‘Untitled Goose Game’ a breath of fresh air

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a nuisance to society; to root through someone else’s backyard and ruin their day? I have, and when presented with the option I jumped on it.

“Untitled Goose Game” is what some are calling the indie game of the year. Its soundtrack mingles with the quiet, agrestic village to create this breath of fresh air that is oddly reminiscent of “Pikmin” and “Animal Crossing”. The long stretches of intimate quiet play with the sneaking aspect of the game.

While I wouldn’t call myself a destructive person, I couldn’t help but see what I could destroy and how fast I could destroy it, whether it was a farmer’s garden, a TV store or a child’s sense of peace.

The game is full of secrets and alternative paths to completion. In the farmer’s garden, I found myself locked in. I reset the game and started over before I realized there was another entrance. Later I realized that resetting my saved file wasn’t even necessary, because when the game is closed and reopened, it starts you back in the pond.

The main mechanic of the game is similar to a point and click style. You move your goose around, ducking to hide from people, but also to pick up items closer to the ground. Once you’ve selected an item you can move the object if it’s light enough, or if it’s heavier you can drag it from point A to point B.

Dragging is a little more complicated, because although you have the ability to run, running backward while dragging a pumpkin praying the farmer doesn’t see you is stressful. The heavier objects like to grab onto most other items and small ledges. A way around this would be to find a spot to hide in before moving the rest of the distance, which this game is full of.

I have very few complaints about this game. Some of the doors have glitches that let you pass through them, but ultimately unless you’re trying to go through, you won’t have this problem. My main critique is that there isn’t enough game. Once I’d crossed off the last item on my “things-to-do (as well)” list, I wanted more game to play. The game challenges you to complete the game again faster but doesn’t include any other challenges besides a time limit.

5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)