For a game that sees you controlling waterfowl and doesn't feature any robots, guns or tortured subplots, it's incredible how much attention Untitled Goose Game has garnered since it was revealed way back in October 2017. Thanks to its unique visual style, whimsical setting and instantly relatable protagonist, House House's sophomore title captured the hearts and minds of all that saw it, and subsequent hands-on sessions over the past few months have done little to reduce the level of hype. Quite the opposite, in fact – it quickly became one of our most eagerly-awaited Switch titles for 2019.
Now we finally have the finished product in our hands, it's everything we hoped it would be. It's a joy to play, a wonder to behold and sticks in your mind long after you've finished it – which, sadly, won't take much time as longevity happens to be this particular goose's Achilles' heel. Having said that, while it lasts, Untitled Goose Game is a complete and utter riot; a game that not only makes you laugh out loud but also exercises your reflexes, brainpower and resourcefulness.
The game begins with a gentle introduction which allows you to familiarise yourself with the controls. The A button causes the goose to pick things up with its beak – heavier items can only be dragged – while the Y button emits a honking sound which can be used to attract the attention of humans or make them jump and drop whatever it is they are carrying (this is important). The B button causes the goose to sprint (an essential skill, but one that reduces your turning circle and overall responsiveness), while ZL makes it duck down, allowing it to pass through tight spaces or reach items on the ground. ZR causes it to flap its wings, L zooms the camera in, R zooms out and the Minus button brings up your current list of objectives.
These objectives are deliciously goofy and often heavily disruptive to the lives of the peace-loving people in the quaint English village where the game takes place. You're asked to perform tasks like creating a picnic from assorted items dotted around a garden or dressing up a stone bust with various bits of clothing. Elsewhere, you must trick someone into breaking their neighbour's prized vase or force an individual to pay for an object they rightfully own. While some of these objectives have clear pathways to success, there are some which can be tackled in more than one way, sometimes using items found elsewhere in the game. We're not talking Hitman levels of possibilities here, but the game certainly encourages experimentation.
While Untitled Goose Game was billed as a 'stealth' experience just after its announcement, remaining out of sight isn't as important as you might expect; sure, there are times when hiding behind a bush and spooking a human is necessary, but you can often run about causing annoyance in plain sight and still get the job done – there are no 'insta-fail' stealth missions here, thank goodness (you do, however, get the chance to hide in a box, Solid Snake-style).
Each 'to do' item on your list is neatly summarised in a single sentence, and while there are some examples which could be seen as too obtuse, it's usually pretty obvious what is required of you – the challenge is manipulating both the people and the items in order to tick off that particular objective. Each completed task has a line drawn through it on your notepad (geese have stationary, apparently); never has the sound of a pencil meeting paper sounded so rewarding.
As you tick off tasks, Untitled Goose Game's sublime interface and fully-realised world really come to the forefront; your pesky winged avatar is a real joy to control, and thanks to some convincing and robust physics, objects react just as you'd expect them to – balls roll down gentle inclines, while solid items stack upon one another fairly reliably (ideal when a challenge which requires you to weigh down a set of scales, for example).
Certain objects are a little annoying to manipulate and control (the aforementioned ball, for example, which often feels like it has a life of its own) but using a combination of your crouching posture and the A-button 'peck', you can usually get the job done. And, while it's not possible to 'lose' an item required for progress by either accident or design (even dropping something down the big, tempting well in the centre of the village simply results in it reappearing in the pond), you can exit the game and return all items to their original locations without losing your 'to-do' list progress, which makes things a little easier when you really get in a muddle and can't recall where you left those bloody glasses.
The game's village is divided into sections which, once you've ticked off all of the objectives, open up into other areas. The whole village is interconnected thanks to a series of unlockable gates, which come in very handy later on when you're tasked with transplanting objects from one area to another. There's a nice degree of variety on display, too; the opening garden gives way to the busier high street, which is superseded by some prim-and-proper terraced housing and then a grand public house and restaurant, complete with dartboard, delivery van and angry landlord (and landlady). The way in which all of these locations interlink is well done; outside of the opening boot sequence, there are no load times to speak of. This is a seamless and brilliantly-realised environment which, if you're from the British Isles, will seem instantly familiar.
