villager is looking away).
The Untitled Goose Game requires you to solve puzzles and do a bit of snooping, but basically it provides you with so much freedom — and such kind of freedom in the hands (goose feet lol) of someone as evil as this goose would definitely spell trouble.
MAIN CHARACTER
The game’s main villain is the goose — and you’re lucky enough to be able to control this mighty creature.
If this were your typical game, the goose would probably be some kind of good samaritan, tasked to help out villagers. But no, this is not your typical game.
You’re in this village to make everyone’s life miserable. You must wreck havoc everywhere you go. Beautiful.
ART
At first glance, the Untitled Goose Game may look like a digital painting done by a kid (a really talented kid though). It’s somewhat childish and plain — and that’s part of what makes the game so attractive.
The muted colors are relaxing to the eyes. Overall, the art style reminds me of wholesome children’s storybooks.
The contrast between the art style (with its childlike innocence) and the goose’s notoriety is so funny.
MUSIC
The Untitled Goose Game’s soundtrack is comprised of instrumentals (piano), most of which are Claude Debussy pieces as arranged by Dan Golding.
The OST is available on Spotify, and yes it’s very relaxing. Fans will certainly enjoy and appreciate the clever use of Debussy’s compositions.
The intensity/volume of the background music changes according to the goose’s actions.
For example, the piano-playing is softer when the goose is on stealth mode (i.e., secretly scheming against villagers, quietly trying to steal an item); while the music intensifies (making you quite nervous) during a goose-chase (i.e., when a villager caught you in the act of stealing an item, you’re about to be snatched up by a villager, intense honking battles).
When you’re just peacefully strolling around the village, the music is calm — almost too calm.
Even if I am doing bad things no goose should ever do (lol), I am at peace. Never have I ever been so relaxed while destroying things…
VALUE
I got this game last year from the Nintendo eShop for USD19.99 (Php970).
I got curious after seeing the Untitled Goose Game in Nintendo’s Download-Only Games bestseller list, dominating the charts for several weeks.
I was having lunch with work friends at a Japanese restaurant when I decided to finally purchase the game. Yes, I brought my Switch that day because my friends and I planned to have an afterwork play session (hehe).
Price may seem quite high, especially for a short game, but it is worth it! You’ll get a lot of laughs from the Untitled Goose Game.
I played this game before the COVID-19 pandemic, but I might be revisiting the goose’s small village sometime soon. This games makes for a fun companion during these horrible times.
So yes, the game has high replay value. Even after accomplishing your to-do-lists, there are some surprises that await you (I won’t spoil any further).
A September 2020 update added a 2-player co-op feature too (I am yet to try this), where you and a goose friend must work together to annoy the villagers.
CONCLUSION
No, this is not a baby game.
But if you insist on calling it that, then well… this is absolutely the best baby game I have ever played!
Honk!
GAME INFO
Developer: House House
Publisher: Panic Inc.
Initial release date: September 2019
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One