According to the developer, the game's look was influenced by UK TV programmes like Postman Pat and Thomas the Tank Engine; it's remarkable to consider that House House is actually based on the other side of the world – the Australian team has truly nailed the look and atmosphere of your typical, unassuming English hamlet. The music, too, is brilliant; it's context-sensitive and reacts to the on-screen action. When you're quietly stalking around trying to keep a low profile (flower beds and bushes are helpful here) the audio drops down, but the moment someone spots you stealing one of their items, the piano-based tune swells and rises perfectly, lending that little bit of extra tension and urgency to proceedings. While we're on the topic of presentation, performance in both docked and handheld mode is excellent – there are a few instances where the frame rate dips a little, but it's never anywhere close to being game-breaking.
Outside of the setting, one of the obvious key attractions of Untitled Goose Game is the fact that you take on the role of a really annoying bird. While the checklist of tasks ensures that you're duty-bound to create mischief, just as much fun can be had creating your own brand of freeform annoyance. Indeed, when we handed the game to someone who had never heard of it before, we were surprised to find that instead of following the objectives, they simply wandered about seeing what items they could steal and hurl into a nearby pond.
As a sandbox of cheekiness, Untitled Goose Game scores highly; it helps that there are numerous hidden objectives which can be unlocked by experimenting with the environment and the items found within. The world is so utterly convincing – and so brilliantly governed by its own set of rules – that simply wandering around is a pleasure in itself; watching the gardener diligently attempt to tidy up the massive mess you've so thoughtlessly made (a commendable trait that many of the human characters posses) is both gratifying and ever-so-slightly mortifying at the same time.
While it lasts, Untitled Goose Game is a total riot, and not a single second is wasted when it comes to pure entertainment value. The maximum amount of amusement is extracted from its runtime, which – it pains us to say – is perhaps a little too lean for our liking. When the credits rolled we felt like we were just getting into the swing of things, and while there's a pretty robust post-game package, it doesn't expand the world in any way.
When you consider the asking price of Untitled Goose Game, there's definitely an argument to say it's not terrific value for money; your initial playthrough can take a couple of hours, depending on how quickly you work out the solutions to the puzzles. Completing the post-game elements – which include finding all of the hidden objectives as well as ticking-off all of the original tasks within each area in under six minutes each (a surprisingly stern challenge, to be honest) – will add a few more hours to that total, but it's possible to see all that Untitled Goose Game has to offer in quite a short space of time.
That obviously counts against it, but the question remains: is the experience you have within those few hours enjoyable enough to justify the cost of entry? We'd argue yes, because there's nothing quite like Untitled Goose Game on the market. While they're two entirely different games, we'd draw a comparison with Journey, a title with a similarly short runtime and price, but one that we'd heartily recommend to anyone and everyone regardless. While we'd love to have seen more areas to explore or tasks to undertake (DLC could well fill that void), we enjoyed our time with Untitled Goose Game immensely.
Conclusion
Untitled Goose Game boasts more inventiveness, creativity and charm than the vast majority of titles on the Switch eShop, and offers a believable game world that's a real pleasure to explore, investigate and – of course – cause merry havoc in. Superb physics, excellent controls, surprisingly robust AI and unique presentation all combine to make this a real highlight in the Switch's library – it's only the brevity of the experience that lets it down, but this really is a case of quality over quantity.
Comments 93
An 8, eh? Thought as much. Hopefully there'll be some DLC down the road.
So... About how long is it?
Edit
Thanks @Jack_Goetz
Probably won't be buying it just yet then, looks like a blast though.
@Kalmaro "Your initial playthrough can take a couple of hours"
I would hope you can get at least 4 hours out of this?
Bought it but been busy with new Zelda. Good to read it's a fun game.
Hopefully they make a more robust sequel & call it "Second Untitled Goose Game".
Seems like a fun little game, but I feel like this is one of those games I would get on sale. For $20 it sorta reminds me of that Goat Simulator, another game like this that I only played for about an hour or two.
@Columbia76 "Untitled Goose Game Sequel"
I've been talking to @Damo a lot in the office this week... personally I really like quality over quantity so whilst I'd love this to have /more/ content it's still a very strong recommendation. If you want to bring "value for money" into the equation it's a greyer picture because different people have different expectations of value. Bottom line is, it's a great game, and it's up to you to decide how much your time is worth.
@JayJ It's on sale right now. 25% off I think.
I'm so happy this game lives up to expectations. Checking it out right away!
I'm wondering if the 25% off sale has anything to do with likely early indicators that the game would get marked down for its short length vs original asking price?
Wow, this game was in development for over two years. It sounds amazing, so I hope they recoup the money invested in developing it. Can't wait to try this game out!
@antdickens @Columbia76 I want a sequel with couch co-op: Untitled Geese Game.
I will buy if the price reflects two hours of gameplay. Meaning I will probably just get one, as they estimates are often for completionists.
$10 is probably my upper bound. I would be willing to pay twice as much for a physical release.
Can't wait to play it. Not surprised it isn't longer. $20 is not too much to play this light-hearted game, so I'll probably get it this weekend
@antdickens Well said!
I want to buy, but I will wait a few months for the sale
This game needed anime boobies to get anything lower than an 8. Another flavor of the month indie junk get overpraised.
I’ll get many hours out of this one just waddling around, being a jerk.
@JayJ - It has a launch discount until 10/4, it’s $5 off until then (edit - bam, allow me to be second to tell you).
@damo You can't steal my Metal Goose Solid by changing Goose to Geese without express written consent. 😝
I enjoyed having a gander at this review
@Columbia76 Untitled Goose Game (1)
“ZL makes it duck down”
So you’re telling me geese can duck?! 😛
"instantly relatable protagonist"
Ha!
I ll wait for a 50% discount.
Game is too short for this price.
@PBandSmelly The sale is right now...25% off
Gotta try this game out. It will be a legand in the making.
Thanks for the review! Maybe I missed it being mentioned somewhere, bit how long will the sale last?
This is the kind of experience that you don't want to overstay its welcome. PoolPanic was a similarly goofy game but it had too much content and got tedious. Sometimes shorter is better. The runtime should match the game.
Anyway, I'll be buying it when I get home from work 😁
I'll probably get it, especially during its launch sale. If anything it will ne a blast for my kids to play it over and over again.
@sketchturner I can't remember who said it but I've seen it mentioned a few times, that people will pay to go see a film which is a couple of hours long, but won't pay the same price for a game. Not sure why, as a game is yours to own and play over and over. Some experiences are better distilled into something short, sharp and pure. Agreed that shorter can be better!
@sketchturner Agree with you on Pool Panic. Really liked the concept but it was a slog to get through all the levels and the final boss was just not fun. I'm a big fan of "short but sweet" games.
Eh, I don’t mind if it’s short. Can’t wait to try out this game. This game is going to be honktactular.
Sorry i’ll leave.
@Rika_Yoshitake We've got a running bet in the office; every time you mention "indie flavour of the month", I get a £10. Keep it up! 👍
@antdickens - Also An Unititled Goose Game
So roughly the same amount of content as Link’s Awakening at a fraction of the price.
I'm really curious now about the frame rate of this game. I can't tell I'll like it a lot and share it with people, but I'm just wanting to know what it runs at. It seems like 45fps, but could be anything from 35 to 55fps. It's not 60fps, and I'm pretty sure it's not 30fps either. I'm not saying there's a problem with the graphics or anything, but for me at least it would be more pleasant if it ran at 60fps all the time. Regardless, it seems to be very playable and fun. Great work House House!
£17.99?
Worth a gander.
(Ahem)
Trying to make Geese Howard jokes and failing miserably here...
Sounds like a good time to me. I’ll definitely buy it later today with the “special launch price”.
@Damo With that many tenners, you could honk in at least 15 copies of Untitled Goose Game by now.
@antdickens @Columbia76 Another Untitled Goose Game. Then for a third one, Yet Another Untitled Goose Game.
@Quarth seems the sale goes thru 10/4 in USA at least.
I’d happily play $20 for this game. Short games value always bring up a movie in the theater comparison for me — this is cheaper than seeing 2 movies in the theater, and will surely give you as much length of entertainment. Plus it’ll be a great game to share with unsuspecting loved ones... can’t wait to make my non-game-playing girlfriend give this a whirl..
So it looks like based on the reviews I can expect around 4-5 hours with everything the game has to offer ( I believe it the review said a couple hours for the story and then further on it said another few hours completing the challenges). So I think with a launch price of $15 for 4 hours is not too bad ( $3.75/ hour). Ideally I like around $2/hour but I’ve had plenty of games that cost a little more and are worth it IMO ( South Park since I didn’t buy it on sale cost more but was a lot of fun). I’ll pick this up and hopefully have a good time- based on the review I think I will.
@nessisonett HONK
@Damo how much for “slow news day?”
@Mamabear same with Sayonara Wild Hearts, which I got yesterday. Although that one is a more intense affair maybe. I'm sadly skipping the goose because I feel I don't get enough value for money. I'm not short on games though, no problem. I simply can't justify 15€ for 2 hours of content with little replayability. I don't like wasting 15€ for the cinema, neither. But I happily spend 15€ for a big burger and a pint of beer in the pub... Mhhh
Really enjoying this. The music and way the music is triggered reminds me of The Snowman.
PS .... Anyone know how to get the gardener to wear his sunhat?
@fluggy https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/guide_untitled_goose_game_walkthrough_-_puzzle_solutions_and_to-do_list_objectives
@Aslanmagic £20!
@Damo 😂
This sounds like music to my ears. My backlog of shame is so depressingly large right now that a short sharp dose of quality injected straight into my gaming brain is perfect. Also I commend the devs for making an original game with style and
humour and is ultimately st(h)onking fun
Cool! I have enough gold coins to get it for free. Finally something to spend them on!
Yet another case where a game is at least good and unique, but the asking price is questionably high. Hope it manages to get a decent amount of attention since it sounds like a concept that has more work put into it than any normal person would think it deserves.
As someone who's not too big into stealth games (those and horror games tend to stress me out) and just wants a few one and done titles (short and sweet, maybe some minor content I can miss without losing a lot) this is probably a buy for me, especially since the game's supposed to be on sale for a while.
@JayJ If you're still interested, the game is supposed to be on sale for 25% until October 4th. Might still be a bit pricey to some, but it's less than the initial cost.
Not sure why people are complaining about the cost of Link's Awakening when you see the cost of this & time to complete.
@SuperCharlie78 I was looking at Sayonara Wild until I saw it was part of Apple Arcade- kind of turned me off from buying it on Switch. I think everyone just has different opinions on what’s a good value to them. I would rather pay for video games than go to the movie theater personally. As much as I love a good burger I’d take some tacos and margaritas for the same price.
To everyone worried about the length... I spent an hour annoying the gardener in the first area... and as long again tormenting the characters in the second area. If you like to mess around in games, and experiment... you'll get way more than two hours out of this.
@antdickens Exactly. I’d much rather have a game that’s only an hour, but a really fun/funny/amazing hour, than a 10+ hour game that is a slog, or I don’t feel like I accomplished anything in an hour of time. Even if said game is amazing.
Reasons being - I’m a parent, I don’t have much game time anymore. Plus I grew up with NES/SNES where if you spent an hour with a game you either beat it of half of it (minus RPGs). So you felt like you progressed and accomplished something. Even Zelda:LttP if you spend an hour with you’ll likely have finished at least ONE dungeon, if not the first 3.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played and beat Skyrim, Fallout 3, and other major crazy huge games that you can’t even complete a quest in an hour.... and I LOVE them. But dollar for dollar, I’ll choose a game like Diablo 3, MUA3, Gungeon, Isaac most of the time because if I have 20 mins that’s a lot of time for those games. D3 I can get 4-6 rifts done and maybe get some amazing gear, or MUA3 I can run a handful of Infinity Rifts / max a char or two, and Isaac/Gungeon that’s usually a full run.
TL;DR - Life short/busy, time is precious, spend it wisely and have fun.
@Damo hahah. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that bet. I once joked about a NL comment section drinking game. At least you can make back your money, can’t undo liver damage.
The Goose is telling me to pick this up, and that's what im going to do
@Rika_Yoshitake
Cry more, pervert
@BorderlineJon I dunno about everyone else, but if a game was that short, I'd just save my money and watch someone play the game on YouTube.
I hate being that guy, but....
It’s geese have stationery, with an E, not an A.
That was quite enjoyable actually 😂
Game of the year for sure. That goose is so good.
Been playing it with a permanent smile on my face
This one is definitely going on the eshop wish list. Let Goosageddon commence!
@Columbia76 Untitled Goose Game 2: The Goose Strikes Back.
Am I the only one that scrolls to the bottom to see the conclusion and rating?
@chooselife
No.
The score reads "honk", looks like the goose had wreak havoc on Nintendolife too.
Someone should award this game as "Game of the Year." so that it will be called Titled Goose Game.
Should I pick up Untitled honk honk or The legend of Hilda: Winky wakey?
https://mobile.twitter.com/GitGudNami/status/1175085369059987456
I know it's on sale now but I imagine it will have a better sale later and since I have quite a backlog I'm in no hurry to own it even though it looks very intriguing.
NBA 2K20 gets a 9 while the honk honk game gets an 8?
EXPLAIN.
$20... Christ, I spent more than that watching the last Avengers movie; at least this is an original idea. If you're going to go money/hours = value, you're going to miss a lot of joy in life. Hell, by that metric a crappy freemium phone game is the greatest gaming investment available!
You guys should play this game if you're dreaming of becoming a troll. I am already the goose in this comment section.
I thoroughly enjoyed this game today, and I am already spreading the goosepel.
It looks and reads like a 9 to me. An excellent game shouldn't be penalised just because it's short.
In fact, I would welcome more excellent quality short games (many of which lend themselves well to multiple playthroughs precisely because of their brevity).
With life being so busy and there being so little free time, the odd short and sweet game is most welcome, and I have in fact bought a few physical budget titles for this very reason.
Most of the really long games simply have their lengths artificially extended via grinding anyway, and many such games are praised to high heaven in spite of their constant repetition. Now, I do like the odd RPG, and I am not necessarily disparaging the genre, but the reality is that many are not as content rich as the typical play time implies.
Something I can play in one or two sittings and then archive is a big ‘joy’. And as I now live in beautiful Australia, I’d better support the Aussie devs
@Bondi_Surfer : I'm no patriot, but this game makes me proud to be an Aussie. Even crazier is that this was financed by the Victorian Government! It's about time our taxes were put to good use.
I would love to buy it right away, but a game that has been as praised and anticipated as this will more than likely receive a physical release at some point, whether widely available or via limited distribution, so I'm holding out for that.
@Spoony_Tech I think you'll find t'was I who came up with the tagline, and days before you I might add 😉
The goose would be fun to play as in Smash Bros.
I've played through most of the first garden section, and the simple amusement of stealing a welly, dragging it into a bush, then poking your head out of the bush and honking at the gardener has easily made the asking price worth it already.
@Damo You think I'm the only one calling out this predictable ass pattern of reviews. Guess you're not reading many of your own comments then.
@Rika_Yoshitake Yeah, it's terrible that we keep giving good games high scores, and bad games low ones. Something should be done!
My son has been watching videos of this... I put £15 in to his account last week & he spent £9 of it against my advice because, well, kids are impatient... he was gutted this morning when he saw on the eShop that this game launched with a discount that meant he COULD have bought it, so I said nothing, added the difference, downloaded it & waited for him to discover... he actually cried happy tears & has been having a blast ever since! My daughter & I have been watching & that’s been almost as much fun!
@Damo "bad games" he says, the fact that you're this clueless emphasizes the problem even more.
I played for about 40 min my first time and then thought oh yeah there's a check list i need to go through. I had this stupid grin the whole time I played it though (and a few laugh out loud moments). This is a great stress relief after a busy weekend.
This is genuinely one of the most charmingly beautiful games I've seen so far on Switch. Pushing 20 quid is a perhaps a bit steep, but I'm certainly tempted whilst it's on offer.
a playable demo overpriced gets a 8? ok....
The same that I say with Old Man's Journey: couple hours gameplay is fine, but not at 15 €. And that's a sale, because it normally will cost 20. I'm sorry, but here I must use the 1 [coin] = 1 hour of gameplay.
You get to be a horrible goose
^That is the only thing that matters.
@Rika_Yoshitake anime boobs should raise the score, not lower it.
The game lasted a good 8 hours for me. However, I am TERRIBLY slow at finishing games, which probably because #1 I suck at most games and #2 I spend most of my time experimenting and goofing off. I like how it takes me a long time though; it just means I get to enjoy the game for longer!
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